+ All Categories
Home > Documents > The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our...

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our...

Date post: 14-Jun-2020
Category:
Upload: others
View: 0 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend
6
Page Issue 8 - December 2012 e 2013 OuTrop Calendar We proudly introduce OuTrop’s 2013 calendar for all your organisational needs! Each page contains a unique high-quality A4 photo of Sabangau wildlife, taken by OuTrop staff in the course of our fieldwork, plus space to note your appointments. Scoop one up while stocks last! e Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by e Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870). ©ea Powell/OuTrop W e we lc o m e t h e N e w Y e a r Contents Page 2&3 : People of the forest & orangutans Page 4 : Volunteer opportunities & OuTrop’s latest publications... Page 5 : Help protect tropical forest & support OuTrop Page 6 : Excitement in the Gibbon & Kelasi Teams Page 7 : Volunteer Group Two Page 8&9: Replanting efforts progress... Page 10 : Biodiversity bonanza! We have been doing some major reforestation trials in a vast deforested area near our research station. We have planted over 1,300 seedlings of 7 tree species in a system of transects. We hope to understand what species can survive and grow well in these hostile conditions. It has been very hard work for us and our visiting volunteers, but we have high hopes. Unlocking the secrets of reforestation in this strange habitat, so that we can develop much larger reforestation programmes in the future! Read the whole story on page 8... Use everyclick for your internet searching and you can raise money for the OuTrop Trust, at no cost to you! It’s that easy! www.everyclick.com/outrop The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT Working to protect Borneo’s biodiversity since 1999 www.outrop.com [email protected] OuTrop carries out research in Indonesia under the support and sponsorship of the Centre for International Cooperation in Sustainable Management of Tropical Peatlands (CIMTROP) at the University of Palangka Raya. We undertake research in the Natural Laboratory for the Study of Peat-swamp Forest (Laboratorium Alam Hutan Gambut: LAHG-UNPAR), which CIMTROP manages and protects. 1
Transcript
Page 1: The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our volunteers, interns, staff and researchers, the forest has been packed – which is always

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8 - December 2012

The 2013 OuTrop CalendarWe proudly introduce OuTrop’s 2013 calendar for all your organisational needs! Each page contains a unique high-quality A4 photo of Sabangau wildlife, taken by OuTrop staff in the course of our fieldwork, plus space to note your appointments. Scoop one up while stocks last!

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

©Thea Powell/OuTrop

We welcome the New Year

with our new Replanting project

ContentsPage 2&3 : People of the forest & orangutansPage 4 : Volunteer opportunities & OuTrop’s latest publications...Page 5 : Help protect tropical forest & support OuTrop Page 6 : Excitement in the Gibbon & Kelasi TeamsPage 7 : Volunteer Group Two Page 8&9: Replanting efforts progress...Page 10 : Biodiversity bonanza!

We have been doing some major reforestation trials in a vast deforested area near our research station. We have planted over 1,300 seedlings of 7 tree species in a system of transects. We hope to understand what species can survive and grow well in these hostile conditions. It has been very hard work for us and our visiting volunteers, but we have high hopes.

Unlocking the secrets of reforestation in this strange habitat, so that we can develop much larger reforestation programmes

in the future! Read the whole story on page 8...

Use everyclick for your internet searching and you can raise money for the OuTrop Trust, at no cost

to you! It’s that easy! www.everyclick.com/outrop

The Orangutan Tropical

Peatland ProjecT

Working to protect Borneo’s biodiversity since 1999

www.outrop.com [email protected]

OuTrop carries out research in Indonesia under the support and sponsorship of the Centre for International Cooperation in Sustainable Management of Tropical Peatlands (CIMTROP) at the University of Palangka Raya. We undertake research in the Natural Laboratory for the Study of Peat-swamp Forest (Laboratorium Alam Hutan Gambut: LAHG-UNPAR), which CIMTROP manages and protects.

1

Page 2: The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our volunteers, interns, staff and researchers, the forest has been packed – which is always

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8 - December 20122 3

The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey....

