Dinochloa Scandens (Poaceae-Bambusoideae): Distribution, Habitat Preference, and Notes on Synonymy

The distribution of Dinochloa scandens is unclear. World bamboo checklists suggest it is relatively widespread in Malesia. Here we clarify issues with herbarium specimen identification. Besides, a synonym name of D. scandens, namely D. macrocarpa collected from the Philippines, needs to be reviewed. The study aims to provide information on distribution and to review the synonym of D. scandens. The habitat preferences of D. scandens are also presented. We carried out targeted fieldwork at Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park in West Java in 2019 and extensive examination of herbarium specimens from Herbarium Bogoriense and online portals to accurately circumscribe this species. All data were analyzed descriptively. Distribution, altitude, and rainfall maps for D. scandens were produced with ArcGIS Pro. Our examination on the specimens suggests that D. scandens is indeed endemic to West Java and Banten Provinces in Indonesia. This bamboo species can be found in lowland to mountain forests with an altitude of 20-1400 m, in areas with annual rainfall between 3000-4000 mm. We support D. macrocarpa as an accepted name for a bamboo species from the Philippines and remove it from synonymy with D. scandens due to clear differences in the fruit compared to specimens of D. scandens across its range.

Diversity of Land and Freshwater Snail (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Laiwangi Wanggameti National Park, Sumba Island, Indonesia

A study on the malacofauna of Laiwangi Wanggameti National Park (LWNP) in Sumba Island has been conducted. This study aims were to reveal the diversity of malacofauna in Sumba and compare it with those in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Observations were made on 20 stations using plots (10 x 10 m) in Wanggameti and Laiwangi. Specimens were collected for two hours in each plot. Twenty families and 44 species have been identified. The overall number of species from Sumba increased from 126 to 143 species. The LWNP represents 31% diversity of malacofauna in Sumba Island. Seventeen species are considered as new records for the island. Five endemic land snail species are still observed inside the park. The diversity and population density tend to be higher in Laiwangi area with lower altitudes than in Wanggameti area with higher altitudes. Two dominant species are Asperitas bimaensis cochlostyloides and Tarebia granifera. Species composition in Sumba is more similar to Bali compared with the other six neighboring islands.

The Diversity and Conservation Status of Snakes in Rawa Mekar Jaya, Riau, Indonesia

Snakes in Mekar Jaya mangrove ecosystem have the potential be ecotourism objects. On the other hand ecotourism activities might reduce the quality of wildlife habitat, including that of the snake. This study aimed to determine the diversity and status of snake species in the mangrove ecosystem of Rawa Mekar Jaya. A transect of 20 x 50 m was made in three stations: rivers (S1), ecotourism route (S2), and dense mangroves (S3). The observation was carried out at low tide and repeated three times with a span of 2 days. Snake data was collected using the Visual Encounter Survey (VES) method. We revealed 59 snakes in the mangrove area of Rawa Mekar Jaya consisting of 3 species namely Boiga dendrophila, Cerberus rynchops, and Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus. B. dendrophila and C. rhyncops are mangrove specialists. The Shannon Wiener diversity index value (H ') for all observation stations is below one, so it is classified as low. All types of snakes found are not protected and classified as the least concern. C. rynchops is included in the CITES appendix III

Characterization of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on Capcissum annum

Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is one of the potential bacteria to enhance of Capsicum annuum through inhabitation the growth of pathogenic fungi. This study aimed to characterize PGPR in chili plants (Capsicum annuum). PGPR was isolated from the soil habitat of the red chili plant in Cilegon, Indonesia. Screening was then carried out with the dual culture method on Petri dishes and tested through in vivo method on the red chili plant. The selected bacteria were characterized morphologically, biochemically, and physiologically. The results revealed that there were 14 single isolates of bacteria from the roots of the red chili plants. The five single bacterial isolates, namely Azostobacter, Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Beijerinckia have good potential as PGPR based on multiple culture screening by producing clear zones and positively effect the growth of chili plants.

