Assessing avian richness and diversity in different regions of oil palm plantation in Selangor, Malaysia

Malaysia is characterized by a variety of habitats such as forests, clearings, thickets, and cropland that attract various species of birds. This study examined the bird community in terms of richness and diversity at oil palm plantations habitat. The abundance of birds was determined by using distance sampling point count method. A total of 2722 birds belonging to 38 families representing 86 species of birds were detected. Diversity analysis indicates that the species of birds in the oil palm plantation at Sungai Pelek is more diverse (Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index H; 3.52) and richness (Margalef’s Richness Index R1; 10.2) than oil palm plantation in Teluk Panglima Garang-Pulau Carey and Banting-Jenjarum. However, the species of birds in the oil palm plantations at Teluk Panglima Garang-Pulau Carey and Banting-Jenjarum show higher evenness (Pielou’s Evenness Index E; 0.82) compared with oil palm plantations in Sungai Pelek. The results of this study indicate that the species composition and distribution of the avian species in the oil palm plantations are affected by habitat characterization of that particular area and its vicinity

Bird diversity in Mangrove areas in Tumpat, Kelantan

Mangroves forests play an important role in the management of coastal ecosystem of Malaysia. However, day by day, the number of mangroves is reduced due to the high demand for aquaculture, industrials development, and urbanization. The objective of this study is to determine the comparison of bird diversity between waterbird and terrestrial bird at mangrove area in Tumpat, Kelantan by using the point count method. 256 individuals were recorded representing 38 species and 23 families from the study. Out of the total, 27 species (202 detections, 78.91%) and 11 species (54 detections, 21.09%) belong to terrestrial bird and waterbird respectively. From the result analysis, the highest detection for the terrestrial bird were Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goaivier) (49 detections) while the lowest were Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis) (1 detection). Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) (13 detections) is the highest detection for waterbird while the lowest is Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) (1 detection). Terranestrial birds recorded the highest diversity (H’= 2.90), species richness (Margalef’s= 5.09), and evenness (0.87). The results of this study signified that the mangrove area in Tumpat is an important habitat for waterbirds as well as the terrestrial bird

Checklist of fishes at Pergau Lake, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia

A survey was conducted to determine the diversity of fish in Pergau Lake, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia from 2 September to 18 October of 2016. Fish samples were collected at seven random sampling stations around the lake by using setting trap method. The collected samples were preserved in 10% formalin solution and delivered to the laboratory for further identification process. Fourteen species, namely as Hemibagrus nemurus, Hampala macrolepidota, Clarias batrachus, Channa striata, Cyprinus carpio, Poropuntius smedleyi, Pangasius sp., Oreochromis niloticus, Oreochromis mossambicus, Leptobarbus hoevenii, Neolissochilus hexagonolepis, Tor tambroides, Osteochilus hasselti and Neolissochilus soroides, comprising of six families were collected during this study. From this study, family of Cyprinidae was the dominant species in Pergau Lake with exactly 50% of catch percentage, followed by family of Bagridae (29%), Cichlidae (10%), Clariidae (5%), Channidae (3%) and Pangasiidae (3%). This study shows that there is still a diversity of fish species in Pergau Lake, showing that the water and its environmental condition is very good

Lead concentration in long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) hair in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia

Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) has the potential to be a good biological indicator for toxic exposure because they have an almost similar physiology and behaviour to humans. The objective of this study is to determine the concentration of lead (Pb) in hair samples of long-tailed macaques which were found in and out of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) area. The hypothesis is long-tailed macaques that live in the anthropogenic area (outside KSNP) may be exposed to high levels of lead compared to long-tailed macaques living in the forest area (inside KSNP). Analysis of hair samples were carried out using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The study found that the average mean of lead concentration in the anthropogenic area is 6.31 μg/g while for the forest area it is 3.16 μg/g. Lead concentration in the two areas are statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, lead concentration in the anthropogenic area recorded a slightly higher mean concentration than in the forest area. Even so, results of this study indicate that long-tailed macaques in Kuala Selangor are not exposed to high levels of lead. This study is the first in Malaysia to utilise long-tailed macaques as a biological indicator for testing the concentration of toxic substances in the environment. This study is still in its early stages; thus, future research requires improvements

Habitat quality assessment in the Royal Belum rainforest, Malaysia using spatial analysis

Royal Belum rainforest contains various flora and fauna species, however, the assessment of habitat quality is still lacking. This study aims to develop the habitat quality zone in the Royal Belum rainforest. The downloaded Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS CI satellite images in the year 2020 from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were processed using supervised classification and exported into vector data in ArcGis 10.8. Land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), buffer, and land structure were then analyzed. The result shows that the highest percentage and density of the land use of the Royal Belum rainforest is vegetation. Buffer zone analysis identifies the risky area for habitat in the range of 1km and 5km from the built-up area. The area within the buffer ring should be protected from building and construction to ensure habitat quality in that area can be maintained. This study will give a better understanding of land use and vegetation index assessment for future planning in the Royal Belum rainforest. Therefore, habitat quality assessment is an important tool that can help to identify areas of high-quality habitat that are crucial for the survival and reproduction of target species and to prioritize these areas for conservation and management

Comparison of resident bird communities in mangrove forest and oil palm plantations in Selangor, Malaysia

Oil palm plantations are constantly being trumpeted with the ability to accommodate the lower species richness and diversity of animals, including birds; while mangrove forest is a highly productive ecosystem and accommodates high diversity of flora and fauna communities. Most importantly, mangrove forest is the last refuge habitat for species that have lost its original habitat. Therefore, it is expected that proximity between oil palm plantations with natural forest (in this study are mangroves) will aid in the conservation of bird species in oil palm plantations, thus utilizing this seminatural habitat as a biological conservation area. The aims of this study are to compare the diversity index of resident bird species in adjacent mangrove forest and oil palm plantations; as well as measuring the effectiveness of point count and acoustic sampling methods in estimating the diversity of birds and suggesting the most appropriate method use in both habitats. This study was conducted in Selangor, Malaysia from October 2012 to November 2013. 480 sampling points were established at a distance of at least 200m from each other. Audio recorder was also placed at each sampling point. Bird observation and recording of bird sound were performed simultaneously for 10 minutes at each point. The results registered 5686 individuals and 115 species of birds in these two habitats including 89 residents, 21 migrants, 4 feral and 1 vagrants. Among the 89 resident species, 8 species were threatened; 1 listed under EN and other 7 species were listed under NT. All threatened species were observed in mangrove while only 4 observed in oil palm plantation. Mangrove forests recorded higher species richness and diversity index, as well as density when compared to the adjacent oil palm plantation. However, both habitats shared the same bird species with a relatively high percentage (74% similarities; 66 species) with omnivorous, insectivorous and carnivorous were the three most feeding guilds recorded in both habitats. There was no significant difference in the identification of bird species when using point counts and acoustic sampling at both study sites. However, if researcher has to choose one method to assess birds in oil palm plantation, point counts should be an option, while either point counts or acoustic sampling are appropriate for bird sampling in mangroves habitat. Although mangrove habitats accommodate high bird diversity index, oil palm plantation had also recorded a high number of generalist’s species, some species of water birds and forest-dependent species as well as NT species. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proximity of natural forest to oil palm plantation is very important to aid in assist bird conservation in plantation. Choosing the appropriate sampling method based to the habitat type is also important for comprehensive sampling that can be used for conservation management of species in concerned habitat

Lead concentration in Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) Hair in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia

Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) has the potential to be a good biological indicator for toxic exposure because they have an almost similar physiology and behaviour to humans. The objective of this study is to determine the concentration of lead (Pb) in hair samples of long-tailed macaques which were found in and out of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) area. The hypothesis is long-tailed macaques that live in the anthropogenic area (outside KSNP) may be exposed to high levels of lead compared to long-tailed macaques living in the forest area (inside KSNP). Analysis of hair samples were carried out using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The study found that the average mean of lead concentration in the anthropogenic area is 6.31 μg/g while for the forest area it is 3.16 μg/g. Lead concentration in the two areas are statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, lead concentration in the anthropogenic area recorded a slightly higher mean concentration than in the forest area. Even so, results of this study indicate that long-tailed macaques in Kuala Selangor are not exposed to high levels of lead. This study is the first in Malaysia to utilise long-tailed macaques as a biological indicator for testing the concentration of toxic substances in the environment. This study is still in its early stages; thus, future research requires improvements

Habitat quality assessment in the Royal Belum rainforest, Malaysia using spatial analysis

Royal Belum rainforest contains various flora and fauna species, however, the assessment of habitat quality is still lacking. This study aims to develop the habitat quality zone in the Royal Belum rainforest. The downloaded Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS CI satellite images in the year 2020 from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were processed using supervised classification and exported into vector data in ArcGis 10.8. Land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), buffer, and land structure were then analyzed. The result shows that the highest percentage and density of the land use of the Royal Belum rainforest is vegetation. Buffer zone analysis identifies the risky area for habitat in the range of 1km and 5km from the built-up area. The area within the buffer ring should be protected from building and construction to ensure habitat quality in that area can be maintained. This study will give a better understanding of land use and vegetation index assessment for future planning in the Royal Belum rainforest. Therefore, habitat quality assessment is an important tool that can help to identify areas of high-quality habitat that are crucial for the survival and reproduction of target species and to prioritize these areas for conservation and management