Bird Community Structure And Diversity In Peninsular Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia has rich and diverse flora and fauna. Much of these have yet to be documented. The avifauna is an important group that has received little attention, ecologically in this country. Different approaches of diversity measurements are presented in this thesis in order to evaluate the bird diversity in natural and man-made habitats. The objectives of this study are to determine the current bird species composition and diversity, to analyse β-diversity of birds, to investigate patterns of rarity among birds in natural habitats, and to study the contribution of rice fields to the bird diversity in Peninsular Malaysia by using multiple diversity measurements

Bird Communities And Feeding Guilds From Three Land Use Types In Kerian River Basin, Perak

Land conversion activity has caused losses in a vast number of bird species. Bird status in secondary forest (SF), oil palm plantation (OP) and paddy fields (PF) were documented from March 2009-February 2010 at study sites in Kerian River Basin (KRB). The objectives of this study were to determine the current bird species present in the study areas, to analyze variation of feeding guilds in different habitat types and to identify suitability area for selected threatened bird species. Point count and mist-netting methods were used for bird census in SF and OP, while only point count method was used in PF. Feeding guilds were determined for each species recorded

Contribution of rice fields to bird diversity in Peninsular Malaysia

There is a lack of documentation on rice fields as an important habitat that harbour different bird diversity compared to natural habitats in Peninsular Malaysia. This study investigated the contribution of rice fields to bird diversity in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 83 rice fields and 53 natural habitats throughout Peninsular Malaysia were included in this study. Birds were observed and counted using point-count and mist-netting methods. A total of 10,707 bird-sightings, with rice fields, recorded 129 species from 15 orders and 50 families from October 2013 to December 2014; whilst natural forests recorded a total of 438 species from 14 order and 59 families from February 1992 to January 2015. Diversity t-test showed a significant difference in the species richness between the two different habitats (t=11.009, p<0.05). The high values of Δ+and ʌ+ in many areas of rice fields were significantly influenced by the presence of waterbirds, albeit low species richness. This temporary wetland habitat harbours land birds and waterbirds in one place. The data presented here suggest that waterbirds and migratory birds in rice fields contribute significantly to the total bird species found in Peninsular Malaysia

Rattan litter-collecting structures attract nest-building and defending ants.

Rattan is an important climbing palm taxon in Malaysian tropical rain forests. Many rattan species have unique structures directly associated with certain ant species. In this study, four rattan species (Daemonorops lewisiana, Calamus castaneus, Daemonorops geniculata and Korthalsia scortechinii) were inspected and documented in a field survey concerning their relationships with several ant species. We noticed that two rattan species (D. lewisiana and C. castaneus) were more likely to be associated with ants compared to their neighbouring rattan (Plectomia griffithii). However, D. lewisiana and C. castaneus did not directly provide shelters for ant colonies, but possessed unique structures: upward-pointing spines and funnel-shaped leaves, which are equipped to collect more litter than P. griffithii. To test our litter collecting hypothesis, we measured the inclination of spines from the stem. Our results showed the presence of ant colonies in the litter-collecting rattans (D. lewisiana and C. castaneus), which was significantly higher compared to a non-litter-collecting rattan (P. griffithii). We propose a complex and novel type of adaptation (litter-collection and provision of nesting materials) for rattans, which promotes interactions between the rattan and ants through the arrangements of leaves, leaflets, and spines. In return, the rattan may benefit from ants' services, such as protection, nutrient enhancement, and pollination

Avian Diversity and Feeding Guilds in a Secondary Forest, an Oil Palm Plantation and a Paddy Field in Riparian Areas of the Kerian River Basin, Perak, Malaysia

Abstrak: Kajian kepelbagaian dan kumpulan pemakanan burung di tiga habitat berbeza (hutan sekunder, kelapa sawit dan sawah padi) telah dijalankan di kawasan riparian Lembangan Sungai Kerian, Perak, Malaysia. Tinjauan melalui kaedah point-count dan pemasangan jaring kabut (mist-netting) telah digunakan untuk menentukan kepelbagaian burung dan kelimpahannya. Sebanyak 132 spesies burung daripada 46 famili telah direkodkan di 3 habitat tersebut. Kepelbagaian spesies diukur melalui indeks kepelbagaian Shannon&apos;s dengan catatan masing-masing sebanyak 3.561, 3.183 dan 1.042 di hutan sekunder, sawah padi dan kelapa sawit. Kepelbagaian tumbuhan dan struktur habitat merupakan penentu utama kehadiran bilangan spesies burung di sesuatu kawasan. Kelimpahan relatif kumpulan pemakanan insektivor, insektivor-frugivor dan frugivor adalah lebih banyak di kawasan hutan berbanding di kawasan penanaman monokultur. Sebaliknya, kelimpahan relatif kumpulan pemakanan karnivor, grainivor dan omnivor adalah tinggi di kawasan penanaman. Hasil kajian menunjukkan, perubahan kawasan hutan kepada kawasan kelapa sawit atau sawah padi menghasilkan penurunan spesies burung dan perubahan taburan kumpulan pemakanan burung. Kata kunci: Hutan Sekunder, Tanaman Kelapa Sawit, Sawah Padi, Kumpulan Pemakanan, Jenis Habitat, Kawasan Riparian Abstract: The diversity and the feeding guilds of birds in three different habitats (secondary forest, oil palm plantation and paddy field) were investigated in riparian areas of the Kerian River Basin (KRB), Perak, Malaysia. Point-count observation and mistnetting methods were used to determine bird diversity and abundance. A total of 132 species of birds from 46 families were recorded in the 3 habitats. Species diversity, measured by Shannon&apos;s diversity index, was 3.561, 3.183 and 1.042 in the secondary forest, the paddy field and the oil palm plantation, respectively. The vegetation diversity and the habitat structure were important determinants of the number of bird species occurring in an area. The relative abundance of the insectivore, insectivore-frugivore and frugivore guilds was greater in the forest than in the monoculture plantation. In contrast, the relative abundance of the carnivore, granivore and omnivore guilds was higher in the plantation. The results of the study show that the conversion of forest to either oil palm plantation or paddy fields produced a decline in bird diversity and changes in the distribution of bird feeding guilds