Ecological studies on rain forests at three altitudes on Bukit Belalong, Brunei

Altitudinal zonation of rain forests was investigated on Bukit Belalong (913m), Brunei. Mean annual rainfall was 4100mm at 45m and 5500mm at 913m. Mean annual temperatureswere 25.7°C (45m) and 21.8°C (913m). Three 0.25ha plots were set up at each of three altitudes. At 200m and 500m there was evergreen lowland rain forest and at 850m there was lower montane rain forest (LMRF). The Dipterocarpaceae had the highest proportion of basal area throughout, but their importance declined in the LMRF where the Fagaceae, Myrtaceae and Lauraceae were increasingly important. Soils in the LMRF were more organic and had higher concentrations of total nitrogen and phosphorus and the soils from 500m were the most acid and least base saturated. Rates of nitrogen mineralisation and soil concentrations of inorganic nitrogen did not differ significantly among altitudes. The rates (t ha-1 yr-1) of total small litterfall and leaf litterfall were significantly lower in the LMRF (10.6 and 7.9 at 200m; 10.5 and 7.9 at 500m; 8.3 and 6.0 at 850m). Litterfall nutrient concentrations were similar among altitudes, but smaller quantities of litterfall nutrients were cycled at 850m. The mass (t ha-1) of the small litter layer was similar throughout (5.2 at 200m; 6.1 at 500m; 5.2 at 850m) but leaf litter kL values were lower at 850m (2.4 at 200m; 2.4 at 500m; 2.0 at 850m). Fine root (<5mm) mass (t ha-1) in the top 100cm of soil was 8.3 (200m); 12.0 (500m); 10.6 (850m). Rates (t ha-1 yr-1) of fine root growth (estimated by ingrowth bags) were 0.9 (200m); 2.2 (500m); 0.5 (850m). A bioassay experiment using rice was made at 30m and 913m. Nutrients were more limiting in the montane soil, but climate was of overriding importance for rice growth. It seems that the LMRF is not nutrient limited and the lower temperatures at 850m are the primary cause of the change in species composition and reduction of stature there

Synopsis of the tribe Stipeae (Poaceae) in Nepal

Volume: 128Start Page: 97End Page: 11

Stipa krylovii Roshev. (Poaceae), a new record for the flora of Nepal

Stipa krylovii is newly reported for the flora of Nepal, and this is the most southerly location yet found for this species. A full description of S. krylovii is included, along with illustrations, notes on its taxonomy and a distribution map

Wide-field extended-resolution fluorescence microscopy with standing surface-plasmon-resonance waves

The resolution of conventional SPR imaging has been limited by the diffraction nature of light. A wide-field extended-resolution optical imaging technique, standing-wave surface plasmon resonance fluorescence (SW-SPRF) microscopy, has been developed. Based on evanescent SPR standing waves, SW-SPRF provides lateral resolution approaching 100 nm and offers the advantages of significant signal enhancement and background noise reduction. SW-SPRF has the potential for sensitive biomolecular detection, nanoscale imaging, and lithographic applications

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate

Taking the pulse of Earth's tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots

Tropical forests are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. While better understanding of these forests is critical for our collective future, until quite recently efforts to measure and monitor them have been largely disconnected. Networking is essential to discover the answers to questions that transcend borders and the horizons of funding agencies. Here we show how a global community is responding to the challenges of tropical ecosystem research with diverse teams measuring forests tree-by-tree in thousands of long-term plots. We review the major scientific discoveries of this work and show how this process is changing tropical forest science. Our core approach involves linking long-term grassroots initiatives with standardized protocols and data management to generate robust scaled-up results. By connecting tropical researchers and elevating their status, our Social Research Network model recognises the key role of the data originator in scientific discovery. Conceived in 1999 with RAINFOR (South America), our permanent plot networks have been adapted to Africa (AfriTRON) and Southeast Asia (T-FORCES) and widely emulated worldwide. Now these multiple initiatives are integrated via ForestPlots.net cyber-infrastructure, linking colleagues from 54 countries across 24 plot networks. Collectively these are transforming understanding of tropical forests and their biospheric role. Together we have discovered how, where and why forest carbon and biodiversity are responding to climate change, and how they feedback on it. This long-term pan-tropical collaboration has revealed a large long-term carbon sink and its trends, as well as making clear which drivers are most important, which forest processes are affected, where they are changing, what the lags are, and the likely future responses of tropical forests as the climate continues to change. By leveraging a remarkably old technology, plot networks are sparking a very modern revolution in tropical forest science. In the future, humanity can benefit greatly by nurturing the grassroots communities now collectively capable of generating unique, long-term understanding of Earth's most precious forests.Additional co-authors: Susan Laurance, William Laurance, Francoise Yoko Ishida, Andrew Marshall, Catherine Waite, Hannsjoerg Woell, Jean-Francois Bastin, Marijn Bauters, Hans Beeckman, Pfascal Boeckx, Jan Bogaert, Charles De Canniere, Thales de Haulleville, Jean-Louis Doucet, Olivier Hardy, Wannes Hubau, Elizabeth Kearsley, Hans Verbeeck, Jason Vleminckx, Steven W. Brewer, Alfredo Alarcón, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Luzmila Arroyo, Ezequiel Chavez, Todd Fredericksen, René Guillén Villaroel, Gloria Gutierrez Sibauty, Timothy Killeen, Juan Carlos Licona, John Lleigue, Casimiro Mendoza, Samaria Murakami, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Guido Pardo, Marielos Peña-Claros, Lourens Poorter, Marisol Toledo, Jeanneth Villalobos Cayo, Laura Jessica Viscarra, Vincent Vos, Jorge Ahumada, Everton Almeida, Jarcilene Almeida, Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, Wesley Alves da Cruz, Atila Alves de Oliveira, Fabrício