The establishment of Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) plots in the Sepilok mangroves. Sepilok Bulletin, 27. pp. 1-22. ISSN 1823-0067 (2018)
Abstract
A mangrove Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in Sepilok Laut was set up in 2017. This is to gain a better understanding of the ecology and diversity of wetland ecosystems. For the establishment of the site, five circular permanent sampling plots (PSP) of 15-m radius each were set up along the boardwalk connected to the Sepilok Laut Reception Centre. Fieldwork for data collection was carried out in June and July, 2017. A total of 218 individual trees from 233 stems were recorded, representing the main and back mangrove zones. Eleven species were documented, from eight families and 10 genera. Rhizophoraceae is the most dominant and important family in all plots. Ceriops tagal recorded the highest relative abundance percentage (44.5%), followed by Rhizophora apiculata (25.7%), Lumnitzera littorea and Bruguiera sexangula (6.9% respectively). A total of 4.6±1.1 species were recorded in each circular plot, with 43.6±14.2 individuals. Two new plant records were documented for Sepilok (Mangrove) Forest reserve, namely Diospyros ferrea and Syzygium leucoxylon. As expected, the plant diversity in mangroves is low. The mean value of Shannon-Wiener diversity index is 1.12 while Simpson index is 2.89, Margalef index is 0.99 and Pielou's evenness index is 0.63. About 70% of all recorded stems in the plots are represented by the lowest diameter class category, between 10.0 cm to 19.9 cm, and 20% of them are from 20.0 cm to 29.9 cm diameter class. The tree canopy height is between 16 m to 22 m high. The mean carbon density in the LTER site is 159 t C/ha. The significance and the way forward for the mangrove LTER site in Sepilok Laut are discussed in this paper.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Mangrove, Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) |
| Taxonomy: | By Subject > Applied Sciences > Biology By Subject > Applied Sciences > Environmental Technology |
| Local Content Hub: | Subjects > Applied Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Haryati Ramlee |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Apr 2021 04:42 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Apr 2021 04:42 |
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