POPULATION SIZE OF TWO ENDANGERED VIREYA RHODODENDRON SPECIES AND THEIR SURROUNDING VEGETATION ON THE TOP OF THE MT. RANTEMARIO, SULAWESI

Five of the 29 species of Rhododendron of Sulawesi are threatened and two of which have endangered category (EN D). Field assessment had been conducted to measure the current population size of the endangered R. eymae and R. nanophyton var. nanophyton. One hundred and fortyplots (of each 5x5 m2) along seven transects were established around the summit of Mt. Rantemario (3,269–3,445 m asl.), South Sulawesi. The results showed that there were 318 individuals of R. eymae and two individuals of R. nanophyton var. nanophyton within the plots. We also found that the estimated population sizes of those two species have not met the criteria previously stated (EN D). The appropriated status for both species is Vulnerable (VU D2). The reasons for proposing this new category are discussed. The dominated shrubs and herbs on the summit area of Mt. Rantemario were Leptospermum javanica (IVI=37.08), Eriocaulon truncatum (IVI=34.83), and Styphelia suaveolens (IVI=24.63). The association of those three plants with the Rhododendron’s were analysed

Modeling of Tree Growth After Forest Fire in Mount Ciremai National Park, Indonesia

Forest fire is a massive threat towards tropical forest causing various negative impacts to nature and human being. Forest fire often leads to alteration of forest structure and its functions. This study of tree growth after forest fire was conducted using a model simulation. The model was performed at the individual level of plant community and built to analyze the potential of tree growth and its scenario for post-fire recovery. Five important tree species from montane forest of Mount Ciremai were chosen to build the model based on four main parameters i.e. plant growth rate, diameter at breast height (DBH), tree-to-grass competition and tree-to-tree competition. The scenario of post-fire recovery was performed by replanting similar species with 5 cm DBH seedling. Prediction from our model showed that most of the chosen species would recover to its pre-fire condition after 37 - 50 years. Considering the limitation of competition after re-planting, it was suggested to minimize tree to tree competition and applied silvicultural treatments to maximize tree growth and tree community recovery

Population Size of Two Endangered Vireya Rhododendron Species and Their Surrounding Vegetation on the Summit of the Mt. Rantemario, Sulawesi

Five of 29 species of Rhododendron of Sulawesi are threatened and two of them have endangered status (EN D). Field work assessment conducted to measure the current population size of endangered R. eymae and R. nanophyton var. nanophyton. One hundred and forty plots (5x5 m2) along seven transects were made around the summit of Mt. Rantemario (3,269-3,445 m asl.), South Sulawesi. The result found that there were 318 individuals of R. eymae and two individuals of R. nanophyton var. nanophyton within the plots. We also found that estimated population sizes of those two species have not meet with the criteria that previously stated (EN D). The proper status for both species were Vulnerable (VU D2). The reason behind were discussed. While, dominated shrubs and herbs on the summit area of Mt. Rantemario were Leptospermum javanicum Blume (IVI=37.08), Eriocaulon truncatum Buch.-Ham. ex Mart (IVI=34.83), and Styphelia suaveolens (Hook.f.) Warb. (IVI=24.63). The association of those three plants with the Rhododendrons were analysed

An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. Using a pantropical tree inventory database from closed canopy forests, consisting of 657,630 trees belonging to 11,371 species, we use a fitted value of Fisher’s alpha and an approximate pantropical stem total to estimate the minimum number of tropical forest tree species to fall between ∼40,000 and ∼53,000, i.e. at the high end of previous estimates. Contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region was found to be as species-rich as the Neotropics, with both regions having a minimum of ∼19,000–25,000 tree species. Continental Africa is relatively depauperate with a minimum of ∼4,500–6,000 tree species. Very few species are shared among the African, American, and the Indo-Pacific regions. We provide a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees that may help refine species richness estimates of tree-dependent taxa

