Species composition and diversity along the elevational gradient of a low tropical hill in Teramuo Hill, Bau, Sarawak, Malaysia

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##

PDF
Issue
Vol. 25 No. 9 (2024)
Section
Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##

TONGA NOWEG ♥
Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
JONGKAR GRINANG
Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
JULIA NELSON
Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
BRIDGETTE PHILIP
Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
SELVANA EYRA FELIX
Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
MEEKIONG KALU
Faculty of Resources Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract. Noweg T, Grinang J, Nelson J, Philip B, Felix SE, Kalu M. 2024. Species composition and diversity along the elevational gradient of a low tropical hill in Teramuo Hill, Bau, Sarawak, Malaysia. Biodiversitas 25: 3320-3330. Numerous efforts have been made to study the diversity pattern of trees in Nature Reserves in the Bau District of Sarawak, Malaysia. However, studies on tree diversity along the elevational gradient in the district's low tropical hills still need to be completed. This study sought to evaluate the composition and diversity of tree species on a low tropical rainforest hill in the Bau District of Sarawak. The study's specific objectives include: (i). Identifying the species composition at different elevations and (ii). Measuring the species diversity and richness across different elevational gradients. The study site was Teramuo Hill, a 9.2-hectare local recreational area in Bau District, Sarawak, belonging to a Bidayuh village community. The hill encompasses three forest types (primary, secondary, and agroforest) and has suffered degradation from both human activity and natural causes. A total of 28 sampling sites were arranged in six vertical lines along the elevational gradient, with the lowest elevation being below 45 meters above sea level (m asl.) and the highest about 100 m asl.. The study found that the species composition and species types dominating at different elevations varied. A distinct pattern emerged in species diversity and richness across the elevational gradient. Between 61 and 75 m asl., the mid-elevation zones exhibited the highest species diversity. These results suggest that the main influences are ecological factors and habitat physical variability at different elevations. The findings are essential for understanding how minor elevation changes affect tree communities in tropical forest environments. This knowledge can assist in planning targeted conservation programs and dictate community priorities in the Bau District of Sarawak, Malaysia.

