Aerial surveys give new estimates for orangutans in Sabah, Malaysia

Great apes are threatened with extinction, but precise information about the distribution and size of most populations is currently lacking. We conducted orangutan nest counts in the Malaysian state of Sabah (North Borneo), using a combination of ground and helicopter surveys, and provided a way to estimate the current distribution and size of the populations living throughout the entire state. We show that the number of nests detected during aerial surveys is directly related to the estimated true animal density and that a helicopter is an efficient tool to provide robust estimates of orangutan numbers. Our results reveal that with a total estimated population size of about 11,000 individuals, Sabah is one of the main strongholds for orangutans in North Borneo. More than 60% of orangutans living in the state occur outside protected areas, in production forests that have been through several rounds of logging extraction and are still exploited for timber. The role of exploited forests clearly merits further investigation for orangutan conservation in Sabah.     

Three new species of Etlingera (Zingiberaceae) from Borneo

Three new species from northern Borneo are described: Etlingera rubromarginata from Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah; E. belalongensis presently only known from the Temburong District of Brunei; and E. corrugata presently only known from Danum Valley, Sabah.     

Prospective evaluation of individual and consortia plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for drought stress amelioration in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Plant and Soil - Aims. Rinorea cf. bengalensis is a Ni hyperaccumulator which occurs in Sabah (Malaysia), on Borneo Island, that is able to accumulate considerable amounts of Ni and influences the...     

Diplycosia rigidifolia sp. nov. (Ericaceae) from Borneo,Sabah, Malaysia

Diplycosia rigidifolia sp. nov. from Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, Sabah, Malaysia, is described and illustrated. This species is similar to D. urceolata, but differs by its shorter petiole, thicker, strictly elliptic leaf blades, longer pedicels, calyx lobes with sharply acuminate apex, and larger purplish black fruiting calyx. The species is known only from Mt Kinabalu in northern Sabah state, Malaysia.     

Extreme Differences in Forest Degradation in Borneo: Comparing Practices in Sarawak,Sabah, and Brunei

The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak are global hotspots of forest loss and degradation due to timber and oil palm industries; however, the rates and patterns of change have remained poorly measured by conventional field or satellite approaches. Using 30 m resolution optical imagery acquired since 1990, forest cover and logging roads were mapped throughout Malaysian Borneo and Brunei using the Carnegie Landsat Analysis System. We uncovered ∼364,000 km of roads constructed through the forests of this region. We estimated that in 2009 there were at most 45,400 km² of intact forest ecosystems in Malaysian Borneo and Brunei. Critically, we found that nearly 80% of the land surface of Sabah and Sarawak was impacted by previously undocumented, high-impact logging or clearing operations from 1990 to 2009. This contrasted strongly with neighbouring Brunei, where 54% of the land area remained covered by unlogged forest. Overall, only 8% and 3% of land area in Sabah and Sarawak, respectively, was covered by intact forests under designated protected areas. Our assessment shows that very few forest ecosystems remain intact in Sabah or Sarawak, but that Brunei, by largely excluding industrial logging from its borders, has been comparatively successful in protecting its forests.     

Empruthotrema stenophallus n. sp. (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) from the nasal tissue of Dasyatis kuhlii (Dasyatidae) from Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Empruthotrema stenophallus n. sp. (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) is described from specimens from the nasal tissue of the blue-spotted maskray Dasyatis kuhlii (Muller and Henle, 1841) collected in shallow waters off Pulau Banggi and Pulau Mabul, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. This is the first monogenean species to be described from an elasmobranch collected from Sabah. E. stenophallus can be distinguished from the other 6 members of the genus by the morphology of the sclerotized male copulatory organ, which is narrow, short, and distally tapered. E. dasyatidis Whittington and Kearn, 1992, previously documented from the nasal tissue of several of elasmobranch species from Australia, is recorded from 8 host species distributed around Malaysian Borneo. These represent new host and locality records for this monocotylid. The difficulties in identifying species of Empruthotrema and the apparent lack of host specificity by some members of the genus are discussed.     