Between our volunteers, interns, staff and researchers, the forest has been packed – which is always great for finding apes! We’ve had record numbers of follows for the Orangutan Behaviour Project this quarter. Mozart made his (seemingly) annual visit to camp to feast on papong fruits for sever-al days. Lounging in trees and stuffing his face full of the delicious fruits all day, he nested nearby in order to resume his feast again the next day. Other orangutans have been observed self medicating, by chewing up ponak leaves and rubbing the juices on their arms. Curious Georgia, a young female or-angutan, had a very interesting encounter with a loris earlier this quarter.

The slow loris is a small, tail-less primate, which is nocturnal, lives in the treetops and is the world’s only venomous primate. So it was good that Georgia took caution when she found one in a tree! Observers witnessed her shaking the branches of a loris-laden sapling, attempting to simultaneously dislodge and grab the small animal. However, in the end she lost interest and the loris disappeared back into the canopy.

OuTrop says goodbye to Orangutan Intern Jess, “I have had an amazing time, and seen incredible glimpses into the lives of the primates here in Sabangau. Spending time getting to know the orangutans has been unforgettable, and I will miss seeing their faces looming over me once I head home! I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity and am forever marked by the incredible diversity I’ve been witness to.” Jess is applying for doctoral programs in the states to study ecosystem functioning and network analysis in Sabangau. We wish her all the best, and hope to see her back soon!

New people to the team now have to get used to the tricky, flooded wet season conditions. We are happy to introduce our latest Orangutan Intern, Barbara McAllister… “It has always been a dream of mine to studyendangered species first-hand in theirnatural habitat. Seeing these amazing crea-tures without the influence of humans in this kind of environment makes me feel incredibly privileged.”

OuTrop always ensure that our presence in the forest does not disturb the primates “The one thing that amazes me most of all is that the habituated animals do not seem to mind us observing them. Words fail to describe my feelings while watching these primates.” Barbara says she can a ready acknowledge how much work and patience is involved to habituate individuals and hopes not only to contribute to OuTrop, but also to the survival of these amazing primates and their habitat.

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Hours and hours... and hours in the forest can amount to some amazing research

Following in the long line of PhD students from Cambridge University’s Wildlife Research Group that have worked with OuTrop in Sabangau, Ben Buckley has recently finished his field work. Ben has been investigating the ranging strategies of male orang-utans, of which very little is known. Male orangutans have much larger home ranges than females, with estimates of their home range size varying greatly between research sites. Ben has been working on identifying the home range size, core-area use and dispersal patterns of male orangutanss, to better understand of their dispersal and ranging behaviour

Over two years he and his assistant Unyil have been busy searching for orangutans throughout the forest. Often far from camp, drinking from puddles, sleeping out in hammocks and cutting their way through the dense jungle, they have collected genetic samples from many unhabituated orangutans. This project was not for the light hearted!

“Conducting research in a peat swamp forest is not without its challenges, both physically andlogistically, but it’s definitely worth it when I find an orangutan in a new area and I can see my data building up,” reports Ben. “Orangutans are a unique species with some fascinating behaviour and it has been a privilege to spend so much time in the forest with them, as well as witness some of the other forestspecies for which the conservation of this forest habitat is so important.”

Ben is now looking forward to starting his data analysis, to piece together the answers to his questions on orangutan ranging and dispersal. This re-search should shed light on the mysteries of the orangutan’s complicated social organisation, which remains little understood despite nearly 40 years of research on the species.

The forest is beautiful, but what helps it stay that way? Esther Tarszisz, our new-est PhD student, is looking at the role of orangutans as seed dispersers. Orangutans are often said to be “gardeners of the forest”, and as the largest fruit-eat-er in Sabangau, they are likely to have a key role in spreading the seeds of many forest fruits.

Esther aims to clarify the importance of orangutans in this process. Do seeds grow better if they pass through an orangutan’s gut, or if the orangutan spits them out? What impact might loss of orangutans from the forest have on seed dispersal processes? Esther hopes to provide answers for these questions.

Ben onforest expedition

Esther working with seeds she’s collected

Orangutans eat a lot! Orangutan faeces can provide information on seeds dispersed, plus genetic insights.