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities

Trees structure the Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge. Here we investigate abundance patterns of common tree species using inventory data on 1,003,805 trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm across 1,568 locations1,2,3,4,5,6 in closed-canopy, structurally intact old-growth tropical forests in Africa, Amazonia and Southeast Asia. We estimate that 2.2%, 2.2% and 2.3% of species comprise 50% of the tropical trees in these regions, respectively. Extrapolating across all closed-canopy tropical forests, we estimate that just 1,053 species comprise half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm. Despite differing biogeographic, climatic and anthropogenic histories7, we find notably consistent patterns of common species and species abundance distributions across the continents. This suggests that fundamental mechanisms of tree community assembly may apply to all tropical forests. Resampling analyses show that the most common species are likely to belong to a manageable list of known species, enabling targeted efforts to understand their ecology. Although they do not detract from the importance of rare species, our results open new opportunities to understand the world’s most diverse forests, including modelling their response to environmental change, by focusing on the common species that constitute the majority of their trees.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Phylogenetic classification of the world's tropical forests

Knowledge about the biogeographic affinities of the world’s tropical forests helps to better understand regional differences in forest structure, diversity, composition, and dynamics. Such understanding will enable anticipation of region-specific responses to global environmental change. Modern phylogenies, in combination with broad coverage of species inventory data, now allow for global biogeographic analyses that take species evolutionary distance into account. Here we present a classification of the world’s tropical forests based on their phylogenetic similarity. We identify five principal floristic regions and their floristic relationships: (i) Indo-Pacific, (ii) Subtropical, (iii) African, (iv) American, and (v) Dry forests. Our results do not support the traditional neo- versus paleotropical forest division but instead separate the combined American and African forests from their Indo-Pacific counterparts. We also find indications for the existence of a global dry forest region, with representatives in America, Africa, Madagascar, and India. Additionally, a northern-hemisphere Subtropical forest region was identified with representatives in Asia and America, providing support for a link between Asian and American northern-hemisphere forests.</p

Efektivitas Penggunaan Tiga Indeks Keanekaragaman Pohon dalam Analisis Komunitas Hutan: Studi Kasus di Taman Nasional Gunung Gede Pangrango, Indonesia

Analisis keanekaragaman jenis sangat penting dalam perhitungan keanekaragaman suatu komunitas hutan. Hasil analisis tersebut bisa menjadi dasar untuk aksi-aksi konservasi dalam pengelolaan suatu kawasan hutan. Beberapa indeks keanekaragaman jenis seperti indeks Shannon-Wiener dan Simpson's sangat umum digunakan dalam analisis tersebut. Namun demikian, studi perbandingan indeks keanekaragaman pohon disertai analisis lanjutan tentang efektivitas penggunaan indeks tersebut masih jarang dilakukan. Dengan menggunakan data dari 26 plot yang terletak pada rentang ketinggian 1.013-3.010 m, perbandingan efektivitas penggunaan indeks Shannon-Wiener, Simpson's, dan rarefied richness dilakukan terhadap tumbuhan berkayu (dbh ≥5 cm) yang dikelompokkan dalam tiga zona, yaitu zona submontana, montana, dan subalpine. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa indeks rarefied richness memiliki sensitivitas yang baik dibandingkan dengan indeks lainnya. Oleh karenanya, penggunaan indeks tersebut perlu diutamakan maupun kombinasinya sangat terbuka untuk dilakukan. Namun demikian, persamaan regresi linear hanya mampu menjelaskan 61-87% dari total varian yang dimiliki dan bergantung pada variabel bebas yang digunakan

Multilingual summaries and extended methods and results from Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies

Scientific knowledge is produced in multiple languages but is predominantly published in English. This practice creates a language barrier to generate and transfer scientific knowledge between communities with diverse linguistic backgrounds, hindering the ability of scholars and communities to address global challenges and achieve diversity and equity in STEM. To overcome those barriers, publishers and journals should provide a fair system that supports non-native English speakers and disseminates knowledge across the globe. We surveyed policies of 736 journals in biological sciences to assess their linguistic inclusivity, identify predictors of inclusivity, and propose actions to overcome language barriers in academic publishing. Our assessment revealed a grim landscape where most journals were making minimal efforts to overcome language barriers. The Impact Factor of journals was negatively associated with adopting a number of inclusive policies whereas ownership by a scientific society tended to have a positive association. Contrary to our expectations, the proportion of both Open Access articles and editors based in non-English speaking countries did not have a major positive association with the adoption of linguistically inclusive policies. We proposed a set of actions to overcome language barriers in academic publishing, including the renegotiation of power dynamics between publishers and editorial boards