Five new species of Zingiber (Zingiberaceae) from Borneo

The goal of this study was to identify causes for lower population densities of mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) in secondary than in primary dry deciduous forests of western Madagascar. Variations in the abundance of Microcebus murinus are linked to the capacity to enter energy-saving torpor during the dry season. Under natural conditions in primary forest, Microcebus murinus can maintain daily torpor (and possibly hibernation) as long as body temperatures remain below 28°C. Females are more likely to hibernate than males, resulting in skewed sex ratios of captured Microcebus murinus in the primary forest. In the secondary forest the sex ratio of subjects captured during the dry season is more balanced than in primary forest, indicating that fewer females go into torpor in secondary than in primary forest. Secondary forests have fewer large standing or fallen trees that might provide holes as shelter for Microcebus murinus. Ambient temperatures are higher in secondary than in primary forests and higher outside than inside tree holes. These high ambient temperatures might hinder the ability of Microcebus murinus to maintain torpor for prolonged periods in secondary forests. Mouse lemurs from secondary forest have lower body mass than in primary forest. The year-to-year recapture rate is zero in secondary forest and thus significantly lower than in primary forest. This indicates that survival rates are lower in secondary than in primary forests. Thus, secondary forests may be of limited value as buffer zones or even corridors for mouse lemurs.

Six new species of the genus Zingiber from Borneo are presented. Z viridiflavum was collected in primary lowland forest, while Z chlorobracteatum was collected in hilly secondary forest. Both are characterized by their slender fusiform inflorescences with yellow‐green bracts. Z. flagelliforme found in primary lowland forest displays a peculiar reproduction habit in its tapering leafy shoots which bend over to trail on the ground where plantlets produced in the leaf‐axis take root. Z velutinum was found in mid‐elevation secondary forest. It is a tall plant with large ovate inflorescences and bright red, densely hairy bracts. Z phillippsii was found in a gulley in montane primary forest. It is vegetatively characterized by its purple stems and glabrous leaves while the inflorescence has a similarity to the common Bornean species Z. coloratum. Z. georgeii is distinct by its procumbent inflorescences with orange bracts. Z viridiflavum, Z. chlorobracteatum, Z. flagelliforme, Z. phillippsii and Z velutinum are from Sabah and Z georgeii is from Sarawak.

Variation in vegetation structure and soil properties related to land use history of old-growth and secondary tropical dry forests in northwestern Mexico

In tropical disturbed forests, it is relatively unknown the extent insect communities are experiencing shifts in species diversity and the consequences for ecosystem functions and services. In southern Mexico, we used the rove beetle community associated to Heliconia wagneriana bracts, as a model system, to investigate differences in community attributes and feeding habits between old-growth and human induced secondary forests. We tested if the beta diversity components of rove beetle communities were influenced by forest type and bract traits. Furthermore, we described the topology of individual-based heliconia-rove beetle ecological networks. Overall, we recorded 26 rove beetle species with significantly greater abundance in secondary forests. High compositional dissimilarity between forest types was observed with saprophagous species being more likely detected in old-growth forests; whereas predatory species in secondary forests. Heliconia-rove beetle networks showed a significant nested pattern with incidence data for old-growth forests and incidence and abundance data for secondary forests. Compared to old-growth forests, the rove beetle community in secondary forests showed strong shifts in species composition, diversity and differences in the detection probability of feeding habits, with consequences for ecosystem functioning. We further discuss these findings according to the forest disturbance and phytotelm systems. Implications for insect conservation: Individuals of H. wagneriana represent biodiversity reservoirs for invertebrates, especially in human-modified landscapes.

Species diversity of primary and secondary forests in Wanglang Nature Reserve

Most fauna species are highly dependent on forest quality, one of which is orangutans. Orangutans have a habitat preference that is evenly distributed or in groups. Therefore, the management of orangutan populations and their habitats must consider the habitat preferences of orangutan populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the habitat quality (vegetation types) of orangutan populations through vegetation richness in both habitat types, namely primary and secondary forests. The method used is plotted (20x20) line method. This study was conducted for 2 weeks (8-21 August 2023). Each habitat type consists of 4 transects, 40 plots in primary forests and 18 plots in secondary forests. The highest Importance Value Index (IVI) in primary forests is Litsea diversifolia from the Lauraceae Family, while in secondary forests, the hignest IVI is Macaranga gigantea from Euphorbiaceae family. The availability of sumatran orangutan food tree species, as many as 60 species in Primary forest and 45 species in secondary forest. The diversity index shows that primary forests have higher diversity than secondary forests. The species diversity index, dominance index, and evenness index in primary and secondary forests are categorized as high.

Globally, human populations are rapidly converting large blocks of tropical old-growth forests into small forest patches, embedded within human-modified landscapes, consisting mostly of agricultural fields and pasture lands. Mount Oku commonly known as Kilum-Ijim, situated at the North-western Cameroon is recognized as a globally important center of endemism and a hotspot for biodiversity conservation but now undergoes unprecedented degradation. The aim of this study was to compare the diversity between primary and secondary forests in mount Oku (Cameroon) and determine whether species richness and composition are distinguishable in the two forest types. The vegetation was sampled in 102 plots according to a stratified sampling design so as to cover the altitudinal gradient from 1833 to 2772 m. Forty plots were located in primary forest and 62 in secondary forest. A set of 6 plant traits/characteristics associated with dispersal, establishment, and persistence functions were gathered. A total of 385 vascular plant species were present in the 102 plots. 243 species were common to primary and secondary forest plots, 69 were present exclusively in primary forest plots and 73 in secondary forest plots. The Indicator Species Analysis showed that 38 and 28 species were indicator of primary and secondary forests, respectively. The mean species richness per plot was 45.5 and 44.1 in primary and secondary forests, respectively. Only tree species richness was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the primary forest. The maximum height of vegetation and density of trees were respectively 19.42 m, 101 stems/ha in primary forest and 11.93 m, 36 stems/ha in secondary forest and show significant difference (p<0.001). Primary forest plots were characterized by phanerophytes, while secondary forest plots were characterized by geophytes and chamaephytes, able to propagate vegetatively and resist disturbances. Finally, there is need to urgently protect the last remnants of ancient forest for their biological value. Key words: Afromontane forest, biodiversity, endemism, human activities, mount Oku, species composition, species richness.

1. Species diversity of arboreal arthropods tends to increase during rainforest succession so that primary forest communities comprise more species than those from secondary vegetation, but it is not well understood why. Primary forests differ from secondary forests in a wide array of factors whose relative impacts on arthropod diversity have not yet been quantified. 2. We assessed the effects of succession-related determinants on a keystone ecological group, arboreal ants, by conducting a complete census of 1332 ant nests from all trees with diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm occurring within two (unreplicated) 0·32-ha plots, one in primary and one in secondary lowland forest in New Guinea. Specifically, we used a novel rarefaction-based approach to match number, size distribution and taxonomic structure of trees in primary forest communities to those in secondary forest and compared the resulting numbers of ant species. 3. In total, we recorded 80 nesting ant species from 389 trees in primary forest but only 42 species from 295 trees in secondary forest. The two habitats did not differ in the mean number of ant species per tree or in the relationship between ant diversity and tree size. However, the between-tree similarity of ant communities was higher in secondary forest than in primary forest, as was the between-tree nest site similarity, suggesting that secondary trees were more uniform in providing nesting microhabitats. 4. Using our rarefaction method, the difference in ant species richness between two forest types was partitioned according to the effects of higher tree density (22·6%), larger tree size (15·5%) and higher taxonomic diversity of trees (14·3%) in primary than in secondary forest. The remaining difference (47·6%) was because of higher beta diversity of ant communities between primary forest trees. In contrast, difference in nest density was explained solely by difference in tree density. 5. Our study shows that reduction in plant taxonomic diversity in secondary forests is not the main driver of the reduction in canopy ant species richness. We suggest that the majority of arboreal species losses in secondary tropical forests are attributable to simpler vegetation structure, combined with lower turnover of nesting microhabitats between trees.