Fur rubbing © Bronwyn Eva/OuTrop

© Bronwyn Eva/OuTrop

Thea & Jess (right) on their first day in the forest

©Erik Frank/OuTrop

Barbara, happy to have arrived

Page 3: The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our volunteers, interns, staff and researchers, the forest has been packed – which is always

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8 - December 2012

Volunteer and Internships with OuTropAsk us.

.. Tell us...

Help us... Visit us... Want to help survey the Sabangau Forest? We are always looking for new people to work with us. Volunteers and Interns provide essential helping hands on the project and are much needed.

In return, we can offer training in survey methods, and experiences that offer a window into

a career in conservation biology, providing practi-cal skills needed to work in the world of conser-vation. We promise you an unforgettable experi-ence! Please visit our website and email us for more information - we answer questions all year round!

OuTrop in press... The OuTrop 2013 Calendar can be purchased via our website. All proceeds will go to OuTrop to help us continue our vital conservation work. This is just one of the many ways that you can help to protect the wildlife of Sabangau.

With stunning images, all taken by OuTrop students, researchers and collaborators, you can see of the wildlife of Sabangau in your very own home.

Twelve full-gloss, A4 landscape photographs of a year with OuTrop, with species information and the story of each photograph.

From just £10, plus the op-tion of international delivery,

please visit www.outrop.com/shop.html

for full information.

Natu

re photography & conservation - Perfect!

4 5

1.

2.

3.4.Donate to the OuTrop Trust

Search the internet and contribute with EVERY click - like Google but for the

OuTrop Trust at no cost to you! www.everyclick.com/outrop

Doante to via the

Trust...

Shop and search online and help the

OuTrop Trust

UK registered charity (1142870)

Text to conserve Bornean ForestSimply text “ORAN12” with followed by the amount you wish to donate to 70070...Chose from £1 £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to help buy equipment for the field including camera trap batteries and data sheets! E.g., text “ORNG12 £10” to 70070 (from UK networks only)...

©Thea Powell/OuTrop

©Thea Powell/OuTrop

5.

& Protect these Primates

Help to conserve the forest

6.

©Thea Powell/OuTrop ©OuTrop

Sleeping site selection by agile gibbons: The influence of tree stability, fruit availability, and pre-dation risk, (Cheyne, S.M., Höing, A., Rinear, J. & Sheeran, L.K.) is within a special edition of Folia Primatologica co-edited by OuTrop Director Of Gibbon and Felid Research, Dr Susan Cheyne. We investigated gibbon sleeping tree choice and found that gibbons most frequently slept in trees from two tree families and preferentially chose taller trees, slept above the canopy height and showed a preference for liana-free trees. This provides insight into gibbon anti-predatory behav-iour. Also recently out are Proposed guidelines for gibbon rehabilitation and reintroduction. (Cheyne S.M., Campbell, C.O. & Payne, K.L. (2012, International Zoo News, 46, 1-17) and an OuTrop Gibbon Density Report by Dr Cheyne published on our website (www.outrop.com/publications).

Population density and threats to large mammals: the primates and cats of Sungai Wain Protection Forest. Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project (Cheyne, S.M., Bersacola, E., Gilhooly, L.J., Macdonald, E.A. & Scott, K.S.S., 2012) details the results of the OuTrop Camera Trap Project into the Sungai Wain forest, providing exciting new data.

OuTrop’s Peter Houlihan, Mark Harrison and Susan Cheyne follow up on OuTrop’s recent Butterfly Identification Guide with a paper titled Impacts of forest gaps on butterfly diversity in a Bornean peat-swamp forest, Houlihan, P.R., Harrison, M.E. & Cheyne, S.M., Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology (2012). Gaps in the forest canopy have a profound effect on butterfly communities, im-pacting species richness, species diversity and morphology, with more generalist species favoured under disturbed conditions.

©OuTrop

Counting the ways to support OuTrop...

