Population census and age category character of Stump tailed macaque, Macaca arctoides, in Northern Peninsular Malaysia

Macaca arctoides is reported to be distributed only in the northern part of Malay Peninsula. Intensive scientific observations have never been carried out before on this neglected macaque in the northern range. Thus, in this article, an estimation of population data on the Malaysian stump-tailed macaques that were found in Wang Kelian forest areas in Perlis State Park, Malaysia is presented. Intensive field observations were conducted from Sept 2018 to January 2019 with scanning sampling. The study revealed a total of 171-176 stump-tailed macaques, consisting of 44 (25%) adult males, 28 (16%) adult females, 19-22 (11%) sub-adult males, 16-19 (10%) sub-adult females, 43 (25%) juveniles, and 21-23 (13%) infants. Two main groups were observed, which were the Nomad and the Batat groups. Their ranging areas appear to sometimes overlap each other, while some Nomad members were observed in the Batat group. The age structure can be differentiated through body size and pelage coloration. The stump-tailed macaque populations in Wang Kelian are sensitive to human presence, while their habitat area is threatened by human illegal poaching activities. More conservation efforts are needed to conserve this neglected macaque from local extinction

Low diversity of fruit bats in the East Coast islands of Terengganu, Malaysia

Fruit bats are important pollinators for plants and play important ecological functions and services in the tropical rain forest. Fruit bats are considered more important for the ecological rehabilitation and health of the plant community on islands as other pollinators may not be able to fly across open sea and reach the island. This study was conducted to determine the diversity of fruit bats in three contrasting Terengganu offshore islands, namely, Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Bidong, and Pulau Redang. A total of 40 individuals of four species were captured using 10 mist nets during the 180 mist-net night sampling period from June 27, 2019 until February 29, 2020. Pulau Bidong had the highest number of bats captured (22), followed by Pulau Redang (18) and Pulau Perhentian (0). The most frequently captured species was Cynopterus brachyotis in both islands. No yield in Pulau Perhentian may be caused by tourism activity, seasonal movement following flowering and fruiting trees, or inadequate sampling effort in multiple sites. The data can be further used to determine factors in assessing threats and for future conservation by the management authorities

Scenedesmus biomass productivity and nutrient removal from wet market wastewater, a bio-kinetic study

The current study aims to investigate the production of microalgae biomass as a function for different wet market wastewater ratios (10, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) and Scenedesmus sp. initial concentrations (104 , 105 , 106 , 107 cells/mL) through the phycoremediation process. The biomass production, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total organic compounds (TOC) were determined daily. The pseudo-first order kinetic model was used to measure the potential of Scendesmus sp. in removing nutrients while the Verhulst logistic kinetic model was used to study the growth kinetic. The study revealed that the maximum productivity of Scenedesmus sp. biomass was recorded with 106 cells/mL of the initial concentration in 50% wet market wastewater (98.54 mg/L/day), and the highest removal of TP, TN, and TOC was obtained (85, 90 and 65% respectively). Total protein and lipid contents in the biomass yield produced in the wet market wastewater were more than that in the biomass produced in the BBM (41.7 vs. 37.4 and 23.2 vs. 19.2%, respectively). The results of GC–MS confirmed detection of 44 compounds in the biomass from the wet market wastewater compared to four compounds in the BBM. These compounds have several applications in pharmaceutical and personal care products, chemical industry and antimicrobial activity. These findings indicated the applicability of wet market wastewater as a production medium for microalgae biomass

Data on first record of brown morph banded langur (presbytis femoralis), leucistic dusky leaf monkey ( trachypithecus obscurus ) in Malaysia and review of morph diversity in langur (colobinae)

