Yams and megapode mounds in the lowland rain forest of Papua New Guinea

Kubo people of Papua New Guinea sometimes grew Dioscorea yams in mounds of forest litter that were made as egg-incubation sites by birds (Megapodiidae).' The small yam plots were included within larger banana gardens and, in the latter, it was yams, not bananas, that took precedence in the gardening decisions of people. The technique would be viable in the absence of a larger garden. It is interpreted as an expression of an ancient pattern of small-scale plant domestication.     

Ecology of Aglaia mackiana (Meliaceae) Seedlings in a New Guinea Rain Forest1

The large seeds of Aglaia mackiana (Meliaceae) germinate and produce vigorous seedlings under closed canopies or in large gaps. To assess seedling ecology after germination, we measured growth, herbivore damage, and survivorship of seedlings over one year. The sample included shaded seedlings from dispersed seeds, undispersed seeds under parent trees, and seedlings transplanted to gaps. We quantified the light environment using hemispherical canopy photographs taken above seedlings at the beginning and end of the one–year study. Seedlings transplanted to gaps grew faster and had more leaves, larger total leaf surface area, longer secondary roots, and greater root mass than shaded seedlings. Seedlings in gaps did not differ from shaded seedlings in survivorship or amount of herbivore– and pathogen–caused leaf damage. The canopy photographs taken one year apart suggest there is a rough equilibrium in closed canopies with slight changes occurring around an average light level. Sites with < 0.06 ISF (a unitless, relative measure of canopy openness or reflected sunlight) tended to remain the same with minor fluctuations toward brighter or darker. Sites with canopy openness > 0.06 ISF tended to close; few gaps grew larger. Seedlings under parenr trees and seedlings away from parent trees had similar amounts of leaf damage and virtually identical survivorship after 18 months, but seedlings under parent trees had slower growth rates and smaller total leaf surface areas. Dispersal did not strongly benefit seeds via escaping high levels of mortality or comperition around the parent.     

Predation risk for herbivorous insects on tropical vegetation: A search for enemy-free space and time

Spatial and temporal variability in predation risk for herbivores on 13 rainforest species of Ficus (Moraceae) in Papua New Guinea was studied in order to assess whether predator-free refuges exist on their foliage and if so, whether herbivorous insects concentrate their activity in such refugia. Predation risk from invertebrate predators was measured as the disappearance rate of live termites set up as baits on the foliage. By far the most important predators were ants, accounting for 77% of attacks. No consistent differences in predation rate between Ficus species were found so that tree identity could not be used as an indicator of enemy-free space. Predation risk was highly variable among conspecific trees and also changed rapidly in time, over periods as short as 10 days. Such short-term and unpredictable predator-free refuges may be difficult for herbivores to find and exploit. Predation risk during the day was three times higher than during the night, but abundance of herbivores on the foliage was also higher during the day. Thus, night was confirmed as a relatively enemy-free time which, however, was not exploited by herbivores.     

Hunting in lowland,tropical rain forest: Towards a model of non-agricultural subsistence

It has recently been argued that hunter-gatherers do not, did not, and could not live in tropical rain forest without some access to agricultural produce. This opinion challenges models of past non-agricultural subsistence patterns that are based in analogies derived from modern rain forest dwelling groups. In this paper, the socio-ecological bases of the hunting system of the Kubo people of lowland Papua New Guinea are described. It is argued that this system lacks necessary dependence upon the agricultural system with which it co-occurs and, in fact, can be connected with a system of carbohydrate procurement that is not agricultural. The hypothesized connection provides the basis of a model of non-agricultural subsistence in lowland tropical rain forest.     

西双版纳热带山地雨林生物量研究

观测了西双版纳山地气候,建立了山地雨林生物量回归方程,调查了海拔1 100~1 820 m范围5块样地(面积0.16~0.25 hm2)的热带山地雨林生物量。结果表明,海拔1 105和1 610 m的年平均温度分别为20.1和16.6℃,年降雨量分别为1 659和2 011 mm,旱季(11~4月)降雨量分别为295和283mm,年平均相对湿度分别为81%和84%;5块样地生物量变化为256.4~368.6 t.hm-2,平均为312.6t.hm-2,其中乔木占97.1%、木质藤本占1.2%、幼树和灌木占1.3%、草本和幼苗占0.4%;采用热带季节雨林生物量回归方程估计山地雨林生物量,会使得总生物量以及树干和树根生物量高估38.3%~61.5%,树枝生物量低估7.6%~30.8%。可见,西双版纳山地海拔增加导致雨季降雨量增加,山地雨林生物量较热带季节雨林降低32.6%,季节雨林生物量方程不适用于山地雨林。     