管茎叶蝉属二新种（同翅目：叶蝉科：缘脊叶蝉亚科）

研究了英国卡底阜国立博物馆收藏的缘脊叶蝉亚科脊翅叶蝉族管茎叶蝉属的标本,记述2新种,绘制了特征图。研究标本保存在英国卡底阜国立博物馆。 1. 蒙卡管茎叶蝉Fistulatus monkoboensis, 新种 (图1) 　　体连翅长 ♂6.2 mm。 　　观察标本正模 ♂, BORNEO Sabah, Bukit Monkobo, 51°48′N, 116°58′E, 22-Ⅷ-1987, 1930 m. A. H. Kirk-Spriggs, Light trap sample, Upp. Montane forest summit, Bt. Monkobo, NMW Sabah (Borneo) Expedition, NWW. Z. 1987-094. 　　该新种因其独特的雄性外生殖器结构尾节侧瓣长方形,具一长尾节突腹向伸出,分布有数根大型刚毛而与本属内其它种相区别。 2. 雅典娜管茎叶蝉Fistulatus athena, 新种 (图2) 　　体连翅长 ♂6.2 mm。 　　观察标本正模 ♂, BORNEO Sabah, Bukit Monkobo, 51°48′N, 116°58′E, 18-Ⅷ-1987,1200 m. A. H. Kirk-Spriggs. Light trap sample, camp 1, Stunted hill forest, Bukit Monkobo. NMW Sabah(Borneo) Expedition, NMW. Z. 1987-094. 　　该新种与Fistulatus monkoboensis, sp.n. 在形态特征和雄性外生殖器结构上都相似,与后者主要区别如下 1) 前胸背板无小黑点;2) 尾节侧瓣侧突近端部突然端向收缩;3) 下生殖板基部阔,端部较细,指状;4) 阳基侧突端突长而钝圆,指状;5) 阳茎干端向收缩并更弯曲。     

The ecoclimatology of Danum, Sabah, in the context of the world's rainforest regions, with particular reference to dry periods and their impact

Climatic records for Danum for 1985-1998, elsewhere in Sabah since 1879, and long monthly rainfall series from other rainforest locations are used to place the climate, and particularly the dry period climatology, of Danum into a world rainforest context. The magnitude frequency and seasonality of dry periods are shown to vary greatly within the world's rainforest zone. The climate of Danum, which is aseasonal but subject, as in 1997-1998, to occasional drought, is intermediate between less drought-prone north-western Borneo and the more drought-prone east coast. Changes through time in drought magnitude frequency in Sabah and rainforest locations elsewhere in South-East Asia and in the Neotropics are compared. The 1997-1998 ENSO-related drought event in Sabah is placed into a historical context. The effects of drought on tree growth and mortality in the tropics are assessed and a model relating intensity and frequency of drought disturbance to forest structure and composition is discussed.     

Studies on Schismatoglottideae (Araceae) of Borneo LV: Schismatoglottis saafiei and Schismatoglottis zainuddinii spp. nov. from Tawau Hills,Sabah

Schismatoglottis saafiei Kartini, P. C. Boyce & S. Y. Wong and Schismatoglottis zainuddinii Kartini, P. C. Boyce & S. Y. Wong are described and illustrated as new species from Tawau Hills N.P., Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Schismatoglottis zainuddinii is the first record of the Schismatoglottis Asperata clade for Sabah. Schismatoglottis saafiei belongs to a complex of species centred on S. trifasciata Hallier.f.     

Phylogeography of the Southeast Asian stone oaks (Lithocarpus)

Abstract Aim To describe current geographical patterns of genetic diversity and infer the historical population dynamics of the stone oaks (Lithocarpus) in Southeast Asia. Location We sampled three populations in Indochina: (1) Yunnan province, China; (2) Pyin Oo Lwin area, Myanmar and (3) north‐western Vietnam; two in western Borneo: (1) South‐western Sarawak and (2) West Kalimantan, Indonesia; two in central Borneo: (1) north coastal Sarawak and (2) north‐eastern Sarawak, Malaysia; and two in northern Borneo: (1) Central Sabah and (2) Northern Sabah, Malaysia. Methods A phylogenetic reconstruction of chloroplast DNA sequence variation from numerous individuals of multiple species was used to determine geographical distribution of genetic diversity. A resampling scheme was used to determine the significance of these patterns at different hierarchical levels of the phylogeny. Results were compared with a previously published set of nuclear DNA sequence data. Results A high level of chloroplast sequence variation was found, which was divided equally between two major clades separated by four non‐homoplasious changes. One clade was confined to the island of Borneo, while the other was widespread. Strong geographical structure was observed in the chloroplast sequence variation. The Indo‐chinese populations were much more closely related than expected, comparable with the highly endemic and isolated population on the western coast of Borneo. Conversely, individuals from the Kelabit Highlands were found to be more distantly related than expected. The highest levels of genetic endemism were observed in western Borneo. More geographical structure was observed in the Bornean clade than in the Widespread clade, because of limited genetic diversity in the Widespread clade. Relatively weak geographical structure was found in the nuclear sequence variation: only populations in southern China and central Sabah were significantly related. Conclusions The high levels of chloroplast genetic diversity and the persistence of an ancestral haplotype that is a single step away from a haplotype found in Castanopsis indicates the continuous presence of tropical rain forest in Southeast Asia throughout the evolutionary history of the genus (c. 40 Myr). This conclusion is supported by the high frequency of numerous endemic types observed in every population and the relatively few number of ‘missing’ haplotypes. This situation suggests both limited migration and limited extinction. In contrast, the nuclear genetic diversity contained less geographical structure, indicating that our taxonomic sampling among populations was unbiased and that gene flow mediated through pollen is less geographically restricted and contains less geographical structure than purely seed‐mediated (chloroplast) gene flow. The most likely scenario suggested by the evidence involves four major patterns: (1) the widespread presence of an ancestral haplotype; (2) the large degree of separation (four non‐homoplasious base pairs) between the types found in the two major clades; (3) the concentration of derived types from both major clades found in central and northern Borneo; and (4) the molecular endemism found in each location. These patterns suggest four primary things about the population dynamics of Lithocarpus since the late Eocene: (1) populations have either spanned the entire region throughout much of the evolutionary history of the genus or substantial populations have persisted in both Indochina and Borneo with limited migration between them; (2) significant fragmentation has occurred subsequently between the Asian mainland and the Melasian island archipelago, leading to independent genetic diversification in both regions; (3) several locations possessing significant independent histories, have experienced little migration and have never gone completely extinct; and (4) that the central highlands of Borneo have been re‐invaded from the north and the west. The timing of these events is difficult to ascertain but probably predate the Quaternary Period, suggesting that although the recent ice ages might have affected the overall distribution of rain forest in Southeast Asia, it managed to persist in most regions even through the most dramatic drying events.     

Seedlings of Neuwiedia (Orchidaceae subfamily Apostasioideae) have typical orchidaceous mycotrophic protocorms

Naturally occurring seedlings of Neuwiedia veratrifolia were found in three localities in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. Seedlings consisted of an irregular oblong protocorm and a terminal leafy rooted shoot. Protocorms contained mycotrophic tissue of the kind typical of orchid mycorrhiza (tolypophagy). This finding demonstrates an important synapomorphy between Neuwiedia and other orchids and strongly supports the monophyly of Orchidaceae in the broad sense, including apostasiod orchids.     

First Record of the Gekkonid Genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 from Gunung Mulu National Park,Northern Sarawak,East Malaysia may Represent an Undescribed Species

We provide confirmed photographic evidence for the previously overlooked occurrence of the polyphyletic Asian gecko genus Cnemaspis from Gunung Mulu National Park, the world-renowned UNESCO natural heritage site in northern Sarawak, East Malaysia. This new record from Sarawak province represents a remarkable range extension for Cnemaspis cf. kendallii by 550 km to the northeast and denotes the most northern occurrence of the genus in Borneo. Our new finding makes it very likely that these gekkonid lizards also inhabit appropriate limestone karst habitats in adjacent Sabah, Brunei, and Kalimantan. Given the visible differences in the Mulu specimen compared to those from the remaining distribution range on Borneo and the Malaysian Peninsula together with the fact that numerous Cnemaspis species are restricted to small areas, it seems plausible that another undescribed, rather cryptic and possibly locally endemic Bornean species is involved. Lastly, the new record contributes to the importance of the Mulu National Park as a major conservation area in East Malaysia of international concerns.     

