Immediate effects of selective logging on the feeding guilds and species composition of understorey birds in Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia.

A study was conducted in a hill dipterocarp forest covering an area of 791.2 ha in Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. It was logged using selective logging method in February 1998 and completed in December 2000. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in the feeding guild structures of the understorey bird species before and immediately after logging using mist-netting method. Results indicated that before the forest was logged 72.4% of the number of understorey birds were dominated by insectivore followed by insectivore/frugivore (18.2%) and nectarivore/insectivore/frugivore groups (4.1%). However, immediately after the forest was logged the insectivore/frugivore became the dominant group (47.3%) followed by insectivore (28.5%) and nectarivore/insectivore/frugivore groups (13.2%). Analysis of feeding guild also showed that before logging the forest was dominated mainly by the species that belong to arboreal foliage gleaning insectivore guild (30.0%) and it decreased to 26.5% immediately after logging. In terms of number of individuals, the insectivore recorded 123 individuals (46 species) before logging, compared to only 106 individuals (37 species) immediately after logging. The arboreal foliage gleaning insectivore/frugivore was found to be higher in terms of number of species (17 species; 25.0%) and individuals (176 individuals; 47.3%) immediately after logging. Only 20.0% (14 species) of the species and 18.2% (31 individuals) of individuals from the guild were recorded before logging. Therefore, this study indicated that logging changed the feeding guild structures of the understorey bird species. Alteration of the food sources and microclimate of the logged forest has been suggested to be the main causes for the changes in the feeding guild structures

Pembinaan arca awam diPutrajaya: “Uniti-Keris” / Rosli Zakaria

Arca Awam merupakan salah satu disiplin seni halus yang kini mendapat tempat didalam pembangunan bandar di Malaysia. Di Kuala Lumpur dan Putrajaya lebih dari 70 buah arca awam telah menghiasi persekitaran bangunanan samada di ruang luar maupun ruang dalaman bangunan. Tidak dapat dinafikan keberadaan arca awam ini memberi tambah nilai kepada persekitaran itu sendiri maupun imej kepda pihak yang menganugerahkan pembinaannya. Penulisan ini menyorot proses penghasilan arca awam “Uniti (Keris) yang dianugerahkan oleh Perbadanan Putrajaya kepada penulis yang juga seorang pengarca professional. Keseluruhan penulisan akan menyentuh perihal pendekatan studio praktik yang digunakan didalam penghasilan arca tersebut. Kaedah kajian lapangan, serta kaedah perpustakaan telah diguna pakai bagi mendapatkan idea dan gambar visual tentang bentuk yang diingini. Mesyuarat dan perbincangan turut menjadi kaedah penting di dalam pembinaan arca Uniti (keris). Semua data dianalisa untuk mendapatkan keputusan akhir bentuk arca yang dibuat. Akhirnya proses studio praktik dimulaka

Stail abstrak arca awam Kuala Lumpur: refeleksi terhadap tegahan agama Islam membina arca berbentuk figura bernyawa / Rosli Zakaria

Kepesatan pembangunan serta komodenan bandaraya Kuala Lumpur telah membuka peluang kepada area awam berkembang seiring dengan binaan-binaan yang lain. Area awam yang wujud di Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur mampu menjadi ikon bagi Bandaraya Kuala Lunlpur seterusnya negara Malaysia. Area awarm mempunyai peranan dalam mengimbangi kemajuan fizikal serta mampu menjadi alat untuk mengekspresikan sesuatu yang menjadi dasar-dasar kerajaan. Dalam kertas kerja ini, kajian telah dibuat dengan mengambil sebanyak 50 buah awam di sekitar Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur. Area-area tersebut telah dipilih untuk dijadikan data kajian. Kajian ini telah dijalankan secara kualitatif denggan menggunakan dua kaedah iaitu pengamatan (obesravation) dan analisi isi (content analaysis). Dapatan kajian telah menyatakan bahawa dua kategori area awam telah dikenalpasti dari segi stailnya iaitu area awam berbentuk realistik dan area awam berbentuk abstrak. Hampir kesemua area awam berstail realistik telah dihasilkan di tahun 20an hingga 60an terutamanya oleh pengarea luar negara. Kongres Kebudayaan 1971 dan konvensyen akar-akar pribumi telah menjadi pemangkin kepada pengarea menghasilkan area abstrak yang mempunyai identiti tempatan. Menjelang tahun 1980 telah muncul gerakan islam di seluruh dunia termasuk di Malaysia, ini turut menjadi pemangkin kepada penghasilan area bersifat abstrak. Stail abstrak yang dibawa oleh pengarea tempatan merupakan jawapan kepada penolakan area berbentuk realistik khususnya yang menampilkan imej bernyawa. Selepas hampir 30 tahun merdeka barulah muncul pengarea tempatan menghasilkan area awam di Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur. Sehingga kini kesedaran perlunya ruang terbuka diisi dengan area awam semangkin rancak berlaku, keperihatin pihak kerajaan maupun swasta memberi kemungkinan yang menarik untuk area awam berkembang di Malaysia. Area bersifat abstrak memberikan penampilan moden terhadap bangunan dan persekitarannya dan yang lebih menarik lagi area awam yang sedemikian menjadi jawapan kepada larangan agama islam terhadap area yang dihasilkan dari subjek makhluk bernyawa. Malaysia harus berbangga dengan setiap area awamnya yang mempunyai identiti islamik serta mencerminkan identiti lokal

Edge effects on foraging guilds of upperstory birds in an isolated tropical rainforest of Malaysia

