Diversity of mammalian species at natural licks in rain forest of Deramakot and their conservation

Natural licks are an important place for mammals to obtain mineral elements that are deficient in their diets. Although the tropical rain forests of Borneo are known for high mammalian diversity, little is known about the relationship between natural licks and mammals. To understand the use of natural licks by mammals and the role of natural licks to maintain the mammalian diversity and populations in Borneo, we conducted a field study in Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah. Twenty-nine species of mammals out of the 37 species known in the forests of Deramakot irrespective of food type were recorded on the natural licks. The mammals came to the natural licks to drink water rather than to eat soil. Analysis of the water from the natural licks showed that the concentrations of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium as well as pH were significantly higher than those of the controls (stream and soil water). Foliar analysis of animal diets showed that potassium was significantly higher than sodium in concentration. This study indicated that the mammals might come for the ingestion of minerals, especially sodium, to maintain internal sodium/potassium balance. The natural licks are hot spots of mammalian diversity in Borneo because a cascade of food web (herbivores to carnivores) is formed

First molecular data of the Borneo Banteng Bos Javanicus lowi from Sabah, Borneo

Phylogenetic relationships among three subspecies of banteng, Burma banteng Bos javanicus birmanicus in mainland Southeast Asia, Javan banteng Bos javanicus javanicus in Java, and Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi in Borneo, and the presence/absence of interbreeding between wild Bornean banteng and domestic cattle in Sabah, Malaysia, were investigated by partial sequences of cytochrome b and D-loop of mitochondrial DNA. The results show that genetic distance of the Bornean banteng are relatively close to the gaur Bos gaurus/gayal Bos frontalis (the cytochrome b, 0.004–0.025; the D-loop, 0.012–0.021) followed by Burma banteng (the cytochrome b, 0.027–0.035; the D-loop, 0.040–0.045), and kouprey Bos sauveli (the cytochrome b, 0.031–0.035; the D-loop, 0.037–0.042). There are much greater distances between Bornean banteng and domestic cattle, Bos taurus and Bos indicus (the cytochrome b, 0.059–0.076; the D-loop, 0.081–0.090). These results suggest that the Bornean banteng diverged genetically from other banteng subspecies and that the wild Bornean banteng from this study are pure strain and have high conservation value

First molecular data on Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi (Cetartiodactyla, Bovidae) from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Phylogenetic relationships among three subspecies of banteng, Burma banteng Bos javanicus birmanicus in mainland Southeast Asia, Javan banteng Bos javanicus javanicus in Java, and Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi in Borneo, and the presence/absence of interbreeding between wild Bornean banteng and domestic cattle in Sabah, Malaysia, were investigated by partial sequences of cytochrome b and D-loop of mitochondrial DNA. The results show that genetic distance of the Bornean banteng are relatively close to the gaur Bos gaurus/gayal Bos frontalis (the cytochrome b, 0.004–0.025; the D-loop, 0.012–0.021) followed by Burma banteng (the cytochrome b, 0.027–0.035; the D-loop, 0.040–0.045), and kouprey Bos sauveli (the cytochrome b, 0.031–0.035; the D-loop, 0.037–0.042). There are much greater distances between Bornean banteng and domestic cattle, Bos taurus and Bos indicus (the cytochrome b, 0.059–0.076; the D-loop, 0.081–0.090). These results suggest that the Bornean banteng diverged genetically from other banteng subspecies and that the wild Bornean banteng from this study are pure strain and have high conservation value

Variable species but similar amphibian community responses across habitats following reduced impact logging

Although sustainable forestry methods such as Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) have lower impacts on biodiversity compared to conventional logging, the direct and indirect effects of RIL are poorly understood. Additionally, studies focusing on specific habitats may fail to detect cross-habitat impact variation or the effect on taxa which utilize multiple habitats, i.e. amphibians. We therefore investigated the responses of amphibians in stream and terrestrial habitats to RIL and its direct/indirect impacts. We analysed data from anuran communities sampled before and after RIL within the Deramakot forest reserve in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Using multi-species community occupancy models, we determined species and community responses to RIL and covariates representing the direct (leaf depth and canopy closure) and indirect (distance to logging roads and skid trails) effects of logging. Diversity profiles and dissimilarity indices derived from occupancy model results were used to identify shifts in diversity/evenness and community dissimilarity respectively following RIL. Indirect logging impacts (distance to logging roads/skid trails), proved a better predictor of amphibian occupancy in stream habitats compared to direct logging impacts (leaf litter depth shifts), with the opposite trend observed in terrestrial habitats. Anurans in stream and terrestrial sites exhibited greater dissimilarity and community occupancy after logging compared to control sites, with all diversity metrics (species richness, Shannon and Simpson diversity) increasing in logged stream sites. These findings, contrary to our expectations, suggest that whilst amphibian species in different habitats exhibit variable responses to direct and indirect RIL impacts, they exhibit similar community level responses to RIL across habitats

Co-benefits of sustainable forest management in biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration.

BACKGROUND: Sustainable forest management (SFM), which has been recently introduced to tropical natural production forests, is beneficial in maintaining timber resources, but information about the co-benefits for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration is currently lacking. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We estimated the diversity of medium to large-bodied forest-dwelling vertebrates using a heat-sensor camera trapping system and the amount of above-ground, fine-roots, and soil organic carbon by a combination of ground surveys and aerial-imagery interpretations. This research was undertaken both in SFM applied as well as conventionally logged production forests in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Our carbon estimation revealed that the application of SFM resulted in a net gain of 54 Mg C ha(-1) on a landscape scale. Overall vertebrate diversity was greater in the SFM applied forest than in the conventionally logged forest. Specifically, several vertebrate species (6 out of recorded 36 species) showed higher frequency in the SFM applied forest than in the conventionally logged forest. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The application of SFM to degraded natural production forests could result in greater diversity and abundance of vertebrate species as well as increasing carbon storage in the tropical rain forest ecosystems

Fig. 1 in Natural-Licks Use By Orangutans And Conservation Of Their Habitats In Bornean Tropical Production Forest

Fig. 1. Location maps of Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo (D1 to D4: natural-licks).Published as part of <i>Matsubayashi, Hisashi, Ahmad, Abdul Hamid, Wakamatsu, Nobuhiko, Nakazono, Etsuko, Takyu, Masaaki, Majalap, Noreen, Lagan, Peter & Sukor, Jum Rafiah Abd., 2011, Natural-Licks Use By Orangutans And Conservation Of Their Habitats In Bornean Tropical Production Forest, pp. 109-115 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 59 (1)</i> on page 110, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10106947">10.5281/zenodo.10106947</a&gt

Fig. 3 in Natural-Licks Use By Orangutans And Conservation Of Their Habitats In Bornean Tropical Production Forest

Fig. 3. Proportion of visitation frequency of top 3 species among the natural-licks.Published as part of <i>Matsubayashi, Hisashi, Ahmad, Abdul Hamid, Wakamatsu, Nobuhiko, Nakazono, Etsuko, Takyu, Masaaki, Majalap, Noreen, Lagan, Peter & Sukor, Jum Rafiah Abd., 2011, Natural-Licks Use By Orangutans And Conservation Of Their Habitats In Bornean Tropical Production Forest, pp. 109-115 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 59 (1)</i> on page 113, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10106947">10.5281/zenodo.10106947</a&gt