Novelties in Fissistigma (Annonaceae) from Borneo

Five new species of Fissistigma are described from Borneo. Fissistigma brevistipitatum sp. nov. is a species of lowland and hill forest mostly recorded from Sabah. Fissistigma bygravei sp. nov. is similar to F. hypoglaucum (Miq.) Merr. of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Fissistigma carrii sp. nov. is from Mount Kinabalu. Fissistigma crassicaule is a robust plant known from a couple of collections from Sarawak. Fissistigma montanum sp. nov. is a species from hill and montane forest recorded from Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak. A new combination in Fissistigma is made for Melodorum multivenium Diels. Two recently described species of Fissistigma from Borneo ( F. cordifolium Irawan and F. magnisepalum Irawan) are reduced to synonymy of Friesodielsia excisa (Miq.) Steenis and Friesodielsia affinis (Hook. f. & Thomson) D. Das, respectively. Both species of Friesodielsia are lectotypified.     

Conservation of some rare and endangered plants from Peninsular Malaysia

Malaysia has approximately 15,000 species of vascular plants. Its flora is distributed between two major geographical regions; Peninsular Malaysia on mainland Asia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Peninsular Malaysia has over 8,300 plant species and Sabah and Sarawak in a recent estimate have about 12,000 species. Total species endemism for Peninsular Malaysia is about 30%; its tree endemism is 26.3%. For Sabah and Sarawak, the endemism level is higher, recently revised figures gave a tree species endemism of 42.1%. Malaysia has recently published its national strategy for plant conservation, which now forms the basis of conservation activities for the country. Since 2004, we have been running a project entitled “Conservation Monitoring of Rare and Threatened Plants of Peninsular Malaysia”, in which conservation status assessment is scored for a number of families. Results of the assessment of 458 taxa included 46.1% in some threat category. Detailed conservation studies are in progress for 33 species of threatened plants. Initial work on these species include spatial distribution studies at regional level based on herbarium records, and at a more local level, population studies to determine demography of populations. Regular phenological observations were also made for many of the species.     

The atmospheric chemistry of trace gases and particulate matter emitted by different land uses in Borneo

We report measurements of atmospheric composition over a tropical rainforest and over a nearby oil palm plantation in Sabah, Borneo. The primary vegetation in each of the two landscapes emits very different amounts and kinds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), resulting in distinctive VOC fingerprints in the atmospheric boundary layer for both landscapes. VOCs over the Borneo rainforest are dominated by isoprene and its oxidation products, with a significant additional contribution from monoterpenes. Rather than consuming the main atmospheric oxidant, OH, these high concentrations of VOCs appear to maintain OH, as has been observed previously over Amazonia. The boundary-layer characteristics and mixing ratios of VOCs observed over the Borneo rainforest are different to those measured previously over Amazonia. Compared with the Bornean rainforest, air over the oil palm plantation contains much more isoprene, monoterpenes are relatively less important, and the flower scent, estragole, is prominent. Concentrations of nitrogen oxides are greater above the agro-industrial oil palm landscape than over the rainforest, and this leads to changes in some secondary pollutant mixing ratios (but not, currently, differences in ozone). Secondary organic aerosol over both landscapes shows a significant contribution from isoprene. Primary biological aerosol dominates the super-micrometre aerosol over the rainforest and is likely to be sensitive to land-use change, since the fungal source of the bioaerosol is closely linked to above-ground biodiversity.     

Long-term field data and climate-habitat models show that orangutan persistence depends on effective forest management and greenhouse gas mitigation

Background

Southeast Asian deforestation rates are among the world’s highest and threaten to drive many forest-dependent species to extinction. Climate change is expected to interact with deforestation to amplify this risk. Here we examine whether regional incentives for sustainable forest management will be effective in improving threatened mammal conservation, in isolation and when combined with global climate change mitigation.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Using a long time-series of orangutan nest counts for Sabah (2000–10), Malaysian Borneo, we evaluated the effect of sustainable forest management and climate change scenarios, and their interaction, on orangutan spatial abundance patterns. By linking dynamic land-cover and downscaled global climate model projections, we determine the relative influence of these factors on orangutan spatial abundance and use the resulting statistical models to identify habitat crucial for their long-term conservation. We show that land-cover change the degradation of primary forest had the greatest influence on orangutan population size. Anticipated climate change was predicted to cause reductions in abundance in currently occupied populations due to decreased habitat suitability, but also to promote population growth in western Sabah by increasing the suitability of presently unoccupied regions.

