Diversity and Host Relationships of the Mycoparasite Sepedonium (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) in Temperate Central Chile

We present the first major survey of regional diversity, distribution and host-association of Sepedonium. Whereas the rather scarce worldwide records of this mycoparasitic fungus suggested no specific distribution pattern of most species before, we provide new evidence of endemic and specific host-parasite guilds of Sepedonium in Southern South America, including the description of a new species. The corresponding inventory was performed in temperate central Chile. The regional landscape, a mosaic of exotic timber plantations and remnants of native Nothofagus forests, facilitates a unique combination of endemic and adventitious Boletales hosts. During a two-year survey, 35 Sepedonium strains were isolated and cultured from infected basidiomata of allochthonous Chalciporus piperatus, Paxillus involutus, Rhizopogon spp. and Suillus spp., as well as from the native Boletus loyita, B. loyo, B. putidus and Gastroboletus valdivianus. Taxonomic diagnosis included morphology of conidia and conidiophores, sequences of ITS, RPB2 and EF1 molecular markers and characteristics of in vitro cultures. Phylogenetic reconstructions were performed using Bayesian methods. Four Sepedonium species could be identified and characterized, viz.: S. ampullosporum, S. chrysospermum, S. laevigatum and the newly described species S. loyorum. The most frequent species on introduced Boletales was S. ampullosporum, followed by S. chrysospermum and S. laevigatum. S. loyorum sp. nov. was found exclusively on native boletacean hosts, separated from its closest relative S. chalcipori by micromorphological and molecular attributes. Species descriptions and identification keys are provided. Ecological and biogeographical aspects of endemic and allochthonous symbiotic units consisting of mycoparasite, ectomycorrhizal fungal host and respective mycorrhizal tree are discussed.

Keanekaragaman Serangga Fitofag pada Sengon Falcataria moluccana (Miq.) Barneby & J.W. Grimes dari Jawa dan Hawaii di Persemaian di Bogor

Albizia (Falcataria moluccana) cultivated in Indonesia for timber plantations can increase the farmer’s income, even though albizia became an invasive alien species that can cause the economic and ecological losses. The controlling of invasive species using biological control is an effective method. The purpose of this study was to determine the phytophagous insects on albizia from Java and Hawaii in seedling in Bogor. The experiment was conducted in Carangpulang, Dramaga, Bogor. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized block design using seed origin as a treatment (albizia Java and Hawaii) with 4 replicates. Total number of tree sample was 160 trees. Observations were conducted every 2 weeks until 32 weeks after planting. Identification of insects was conducted in the Laboratory of Insect Biosystematics, IPB. A total of 67 phytophagous insects were collected, 57 species in albizia from Java and 54 species in albizia from Hawaii. There was no difference in abundance and diversity of phytophagous insects on albizia from Java and Hawaii. Larvae of Eurema blanda (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) became an important pest causes leaf defoliation. Furthermore, Hulodes caranea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Margarodes sp. (Hemiptera: Margarodidae), Choristoneura sp. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), and Adoxophyes sp. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) identified as important pests that have not been reported in the other research. Keywords: albizia, defoliator insect, Fabaceae, important pests, invasive alien species

Estimating global land system impacts of timber plantations using MAgPIE 4.3.5

Out of 1150 Mha (million hectares) of forest designated primarily for production purposes in 2020, plantations accounted for 11 % (131 Mha) of this area and fulfilled more than 33 % of the global industrial roundwood demand. However, adding additional timber plantations to meet increasing timber demand intensifies competition for scarce land resources between different land uses such as food, feed, livestock and timber production. Despite the significance of plantations with respect to roundwood production, their importance in meeting the long-term timber demand and the implications of plantation expansion for overall land-use dynamics have not been studied in detail, in particular regarding the competition for land between agriculture and forestry in existing land-use models. This paper describes the extension of the modular, open-source land system Model of Agricultural Production and its Impact on the Environment (MAgPIE) using a detailed representation of forest land, timber production and timber demand dynamics. These extensions allow for a better understanding of the land-use dynamics (including competition for land) and the associated land-use change emissions of timber production. We show that the spatial cropland patterns differ when timber production is accounted for, indicating that timber plantations compete with cropland for the same scarce land resources. When plantations are established on cropland, it causes cropland expansion and deforestation elsewhere. Using the exogenous extrapolation of historical roundwood production from plantations, future timber demand and plantation rotation lengths, we model the future spatial expansion of forest plantations. As a result of increasing timber demand, we show a 177 % increase in plantation area by the end of the century (+171 Mha in 1995–2100). We also observe (in our model results) that the increasing demand for timber amplifies the scarcity of land, which is indicated by shifting agricultural land-use patterns and increasing yields from cropland compared with a case without forestry. Through the inclusion of new forest plantation and natural forest dynamics, our estimates of land-related CO2 emissions better match with observed data, in particular the gross land-use change emissions and carbon uptake (via regrowth), reflecting higher deforestation with the expansion of managed land and timber production as well as higher regrowth in natural forests and plantations.

