Papers by Arman Hadi Fikri
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Feb 12, 2024
The functional stability of ecosystems depends greatly on interspecific differences in responses ... more The functional stability of ecosystems depends greatly on interspecific differences in responses to environmental perturbation. However, responses to perturbation are not necessarily invariant among populations of the same species, so intraspecific variation in responses might also contribute. Such inter-population response diversity has recently been shown to occur spatially across species ranges, but we lack estimates of the extent to which individual populations across an entire community might have perturbation responses that vary through time. We assess this using 524 taxa that have been repeatedly surveyed for the effects of tropical forest logging at a focal landscape in Sabah, Malaysia. Just 39 % of taxa-all with non-significant responses to forest degradation-had invariant responses. All other taxa (61 %) showed significantly different responses to the same forest degradation gradient across surveys, with 6 % of taxa responding to forest degradation in opposite directions across multiple surveys. Individual surveys had low power (< 80 %) to determine the correct direction of response to forest degradation for one-fifth of all taxa. Recurrent rounds of logging disturbance increased the prevalence of intra-population response diversity, while uncontrollable environmental variation and/or turnover of intraspecific phenotypes generated variable responses in at least 44 % of taxa. Our results show that the responses of individual species to local environmental perturbations are remarkably flexible, likely providing an unrealised boost to the stability of disturbed habitats such as logged tropical forests.
A study on the aquatic invertebrate communities was conducted at Tabin Wildlife Reserve (TWR), La... more A study on the aquatic invertebrate communities was conducted at Tabin Wildlife Reserve (TWR), Lahad Datu, Sabah, with the objectives to study (i) the diversity of aquatic invertebrates across different land use, (ii) the composition of aquatic invertebrates in different habitats and microhabitats in the stream, and (iii) the relationship between invertebrates and the water quality of the stream. Sampling was done at Sg. Lipad which flows across the secondary forest area and plantation area. Kick net method was used to sample the aquatic invertebrates for 14 continuous days in January to February 2015. A total of 3,579 individuals were sampled consisting of 76 families from eight orders, in both of the land uses. The diversity of aquatic invertebrates in the secondary forest was found to be slightly higher than plantation area with H'= 3.213 and H'= 3.188 respectively. The aquatic invertebrates were also found to be more abundant in riffle habitat, and the least in pool habitats. The diversity for pool habitat, however, was the highest among all other habitats with H'= 3.709. Both physico-chemical parameters and biotic indices indicated that the invertebrate communities were affected by the water quality in the surroundings, and may be used for rapid assessment of water quality at TWR.
Journal of Tropical Biology & Conservation (JTBC), Oct 15, 2017
The characteristics dissolved organic matter (DOM) and surface water quality in Maliau Basin, Sab... more The characteristics dissolved organic matter (DOM) and surface water quality in Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia, were determined from December 2014 to September 2015. The objectives of this study were: (i). to distinguish the surface water quality of rivers which consisted of different types of land use: primary forest (PF), secondary forest (SF), main river (MR) and altered habitat (AH); (ii). to assess seasonal variations of the water quality. A total of 36 water samples were collected during the fieldwork campaign that extended over high and low rainfall periods. The water quality physico-chemical parameters such as water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, and salinity were measured in-situ with the YSI-multiparameter instrument, while dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration was evaluated using Shimadzu TOC-V-SCH analyzer with autosampler TOC-ASI-V equipped. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) was determined optically in the laboratory at 254 (a 254), 340 (a 340) and 410 (a 410). Discriminant analysis (DA) was employed to organize independent variables into mutuallyexclusive groups. The outcome of DA indicated that water temperature, total suspended solid (TSS), and conductivity were dominant at AH, whilst a 340 was dominant at MR in March 2015. Our results also showed seasonal variations for water quality parameters. The highest mean concentrations of pH and a 340 were found during the dry period (March 2015) and dissolved oxygen (DO) during the wet season (December 2014), suggesting spatio-seasonal variations of DOM and water quality parameters were determined by environmental factors such as precipitation, water velocity and discharge amount. UV-vis absorptions a 254 and a 340 show significant positive correlation with dissolved organic carbon (DOC), suggesting that it could be a suitable proxy for DOC concentration for tropical flowing water.