Contributions to the Cladocera fauna from Papua New Guinea

Twenty-eight taxa of the Cladocera are identified in collections from Papua New Guinea, 17 being new records for New Guinea, bringing the total number of Cladocera taxa reported for this region to 39. Most of the taxa are circumtropical. One species (Sarsilatona papuana) is endemic to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. The species list includes two species that are normally listed as Holarctic:Alonella nana andAlona rustica. Widespread genera such asDaphnia, Pleuroxus, Disparalona, Acroperus were strikingly absent from the Papua New Guinean material.     

The seasonal factors influencing child malnutrition on the Nembi Plateau,Papua New Guinea

A sample of children from the Nembi Plateau, Papua New Guinea, is monitored for nutritional status, episodes of sickness and disease, diets, work activity of mothers, and weight changes; and health and census records are examined for seasonal patterns of disease, deaths, birth, and birth weights. A seasonal pattern in birth weight reinforced by a seasonal pattern in growth performance and compounded by a seasonal pattern of disease suggests that the time of year in which a child is born is important to the child's growth and health. Yields, labor, and ritual surrounding the gardens give rise to the seasonal pattern of events that impinge upon the health of children.     

Temporal and spatial variation of forest biomass in relation to stand dynamics in a mature,lowland tropical rainforest,Malaysia

To clarify consistency in the size of carbon pool of a lowland tropical rainforest, we calculated changes in above-ground biomass in the Pasoh Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia. We estimated the total above-ground biomass of a mature stand using tree census data obtained in a 6-ha plot every 2years from 1994 to 1998. The total above-ground biomass decreased consistently from 1994 (431Mgha^–1) to 1998 (403Mgha^–1) (1Mg=10³ kg). These are much lower than that in 1973 for a 0.2ha portion of the same area, suggesting that the the total above-ground biomass reduction might have been consistent in recent decades. This trend contrasted with a major trend for neotropical forests. During 1994–1998, the forest gained 23.0 and 0.88Mgha^–1 of the total above-ground biomass by tree growth and recruitment, respectively, and lost 51.9Mgha^–1 by mortality. Overall, the biomass decreased by 28.4Mgha^–1 (i.e. 7.10Mgha^–1·year^–1), which is almost equivalent to losing a 76-cm-diameter living tree per hectare per year. Analysis of positive and negative components of biomass change revealed that deaths of large trees dominated the total above-ground biomass decrease. The forest biomass also varied spatially, with the total above-ground biomass density ranging 212–655Mgha^–1 on a 0.2-ha basis (n= 30 subplots, 1998) and 365–440Mgha^–1 on a 1ha basis. A large decrease of the total above-ground biomass density (>50Mg per ha per 2years) in several 0.2-ha subplots contributed to the overall decrease in the 6-ha total above-ground biomass. In the present study, we discuss the association between forest dynamics and biomass fluctuation, and the implication for carbon cycling in mature forests with emphasis on forest monitoring and assessments of soil and decomposition systems.     

进口巴布亚新几内亚原木上截获吉丁虫的鉴定

描述江苏口岸首次从巴新原木上截获的8种吉丁虫,隶属于窄吉丁Agrilus,澳纹吉丁Anilara,星吉丁Chrysobothris,胸斑吉丁Belionota,驼翅吉丁Cyphogastra。编制族属检索表,介绍8种的鉴别特征,并配以8种吉丁虫的原色图,对检疫性害虫窄吉丁非中国种的分类状况作了简介。     

Studies of endemic cretinism in Papua New Guinea: digital and palmar dermatoglyphic patterns

We have tested the hypothesis that the abnormal development of the central nervous system seen in endemic cretinism might be accompanied by concurrent abnormal dermatoglyphic patterns. We compared digital and palmar dermatoglyphics of normal individuals and endemic cretins inhabiting the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. The population sampled from the Irumu River Valley included 118 males and 114 females with 22 male cretins and 23 female cretins. The population sampled from the Wantoat River Valley included 72 males and 38 females with 12 male cretins. No pathognomonic patterns were found that could identify the endemic cretin subpopulation. However, the occurrence of a number of differences between controls and cretins suggests that subtle changes in dermatoglyphic patterns accompany the anomalous development of the CNS secondary to maternal iodine deficiency. We discuss the significance of these findings and compare the dermatoglyphic patterns of normal Irumu and Wantoat natives and 21 other populations of Papua New Guinea.