Page 4: The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our volunteers, interns, staff and researchers, the forest has been packed – which is always

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8 - December 2012

Elsewhere in OuTrop on Primate Projects... Gibbon Behaviour Project

Finding and following gibbons becomes much more difficult in the wet season. When gibbons get wet they sulk and don’t sing in the mornings, making them much more difficult to find. Our new Gibbon Intern, Sarah Batty, is already acutely aware of the challenges the rain can bring … “Following gibbons can be tricky! The range of movements gibbons employ to dance through the forest is quite incredible; I really have been left dumbstruck by their ability to move between trees barely

making a sound. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to observe these fascinating primates in the wild, and have been witness to a wide range of behaviours already!”

In early November Sarah and the rest of the primate team left for the Canal Alui pondok (one of our remote sampling sites) to estimate gibbon population density via triangulation techniques (these methods are described further in our June newsletter, Issue #6). The rain threatened to

hamper their efforts, but thankfully, they successfully dodged the downfalls and completed five mornings in a row, ensuring that the expedition was a success, and that important monitoring data were collected.

Group C have been seen co-feeding, grooming, and involved in intergroup encounters this past month. We have been lucky enough to observe Captain and Coklat mating – a very rare behaviour. Will she be pregnant soon? We are excited to have a new “gibbon energy” around camp and look forward to adding to OuTrop’s understanding of the gibbons that call Sabangau home.

Kelasi Behaviour Project

Team Kelasi (red langur monkeys) have had a great couple of months, with lots of changes in both the team and the monkeys. Our new intern Helen Thompson arrived in September, allowing an overlap with Camille during her final month with us, and the extra manpower helped make October a really productive month. Supian, Helen and the team managed to fol-low the monkeys for eight days back-to-back, and the new male has shown a huge improvement in his habituation to researchers.

Due to the dry conditions in in October we’ve had some really close encounters, with all three group members frequently descended to the ground to drink from canals, water-holes and pitcher plants. Seeing these beautiful animals come so close without fear is really special.

The arrival of wet season in November has marked a change in Team Kelasi’s fortunes - finding and following the monkeys has become even more challenging, as heavy rain often disrupts the surveys. However, despite the difficult conditions, our success in October has left us in high spirits and Helen is optimistic about the coming months.... “I was lucky enough to study primate behaviour for my degree and since then I’ve been hooked! I’m incredibly excited to now have the opportunity to study free-living wild

6 7

On September 30th, we were joined by seven new volunteers from four different countries. Excited

to work and learn with OuTrop for the next seven weeks, they were kept extremely busy both within

and outside the forest. They enjoyed a broad variety of work, including primate follows, vegetation studies, tree-planting and an expedition to the remote Canal Alui research site.

Vegetation surveys focused on the flora near the edge of the Sabangau Forest, and aimed to detect possible edge effects, look for indicator species of secondary forest and gather information to help identify different vegetation “zones” between the forest edge and interior. A total 225 plots were surveyed, in which data were collected on trees, lianas, seedlings / saplings, and ground flora. These data will be even moreinformative when combined with those collected in the first group of volunteers in 2012 – exciting developments!

Vo

lunteer Group Two for 2012 ~ fanatical about the forest!

This group’s expedition was to Canal Alui. In early November the volunteers, plus eight staff and interns, left camp for a specially-made pondok (kind of temporary jungle hut) about 5 km east of camp. For four days, volunteers helped with gibbon and orangutan population surveys, re-measured tree plots, and butterfly surveys. All had a great time working in a new place, and able to relax in a canal ‘pool’ at the end of the long days! The volunteers also played a significant role in the planting for our reforestation trials (see following pages).

Animal sightings included a tarsier, an interaction between a juvenile orangutan and a slow loris (see page 3), fur-rubbing by an orangutan female (page 3), gibbon and orangutan matings (pages 3 & 6), and kelasi coming to the ground to drink (page 6). This myriad of sightings produced some amazing photos! Cassie, our Volunteer Coordinator, and OuTrop would like to thank everyone who helped with the volunteers this year. We hope everyone had a great experi-ence with OuTrop and wish the best to two awesome volunteer groups!