Ecosystem Changes in Shola Forest-Grassland Mosaic of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR)

The Shola grasslands are tropical montane forests found in the high altitudes of Western Ghats separated by rolling grasslands. These unique ecosystems act as the home for many of the floral and faunal endemic species and also serve as the water reservoir for the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The grassland let the rainwater to flow through the sholas into the stream and provide water to the region throughout the year. The region once covered with tropical montane forest and grassland was transformed into a land of plantation over the centuries. As the grasslands are easy to clear off, tea estates, coffee estates and timber plantations were established by the British and later by the Indian forest department to satisfy the various need of the growing economy. Majority of this region are being replaced by the invasive tree species and agricultural plantations. This led to the loss of major proportion of the shola forest and grassland. Many developmental works have been carried out in the region and these developmental activities results in the gradual disappearance of the ecosystem. These ecosystem need to be conserved and hence, identifying the knowledge gap and application of current state of knowledge is necessary.

Estimating global land system impacts of timber plantations using MAgPIE 4.3.2

Out of 1150 Mha of forests designated primarily for production purposes in 2020, plantations account for 11 % (131 Mha) of area and fulfilled more than 33 % of the global industrial roundwood demand. Yet, adding additional timber plantations to meet increasing timber demand increases competition for scarce land resources between different land-uses for food, feed, livestock and timber production. Despite their significance in roundwood production, the importance of timber plantations in meeting the long-term timber demand and the implications of plantation expansion for overall land-use dynamics have not been studied in detail so far, in particular not the competition for land between agriculture and forestry in existing land-use models. This paper describes the extension of the modular, open-source land-system Model of Agricultural Production and its Impact on the Environment (MAgPIE) by a detailed representation of forest land, timber production and timber demand dynamics. These extensions allow for understanding the land-use dynamics (including competition for land) and associated land-use change emissions of timber production. We show that the spatial cropland patterns differ when timber production is accounted for, indicating that timber plantations compete with cropland for the same scarce land resources. When plantations are established on cropland, it causes cropland expansion and deforestation elsewhere. As a result of increasing timber demand, we show an increase in plantations area by 140 % until the end of the century (+132 Mha in 1995–2100). We also observe in our model results that the increasing demand for timber increases scarcity of land, and causes intensification through yield increasing technological change by 117 % in croplands by 2100 relative to 1995. Through the inclusion of new forest plantation and natural forest dynamics, our estimates of land-related CO2 emissions match better with observed data in particular the gross land-use change emissions and carbon uptake (via regrowth), reflecting higher deforestation for expansion of managed land and timber production, and higher regrowth in natural forests as well as plantations.

Senna siamea (yellow cassia).

S. siamea is indigenous to southern India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, although it has been introduced widely into many states of India and also many countries in tropical Africa. As well as producing a good quality timber, often used for marquetry and inlay work due to its fine figure, the tree is used for erosion control planting, windbreaks, as a host for sandalwood (Santalum album), and as a nurse crop for Swietenia mahogani, to reduce borer attack. It is a common shade tree in Philippine towns and cities. It has been used to revegetate degraded agricultural land and is planted in taungya systems. It may be used as a shade tree for coffee (Heinsleigh and Holaway, 1988).It is one of the chief afforestation species in the dry zone of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The major disadvantage of the species is that it has a shallow root system, which make it susceptible to strong winds. Wood sawdust can cause irritation when in contact with the skin. Trials for timber plantations have been recommended (Gutteridge, 1997; Sosef et al., 1998), particularly as S. siamea could combine timber production with ornamental value. Research on genetic variation to determine the extent of adaptation of various provenances would also be of value.