The forest edge is the boundary between the forest area and the surrounding landscape. In this study forest edge is surrounded landscape which encompass of housing societies, highway, sports complex and equestrian park. Edge may directly or indirectly affect bird species in forest habitats because of various microclimate conditions (i.e., sunlight, wind, temperature, relative humidity) and microhabitat factors (i.e., vegetation species composition, structure and food resources). However, little information is available on the effects of edge on tropical forest birds. This study was conducted in an isolated tropical rainforest from March 2010 to June 2011 using a distance sampling point count technique to examine edge effects on the foraging guilds of upperstory bird species. In total, 1,618 individuals representing 61 upperstory bird species were detected. The analysis of feeding guilds indicated that sallying insectivores (F6 = 22.95, P < 0.001), arboreal foliage-gleaning frugivores (F6 = 3.87, P < 0.001) and arboreal foliage-gleaning insectivore/frugivores (F6 = 4.42, P < 0.001) showed a significant difference in habitat selection at different distances from the edge to the interior of the forest. This finding shows that changes in the micro-environment have a significant effect on the distribution and richness of upperstory birds. This study demonstrated that the large-sized upperstory bird species, such as barbets, broadbills and malkohas tend to forage at the forest interior and infrequently observed at the forest edge. The study also showed that the upperstory bird species were influenced by the forest edge due to factors related to microclimate. However, the response of upperstory bird species may vary from species to species and from the forest edge to the interior. The birds selected specific microhabitat and microclimate characteristics that offered optimal food, shelter and breeding sites

Edge effects on foraging guilds of upperstory birds in an isolated tropical rainforest of Malaysia

The forest edge is the boundary between the forest area and the surrounding landscape. In this study forest edge is surrounded landscape which encompass of housing societies, highway, sports complex and equestrian park. Edge may directly or indirectly affect bird species in forest habitats because of various microclimate conditions (i.e., sunlight, wind, temperature, relative humidity) and microhabitat factors (i.e., vegetation species composition, structure and food resources). However, little information is available on the effects of edge on tropical forest birds. This study was conducted in an isolated tropical rainforest from March 2010 to June 2011 using a distance sampling point count technique to examine edge effects on the foraging guilds of upperstory bird species. In total, 1,618 individuals representing 61 upperstory bird species were detected. The analysis of feeding guilds indicated that sallying insectivores (F6 = 22.95, P < 0.001), arboreal foliage-gleaning frugivores (F6 = 3.87, P < 0.001) and arboreal foliage-gleaning insectivore/frugivores (F6 = 4.42, P < 0.001) showed a significant difference in habitat selection at different distances from the edge to the interior of the forest. This finding shows that changes in the micro-environment have a significant effect on the distribution and richness of upperstory birds. This study demonstrated that the large-sized upperstory bird species, such as barbets, broadbills and malkohas tend to forage at the forest interior and infrequently observed at the forest edge. The study also showed that the upperstory bird species were influenced by the forest edge due to factors related to microclimate. However, the response of upperstory bird species may vary from species to species and from the forest edge to the interior. The birds selected specific microhabitat and microclimate characteristics that offered optimal food, shelter and breeding sites

Fauna Diversity in Tropical Rainforest: Threats from Land-Use Change

Tropical rainforests are the cradle of life (perfect conditions for life) on Earth, i.e., rich in plant species composition (>250 plant species/hectare) and fauna diversity (>50% of animal species in the world). Rainforests occur near the Earth\u27s equator and cover 6% of the Earth\u27s surface across the tropical regions and are characterized by wet climate, i.e., heavy rainfall (125—660 cm), relative humidity (77—88%) and temperature (20—34°C). They are dominated by a wide range of broad-leaved trees that form dense canopy and the most complex ecosystem. Currently, the tropical rainforest ecosystem is changing faster than ever in human history due to anthropogenic activities, such as habitat loss and degradation due to deforestation for timber and conversion into agriculture fields (oil palm plantation), mining, fire, climate change, etc. The habitat loss and degradation had adversely influenced the distribution and richness of the fauna species. The current information on the fauna diversity of tropical rainforest is not sufficient and in the future, more research is required to document the various community parameters of the fauna species in order to conserve and protect them. For better future, conservation, and management, we must identify the major drivers of changes and how these factors alter the tropical rainforest

Bird communities in tropical rain forest

This book is published to view what is happened to the understorey birds before and immediately after logging in a tropical rain forest of Malaysia. Some study predict that some species of the understorey birds will declining following logging activities while some increased. The findings from this study can be used to provide information and serve as a guide for further studies on the effects of the understorey bird species in the tropical rain forest

Integrated Heat Regenerator (IHR) Designs with Hydrogen Preheater and Thermoelectric Generator for Power Enhancement of a 2 kW Fuel Cell Vehicle

The power train efficiency of fuel cell vehicles (FCV) can be enhanced by improving the hydrogen energy utilization. Based on a mini FCV running on a 2 kW open-cathode Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, a waste heat recovery system design needs to be developed as an approach towards higher energy efficiency. The novelty of the system is on the integration of thermoelectric generator technology with hydrogen preheating process for a combined heat and power output. This manuscript presents the proposed integrated heat regenerator (IHR) designs, analysed using numerical computational modelling. Three IHR designs were proposed where the main design criteria are (i) a minimum of 10oC hydrogen preheating degree, and (ii) non-parasitic active cooling for the TEG cells. Three design concepts were studied to identify its design and performance limitations. The numerical results were validated with theoretical modelling analysis for hydrogen exit temperatures and TEG surface temperatures. The analysis on predicted fuel cell power enhancement, TEG power generation and waste heat utilization were performed by relating the temperature profiles of the hydrogen reactant and TEG surfaces to fuel cell reaction models and TEG power relationships. A compact IHR design that produced 7.7 to 8 % total power enhancement and suitable in size for a mini FCV was identified for future development work