©Morena Varga/OuTrop

©Morena Varga/OuTrop

Team Kelasi: Supian and Helen

©Bronwyn Eva/OuTrop

©Bronwyn Eva/OuTrop

©Barbara McAllisterOuTrop

Cis-Coes, Senior OuTrop Researcher

Page 5: The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our volunteers, interns, staff and researchers, the forest has been packed – which is always

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8 - December 20128 9

Experiments of Planting for the future

Background to the projectOuTrop are based in the Sabangau Forest; the largest remaining patch of lowland for-est remaining on Borneo. Some parts of Sabangau have been damaged by fire, ag-ricultural clearance, and legal/ illegal logging. This has reduced the quality of someforest and left other areas completely deforested.

If these areas could be restored, the amount of habitat available could substantially increase, allowing populations of orangutans, gibbons and other speciess to increase.

OuTrop scientists have been investigating the regeneration of disturbed forest for over ten years. The largest deforested area in our study site covers the floodplain of the Sabangau river, and extends up to 2 km from the main river channel over a length of ~150 km between Palangka Raya and the southern coast. People living in the nearbouring village of Kereng Bangkirai recall that dense jungle lined the river banks as recently as the 1970s, before massive fires decimated the area.

In the interior forest, regeneration occurs naturally and quickly. However, in the flood-plain regeneration has proved frustratingly slow, leaving a huge area of previously-forested habitat dominated by sedges, with few scattered shrubs and small trees. Floods for six months of the year and sun scorching for the remainder make this a very difficult habitat for trees to grow in.

To increase the rate of regeneration in the area, we have been trialling many different reforestation methods. The overall aim here is to plant fast-growing species that will colonise the area, thus creating shade to make the habitat more hospitable to other tree species. This will help to kick-start natural regeneration and, in the long-term, restore the forest that was once present in the area.

Planning and preparationPreparation for this project started with the collection of seeds and seedlings of native tree species from our the Sabangau research site. After germination, seedlings were fed, watered and weeded for 1-2 years until they reached a suitable planting height. All seedlings were loving-ly cared for in the Sabangau seedling nursery by Santi and Udin, our Nursery Coordinator and mem-ber of the CIMTROP Community Patrol Team.

There are only a handful of species that are hardy enough to survive in the harsh environmental conditions in the flood plain - seven planting species were carefully selected from these by Udin, Santi and other botanists from the local community. The seven species include Jelutong (Dyera lowii) a tree that can be tapped for rubber, providina a sustainable livelihood as a non-timber forest product. Once the key species were selected, we prepared an appropriate experimental design, and met with local reforestation experts and members of the community of Kereng Bangkirai. After many long discussions and walks with Udin and Santi, we were ready!

PlantingWe selected a planting site within the deforested area, whichh we characterised in terms of topography, water level, peat depth and vegetation. Within this we created six planting transects spaced extending up to 300 m from the forest edge. with 30-60 seedlings of each species planted on each transect.

Over 1,300 seedlings have been planted!

This was an arduous task, starting work at 5 am each day, followed by many hours baking in the sun. Seedlings were carried about 1 km from the nurs-ery to the planting zone, and were planted carefully amongst the sedge vegetation. Udin, Santi and the rest of the team are grateful to our most recent group of vol-unteers, who worked very hard to help get all those seedlings out there!

Monitoring and reporting Udin and Santi will now begin a monitoring programme to assess the fate of these replanted seedlings. Monthly checks will take place to measure survival and growth throughout the year, which will soon involve searching for seedlings under water! If any seedlings die, we will try to understand what killed them - whether flooding, scorching, or being broken by passing pigs (our biggest problem so far!)

Large-scale planting projects are expensive and labour-intensive, so we hope that the information gained in this project will allow conservationists to develop more effective and cost-efficient re-planting schemes, both in Sabangau and elsewhere.

©Paul Fadden/OuTrop

©Cassie Freund/OuTrop

Udin , our Nursery Coordinator

Page 6: The Orangutan Tropical Peatland ProjecT€¦ · The Ongoing Orangutan Odyssey.... Between our volunteers, interns, staff and researchers, the forest has been packed – which is always

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project is registered in the UK as a non-profit organisation (Company No. 06761511) and is supported by The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 1142870).