Importance of Small Forest Fragments in Agricultural Landscapes for Maintaining Orangutan Metapopulations

Historically, orangutans (Pongo spp.) lived in large contiguous areas of intact rainforest. Today, they are also found in highly modified and fragmented landscapes dominated by oil palm or industrial timber plantations; a situation that calls for new conservation approaches. Here we report signs of orangutan presence in more than 120 small forest fragments of <500 ha in size and isolated in extensive oil palm plantations across Borneo. We confirmed the long-term presence of adult resident females with dependent young in 42% of the fragments assessed by ground survey (n = 50), and the regular sightings of males traveling across the landscape. We argue that orangutans using and living in small isolated forest patches play an essential part in the metapopulation by maintaining gene flow among larger sub-populations distributed across multiple-use landscapes. In some cases, translocations may be necessary when the animals are in imminent danger of being killed and have no other refuge. However, the impacts of removing animals from spatially dispersed metapopulations could inadvertently decrease critical metapopulation functionality necessary for long-term viability. It is clear that orangutans need natural forest to survive. However, our findings show that forest fragments within agricultural landscapes can also complement conservation areas if they are well-distributed, properly connected and managed, and if orangutan killing is prevented. Efforts to better understand the dynamics and the functionality of an orangutan metapopulation in forest-farmland landscape mosaics characteristic of the Anthropocene are urgently needed to design more efficient conservation strategies for the species across its range.

Amazon false cedar: a substitute for medium-density timbers from vulnerable species

Some Amazon timber species, such as Cedrela odorata and Swietenia macrophylla, are considered vulnerable due to overexploitation. Cedrelinga cateniformis, known as false cedar, has a medium-density wood that may replace species under great commercial pressure. We have assessed some physical (basic and apparent density; tangential, radial, and volumetric shrinkage) and mechanical properties (resistance to parallel compression, shear, static bending, and static bending stiffness), as well as the shear strength in the bonding surface. With an average apparent density of 0.721 g/cm³, the C. cateniformis wood presented density and shrinkage classified as medium and anisotropy coefficient of 1,654. The mechanical properties were similar or superior to higher density woods. C. cateniformis fits the C20 resistance class, with the potential to substitute species such as Couratari oblongifolia, Vochysia maxima, Cedrela odorata, and Swietenia macrophylla. The shear strength in the bonding surface was lower than that of solid wood and the wood failure percentage was below the recommended. However, the results indicate that it is possible to find an efficient bond when evaluating different bond pressures. C. cateniformis have also a high potential for timber plantations, due to its ecological characteristics, for instance, resistance against the Meliacea shoot borer and association with mycorrhiza.

Managing threatened ungulates in logged-primary forest mosaics in Malaysia

Across the tropics, large-bodied mammals have been affected by selective logging in ways that vary with levels of timber extraction, collateral damage, species-specific traits and secondary effects of hunting, as facilitated by improved access through logging roads. In Peninsular Malaysia, 3.0 million hectares or 61 percent of its Permanent Reserved Forests is officially assigned for commercial selective logging. Understanding how wildlife adapts and uses logged forest is critical for its management and, for threatened species, their conservation. In this study, we quantify the population status of four tropical ungulate species in a large selectively logged forest reserve and an adjacent primary forest protected area. We then conduct finer scale analyses to identify the species-specific factors that determine their occurrence. A combined indirect sign-camera trapping approach with a large sampling effort (2,665 km and 27,780 trap nights surveyed) covering a wide area (560 km2) generated species-specific detection probabilities and site occupancies. Populations of wild boar were widespread across both logged and primary forests, whereas sambar and muntjac occupancy was lower in logged forest (48.4% and 19.2% respectively), with gaur showing no significant difference. Subsequent modelling revealed the importance of conserving lower elevation habitat in both habitat types, particularly <1,000 m asl, for which occupancies of sambar, muntjac and gaur were typically higher. This finding is important because 75 percent (~13,400 km2) of Peninsular Malaysia’s Main Range Forest (Banjaran Titiwangsa) is under 1,000 m asl and therefore at risk of being converted to industrial timber plantations, which calls for renewed thinking around forest management planning.