Conclusions/Significance

We find strong quantitative support for the Sabah government’s proposal to implement sustainable forest management in all its forest reserves during the current decade; failure to do so could result in a 40 to 80 per cent regional decline in orangutan abundance by 2100. The Sabah orangutan is just one (albeit iconic) example of a forest-dependent species that stands to benefit from sustainable forest management, which promotes conservation of existing forests.     

Three new species of the genus Medwayella Traub, 1972 (Insecta: Siphonaptera: Pygiopsyllidae) from Sabah (eastern Malaysia, Borneo)

Medwayella traubiana n. sp., M. pfeifferi n. sp. and M. sabahae n. sp. (Pygiopsyllidae) are described from Sabah (north of Borneo island), the first two on Tupaia tana (Scandentia), the last on Sundasciurus lowii (Rodentia). Sex male is only identified, because these fleas have been collected in sympatry, or even in syntopy. Their determination is based on segment IX and aedeagus. If M. traubiana and M. pfeifferi are related to some known species, M. sabahae is clearly distinct from other Medwayella.     

The impact of local surface changes in Borneo on atmospheric composition at wider spatial scales: coastal processes, land-use change and air quality

We present results from the OP3 campaign in Sabah during 2008 that allow us to study the impact of local emission changes over Borneo on atmospheric composition at the regional and wider scale. OP3 constituent data provide an important constraint on model performance. Treatment of boundary layer processes is highlighted as an important area of model uncertainty. Model studies of land-use change confirm earlier work, indicating that further changes to intensive oil palm agriculture in South East Asia, and the tropics in general, could have important impacts on air quality, with the biggest factor being the concomitant changes in NO(x) emissions. With the model scenarios used here, local increases in ozone of around 50 per cent could occur. We also report measurements of short-lived brominated compounds around Sabah suggesting that oceanic (and, especially, coastal) emission sources dominate locally. The concentration of bromine in short-lived halocarbons measured at the surface during OP3 amounted to about 7 ppt, setting an upper limit on the amount of these species that can reach the lower stratosphere.     

The mechanical stability of the world’s tallest broadleaf trees

The factors that limit the maximum height of trees, whether ecophysiological or mechanical, are the subject of longstanding debate. Here, we examine the role of mechanical stability in limiting tree height and focus on trees from the tallest tropical forests on Earth, in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, including the recently discovered tallest tropical tree, a 100.8 m Shorea faguetiana named Menara. We use terrestrial laser scans, in situ strain gauge data and finite element simulations, to map the architecture of tall tropical trees and monitor their response to wind loading. We demonstrate that a tree's risk of breaking due to gravity or self‐weight decreases with tree height and is much more strongly affected by tree architecture than by material properties. In contrast, wind damage risk increases with tree height despite the larger diameters of tall trees, resulting in a U‐shaped curve of mechanical risk with tree height. Our results suggest that the relative rarity of extreme wind speeds in north Borneo may be the reason it is home to the tallest trees in the tropics. Abstract in MALAY is available with online material.     

Survival strategies of a frugivore,the sun bear,in a forest-oil palm landscape

As large areas of forest are lost throughout the tropics, prime habitat of many species decline and become fragmented. The island of Borneo is a prime example, with accelerated clearing of forests primarily for oil palm expansion. Borneo is recognized as an important stronghold for the conservation of the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), but it is unclear how habitat reduction and fragmentation is affecting this frugivore. We used camera traps and sign surveys to understand patterns of sun bear habitat use in a matrix of fragmented forests and extensive oil palm development, which has existed as such for?>?15 years: the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Within these small forest fragments, squeezed between a major river and oil palm plantations, bears exhibited selection for areas farther from human activity (plantations, river boat traffic, and buildings), and were rarely active during the day, demonstrating both spatial and temporal avoidance of potential human-related threats. They selected large trees to feed and rest, and also exploited adjacent plantations to feed on oil palm fruits. We conclude that even relatively small forest fragments (~?2000 ha) within large agricultural landscapes can be important for sun bears. Our research highlights the remarkable adaptations this species has employed to persist in a drastically modified landscape.