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Title:	Ecological characteristics of vegetation communities in a semi-deciduous forest at Perlis State Park, Perlis, Peninsular Malaysia
Authors:	Radhiah Zakaria (P62605)
Supervisor:	Mohd Nizam Mohd Said, Prof. Dr
Keywords:	Ecological characteristics Semidecidous Forest Forest ecology - Malaysia - Perlis
Issue Date:	Aug-2015
Description:	Perlis State Park (PSP) is the first State Park established in Perlis State that was designated to conserve limestone habitats and their ecosystem functions. The Perlis State Park which is characterized by a semi-deciduous forest is laid on three different types of geomorphological features, i.e. Setul Formation, Kubang Pasu Formation and Granite Formation. This study was conducted to determine ecological characteristics of vegetation communities in a semi-deciduous forest at PSP, Perlis. Ecological parameters of forest communities such as community structure, species diversity, soil properties, tree-soil relationships, tree biomass, endemism and rarity were investigated. Eighteen plots of 40 m x 60 m each (totaling 4.32 ha) were established at three different locations in the PSP. Eight plots (1.92 ha) were built in Setul Formation, four plots (0.96 ha) in Granite and six plots (1.44 ha) were formed in Kubang Pasu Formation. All trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) of 5 cm and above were measured, observed, collected and identified. General observations were performed to record the occurrence of seedlings, saplings, shrubs, herbs, palms, ferns and fern allies. Top soil samples (0-30 cm) in each plot were collected and soils were analysed for its physical and chemical properties. A total of 836 species of trees and non-trees were recorded, which comprised of 412 tree species, 190 shrub species, 176 herb species, 20 palm and 38 species of ferns and fern allies. Flora in the study area is very unique with predominantly of Thai-Burmese elements and many of the species are deciduous losing their foliage during the dry weather. Euphorbiaceae was the largest tree family for all three formations. Density wise, Moraceae recorded the highest tree density in Setul and Kubang Pasu, while Dipterocarpaceae recorded as the highest density in Granite. Total tree basal area (BA) for all plots was 38.08 m2/ha. Total trees biomass in all areas was estimated at 621.72 t/ha, which was contributed by the above ground biomass (AGB) of 529.12 t/ha and below ground biomass (BGB) of 92.60 t/ha. The Margalef's Diversity Index indicates that the study area displayed high species richness. Because of the unequal sampling efforts conducted in the three forest habitats, richness was adjusted by rarefaction analysis using EcoSim software. Sorensen similarity index suggests that there was low similarity between tree species communities of habitats Setul, Granite and Kubang Pasu; hence this reflects a high β-diversity. Rarity wise, high number of tree species documented in the PSP could be termed as scarce, highly restricted and were found only at a single habitat; high numbers of endemic, new record and threatened species were also recorded in the PSP. Soil analyses showed various soil textures with soil texture at Setul and Kubang Pasu was loam and clay-loam, respectively, whereas the soil at Granite was sandy-loam. Ordinations using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) showed that plots in Granite were clustered together, while plots in Kubang Pasu and Setul were not clearly separated. The unclearly separated of some plots in Kubang Pasu and Setul proved that these two formations are derived from similar parent rock material. The CCA also indicates that soil factors play an important role in distribution and diversity of plants at the study sites. High species diversity, richness and rarity found in a small part (4.32 ha) of the PSP, less than one percent of total area of the park, confirmed the importance of limestone habitats and this result would also justify the conservation importance of the Perlis State Park.,Ph.D
Pages:	341
Call Number:	QH541.5.F6.R334 2015
Publisher:	UKM, Bangi
Appears in Collections:	Faculty of Science and Technology / Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi

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