Dung beetle community data at Kuamut Rainforest Conservation Project in 2022

<p>The Kuamut Rainforest Conservation Project (KRCP) is a critical initiative aimed at safeguarding the delicate tropical forest ecosystems in the Tongod and Kinabatangan districts of Sabah, located on the island of Malaysian Borneo. These ecosystems encompass a total area of 83,381 hectares and primarily consist of lowland and hill mix dipterocarp forests, which are known for their rich biodiversity and ecological importance. </p><p>To achieve this, the project focuses on dung beetles as a focal taxon for study due to their strong dependence on mammal dung. The presence and diversity of dung beetles serve as valuable indicators of ecosystem health, making them a suitable proxy for monitoring changes in forest ecosystems. In addition, Dung beetles play a vital role in nutrient cycling and decomposition processes within ecosystems. Their presence and activity are closely linked to the overall health and functioning of the forest. Monitoring dung beetle populations can provide insights into the ecological values of the KRCP area. By understanding the dynamics of dung beetle populations in response to human activities and habitat changes, the KRCP project can inform conservation efforts in the region. We used human dung for all ground pitfall traps and canopy traps, and the traps were set in the field for 24 hours. The fieldwork were conducted on September 2022. </p&gt

The Sabah biodiversity experiment: a long-term test of the role of tree diversity in restoring tropical forest structure and functioning

Relatively, little is known about the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in forests, especially in the tropics. We describe the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment: a large-scale, long-term field study on the island of Borneo. The project aims at understanding the relationship between tree species diversity and the functioning of lowland dipterocarp rainforest during restoration following selective logging. The experiment is planned to run for several decades (from seed to adult tree), so here we focus on introducing the project and its experimental design and on assessing initial conditions and the potential for restoration of the structure and functioning of the study system, the Malua Forest Reserve. We estimate residual impacts 22 years after selective logging by comparison with an appropriate neighbouring area of primary forest in Danum Valley of similar conditions. There was no difference in the alpha or beta species diversity of transect plots in the two forest types, probably owing to the selective nature of the logging and potential effects of competitive release. However, despite equal total stem density, forest structure differed as expected with a deficit of large trees and a surfeit of saplings in selectively logged areas. These impacts on structure have the potential to influence ecosystem functioning. In particular, above-ground biomass and carbon pools in selectively logged areas were only 60 per cent of those in the primary forest even after 22 years of recovery. Our results establish the initial conditions for the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment and confirm the potential to accelerate restoration by using enrichment planting of dipterocarps to overcome recruitment limitation. What role dipterocarp diversity plays in restoration only will become clear with long-term results

Data from: The value of biodiversity for the functioning of tropical forests: insurance effects during the first decade of the Sabah biodiversity experiment

One of the main environmental threats in the tropics is selective logging, which has degraded large areas of forest. In southeast Asia, enrichment planting with seedlings of the dominant group of dipterocarp tree species aims to accelerate restoration of forest structure and functioning. The role of tree diversity in forest restoration is still unclear, but the ‘insurance hypothesis’ predicts that in temporally and spatially varying environments planting mixtures may stabilize functioning owing to differences in species traits and ecologies. To test for potential insurance effects, we analyse the patterns of seedling mortality and growth in monoculture and mixture plots over the first decade of the Sabah biodiversity experiment. Our results reveal the species differences required for potential insurance effects including a trade-off in which species with denser wood have lower growth rates but higher survival. This trade-off was consistent over time during the first decade, but growth and mortality varied spatially across our 500 ha experiment with species responding to changing conditions in different ways. Overall, average survival rates were extreme in monocultures than mixtures consistent with a potential insurance effect in which monocultures of poorly surviving species risk recruitment failure, whereas monocultures of species with high survival have rates of self-thinning that are potentially wasteful when seedling stocks are limited. Longer-term monitoring as species interactions strengthen will be needed to more comprehensively test to what degree mixtures of species spread risk and use limited seedling stocks more efficiently to increase diversity and restore ecosystem structure and functioning

The value of biodiversity for the functioning of tropical forests: Insurance effects during the first decade of the sabah biodiversity experiment

One of the main environmental threats in the tropics is selective logging, which has degraded large areas of forest. In southeast Asia, enrichment planting with seedlings of the dominant group of dipterocarp tree species aims to accelerate restoration of forest structure and functioning. The role of tree diversity in forest restoration is still unclear, but the ‘insurance hypothesis’ predicts that in temporally and spatially varying environments planting mixtures may stabilize functioning owing to differences in species traits and ecologies. To test for potential insurance effects, we analyse the patterns of seedling mortality and growth in monoculture and mixture plots over the first decade of the Sabah biodiversity experiment. Our results reveal the species differences required for potential insurance effects including a trade-off in which species with denser wood have lower growth rates but higher survival. This trade-off was consistent over time during the first decade, but growth and mortality varied spatially across our 500 ha experiment with species responding to changing conditions in different ways. Overall, average survival rates were extreme in monocultures than mixtures consistent with a potential insurance effect in which monocultures of poorly surviving species risk recruitment failure, whereas monocultures of species with high survival have rates of self-thinning that are potentially wasteful when seedling stocks are limited. Longer-term monitoring as species interactions strengthen will be needed to more comprehensively test to what degree mixtures of species spread risk and use limited seedling stocks more efficiently to increase diversity and restore ecosystem structure and functioning.ISSN:0962-8452ISSN:1471-295

Data from: The value of biodiversity for the functioning of tropical forests: insurance effects during the first decade of the Sabah biodiversity experiment

One of the main environmental threats in the tropics is selective logging, which has degraded large areas of forest. In southeast Asia, enrichment planting with seedlings of the dominant group of dipterocarp tree species aims to accelerate restoration of forest structure and functioning. The role of tree diversity in forest restoration is still unclear, but the &lsquo;insurance hypothesis&rsquo; predicts that in temporally and spatially varying environments planting mixtures may stabilize functioning owing to differences in species traits and ecologies. To test for potential insurance effects, we analyse the patterns of seedling mortality and growth in monoculture and mixture plots over the first decade of the Sabah biodiversity experiment. Our results reveal the species differences required for potential insurance effects including a trade-off in which species with denser wood have lower growth rates but higher survival. This trade-off was consistent over time during the first decade, but growth and mortality varied spatially across our 500 ha experiment with species responding to changing conditions in different ways. Overall, average survival rates were extreme in monocultures than mixtures consistent with a potential insurance effect in which monocultures of poorly surviving species risk recruitment failure, whereas monocultures of species with high survival have rates of self-thinning that are potentially wasteful when seedling stocks are limited. Longer-term monitoring as species interactions strengthen will be needed to more comprehensively test to what degree mixtures of species spread risk and use limited seedling stocks more efficiently to increase diversity and restore ecosystem structure and functioning.,SBE First Decade Survival and GrowthThis ZIP file contains three data sets needed to reproduce the models and figures presented in the associated research paper. One data set for tree survival, one for tree growth and a third for species traits. The data sets provided here have already been prepared, meaning they are in the same form as they were analysed for the paper. The R code needed to reproduce the research results can be found as supplementary material for the paper. For descriptions of columns in each data set, see the ReadMe.sbeDryad.zip,</span

SBE First Decade Survival and Growth

This ZIP file contains three data sets needed to reproduce the models and figures presented in the associated research paper. One data set for tree survival, one for tree growth and a third for species traits. The data sets provided here have already been prepared, meaning they are in the same form as they were analysed for the paper. The R code needed to reproduce the research results can be found as supplementary material for the paper. For descriptions of columns in each data set, see the ReadMe