The Morphological and Anatomical Studies of The Aerial Parts of Abroma augusta L. from Semarang

Abroma augusta L. known as Devil’s cotton belongs to Malvaceae. The exploratory study aimed to study the morphological and anatomical characteristics of the aerial parts of A. augusta L. from Semarang. The transverse section of the aerial parts was made by a simple method (fresh preparation) and then observed under a binocular microscope with an optilab. All characteristics were observed and then compared with the references. The collected data were analyzed descriptively and quantitatively. In summary, the results showed that A. augusta L. was an evergreen shrub (small tree) with orthotropic and plagiotropic branches and polymorphous leaves. The inflorenscence was found in the terminal and axillar plagiotropic branching with bisex, actinomorphic, and pentamerous flowers. The fruit was unique (obconical capsule with a rounded base and truncate-tip with 5 angled wings) including cotton fibers and numerous black seeds. The petiole was composed of epidermis, collenchyma, cortical parenchyma, sclerenchyma, vascular bundle, mucilaginous ducts, and pith. The dorsiventral leaf was composed of upper and lower epidermis, palisade, and spongy parenchyma. The stomata type was ranunculaceous (anomocytic) while the guard cell was kidney-shaped. The stomata density on the abaxial leaf was higher than that of the adaxial leaf. The stellate and unicellular non-glandular trichomes, and capitate glandular trichomes were found abundantly on the petiole and leaf blade. These morphological and anatomical studies are important to support the identification as a part of the conservation effort of the plant. Further studies are recommended to investigate the root morphology and anatomy and also biochemical characteristics of each part of the plant in order to obtain complete plant identification.

Habitat Preference Modeling of Prehistoric Giant Shark Megalodon During Miocene in Bentang Formation of West Java Coast

In the Miocene era about 20 million years ago, the South Coast of West Java was a sea and habitat for marine organisms including giant sharks Megalodon measuring about 18 meters long. This study aimed to model the habitat preference of the prehistoric gigantic shark Otodus megalodon population based on the fossil record. From fossil teeth, it revealed that the rock layer where the teeth found was Bentang formation from Miocene era. Many fossils of Megalodon had been unearthed from Bentang formation which is part of the South Coast of West Java. The habitat model was developed using the Sea Level Rise Inundation Tool of ArcGIS to estimate the sea depth and Megalodon’s habitat during the Miocene. The length of the teeth of O. megalodon found was ranged from 13 to 19 cm, indicating the presence of juvenile and adult O. megalodon. Based on the model, in the Miocene era, half of West Java was a sea with a depth ranging from 0 to 200 meters. At that time, it was estimated that juvenile O. megalodon occupied waters with a depth of 0-40 meters with an area of 1365 km2. Meanwhile, adult O. megalodon prefers a depth of 80-160 m and the frequency of habitat use increases at a depth of 200 m. The declining population of O. megalodon is associated with climate change and declining prey populations.

Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria From Tape and Jember Tempeh as a Probiotic Candidate

Probiotics are microbes in fermented foods that have beneficial effects on health. Microbes that act as probiotics are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that can produce metabolites such as lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and bacteriocins. This study aimed to obtain lactic acid bacterial isolates from tape and tempeh, and to test the potential of LAB as a probiotic candidate by activity test as an antidiarrhea and its resistance to gastric pH and bile salts. The fermentation products used as a source of LAB isolates are tempeh sumber mas merk, and yellow cassava tape, sari madu merk from Jember. The results of the first stage regarding the isolation of LAB using GYP media showed that there were 2 LAB isolates (TaJ.14 and TaJ.15) from the tape and 4 LAB isolates (TeJ.18, TeJ.22, TeJ.24, and TeJ.25) from tempeh. The results of the antidiarrheal test using the disc diffusion method (oxoid) showed that TaJ.14 and TaJ.15 isolates were able to inhibit Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Shigella dysentriae, while TeJ.18, TeJ.22, TeJ.24, TeJ.25, and Lactobacillus casei (control) was only able to inhibit B. subtilis and E. coli. The results of LAB resistance to gastric pH showed that the TeJ.25 isolate had the highest percentage of pH 3 and 2.5 resistance (51.13 and 33.03%) compared to other isolates and controls. LAB resistance test results against bile salts (oxgal) showed that the TeJ.22 isolate had the highest percentage of resistance (75.10%) compared to other isolates although was still higher in control (75.99%).

