摘要:

A comparative floristic survey of lowland tropical rain forest at Kuala Lompat, Krau Game Reserve, West Malaysia and at Sepilok Virgin Jungle Reserve, Sabah, East Malaysia, revealed significant differences in the composition of canopy species, notably in the relative paucity of Dipterocarpaceae and abundance of Leguminosae at Kuala Lompat. A further comparison with data from other sites in Malesia indicated that Kuala Lompat was rather atypical, representing an extreme example of the relatively legume rich and dipterocarp poor forests of West Malaysia. Conversely, the predominance of dipterocarps and lack of legumes at Sepilok was similar to other sites in Borneo. Young and mature leaves were collected from a representative sample of the canopy flora of the two study sites; the levels of nitrogen, fibre, total phenolics and condensed tannins, and degree of digestibility by cellulase and pepsin, were measured. Levels of fibre, nitrogen and phenolics differed significantly between the two floras; foliage from Kuala Lompat being, on the whole, richer in nitrogen but lower in phenolics and fibre. As a consequence of the lower levels of fibre, and less certainly of phenolics, the Kuala Lompat foliage was comparatively more digestible. Possible reasons for the differences in foliar biochemistry between the two sites are discussed. Differences in rainfall and in soil quality are regarded as potential evolutionary causes. A further comparison of the chemical profiles with data for other forests in India and Africa indicate that Sepilok is a site in which trees invest heavily in quantitative defences such as fibre and phenolics whereas trees at Kuala Lompat place a lower emphasis on the production of these. Finally, attention is drawn to the use of foliar chemical profiles in predicting the carrying capacity for colobine monkeys at each of the five Old World forests where data are available. It was found that the ratio of nitrogen to fibre correlated well with the biomass of colobines at the five sites.

ISSN:0024-4066    

DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb01946.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The diets of the banded leaf monkey (Presbytis melalophos) at Kuala Lompat in the Krau Game Reserve of West Malaysia and the red leaf monkey (Presbytis rubicunda) in Sepilok Virgin Jungle Reserve, Sabah, East Malaysia have been examined in relation to plant chemistry. Both monkeys spent about half their time eating foliage, and about half their time eating fruits and seeds. They both favoured leaves with high digestibility (due to relatively low levels of fibre) and high levels of protein, a combination found predominantly in young leaves and some flowers. The monkeys appeared to favour seeds and fruits with high concentrations of storage carbohydrates or fats, but not those rich in simple sugars. Selection of seeds and fruits was not correlated with protein content.An analysis of the fibre and protein contents of foods showed that, on an annual basis, the two monkeys achieved a comparable intake for both items. However, these diets were obtained in radically different ways.Presbytis melalophoswas able to eat foliage from many of the common tree species in its home range, whereasP. rubicundarelied on rare trees and lianas. This difference is attributed to the very high density of Dipterocarpaceae at Sepilok, a tree family that provides little food for colobines. The rarity ofP. rubicunda'sfood plants at Sepilok is considered to be the main reason for the greater home range size and lower population density in comparison toP. melalophos.Finally, the biochemical profiles of the young leaf diet of these two monkeys were compared with previously published information on two African and one south Indian colobines. In many respects the intake of supposed critical components, protein and fibre, showed marked similarities between different animals, considering contrasts in their habitats.

ISSN:0024-4066    

DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb01947.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The results of breeding experiments designed to determine the genetic control of the colour/pattern polymorphism inPhilaenus spumariusin certain British populations are described and contrasted to previously published results for material taken from populations in southern Finland.The 11 principal phenotypes are controlled by seven alleles at a single autosomal locus, with complex patterns of dominance and co‐dominance. In Finland, and most of the rest of the species' extensive range, the eight melanic morphs are wholly or substantially limited to the females, in which they are dominant to the typical form. Previously, this sex limitation has been explained in terms of reduced penetrance of melanic alleles in males and/or dominance reversal between the sexes, such that the eight melanic phenotypes (controlled by five alleles which are adjacent in the dominance heirarchy) are dominant to typical in the females but recessive in the males. Published data on morph frequencies in S Finland and on breeding experiments using material collected from these populations are re‐examined and it is shown that neither theory accounts adequately for all the evidence.By contrast, in most British populations there is greatly increased penetrance in males of the melanic morphs which are strictly female‐limited elsewhere. Breeding experiments, usingP. spumariustaken from selected British populations, provide clear evidence that melanics are dominant to typical in both sexes. This difference in genetic control is entirely consistent with the balance of morph frequencies between the sexes in the populations from which the breeding material for the two separate studies was taken. Experimental material for this study was taken from populations in the Cynon Valley in south Wales, which have the highest melanic frequencies in the species' range and show particularly clear expression of melanic phenotypes in males. Both of these features are strongly correlated with severe aerial pollution from a local smokeless fuel factory. Selection for melanism in these populations is clearly strong, which probably accounts for the high level of penetrance and the dominance of melanics to typical in both sexes. Although further experiments are needed, it is suggested that regulatory loci, controlling the penetrance and expression of melanic alleles in males, could account for the observed differences in genetic control between populations in Britain and Fi

ISSN:0024-4066    

DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb01948.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Single and multilocus estimates of outcrossing rates were made in three populations ofEchium plantagineum.Despite spatial separation, variations in population size (thoughnotdensity) and reproductive output, no statistically significant difference was detected in outcrossing rates between the populations. Similarly, only slight differences in outcrossing rates were detected within populations when estimates were based on seed collected from flowers open at different times in the flowering season. The earliest flowers tended to have a lower estimated rate of outcrossing. In all cases, multilocus outcrossing rates were high, ranging from 0.81 to 1.05.In all three populations flower production extended over a period of more than 2 months but the majority of seed was produced by flowers that opened during the first third of the (lowering season. This was largely caused by a high rate of flower production during the early part of the season and not changes in the number of seeds set per flower. The average number of seeds produced per flower varied both between individuals within populations, and between the different populations, but neither of these differences were significant.Controlled pollination of flowers with self or outcross pollen, applied either singly or together, failed to detect any differences in the likelihood that either type of pollen would give rise to fertile seeds.

ISSN:0024-4066    

DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb01949.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0024-4066    

DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb01946a.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY