All Creatures Great and Small # 18

Again I am having trouble with the bold and all caps thingy and I don’t have time to fix it. My apologies.

All Creatures Great and Small # 18

Trace Metals

A study of trace metals in sediment along four rivers in Sarawak has shown lead, zinc and copper can be harmful to populations if increases continue. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-17008-1

Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide levels in Plantations

This study showed there was no correlation between the amount of nitrogen applied and carbon dioxide emissions in palm oil plantations  Atmosphere 2021, 12, 1340. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12101340

 Stingrays

The giant freshwater stingray (Urogymnus polylepis) (Chondrichthyes:Dasyatidae) found in both brackish and freshwater of rivers in Borneo is the subject of this paper. Uniquely, they have been found in both freshwater and brackish water with females with pups thought to prefer the brackish water. http://doi.org/10.23788/IEF-1089

Pitcher Plants

This pitcher plant from Sarawak provides a roosting spot for bats and in return obtains nitrogen from the faeces. The taxonomy has finally been sorted out. https://hmongwiki.de/wiki/Nepenthes_hemsleyana

Actinomycetes

Soil bacteria that is  gram-positive, spore-forming organism and has been found to be active against mammalian glycogen. Current Applied Science and Technology Vol. 22 No. 4 (July-August 2022)

Coral Reefs

The coral reef off of Bali near Lovinia are considered fringing reefs. The positive impact is that wave energy provides for protection against abrasion.(?) The negative impact is tourists. Remote sensing devices can monitor the health of the reef. DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d221108

North Borneo Fisheries

North Borneo province in Indonesia borders both Sabah and Sarawak. Six cases of illegal fishing by both Malaysian and Philippines vessels has threatened the marine environment. However, in 2020 the illegal fishing became rampant. This paper examines how the current laws have been unsuccessful and that a new tool must be used. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/860/1/012087

May fly

The genus of mayfly has been divided into three subgenera. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9741-7790

Pig Tail Macaque

The Borneo species are the first surviving lineages to separate from other lineages of macaques on the peninsula. The macaque arrived on the peninsula 0.32 million years ago. The paper also proposes a new subspecies, the Perak macaque. Zoological Studies 60:50 (2021) doi:10.6620/ZS.2021.60-50

Ferns

The spores of ferns including seven species of Syngramma  and nine species of Taenitis  which occur in Borneo have been explored. Spores of Syngramma are the simplest while Taenitis are very different in comparison. The spores can be used to differentiate the various genus. Turczaninowia 24, 3: 36–51 (2021) DOI: 10.14258/turczaninowia.24.3.3 http://turczaninowia.asu.ru

Silver Langur

 A group of 20-30 individuals were studied near a sanctuary at Miri. They fed on fig plants, simpoh air and a tree from the family of beans (legumes). However, this population is decreasing because of lack of food and hunting. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation 18: 243–250, 2021

Iban Plaited Mats App

 A novel way to preserve the designs and images on mats is discussed in this paper. Ten mats have been placed on an app to help identify the motif. The app can be used on a handphone. The person takes a picture of the mat and the app then tells what motif has been used. The motifs include diagonal, symmetrical, geometric and non-geometric patterns. Fifty motif classes had been collected. The app was 88.1% accurate. Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Vol. 23, No. 3, September 2021, pp. 1470~1477 DOI: 10.11591/ijeecs.v23.i3.pp1470-1477

Free Book

A book on how the Taiwanese used astronomy to navigate the seas is available from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-16-4079-7_8

Malaysia and COVID 19

The public health suppression of COVID 19 was successful for the first half of 2020. However, a state election and outbreaks in nursing homes has caused a significant increase in deaths and cases. The Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific  17 (2021) 100295

Moths

A new genus of moths from Borneo with four new specimens has been made known to science by the Russian Academy of Science https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5004.3.4

Ants

Ants from a secondary logged forest in Sabah were examined for their richness, abduance and composition.  Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation vol18 (2021)

Trees

A genetic study of the important forest tree Shorea pervifolia showed Borneo trees clearly separated from the ones on the Peninsula. There has also been a recent population explosion of the tree in Borneo. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-021-01525-8

Rare Tropical Plant

A new species of the rare herb Burmania has been made known to the western world. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation 18: 285–289, 2021

Butterflies

Butterflies from the Sukau Rain Forest Lodge in Sabah  revealed there were 20 species from six sub species. This indicates a possible use for the area to become a butterfly tourist project. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation 18: 285–289, 2021

Penan

A case study at the Murum Resettlement site at Belaga Sarawak for the Penan has shown clean water for households, healthcare and better roads are the major concerns of the Penan living there. https://btu.upm.edu.my/upload/dokumen/20211020105306eProceeding_iRandau2021-.pdf#page=105

Coral Reefs

For an article on Coral reefs In Malaysia see http://www.seafdec.org/documents/2021/10/seasofia22-3-1-5.pdf

Storage Tanks

Copper was considered the major contaminator of rainwater collected in storage tanks around the Miri area. Open top storage tanks were considered more vulnerable to contamination than closed storage tanks. Metal storage tanks offered high rainwater temperatures in comparison to other types of storage tanks.  https://doi.org/10.53623/tasp.v1i2.19  I asked where the copper came frome and the author did not answer.

Iban Language

Almost all Ibans spoke Iban with their family. Iban was also the main avenue of communication with school mates, friends and for prayer. Almost all spoke Sarawak Malay with their workmates. English was used in dominant and non dominant Iban areas. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Language Studies 2021