Journal of Tropical Life Science
Modification and degradation of habitats outside the boundaries of a national parkmay result in t... more Modification and degradation of habitats outside the boundaries of a national parkmay result in the park's integrity being compromised. Thus, the present study aims todocument variation in freshwater fish and water quality of tropical forest streams adjacent to the western boundary of Kinabalu Park, Sabah. Concurrently, fish samplesand environmental parameters were collected at six stations covering a total streamline length of 10 km. The three most abundant species were Tor tambra (34.4%), Barbodes sealei (19.5%), and Lobocheilos ovalis (12.4%). Tor tambra exhibited a negative allometric growth pattern (coefficient < 3) and was in poor to fair condition (0.8< Fulton’s condition factor < 1.2). The highest fish abundance was found in downstream stations with species addition. Metrics of diversity, such as Shannon's diversityindex and the Margalef index of species richness, decreased as elevation increasedfrom 100 to 600 metres above sea level. The water quality of th...
Journal of Tropical Biology & Conservation (JTBC)
A study was carried out from 10-14 November 2011 to determine the diversity, composition and dist... more A study was carried out from 10-14 November 2011 to determine the diversity, composition and distribution of aquatic insects in the streams of Kisolong, Molongis and Hatob waterfalls. Six stations were selected in each stream with one station located at the upper reach and another situated at the lower reach. A 100 metre reach of the stream was selected for each sampling site. Surber net measuring 500 micron mesh size rectangular quadrat of 30 cm X 30 cm (0.09 m2) was used. A total of 2163 individuals representing 61 families from eight orders were successfully recorded. Heptageniidae (Ephemeroptera), Perlidae and Peltoperlidae (Plecoptera) and Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera) were the most abundant families collected in each stream. Based on biotic indices, all streams were undisturbed and had good water quality.
University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, 1968
A study on the effect of land use (Logged Forest and Oil Palm Plantation) on freshwater macroinve... more A study on the effect of land use (Logged Forest and Oil Palm Plantation) on freshwater macroinvertebrates assemblages in vicinity of Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Lahad Datu, Sabah was conducted from August 2014 to February 2015. The sampling was done in the stream which flows across secondary forest area and plantation area. Kick net method was used to sample the freshwater invertebrates at both area. A total of 3,579 individuals were sampled consisting of 76 families from eight orders of freshwater invertebrates from both of the land use. The diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates in secondary forest was found to be slightly higher than plantation area with H'= 3.213 and H'= 3.188 respectively. The aquatic macroinvertebrates were also found to be more abundance in riffle habitat and least in pool habitats. The diversity for pool habitat, however, was the highest among all other habitats with H'= 3. 709. Both physico-chemical parameters and biotic indices indicated that the...
Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) are particularly sensitive and well suited as bi... more Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) are particularly sensitive and well suited as bioindicators for monitoring stream health. This study aims to investigate the EPT communities between disturbed and undisturbed areas of Ranau-Beluran District. Based on National Water Quality Standards of Malaysia, the sampled streams were categorized as Class I and II of water classes. Nonparametric MannWhitney test showed that only canopy cover was significantly different between disturbed and undisturbed sites. The sampled insects were dominated by Ephemeroptera (80.42%), followed by Plecoptera (14%) and Trichoptera order (5.58%). The Leptophlebiid family was the most abundant (44.82%). Family richness, the Simpson’s and Shannon-Weiner diversity indices all showed similar trends, EPT diversity being lower in disturbed sites. The diversity of EPT was strongly related to canopy cover
<b>Description: </b>All fish catch data of all methods across all streams sampled at ... more <b>Description: </b>All fish catch data of all methods across all streams sampled at the SAFE project, Danum Valley and surrounding oil palm areas. Please note this is the raw dataset and may contain errors that need correcting/editing. I have tried to correct the majority of errors, but all were corrected in seperate files prior to analysis, so please see specific datasets in relation to specific papers already published. All changes are detailed in the notes column or listed here if more general. <br><br>All Rasbora caught in 2013 are labelled as cf. sumatrana as they were not differentiated from R. hubbsi. All Systomus changed to Barbodes. All Tor labelled as T. tambra, with no differentiation between tambra and tambroides. From 2018 onwards, all R. sumatrana have been renamed as R. pycnopeza. New captures were not pit tagged. Fish mortality are tracked in the data. <br><br>In 2018, some sites were sampled twice. <br><br>In this version, several changes and new spreadsheets have been added on top of previous versions. This includes: 1. Electrofishing setup - the voltage used in electrofishing corresponding to the conductivity measured; 2. Stream _variables along transect- detailed environmental data collect along transect at each site; 3. Riparian survey, with data on the riparian surveys along the fishing transect. The sheet "Data" has been renamed Capture_Data. Environmental data 2017 sheet has been renamed and updated to Environmental Data site level, to include summarized data by site and by year.<b>Project: </b>This dataset was collected as part of the following SAFE research project: <b>Composition and abundance of tropical freshwater vertebrate communities across a land use gradient</b><b>XML metadata: </b>GEMINI compliant metadata for this dataset is available here<b>Files: </b>This consists of 1 file: RawDataFish_with_Riparian_V3.0.xlsx<b>RawDataFish_with_Riparian_V3.0.xlsx</b>This file contains dataset metadata and 6 data tables:<b>Capture_Data</b> (described in worksheet Capture_Data)Description: Fi [...]