Alvim Carvalho, Flávio Amorim Obermuller, Ana Andrade, Fernanda Antunes Carvalho, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Ana Carla Aquino, Luiz Aragão, Ana Claudia Araújo, Marco Antonio Assis, Jose Ataliba Mantelli Aboin Gomes, Fabrício Baccaro, Plínio Barbosa de Camargo, Paulo Barni, Jorcely Barroso, Luis Carlos Bernacci, Kauane Bordin, Marcelo Brilhante de Medeiros, Igor Broggio, José Luís Camargo, Domingos Cardoso, Maria Antonia Carniello, Andre Luis Casarin Rochelle, Carolina Castilho, Antonio Alberto Jorge Farias Castro, Wendeson Castro, Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Flávia Costa, Rodrigo Costa de Oliveira, Italo Coutinho, John Cunha, Lola da Costa, Lucia da Costa Ferreira, Richarlly da Costa Silva, Marta da Graça Zacarias Simbine, Vitor de Andrade Kamimura, Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima, Lia de Oliveira Melo, Luciano de Queiroz, José Romualdo de Sousa Lima, Mário do Espírito Santo, Tomas Domingues, Nayane Cristina dos Santos Prestes, Steffan Eduardo Silva Carneiro, Fernando Elias, Gabriel Eliseu, Thaise Emilio, Camila Laís Farrapo, Letícia Fernandes, Gustavo Ferreira, Joice Ferreira, Leandro Ferreira, Socorro Ferreira, Marcelo Fragomeni Simon, Maria Aparecida Freitas, Queila S. García, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Paulo Graça, Frederico Guilherme, Eduardo Hase, Niro Higuchi, Mariana Iguatemy, Reinaldo Imbrozio Barbosa, Margarita Jaramillo, Carlos Joly, Joice Klipel, Iêda Leão do Amaral, Carolina Levis, Antonio S. Lima, Maurício Lima Dan, Aline Lopes, Herison Madeiros, William E. Magnusson, Rubens Manoel dos Santos, Beatriz Marimon, Ben Hur Marimon Junior, Roberta Marotti Martelletti Grillo, Luiz Martinelli, Simone Matias Reis, Salomão Medeiros, Milton Meira-Junior, Thiago Metzker, Paulo Morandi, Natanael Moreira do Nascimento, Magna Moura, Sandra Cristina Müller, Laszlo Nagy, Henrique Nascimento, Marcelo Nascimento, Adriano Nogueira Lima, Raimunda Oliveira de Araújo, Jhonathan Oliveira Silva, Marcelo Pansonato, Gabriel Pavan Sabino, Karla Maria Pedra de Abreu, Pablo José Francisco Pena Rodrigues, Maria Piedade, Domingos Rodrigues, José Roberto Rodrigues Pinto, Carlos Quesada, Eliana Ramos, Rafael Ramos, Priscyla Rodrigues, Thaiane Rodrigues de Sousa, Rafael Salomão, Flávia Santana, Marcos Scaranello, Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin, Juliana Schietti, Jochen Schöngart, Gustavo Schwartz, Natalino Silva, Marcos Silveira, Cristiana Simão Seixas, Marta Simbine, Ana Claudia Souza, Priscila Souza, Rodolfo Souza, Tereza Sposito, Edson Stefani Junior, Julio Daniel do Vale, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Dora Villela, Marcos Vital, Haron Xaud, Katia Zanini, Charles Eugene Zartman, Nur Khalish Hafizhah Ideris, Faizah binti Hj Metali, Kamariah Abu Salim, Muhd Shahruney Saparudin, Rafizah Mat Serudin, Rahayu Sukmaria Sukri, Serge Begne, George Chuyong, Marie Noel Djuikouo, Christelle Gonmadje, Murielle Simo-Droissart, Bonaventure Sonké, Hermann Taedoumg, Lise Zemagho, Sean Thomas, Fidèle Baya, Gustavo Saiz, Javier Silva Espejo, Dexiang Chen, Alan Hamilton, Yide Li, Tushou Luo, Shukui Niu, Han