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##

References
Azman MS, Sharma S, Shaharudin MAM, Hamzah ML, Adibah SN, Zakaria RM, MacKenzie RA. 2021. Stand structure, biomass and dynamics of naturally regenerated and restored mangroves in Malaysia. For Ecol Manag 482: 118852. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118852.
Chai PPK, Jawa R. 2023. Sarawak Tree Checklist. Kuching, Serawak, Malaysia.
Chao A, Chiu C-H. 2016. Species Richness: Estimation and Comparison. Wiley StatsRef: Statistics Reference Online. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ. DOI: 10.1002/9781118445112.stat03432.pub2.
Chao A, Gotelli NJ, Hsieh TC, Sander EL, Ma KH, Colwell RK, Ellison AM. 2014. Rarefaction and extrapolation with Hill numbers: A framework for sampling and estimation in species diversity studies. Ecol Monogr 84 (1): 45-67. DOI: 10.1890/13-0133.1.
Chao A, Ma KH, Hsieh TC. 2016. iNEXT Online: Software for Interpolation and Extrapolation of Species Diversity. Program and User’s Guide published at http://chao.stat.nthu.edu.tw/wordpress/software_download/inext-online/.
Daly AJ, Baetens JM, De Baets B. 2018. Ecological diversity: Measuring the unmeasurable. Mathematics 6 (7): 119. DOI: 10.3390/math6070119.
Dani RS, Divakar PK, Baniya CB. 2023. Diversity and composition of plants species along elevational gradient: Research trends. Biodivers Conserv 32: 2961-2980. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-023-02638-3.
de Andrade Kamimura V, Marcusso GM, Sabino GP, Assis MA, Joly CA, de Paula Loiola P. 2022. Family legacy: Contrasting diversity-elevation relationships on a coastal Atlantic Forest Mountain system. Plant Ecol 223: 977-993. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-022-01251-8.
Deng C, Daley T, Smith AD. 2015. Applications of species accumulation curves in large-scale biological data analysis. Quant Biol 3 (3): 135-144. DOI: 10.1007/s40484-015-0049-7.
Felix SE. 2022. Diversity of Medicinal Plants in Different Forest Types at Bukit Tramuo Heritage Reserve, Bau. [Thesis]. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan. [Malaysian]
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2020. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020: Key Findings. FAO, Rome.
Gatti RC, Reich PB, Gamarra JGP et al. 2022. The number of tree species on Earth. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 119 (6): e2115329119. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115329119.
Hulshof CM, Spasojevic MJ. 2020. The edaphic control of plant diversity. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 29 (10): 1634-1650. DOI: 10.1111/geb.13151.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 2017. Malaysian Threatened and Rare Tree Identification and Landscape Guideline. Sime Darby Property Berhad, Selangor.
Kiew R, Ummul-Nazrah AR, Ong PT, Imin K, Aliaa-Athirah AM, Rafidah AR. 2019. Distribution and conservation implications of limestone plant species in Felda Chiku limestone flora, Kelantan, Malaysia. J Trop For Sci 31 (1): 19-36. DOI: 10.26525/jtfs2019.31.1.019036.
Kueh RJH, Mang NG, Huat OK, Sait M, Sam S, Empin GB, Rajanoran T, Sinus CR. 2017. Tree diversity at Payeh Maga montane forest, Sarawak, Borneo. J Trop Biol Conserv 14: 125-150. DOI: 10.51200/jtbc.v14i.903.
Kumar P, Dobriyal M, Kale A, Pandey AK, Tomar RS, Thounaojam E. 2022. Calculating forest species diversity with information-theory based indices using sentinel-2A sensor’s of Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary. PLoS One 17 (5): e0268018. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268018.
Latt MM, Park BB. 2022. Tree species composition and forest community types along environmental gradients in Htamanthi wildlife sanctuary, Myanmar: Implications for action prioritization in conservation. Plants 11 (16): 2180. DOI: 10.3390/plants11162180.
Lepun P, Heng RKJ. 2020. Floristic and forest structure of hill mixed dipterocarp forest at Bukit Kana National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Malays For 83 (2): 259-280.
Lolila NJ, Shirima DD, Mauya EW. 2023. Tree species composition along environmental and disturbance gradients in tropical sub-montane forests, Tanzania. PLoS One 18 (3): e0282528. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282528.
Lugo AE, Abelleira Martínez OJ, Medina E, Aymard G, Heartsill Scalley T. 2020. Novelty in the tropical forests of the 21st century. In: Alex TMF, Dumbrell J, Turner EC (eds). Advances in Ecological Research. Academic Press, Massachusetts. DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2020.01.008.
Majuakim L, Ling ALM, Gisil J. 2018. An inventory of flora in urban forests of Universiti Malaysia Sabah campus, Sabah, Malaysia. J Trop Biol Conserv 15: 173-188. DOI: 10.51200/jtbc.v15i.1491.
Mariam MS, Jivitra B. 2019. Plant conservation status and species diversity of Hutan Lipur Jeram Linang, Kelantan. Univers Malays Terengganu J Undergrad Res 1 (4): 37-50. DOI: 10.46754/umtjur.v1i4.90.
Ni M, Vellend M. 2024. Soil properties constrain forest understorey plant distributions along the elevational gradient. Phylos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 379 (1902): 20230373. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0373.
Pahon IWI, Sayok AK, Tagi J. 2016. Diversity of trees at Gunung Serambu, Bau district, Sarawak, Malaysia. In: Das I, Tuen A (eds). Naturalists, Explorers and Field Scientists in South-East Asia and Australasia. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation. Springer, Cham. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-26161-4_12.
Ruzman NHA, Shahfiz MA, Munian K, Fauzi NFM, Azahar MA, Zam Beri AZ, Appanan M, Baharudin MS, Mahyudin NAA. 2021. Key biodiversity areas (KBA): An important approach in mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in Malaysia. IOP Conf Ser: Earth Environ Sci 842: 012054. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/842/1/012054.
Sarok A, Britin FB. 2016. Self-organization initiatives in community-based conservation: A case study of Bung Jagoi heritage Bau, Sarawak Malaysia. J Borneo-Kalimantan 2 (2): 1-21. DOI: 10.33736/jbk.473.2016.
Soepadmo E, Saw LG, Chung RCK, Kiew R. 2014. Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak, Volume 8. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Malaysia.
Wani ZA, Khan S, Bhat JA, Malik AH, Alyas T, Pant S, Siddiqui S, Moustafa M, Ahmad AE. 2022. Pattern of ?-diversity and Plant species richness along vertical gradient in northwest Himalaya, India. Biology 11 (7): 1064. DOI: 10.3390/biology11071064.
Worku BB, Muluneh MG, Molla T. 2023. Influence of elevation and anthropogenic disturbance on woody species composition, diversity, and stand structure in Harego mountain forest, Northeastern Ethiopia. Intl J For Res 2023 (1): 8842408. DOI: 10.1155/2023/8842408.
Yano S, Aoyagi R, Shogoro F, Sugau JB, Pereira JT, Kitayama K. 2021. Effects of logging on landscape-level tree diversity across an elevational gradient in Bornean tropical forests. Glob Ecol Conserv 29: e01739. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco. 2021.e01739.
Zhu Z-X, Nizamani MM, Sahu SK, Kunasingam A, Wang H-F. 2019. Tree abundance, richness, and phylogenetic diversity along an elevation gradient in the tropical forest of Diaoluo Mountain in Hainan, China. Acta Oecol 101: 103481. DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2019.103481.

Most read articles by the same author(s)