The seedling survivorship and growth of three Shorea species in a Malaysian tropical rain forest

1990 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. M. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
First Year ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Seedling Survivorship ◽  
Shorea Species ◽  
Better Than

ABSTRACTThere was fruiting of the dipterocarps of Pantai Aceh Forest Reserve, Penang, Peninsular Malaysia in September 1986. The opportunity was taken to investigate the establishment and seedling survival of Shorea curtisii, Shorea multiflora and Shorea pauciflora over the subsequent year. The germination and seedling survival of Shorea curtisii was compared between canopy gaps and forest understorey sites.Under the shaded conditions none of the species grew beyond the two leaf stage over their first year. Shorea multiflora seedlings suffered a 72% mortality, significantly lower than that of Shorea pauciflora (89%) and Shorea curtisii (93%). The major cause of mortality appeared to be drought, though Shorea curtisii was also prone to predation by small mammals.In a gap, Shorea curtisii seeds probably germinated less well but seedling survival (28% versus 7%) and growth was better than canopy-shaded conspecifics. Seedlings in gaps escaped small mammal predation.

scholarly journals Scavenging and the ecology of fear: do animal carcasses create islands of risk on the landscape?

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.M. Steinbeiser ◽  
C.A. Wawrzynowski ◽  
X. Ramos ◽  
Z.H. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Risk Effects ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Perceived Predation Risk ◽  
Predator Effects

Many vertebrate scavengers function as predators in ecosystems, suggesting that the presence of scavengers and occurrence of predator effects may be intertwined near carcasses. We tested for risk effects near a series of experimentally placed carcasses by measuring small-mammal foraging in a before–after control–impact design. Validation efforts revealed low levels of food loss from stations due to human error and invertebrate foraging, and habituation to stations occurred after 2 weeks. Increased perceived predation risk by small mammals relative to controls occurred in three of seven trials. The effect was observed across tested carcass types (beaver, Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820; white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) and seasons (summer and fall). However, small mammals also increased foraging relative to controls in two of seven trials, and foraging reached a ceiling in two other trials that prevented inference on a response. Taken together, our results suggest that scavenger recruitment to carcasses can in some instances create islands of risk for prey on the landscape, but the effect is not likely to be universal. Where small-mammal foraging does decrease, further work will be necessary to determine if risk effects cascade to adjacent trophic levels through enhanced seed and seedling survival.

Effects of termite exclusion on decay of heavy and light hardwood in a tropical rain forest of Peninsular Malaysia

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
KENZI TAKAMURA
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Wood Quality ◽  
Wood Decay ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Decomposition Experiments ◽  
And Control

Wood pieces of a heavy hardwood Neobalanocarpus heimii (King) P. S. Ashton and a light hardwood Shorea macroptera Dyer were used in decomposition experiments with termite-exclusion and control trays on the forest floor of the Pasoh Forest Reserve, West Malaysia to determine effects of wood quality on termite-mediated wood decay. Shorea macroptera had a significant loss of C in the presence of termites while Neobalanocarpus heimii showed no significant termite effect. Neobalanocarpus heimii and S. macroptera both accumulated N in the absence of termites, but S. macroptera lost it when termites were present. The C/N ratio decreased with and without termites as decay proceeded in both species. Neobalanocarpus heimii accumulated P, but S. macroptera lost it with and without termites. The C/P ratio decreased in N. heimii, but did not change in S. macroptera. Decomposition was considerably enhanced by termites in S. macroptera, but not in N. heimii, indicating that termite foraging activity was affected by the different wood qualities of the two trees. The qualities responsible for the differences and how different wood qualities affect nutrient cycling in the tropical rain forest ecosystem are discussed.

Mortality of Cocoons of the Larch Sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), in Relation to Distance from Small-Mammal Tunnels

1959 ◽  
Vol 91 (9) ◽  
pp. 535-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. Buckner
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Mortality Factors ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Pristiphora Erichsonii ◽  
Larch Sawfly ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between the fate of cocoons of the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Htg.), and distance from small-mammal tunnels was studied during 1958 in the Whiteshell Forest Reserve of eastern Manitoba. The objects were to determine the distance that small mammals can detect cocoons and to observe possible effects of the interactions of small-mammal predation and other natural mortality factors of the insect. Additional analyses of the data provided information on the behaviour of the predators and the ecology of the prey insect.

scholarly journals Small mammal assemblages and their ectoparasite prevalence (Acarina) in mangrove forests of Peninsular Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farah Shafawati Mohd-Taib ◽  
Rosha Asyikha ◽  
Shukor Md Nor
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Storm Surges ◽  
Mite Species ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Mangrove Forests ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Heterogeneous Habitats ◽  
Mammal Assemblages