Xu, Zhang Zhou, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Juan Carlos Andrés Escobar, Henry Arellano-Peña, Jaime Cabezas Duarte, Jhon Calderón, Lina Maria Corrales Bravo, Borish Cuadrado, Hermes Cuadros, Alvaro Duque, Luisa Fernanda Duque, Sandra Milena Espinosa, Rebeca Franke-Ante, Hernando García, Alejandro Gómez, Roy González-M., Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta, Eliana Jimenez, Rubén Jurado, Wilmar López Oviedo, René López-Camacho, Omar Aurelio Melo Cruz, Irina Mendoza Polo, Edwin Paky, Karen Pérez, Angel Pijachi, Camila Pizano, Adriana Prieto, Laura Ramos, Zorayda Restrepo Correa, James Richardson, Elkin Rodríguez, Gina M. Rodriguez M., Agustín Rudas, Pablo Stevenson, Markéta Chudomelová, Martin Dancak, Radim Hédl, Stanislav Lhota, Martin Svatek, Jacques Mukinzi, Corneille Ewango, Terese Hart, Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu, Janvier Lisingo, Jean-Remy Makana, Faustin Mbayu, Benjamin Toirambe, John Tshibamba Mukendi, Lars Kvist, Gustav Nebel, Selene Báez, Carlos Céron, Daniel M. Griffith, Juan Ernesto Guevara Andino, David Neill, Walter Palacios, Maria Cristina Peñuela-Mora, Gonzalo Rivas-Torres, Gorky Villa, Sheleme Demissie, Tadesse Gole, Techane Gonfa, Kalle Ruokolainen, Michel Baisie, Fabrice Bénédet, Wemo Betian, Vincent Bezard, Damien Bonal, Jerôme Chave, Vincent Droissart, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, Annette Hladik, Nicolas Labrière, Pétrus Naisso, Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Plinio Sist, Lilian Blanc, Benoit Burban, Géraldine Derroire, Aurélie Dourdain, Clement Stahl, Natacha Nssi Bengone, Eric Chezeaux, Fidèle Evouna Ondo, Vincent Medjibe, Vianet Mihindou, Lee White, Heike Culmsee, Cristabel Durán Rangel, Viviana Horna, Florian Wittmann, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Kofi Affum-Baffoe, Ernest Foli, Michael Balinga, Anand Roopsind, James Singh, Raquel Thomas, Roderick Zagt, Indu K. Murthy, Kuswata Kartawinata, Edi Mirmanto, Hari Priyadi, Ismayadi Samsoedin, Terry Sunderland, Ishak Yassir, Francesco Rovero, Barbara Vinceti, Bruno Hérault, Shin-Ichiro Aiba, Kanehiro Kitayama, Armandu Daniels, Darlington Tuagben, John T. Woods, Muhammad Fitriadi, Alexander Karolus, Kho Lip Khoon, Noreen Majalap, Colin Maycock, Reuben Nilus, Sylvester Tan, Almeida Sitoe, Indiana Coronado G., Lucas Ojo, Rafael de Assis, Axel Dalberg Poulsen, Douglas Sheil, Karen Arévalo Pezo, Hans Buttgenbach Verde, Victor Chama Moscoso, Jimmy Cesar Cordova Oroche, Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Massiel Corrales Medina, Nallaret Davila Cardozo, Jano de Rutte Corzo, Jhon del Aguila Pasquel, Gerardo Flores Llampazo, Luis Freitas, Darcy Galiano Cabrera, Roosevelt García Villacorta, Karina Garcia Cabrera, Diego García Soria, Leticia Gatica Saboya, Julio Miguel Grandez Rios, Gabriel Hidalgo Pizango, Eurídice Honorio Coronado, Isau Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, Walter Huaraca Huasco, Yuri Tomas Huillca Aedo, Jose Luis Marcelo Peña, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Vanesa Moreano Rodriguez, Percy Núñez Vargas, Sonia Cesarina Palacios Ramos, Nadir Pallqui