Rapid economic development has led to high rates of deforestation and widespread alteration of land cover in many regions in China, where many primary forests have been replaced by secondary and plantation forests. Therefore, we aimed to determine differences in bird community diversity and structure between three forest types. We assessed differences in species richness, phylogenetic and functional diversity and community structure of bird communities in primary, secondary and plantation forests. Data was collected over four meteorological seasons from bird communities in a nature reserve in the Hengduan Mountains, China. We found that functional and phylogenetic diversity in secondary forest were significantly greater than in primary forest, while species richness was not significantly different. Thus, simple metrics (i.e. species richness) may not be sufficient to assess forest conservation value. We suggest that it is necessary to use varied diversity metrics that incorporate species’ similarities and differences. It also appears that secondary forests play an important role in the maintenance of studied bird biodiversity. The results of community structure analyses show that the habitat filter was strongest in the primary forest, leading to primary forest species being lighter in weight, shorter in body length, and with longer tarsometatarsus. These species were specialized and forest-dependent, reflecting the value of primary forests as an irreplaceable habitat type for several species after nearby forests are degraded.

A tree species, Macaranga bancana, distributed in South East Asian tropics has a mutualistic relationship with specific symbiotic ant species, which defend the plant from herbivores. To examine the intraspecific variation in the status of the ant‐plant symbiosis among microhabitats of different light conditions, we investigated the species composition of nesting ants and the herbivory damage on M. bancana saplings by field observations and sampling in primary and secondary forests in Sarawak. In addition, the effectiveness of non‐ant (physical and chemical) defenses were estimated by feeding the larvae of a polyphagous lepidopteran with M. bancana leaves from saplings in the two types of forests. All saplings in the primary forest were colonized by two Crematogaster ant species that had been known to be the obligate symbionts of M. bancana, while in the secondary forest, about half of the saplings were occupied by several ant species that were not obligate symbionts. There was little herbivory damage on saplings colonized by the two Crematogaster symbiont ants in both forest types, while the saplings colonized by the other ant species suffered a 10–60% loss of leaf area. Larval mortality of the polyphagous lepidopteran Spodoptera litura was significantly higher when larvae fed on leaves of M. bancana saplings in the secondary forest than when fed on leaves of M. bancana saplings in the primary forest. These results suggest that the symbiosis between ants and M. bancana is looser and the non‐ant‐defenses are stronger in secondary forests, where light is more intense, than in primary forests.

We examined US scientists’ (1) use of second-growth, mature, and old-growth forest in scientific publication titles, (2) definitions of second-growth, mature, and old-growth forest, and (3) sampling methods in second-growth, mature, and old-growth forest. “Second-growth forest” (55 titles) and “mature forest” (40) experienced the most frequent use in the 2010s. “Old-growth forest” (247) had the most use in the 1990s. Definitions of second-growth forest originated from successional theory and were consistent across scientists. Definitions of mature forest lacked consensus. Definitions of old-growth forest increased in complexity as scientists integrated biological, social, and political factors. Soil was the most frequent abiotic factor measured in mature and old-growth forests. In second-growth forests it was dead organic matter. Trees were the most common life form measured in all forests. The results show that researchers would benefit from a clearer differentiation between second-growth and mature forest and a formal definition for mature forest.

Due to the important role of lianas in the functioning of forest ecosystem, knowledge of the factors that affect them are important in the management of forests. Currently, there are conflicting reports on the response of liana communities to disturbance, calling for more research in the area. The present study was carried out to investigate the response of liana diversity and structure to human disturbance within two major forests in the Penang National Park, Malaysia. The study also looked at the implication of the findings for conservation. A total of 15 40 × 40-m2 (or 40-m × 40-m) plots each were randomly located across a range of habitats in a primary forest and disturbed secondary forest. Trees with diameter at breast height ≥10 cm were examined for lianas with diameter ≥2 cm. Both lianas and trees were enumerated and compared between the two forests. Diversity and structural variables of lianas were compared between the two forests using the t-test analysis. Tree abundance was also compared between the two forests with t-test, while linear regression analysis was run to determine the effects of tree abundance on liana abundance. A total of 46 liana species belonging to 27 genera and 15 families were identified in the study. Human disturbance significantly reduced liana species richness and species diversity in the secondary forest. Liana abundance remained the same in both forests whereas liana basal area was significantly higher in the primary forest. Twiners and hook climbers were significantly more abundant in the primary and secondary forest, respectively. Large diameter lianas were more abundant in the primary forest compared with the secondary forest. The diameter distribution of most families in the primary forest followed the inverted J-shaped curve whereas only a few of the families in the secondary forest did so. Tree abundance was significantly higher in the primary forest. The abundance of lianas significantly depended on tree abundance in all the forests. The study has provided evidence of negative effects of human disturbance on liana diversity and structure that does not auger well for biodiversity in the forest. In view of the critical role of lianas in maintaining biodiversity in the forest ecosystem, lianas in the national park should be protected from further exploitation.