The mangrove forest is located in the coastal intertidal zone and plays a vital role in buffering against erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. This ecosystem also serves for ecotourism due to its heterogeneous habitats, which supported a high diversity of plants and animals. Small mammals are among the abundant but poorly recognised inhabitants in mangrove forests. Apart from their role as primary consumer and prey, they are host to various ectoparasites, which potentially become the primary vector for tick-borne diseases among visitors. Therefore, this study aims to determine the small mammal assemblages and their ectoparasite prevalence in mangroves forests of Peninsular Malaysia. The capture-release method was applied for small mammal sampling, and each captured individual was screened and collected for ectoparasites before released. DNA barcoding using CO1 genes was performed for small mammal species verification, whereby ectoparasite identification was based on morphological identification and molecular verification using 16S rDNA genes. A total of 94 small mammals from 6 species were captured across sites, dominated by Rattus tiomanicus (n=74). From this number, 15 individuals (16% prevalence) were infested by ticks, 22 individuals (23%) were infested by mites, whereas 4 individuals (4%) were infested by both ticks and mites. Five species of ticks and one mite species were identified; Amblyomma cordiferum, Ixodes granulatus, Haemaphysalis hystricis, Dermacentor auratus, Dermacentor atrosignatus, and Laelaps echidninus. This study reveals a relatively poor diversity of small mammals in the mangroves forest, of which highly infested with a diversity of ectoparasites, elucidating the relationship of hostectoparasite associations in the riparian zone. This information is crucial to inform visitors to these areas, ultimately safeguard against ectoparasite-borne disease.

scholarly journals Photosynthetic Rates of Four Tree Species in the Upper Canopy of a Tropical Rain Forest at the Pasoh Forest Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia.

Tropics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 519-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akio FURUKAWA ◽  
Takeshi TOMA ◽  
Yutaka MARUYAMA ◽  
Yosuke MATSUMOTO ◽  
Akira UEMURA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Photosynthetic Rates ◽  
Pasoh Forest Reserve

scholarly journals Diversity and composition of volant and non-volant small mammals in northern Selangor State Park and adjacent forest of Peninsular Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaviarasu Munian ◽  
Shahfiz Azman ◽  
Norhazwani Ruzman ◽  
Noor Fauzi ◽  
Alwani Zakaria
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
The State ◽  
Taxonomic Distinctness ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Forest Reserves

Volant and non-volant small mammals from three forest reserves, located inside and outside Selangor State Park, Malaysia, were trapped and documented. A total of five-line transects, each 200 m long and a total of 100 collapsible cage traps, three harp traps and ten mist nets were deployed at each study site to capture rodents and bats species. The presence of 47 species of volant and non-volant mammals was documented with the highest abundant species being Leopoldamys sabanus (n = 61). The Family Vespertilionidae was the most diverse, while Muridae was the most abundant species. Diversity indices have shown forest reserves - Gading Forest Reserve (FR) and Bukit Kutu FR – located in the State Park, have a higher species composition than the impaired adjacent forest reserve, Bukit Tarek FR extension. The taxonomic diversity and taxonomic distinctness of the three forest reserves ranged between 2.433 and 2.610, while the taxonomic distinctness values ranged between 2.638 and 2.748. Even though Gading FR recorded the highest number of species diversity, the Chao 1 diversity estimator and the rarefaction accumulation curve indicated that Bukit Kutu comprised more species. Comparisons between other state parks and national parks in Peninsular Malaysia indicated that Selangor State Park indeed harbours relatively more species of small mammals. Northern Selangor State Park and adjacent forest should be recognised as a conservation priority area, although there are comparatively more species harboured in other regions of the State Park. With the current information on fauna diversity, proper management should be formulated to preserve the existing ecosystems in order to ensure the continuity of fauna diversity in Malaysia.

A Cohort study to compare Admission criteria and Academic performance among preclinical students at The Copperbelt University School of Medicine: complete enumeration (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Mwila
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Average Score ◽  
First Year ◽  
Admission Criteria ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Dental Surgery ◽  
School Of Medicine ◽  
Better Than

BACKGROUND The Copperbelt University is the second public University in Zambia. The School of Medicine has four major programs namely; Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Clinical Medicine and Bachelor of Biomedical sciences. The Copperbelt University School of Medicine runs a five-year training program for both the BDS and the MBCHB programs. Students are admitted into the Medical school after successfully completing their first year at the Main campus in the School of Natural Sciences with an average of 4 B grades or higher (B grade is a mark of 65 to 74%). OBJECTIVE The study was done to determine the association between admission criteria and academic performance among preclinical students. Hence, the study compares the academic performance among preclinical students admitted into the Bachelor of Dental Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the Copperbelt University School of Medicine. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at Michael Chilufya Sata School of medicine Campus. A pilot study was conducted with 30 BDS and 30 MBCHB students and the obtained information helped determine the sample size. SPSS was used to analyze the data. The study period lasted approximately 7 weeks at a cost of K1621. RESULTS In 2014, there was an improvement in average performance between 2nd and 3rd year for each program. An average score of 15.4 (SD 4.2) was obtained in 3rd year compared to 12.8 (SD 4.9) in 2nd year (p<0.001). Meanwhile, 3rd MB ChB mean score was 12.6 (SD 3.7) compared to 10.7 (SD 3.6) in 2nd years (p<0.05). However, in 2016, both programs, 3rd year mean scores were lower than 2nd year (MB ChB 2nd year mean score was 12.0 (SD 4.3) compared to 3rd year with a mean score of 9.5 (SD 4.5), p<0.001; BDS 2nd year mean score was 10.6 (SD 4.0) compared to 3rd year mean score of 8.2 (SD 3.4), p<0.01. On average MB ChB students performed better than BDS students in all the years (p<0.05), except in 2016 when the results were comparable. CONCLUSIONS Results from the study shows that entry criteria has a correlation to academic performance as students admitted with higher grades perform much better than those with lower grades.

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