<b>Description: </b>All fish catch data of all methods across all streams sampled at ... more <b>Description: </b>All fish catch data of all methods across all streams sampled at the SAFE project, Danum Valley and surrounding oil palm areas. Please note this is the raw dataset and may contain errors that need correcting/editing. I have tried to correct the majority of errors, but all were corrected in seperate files prior to analysis, so please see specific datasets in relation to specific papers already published. All changes are detailed in the notes column or listed here if more general. All Rasbora caught in 2013 are labelled as cf. sumatrana as they were not differentiated from R. hubbsi. All Systomus changed to Barbodes. All Tor labelled as T. tambra, with no differentiation between tambra and tambroides. <b>Project: </b>This dataset was collected as part of the following SAFE research project: <b>Composition and abundance of tropical freshwater vertebrate communities across a land use gradient</b><b>XML metadata: </b>GEMINI compliant metadata for this dataset is available here<b>Files: </b>This consists of 1 file: ClareW_RawDataFish_with_Riparian.xlsx<b>ClareW_RawDataFish_with_Riparian.xlsx</b>This file contains dataset metadata and 3 data tables:<b>Fish catch data </b> (described in worksheet Data)Description: Fish catch data Number of fields: 17Number of data rows: 16022Fields: <b>Date</b>: Date that stream was sampled (Field type: date)<b>Stream</b>: Which stream was sampled (Field type: location)<b>RA.</b>: Which research assistant helped do the work? (Field type: comments)<b>Researcher</b>: Which researcher conducted the work? Clare or Vic? (Field type: categorical)<b>Method</b>: What method was used to catch the fish (Field type: categorical)<b>Cast_or_Trap_Numer</b>: The cast or trap numer that the fish was caught at (Field type: numeric)<b>Distance</b>: The distance along the transect in which the fish was caught (Field type: numeric)<b>Taxon</b>: Species sampled (Field type: taxa)<b>N</b>: The number of fish caught at that stream, location and date (Field type: numeric)<b>Pittagnumber</b>: [...]
Biological Conservation, 2018
Global biodiversity is being lost due to extensive anthropogenic land cover change. In Southeast ... more Global biodiversity is being lost due to extensive anthropogenic land cover change. In Southeast Asia, biodiversity-rich forests are being extensively logged and converted to oil-palm monocultures. The impacts of this land-use change on freshwater ecosystems, and particularly on freshwater biodiversity, remain largely understudied and poorly understood. We assessed the differences between fish communities in headwater stream catchments across an established land-use gradient in Sabah, Malaysia (protected forest areas, twice-logged forest, salvage-logged forest, oil-palm plantations with riparian reserves, and oil-palm plantations without riparian reserves). Stream fishes were sampled using an electrofisher, a cast net and a tray net in 100 m long transects in 23 streams in 2017. Local species richness and functional richness were both significantly reduced with any land-use change from protected forest areas, but further increases in land-use intensity had no subsequent impacts on fish biomass, functional evenness, and functional divergence. Any form of logging or landuse change had a clear and negative impact on fish communities, but the magnitude of that effect was not influenced by logging severity or time since logging on any fish community metric, suggesting that just two rounds of selective impact (i.e., logging) appeared sufficient to cause negative effects on freshwater ecosystems. It is therefore essential to continue protecting primary forested areas to maintain freshwater diversity, as well as to explore strategies to protect freshwater ecosystems during logging, deforestation, and conversion to plantation monocultures that are expected to continue across Southeast Asia.