Morphism refer to polymorphic species, in which multiple colour variants coexist within a population. Morphism in pri- mates is common and langurs also exhibit certain character- istics of morphism, such as conspicuous natal coats. Banded langurs ( Presbytis femoralis ) and dusky leaf monkey ( Trachyp- ithecus obscurus ) exhibits the same characteristics of conspic- uous natal coats, but these coats are only limited to infants and changed when they reached adulthood. This article re- ports the first discovery of rare brown morph of two adult male banded langurs and one leucistic adult female dusky leaf monkey in Malaysia. We also conducted a systematic literature search to review the diversity of morphism in leaf monkey globally

Splitting tensile and pullout behavior of synthetic wastes as fiber-reinforced concrete

Plastic bottles and waste wires are the most commonly discarded synthetic wastes that contribute to environmental pollution. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles act as one of the contributors to environmental pollution. One solution to environmental pollution includes recycling plastic bottle wastes as synthetic fibers and incorporating them into concrete. Therefore, pullout strengths of synthetic fibers in a concrete matrix should be investigated by conducting splitting tensile and pullout tests. Experiments of the present study used fibers from ring-shaped PET bottles with widths of 5 and 10 mm. Irregularly shaped PET bottles with 10–15 mm size, waste wires measuring 55 mm in length, and manufactured synthetic macro-fibers were also used in comparative analysis. Results indicate that an increase in fiber volume improves tensile strength of concrete. Incorporation of high-volume fiber with concrete results in a substantial amount of fibers bridging and crossing fractured sections, thereby activating failure resistance mechanisms. In comparison with irregularly shaped PET and waste wire fibers, ring-shaped fibers performed better as they are mainly designed to activate fiber yielding instead of fiber pullout. The load energy required to debond fibers and the concrete matrix was high when the surface contact area was large in comparison with that when a small surface contact area was considered. Fibers with small surface contact area easily slip under tensile stress. Thus, the surface contact area of fibers with concrete matrix allows good frictional resistance against pullout or tensile loa

Mixed-species association among malaysian primates during the covid-19 outbreak in Genting Highlands, Peninsular Malaysia

This is the first report to elucidate primate mixed-species association during Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia. The observations were carried out at Genting Highlands between 14-24th April 2020 using ad libitum sampling. Five Genting Highlands primate species were observed at approximately 66 observation hours which include Symphalangus syndactylus (siamang), Trachypithecus obscurus obscurus (dusky langur), Presbytis siamensis siamensis (Malayan pale-thighed surili), Macaca nemestrina (southern pig-tailed macaque), and Macaca fascicularis (long-tailed macaque). Primates in Genting Highlands were seen interacting among themselves during the third phase of the MCO. Siamangs, dusky langurs, and long-tailed macaques were observed sharing space and interacting in an old section of Genting View Resorts that is currently under renovation. Malayan pale- thighed langurs were also observed approaching this area. During the third phase of the MCO, siamangs, dusky langurs, long-tailed macaques, and pig-tailed macaques consumed fruits of the fig tree (Ficus benjamina), which last for only one week. Strict controls on public movement are believed to have created environmental conditions that enabled Genting Highlands primates to move and interact freely among themselves

Alteration of the gut microbial composition of critically endangered Malayan tigers (Panthera tigris jacksoni) in captivity during enrichment phase

Enrichment activities may influence the microbiomes of captive tigers’, affecting their health, digestion, and behavior. Currently, there are few studies that address the impact of enrichment activity on tigers’ health. This study aimed to determine the diversity of the gut microbiome in captive Malayan tigers at Zoo Melaka and Night Safari during the environmental enrichment phase using a metabarcoding approach.This study utilized different enrichment activities which catered for food, sensory, and cognitive enrichment. Eleven fresh fecal samples from captive Malayan tigers at Zoo Melaka and Night Safari were collected under different conditions. All samples were extracted and 16S rRNA V3–V4 region amplicon sequencing was used to characterize the gut microbiome of captive Malayan tigers subjected to various enrichment activities. Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, and Fusobacteriota were the dominant phyla observed in the gut microbiome of captive Malayan tigers during enrichment activities. This study revealed β-diversity significantly varied between normal and enrichment phase, however no significant differences were observed in α-diversity. This study demonstrates that environmental enrichment improves the gut microbiome of Malayan tigers because gut microbes such as Lachnoclostridium, which has anti-inflammatory effects and helps maintain homeostasis, and Romboutsia, which has a probiotic effect on the gut microbiome. Conclusions This study provides valuable insights into the effects of enrichment activities on the gut microbiome of captive Malayan tigers, offering guidance for enhancing captive management practices aimed at promoting the health and well-being of Malayan tiger in captivity