H. SIMBOLON 1988.Soil nutrients loss on a slope in the primary forest of Dumoga-Bone Nationat Park.North Sulawesi. Berita Biologi 3(8): 413 -417.The lost of soil nutriens in the lowland primary forest have beer studied in Lombongo,Dumoga-Bone National Park (North Sulawesi).The forest was dominated by Pometia pinnata with 25.71% of relative basal area.The forest canopy was built up by 368 trees per ha and the soil surface was covered by 353.92 g per m of litterfall (mean of fresh weight).The soil-and litterfall nutrient status of the study plots was less than that of the other primary tropical rain forests.Even though the soils were fully covered by litterfall, the erosion and leaching processes were still occurring.The leaching rate of the soil nutrients was 3.26% on C(the lowest rate) and 14.46% on P2Q5 (the highest rate),but no significant decrease on N was observed.

The arboreal ant communities of a primary lowland rain forest and three differently disturbed forests that lie close together forming an anthropogenic disturbance gradient were collected with insecticide fogging. Combined samples from all trees (87 foggings) comprised 153,504 ants sorted to 331 morphospecies. The primary forest ant fauna was characterized by high species richness and 53 foggings were necessary to collect communities representatively. Another 63 species of ants were found in the disturbed forests indicating a large regional species pool that might exceed 420 species of arboreal ants. Anthropogenic disturbance caused a change in the taxonomic composition, diversity and structure of ant communities. Community size was a predictor of species richness in the severely disturbed forest types but not in the old secondary or primary forest. Ant abundance had declined significantly in the disturbed forests and only 10% of the primary forest’s species were collected in the most disturbed forest type. In each of the secondary forests a change in the frequency distribution of species was observed and a small number of species had gained numerical dominance. Analysis of species associations indicates that the strength of species interactions changed with the degree of forest disturbance. These changes were still clearly recognizable after 40 years of forest regeneration despite optimal conditions for colonization from the adjacent primary forest, demonstrating that the time scale needed for forest recovery after anthropogenic disturbance is very long.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Forestry is a regionally dominant land use but the carbon and climate impact of boreal forest management is not well characterized, partly because no large-scale maps of managed and primary unmanaged forests exist. Northern land has greened considerably during the last decades and there is evidence of the growing dominance of the boreal biome in the global land sink of carbon. However it remains unclear what drives the observed changes, if it is management or environmental changes.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In this project we have mapped and classified the naturalness of more than 400 primary forests in Sweden. The primary forests are found from the temperate south to the boreal north of the country, and managed secondary forests are identified close to each primary forest forming spatial pairs of primary and secondary forests that share climate and landscape history but not management. The primary forests represent a natural baseline of ecosystem states and changes. Changes in these forests are driven by regional to global environmental change such as elevated CO2 concentrations, warming or nitrogen deposition. The managed forests on the other hand are influenced by both environmental changes and management. By studying the states and changes in the primary forests we can gain new knowledge in how ecosystems would have changed and what their states would have been with no management. By contrasting changes and states in the managed ecosystems we can estimate the long-term influence of management on both states and changes.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In this project the maps are used in combination with more than 100k forest inventory plots, extensive targeted field sampling over two years and remote sensing to understand, (i) changes in remotely sensed greening since 1984, and (ii) differences in carbon storage. We will present and discuss preliminary and more mature results that suggests that (i) primary forests have greened considerably since 1984, and at mature ages, faster than managed forests do, and (ii) store considerably more carbon than the paired managed forests do.&amp;amp;#160;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;