Camacho, Antonio Peña Cruz, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo, José Reyna Huaymacari, Carlos Reynel Rodriguez, Marcos Antonio Ríos Paredes, Lily Rodriguez Bayona, Rocio del Pilar Rojas Gonzales, Maria Elena Rojas Peña, Norma Salinas Revilla, Yahn Carlos Soto Shareva, Raul Tupayachi Trujillo, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Jim Vega Arenas, Christian Amani, Suspense Averti Ifo, Yannick Bocko, Patrick Boundja, Romeo Ekoungoulou, Mireille Hockemba, Donatien Nzala, Alusine Fofanah, David Taylor, Guillermo Bañares-de Dios, Luis Cayuela, Íñigo Granzow-de la Cerda, Manuel Macía, Juliana Stropp, Maureen Playfair, Verginia Wortel, Toby Gardner, Robert Muscarella, Hari Priyadi, Ervan Rutishauser, Kuo-Jung Chao, Pantaleo Munishi, Olaf Bánki, Frans Bongers, Rene Boot, Gabriella Fredriksson, Jan Reitsma, Hans ter Steege, Tinde van Andel, Peter van de Meer, Peter van der Hout, Mark van Nieuwstadt, Bert van Ulft, Elmar Veenendaal, Ronald Vernimmen, Pieter Zuidema, Joeri Zwerts, Perpetra Akite, Robert Bitariho, Colin Chapman, Eilu Gerald, Miguel Leal, Patrick Mucunguzi, Miguel Alexiades, Timothy R. Baker, Karina Banda, Lindsay Banin, Jos Barlow, Amy Bennett, Erika Berenguer, Nicholas Berry, Neil M. Bird, George A. Blackburn, Francis Brearley, Roel Brienen, David Burslem, Lidiany Carvalho, Percival Cho, Fernanda Coelho, Murray Collins, David Coomes, Aida Cuni-Sanchez, Greta Dargie, Kyle Dexter, Mat Disney, Freddie Draper, Muying Duan, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Robert Ewers, Belen Fadrique, Sophie Fauset, Ted R. Feldpausch, Filipe França, David Galbraith, Martin Gilpin, Emanuel Gloor, John Grace, Keith Hamer, David Harris, Tommaso Jucker, Michelle Kalamandeen, Bente Klitgaard, Aurora Levesley, Simon L. Lewis, Jeremy Lindsell, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Jon Lovett, Yadvinder Malhi, Toby Marthews, Emma McIntosh, Karina Melgaço, William Milliken, Edward Mitchard, Peter Moonlight, Sam Moore, Alexandra Morel, Julie Peacock, Kelvin Peh, Colin Pendry, R. Toby Pennington, Luciana de Oliveira Pereira, Carlos Peres, Oliver L. Phillips, Georgia Pickavance, Thomas Pugh, Lan Qie, Terhi Riutta, Katherine Roucoux, Casey Ryan, Tiina Sarkinen, Camila Silva Valeria, Dominick Spracklen, Suzanne Stas, Martin Sullivan, Michael Swaine, Joey Talbot, James Taplin, Geertje van der Heijden, Laura Vedovato, Simon Willcock, Mathew Williams, Luciana Alves, Patricia Alvarez Loayza, Gabriel Arellano, Cheryl Asa, Peter Ashton, Gregory Asner, Terry Brncic, Foster Brown, Robyn Burnham, Connie Clark, James Comiskey, Gabriel Damasco, Stuart Davies, Tony Di Fiore, Terry Erwin, William Farfan-Rios, Jefferson Hall, David Kenfack, Thomas Lovejoy, Roberta Martin, Olga Martha Montiel, John Pipoly, Nigel Pitman, John Poulsen, Richard Primack, Miles Silman, Marc Steininger, Varun Swamy, John Terborgh, Duncan Thomas, Peter Umunay, Maria Uriarte, Emilio Vilanova Torre, Ophelia Wang, Kenneth Young, Gerardo A. Aymard C., Lionel Hernández, Rafael Herrera Fernández, Hirma Ramírez-Angulo, Pedro Salcedo, Elio Sanoja, Julio Serrano, Armando Torres-Lezama, Tinh Cong Le, Trai Trong Le, Hieu Dang Tra

