All Creatures Great and Small # 26
Current research in Borneo
Hey All: I have a few segments in caps and I don’t know how to get rid of them Please ignore.
Tour Guides and Local Information.
When tour guides tell visitors about how the natives use plants and other local features within the rainforest, this improves the visitors’ experience, this study suggests. This information also positively shows how a visitor thinks, feels, and behaves towards the area visited. Contact vi*******@gm***.com for a copy.
Seedlings in Brunei
Four plots of seedlings were studied in a protected part of Brunei. Results indicated the number and type of seedlings depended on soil type. DOI: 10.19189/MaP.2021.MEH.StA.2160
Three Forests in One
Three different forest types, beach, heath and mangrove, were studied in the Angsana Coastal area. The study concluded that the three forest ecosystems have diverse and specific characteristics. DOI: 10.19189/MaP.2021.MEH.StA.2160
How Thick are the Peatlands?
This study concludes that the tropical peatlands in a non-disturbed area of Borneo are 1.8 meters thick. DOI: 10.21163/GT_2022.171.04
New Palace in Borneo
The location of a new presidential palace in Borneo has received the assistance of satellite images. Some really neat pictures ! Nat. Volatiles & Essent. Oils, 2022; 9(2): 36-47
Monkeys to Mosquitoes to Human
Thermal imaging and mosquito imaging traps are two tools researchers can use to assess the numbers, types and infection rates of the monkey-mosquito- human diseases. This process was used in the sleeping quarters of the long-tailed macaque. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-022-01586-8
Horseshoe Crabs
Data loggers were used to track the activity of horseshoe crabs Tachypleus tridentatus near Sabah. They found some crabs were active on a 24-hour cycle while others were on a 12-hour cycle. Some were primarily active during the new and full moons and during the spring tides. This activity was contrary to the activities of horseshoe crabs in Japan. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-022-5190-0
Weather
Every sixty days or so, low-pressure systems form over the Indian Ocean and move east. They bring rain and clouds over Sumatra, the Peninsula, Borneo and Java before dying out over the Eastern Pacific. These low-pressure systems have been studied while they are over Borneo. The results have been heavy rains in south Borneo, while in north Borneo, the results have been dry conditions. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-21-0258.1
New Species
Two new Caddisfly species have been made known to science from Maliayu Basin in Malaysian Borneo. This brings the total number of species in Borneo to 16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.819.1787
A New Catfish
A new catfish(Silurichthys exortivus,) a species of freshwater catfish from the Mahakam River Indonesian Borneo has been made known to the science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5138.2.6
Animals Going Uphill
The lowland forests and the upper areas near the mountains were studied using camera traps in Gunung Pueh National Park in Sarawak. The objective was to count the number of species of mid to large-bodied mammals. The study found a number of rare mammals which seemed to be temperature sensitive. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2022.009
Sunda Leopards Capture
Six rare Sunda leopards were captured in Malaysian Borneo, and their stress levels were measured using blood work (serum ). Only one indicator (aspartate aminotransferase) was off from the control. The enzyme could be the result of muscle damage because of the time in the capture cages and the handling afterwards. Mammal Trapping ̶ Wildlife Management, Animal Welfare & International Standards ii G. Proulx, editor. Alpha Wildlife Publications, 2022.Chapter 7
Soil and Dipterocarp
The connection between soil conditions and leaf performance, such as photosynthesis and the structure of the leaves, was linked. This proved to be an important adaptation. The study was conducted in Malaysian Borneo. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14094
Groupers
Groupers are an important fish in aquaculture around the world. Leeches attach themselves to their bodies, and the fish rubs against any surface to be rid of them. This causes injuries and ulcers on their skin. Heavy infestation of this leech will cause disease and death. The study has revealed there are four halogroups, and the leeches probably came from Indonesia. This suggests strict screening of the fish before releasing in captive ponds and raised for market. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13060956
New Book
Everything you ever wanted to know about mangroves is available at a ridiculous price of Euros 181.00. Mangroves: Biodiversity, Livelihoods and Conservations ISBN: 978-981-19-0519-
Birds
The Dark Throated Oriole has been divided into different species. To the west of the Crocker mountain divide is called Oriolus xanthonotus, while the new Eastern Borneo species is called Oriolus Consubrius. The new eastern species has plumage in the female, almost the same as the male species in the west. https://doi.org/10.25226/bboc.v142i2.2022.a10
Animals a Million Years Ago (Pleistocene 2.5 million year to 11,700 years ago.
The sea level a million years ago was 1,000 meters lower than today. The sea-level rise which followed and flooded land bridges is thought to have isolated species on islands. In Sulawesi, the evolution of mammals on the island went from the dwarf elephant and giant pig to large elephants but smaller pigs and finally to the absence of elephants and giant pigs. A really neat read. New Concepts In Global Tectonics Journal Volume 9, Number 2, June 2021,p.60
Damsel Fly
The larva of an incomplete dried specimen of a damsel fly
found in Borneo in 1964 and stored in the British Museum has been described after 60 years. https://doi.org/10.5281/odon.v51i1-2.a8
Orchids
Thrixspermum is a genus of orchids found in Southeast Asia with a maximum number of 29. It flowers only after a drop in temperature. The lower temperatures occur a night during the rainy season during thunderstorms. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97630-9_18
Lizard
The Maned Forest lizard (b.jubata) lizard has been placed on the red list as a species of least concern. It is rare in Borneo. Travels with Trilobites someplace in there
Botanical History
The history of the Coelogyne squamulosa orchid is a fascinating read about an orchid that was first found in Indonesia Barat and then rediscovered here in Sarawak. https://doi.org/10.1111/curt.12447
Rustling Ants
There is a relationship between the ants and the plants they inhabit. When an enemy attacks the rattan palm here in Borneo, the ants send out vibrations and chemical signals and act as warnings to prevent an attack. 10.1016/j.asd.2022.101172