Diet Composition of the Wild Stump-Tailed Macaque(Macaca arctoides) in Perlis State Park, Peninsular Malaysia, Using a Chloroplast tRNL DNA Metabarcoding Approach: A Preliminary Study

Understanding dietary diversity is a fundamental task in the study of stump-tailed macaque, Macaca arctoides in its natural habitat. However, direct feeding observation and morphological identification using fecal samples are not effective and nearly impossible to obtain in natural habitats because this species is sensitive to human presence. As ecological methods are challenging and time-consuming, DNA metabarcoding offers a more powerful assessment of the diet. We used a chloroplast tRNL DNA metabarcoding approach to identify the diversity of plants consumed by free-ranging M. arctoides in the Malaysia–Thailand border region located in Perlis State Park, Peninsular Malaysia. DNA was extracted from three fecal samples, and chloroplast tRNL DNA was amplified and sequenced using the Illumina MiniSeq platform. Sequences were analyzed using the CLC Genomic Workbench software. A total of 145 plant species from 46 families were successfully identified as being consumed by M. arctoides. The most abundant species were yellow saraca, Saraca thaipingensis (11.70%), common fig, Ficus carica (9.33%), aramata, Clathrotropis brachypetala (5.90%), sea fig, Ficus superba (5.44%), and envireira, Malmea dielsiana (1.70%). However, Clathrotropis and Malmea are not considered Malaysian trees because of limited data available from Malaysian plant DNA. Our study is the first to identify plant taxa up to the species level consumed by stump-tailed macaques based on a DNA metabarcoding approach. This result provides an important understanding on diet of wild M. arctoides that only reside in Perlis State Park, Malaysia

Determining the diet of wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at human–elephant conflict areas in Peninsular Malaysia using DNA metabarcoding

Human–elephant conflict (HEC) contributes to the increasing death of Asian elephants due to road accidents, retaliatory killings and fatal infections from being trapped in snares. Understanding the diet of elephants throughout Peninsular Malaysia remains crucial to improve their habitat quality and reduce scenarios of HEC. DNA metabarcoding allows investigating the diet of animals without direct observation, especially in risky conflict areas. The aim of this study was to determine: i) the diet of wild Asian elephants from HEC areas in Peninsular Malaysia using DNA metabarcoding and ii) the influence of distinct environmental parameters at HEC locations on their feeding patterns. DNA was extracted from 39 faecal samples and pooled into 12 groups representing the different sample locations: Kuala Koh, Kenyir, Ulu Muda, Sira Batu, Kupang-Grik, Bumbun Tahan, Belum-Temengor, Grik, Kampung Pagi, Kampung Kuala Balah, Aring 10 and the National Elephant Conservation Centre, which served as a positive control for this study. DNA amplification and sequencing targeted the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase gene using the next-generation sequencing Illumina iSeq100 platform. Overall, we identified 35 orders, 88 families, 196 genera and 237 species of plants in the diet of the Asian elephants at HEC hotspots. Ficus (Moraceae), Curcuma (Zingiberaceae), Phoenix (Arecaceae), Maackia (Fabaceae), Garcinia (Clusiaceae) and Dichapetalum (Dichapetalaceae) were the highly abundant dietary plants. The plants successfully identified in this study could be used by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) to create buffer zones by planting the recommended dietary plants around HEC locations and trails of elephants within Central Forest Spine (CFS) landscape