Neillia D. Don

Key to the species in Nepal 1a. Inflorescence an open panicle to 14 cm overall, with side branches of similar length to main axis. At anthesis flowers 3–6 mm apart ....................................................................................................................................... N. thyrsiflora 1b. Inflorescence a compact raceme to 6 cm overall, rarely with up to 5 distinctly shorter branches at base. At anthesis flowers 1–4 mm apart................................................................................................................................................... 2 2a. Ovary villous. Leaves villous above and below, velvety to the touch. ........................................................ N. velutina 2b. Ovary glabrous. Leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy above and below, not velvety to the touch................ N. rubifloraPublished as part of Pendry, Colin A., 2010, A new species of Neillia (Rosaceae) from Bhutan and eastern Nepal, pp. 38-40 in Phytotaxa 10 on page 40, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.10.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/489975

Neillia velutina Pendry 2010, sp. nov.

Neillia velutina Pendry, sp. nov. Neilliae rubiflorae D.Don affinis sed ovariis, ramulis, petiolis, foliis, inflorescentiisque dense villosis differt. Type: — Nepal: Taplejung: Thasa Kharka - Jongim - Ramsyang Pati - Suketar - Lungthung, 27 o 42’ N, 87 o 50’ E, 2000 m, 2 June 1992, M . Suzuki, N. Acharya, S. Akiyama, H. Koba, S. Noshiro. & K. R. Rajbhandari 9240479 (Holotype E!, isotype TI!). Shrub to 2 m. Indumentum villous with erect to semi-erect, free or rather matted, unbranched trichomes to 0.6–0.8 mm. Twigs villous, with matted, semi-erect trichomes. Stipules narrowly ovate to elliptic, 4–7 x 1.5–2 mm, margin entire or rarely obscurely toothed, sparsely villous, persistent. Petioles 6–10 mm, densely villous, with matted, semi-erect trichomes. Leaves ovate, entire or shallowly 3-lobed, 2.5–7 x 1.5–4.5 cm, base cordate, apex acute to acuminate, margin doubly serrate, sparsely, rather appressed villous adaxially, more densely villous abaxially, with erect trichomes on the lamina and matted trichomes on the veins, secondary veins in 5–6 pairs. Inflorescence a terminal raceme, usually simple or occasionally with up to 5 short lateral branches at the base, 1.5–4 cm long overall, peduncle densely villous. Bracts ovate-acuminate, 3–4 x 1–1.5 mm. Pedicels 1.5–4 mm. Petals white. Hypanthium urceolate-campanulate, 3–4 x 4–5 mm, densely villous outside, villous basally within. Calyx lobes 5, triangular-ovate, 2–3 x 1.5–2 mm, apex acute to acuminate, densely villous outside, sparsely villous within. Petals 5, suborbicular, shortly clawed, 2–2.5 x 1.5–2 mm. Stamens 20–25, irregularly 2-whorled, filaments 1–2 mm, anthers 0.5 mm. Carpel solitary, 2 mm, densely villous throughout or in the upper half and along suture. Ovules 6–10. Style terminal, 2.5 mm, glabrous or villous. Stigma punctate. Fruit not seen. Etymology:—Named for the velvety surfaces of the leaves. Distribution:—Eastern Nepal and Bhutan, in grassland and scrub (and probably forest margins), at 2000– 2600 m. Phenology: —Flowering in June. Conservation Assessment: —Least Concern, since it is known from two vegetation types and probably able to tolerate some disturbance. Although only four localities are currently known they range over almost 500 km and it is very likely to occur more widely than these collections suggest. Additional specimens examined (paratypes): NEPAL: Taplejung: – Sakathum - Jongim - Doblyak - Amjilasa, 27 o 32’ N, 87 o 48’ E, 2340 m, 4 June 1992, Noshiro, S ., Akiyama, S. & Acharya, N. 9261161 (E! BM! TI); Panchthar: Ganuwale Bhajang, 2600-2800 m, 25 June 1992, Noshiro, S ., Akiyama, S. & Acharya, N. 9241061 (BM! TI). BHUTAN: Tashigong: Gaurcha, 27 o 21’ N, 91 o 34’ E, 8500 ft, 11 June 1985, S . Bowes Lyon 9115 (E!). N. velutina is most similar to N. rubiflora from the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, but is clearly separated from the latter by its densely villous ovary, leaves and twigs in contrast to the almost glabrous ovary and glabrous to sparsely appressed-pubescent leaves and twigs of N. rubiflora. The combination of villous ovary and racemose inflorescence readily distinguishes N. velutina from most other species of Neillia, but this combination is also found in N. affinis (Hemsley 1892: 304), from southwestern China and northern Burma, Neillia fugongensis (T.C.Ku 1990: 12) from southwestern China and Neillia jinggangshanensis (Z.X.Yu 1983: 150) (Cuizhi & Alexander 2003) from southeastern China. N. velutina differs from these species as follows: N. affinis has a sparse indumentum of appressed trichomes on its twigs and leaves; N. fugongensis and N. jinggangshanensis have hypanthia longer than broad (broader than long in N. velutina), up to 5 ovules (6–10 in N. velutina) and acuminate to caudate leaves (acute to acuminate in N. velutina).Published as part of Pendry, Colin A., 2010, A new species of Neillia (Rosaceae) from Bhutan and eastern Nepal, pp. 38-40 in Phytotaxa 10 on pages 38-40, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.10.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/489975