Page Issue 8 - December 2012

info @outrop.com

Thanks to our partners and sponsors:

OuTrop Directors

Dr Mark HarrisonManaging Director

Simon Husson Founding DirectorDirector of Biodiversity and Conservation

Dr Helen Morrogh Bernard Founding DirectorDirector of Orangutan Research

Dr Susan CheyneDirector of Gibbon and Felid Research

Laura D’ArcyDirector of Forestry Research~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OuTrop Newsletter Editor Thea Powell, Communications Manager

The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project works to protect some of the most important areas of tropical rainforest in Borneo, including the Sabangau Forest in Central Kalimantan, Indo-nesia. We monitor the distribution, population status, behaviour and ecology of the forest’s flagship primate species, carry out biodiver-sity and forestry research, and work with local partners to implement conservation solutions.

Our research, volunteer and internship pro-grammes are a focus for conservation efforts and provide much-needed employment for the local community of Kereng Bangkirai neigh-bouring our Sabangau research site. OuTrop also support CIMTROP’s Patrol Team, who protect the forest from illegal logging and fires.

@OuTrop

www.outro

p.com

outro

p.blog

spot.

co.uk

©Thea Powell/OuTrop

1110

Tropical rainforests are famous for their biodiversity, and the greatest diversity is among the insects. Ants are very useful in ecological monitoring because they are a diverse group, are abundant almost everywhere, show clear responses to disturbance in some species, and fulfil significant ecological roles as predators, plant protectors, detritivores or food for higher trophic levels (including orangutans!).

Stijn Schreven, our current Biodiversity Intern, has been working tirelessly for the last five months to classify and describe the ants of Sabangau, building upon work by our last two Interns, Ben and Eric.

Surveying ants in little-studied Bornean peat swamp forests comes with a problem: since no-one has previously looked at the ants in this forest, our study had to start from scratch, with no species list or reference guides. Access to top-quality equipment such as microscopes, illumination, preservation material and storage room is also limited, requiring creative solutions.

Some general ant features can be used to distinguish subfamilies. For instance, in some subfamilies the sting is absent, or replaced by a small tube through which the ant can project acid at its attacker (an acidopore). Many ants have different diets, producing variation in the shape and size of mouthparts. Further classification to subfamily, genus or species, requires inspection of more detailed features, such as the size and position of the eyes on the head, the arrangement of hairs on the body, structures on body surfaces (ridges, pits) and shape of the waist nodes (petiole and postpetiole). Our reference collectioncurrently numbers a total 64 (morpho)species in 24 genera, distributed over 5 subfamilies. The distinctive characters of each species have been described, and most have been drawn to show these characters as realistically as possible.

Sadly, Stijn’s time with OuTrop is almost over... “It is satisfying to have been able to make such a large contribution to the invaluable work of the project. In the remaining two weeks, I aim to process the field samples from three months of surveys.”

This will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of additional species and the overall known ant diversity of Sabangau is therefore still to grow. This work will be used to compile a Guide to the Ants of Sabangau, and scientific papers outlining the ecology and potential use of ants as indicators of ecological disturbance.OuTrop offer a big “Thank You” to Stijn for all his fantastic work - best of luck with the writing up!

This is one example of Stijn’s skilled drawings - Leptogenys sp., the infamous fire ant. These drawings will contribute towards an ant species ID guide for Sabangau, which will build upon our recent butterfly ID guide, and serve as a valuable reference tool for future research in this and other areas.

Spiny ants active in the forest , as depicted at the top of this page©Erik Frank/OuTrop

Polyrhachis (Myrma) sp., one of the spectacular spiny ants

Amazing efforts in Ant identification...

Text e.g. “ORNG12 £5” to 70700

Text to protect primates...

©Stijn Schreven/OuTrop

©Stijn Schreven/OuTrop

Find out how you can support OuTrop’s vital

research and conservation work

[email protected]


Recommended