The Physiological Responses of Zea Mays L. and Cucumis Sativus L. on Drought Stress and Re-Watering

Drought leads to deficit water availability and its detrimental effects seriously threaten plant growth. This study assessed the physiological, biochemical, and antioxidant adjustments in different types of photosynthetic plants between Zea mays L. (C4) and Cucumis sativus L. (C3 plant) under response to short-term drought stress. Analyses of relative water content (RWC), proline, and ascorbic acid (AsA) were performed to explore how these plants react to drought. Fifteen-day-old plants were subjected to full irrigation or gradual drought periods for 2-d, 4-d, 6-d, and 8-d following by recovery for 7-d. The results revealed that drought significantly reduces leaf RCW in both plants. Re-watered Z. mays after 8-d drought was higher than C. sativus and reestablished RCW by 23% of stressed plant although remained lower by 9% of the well-watered plant. While, proline and AsA contents in Z. mays were higher than those in C. sativus in drought treatment at 8-d (2.05 µmol/g FW) and 6-d (3174.60 AsA/100 g FW), respectively, that could demonstrate osmotic adjustment ability in this C4 species. The increased proline in both plants also indicates a good strategy for plants to recover. Rewatering gave a decrease AsA and could be expected that plants restore cellular activity after oxidative injury. Based on our study, proline is the most informative biochemical marker to differentiate plant response to drought and Z. mays adjusted defense mechanism to drought rather than C. sativus due to higher accumulation of proline, better antioxidant activity, and improved RCW after recovery.

Genetic Profiling of Sida rhombifolia Originated from Several Indonesian Ethnicities Based on Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism Markers

Sida rhombifolia is one of wild flowering plants that grows easily in many habitats with moderate humidity, with some usefulness in traditional medicine. Genetic characterization of Sida rhombifolia accessions originated from 12 ethnicities of Indonesia was analyzed based on Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) Markers. The genomic DNA were extracted from leaf samples and then were characterized by using the SRAP marker system according to Li and Quiros (2001). Nine pairs of SRAP primer resulted high polymorphic bands and were used in the genetic profiling. The data analysis was performed using GenAlEx to calculate genetic distance, Principal coordinate analysis, and Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA), also using POPGENE to assess genetic diversity (Hs and Ht) and Nm to predict gene flow among populations. The coordinate analysis showed that the accessions originated from ethnicities along Wallacean line tend to differ genetically from most other locations. However, the results of analysis of molecular variance suggested that there were only slight differences (0.1%) found between ethnicities, while most genetic variances (99.9%) were found mostly among accessions within populations. The results suggested that there was an extensive genetic flow and plant spreading among Sida rhombifolia plant populations, resulting more homogenous genetic characters among most populations, while high diversity within population. The calculation of the number of migration (Nm = 1.7341) confirmed that the high rate of gene flow had occurred between populations.

Bioconversion of Fermented Barley Waste by Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera; Stratiomyidae)

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL), Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) are widely used as bioconverter agents for various organics waste, and BSF pupae are often used as fodder for poultry and fish, because the BSF pupae have a high protein content. This study focused on applying BSFL as a bioconversion agent of the fermented barley waste to convert it to larvae biomass. Prior to application, barley waste was fermented either using effective microorganisms-4 (EM4), leachate, and water for seven days. The fermented barley waste was applied as feeding material for BSFL at the rate of 100 mg/larvae/days. As control commercial chicken fed (CF) was applied as feeding material at a similar feeding rate. During this study, waste reduction index (WRI), and efficiency of digested feed (ECD) were calculated, and the protein content in the BSF prepupae was analyzed. The results of this study showed that BSFL fed with CF produces the shortest development time (27 days), and high consumption rate. BSFL fed with barley waste fermented with EM4 (BE) and Leachate (BL) produces a larval period of 31 and 30 days respectively, and statistically those were not significantly different from control. This study showed that treatments of BE and BL, produced a very high larval survival rates, 98.67% and 97.00% respectively, and those two treatments were not statistically different from the control (96.67%). Although the control treatment resulted in a higher WRI compared to the other treatments, but the ECD of BE and BL treatments were higher than the ECD of the control. From this study, it can be concluded that BSFL has a good ability to convert fermented barley waste as well as controls, and the prepupae has a high protein content (42%), so BSFL fed with fermented barley waste has the opportunity to be used as a fed for poultry and fish.