Journal Of Tropical …, 2010
This paper presents results of a preliminary study of the water characteristics at four main stre... more This paper presents results of a preliminary study of the water characteristics at four main streams in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area in February 2005. A total of 15 stations were chosen from the Ginseng, Giluk, Takob-Akob and Maliau Falls streams. The water quality parameters were recorded as follows: pH values (3.9-6.9), conductivity (23-42μS/cm), temperature (21.0-25.5 o C), dissolved oxygen (4.3-6.4 mg/L) and total dissolved solids (TDS) (15-27 mg/L). Based on fi ndings, this site could be regarded as an undisturbed conservation area.
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Agricultural expansion is a primary driver of biodiversity decline in forested regions of the tro... more Agricultural expansion is a primary driver of biodiversity decline in forested regions of the tropics. Consequently, it is important to understand the conservation value of remnant forests in production landscapes. In a tropical landscape dominated by oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), we characterized faunal communities across eight taxa occurring within riparian forest buffers, which are legally protected alongside rivers, and compared them to nearby recovering logged forest. Buffer width was the main predictor of species richness and abundance, with widths of 40-100 m on each side of the river supporting broadly equivalent levels of biodiversity as compared to logged forest. However, width responses varied markedly among taxa, and buffers often lacked forestdependent species. Much wider buffers than are currently mandated are needed to safeguard most species. The largest biodiversity gains are achieved by increasing relatively narrow buffers. To provide optimal conservation outcomes in tropical production landscapes, we encourage policy makers to prescribe width requirements for key taxa and different landscape contexts.
Ecology, 2020
In Southeast Asia, biodiversity-rich forests are being extensively logged and converted to oil pa... more In Southeast Asia, biodiversity-rich forests are being extensively logged and converted to oil palm monocultures. Although the impacts of these changes on biodiversity are largely well documented, we know little about how these large-scale impacts affect freshwater trophic ecology. We used stable isotope analyses (SIA) to determine the impacts of land-use changes on the relative contribution of allochthonous and autochthonous basal resources in 19 stream food webs. We also applied compound-specific SIA and bulk-SIA to determine the trophic position of fish apex predators and meso-predators (invertivores and omnivores). There was no difference in the contribution of autochthonous resources in either consumer group (70-82%) among streams with different land-use type. There was no change in trophic position for meso-predators, but trophic position decreased significantly for apex predators in oil palm plantation streams compared to forest streams. This change in maximum food chain length was due to turnover in identity of the apex predator among land-use types. Disruption of aquatic trophic ecology, through reduction in food chain length and shift in basal resources, may cause significant changes in biodiversity as well as ecosystem functions and services. Understanding this change can help develop more focused priorities for mediating the negative impacts of human activities on freshwater ecosystems.
Environmental Research Letters, 2019
Common fish species more affected by land-use change than severe drought in 12 Borneo 13 14
<b>Description: </b>The objectives of this study were:1) To investigate the effects o... more <b>Description: </b>The objectives of this study were:1) To investigate the effects of progressive land use change from pre-development forest, through forest clearing and cultivation to plantation maintenance on occurrence of vector mosquitoes.<br>2) To determine the status of Anopheles donaldi as a vector of malaria in changing land uses.<br>3) To study the seasonality, abundance and behaviour of vector mosquitoes in study areas.<br><br>Methods<br>Study sites:<br>Study areas were located at The SAFE Project field site:<br>1. areas between Maliau Basin Conservation Area (old growth site),<br>2. logged forest sites in the Benta Wawasan area (area undergoing clearing),<br>3. oil palm plantation sites in Benta Wawasan's Silangan Batu Estate (oil palm site)<br><br>Mosquito collection<br>Mosquito samplings (adults and immature stages) were taken at all 3 study areas every alternate month from January 2017 until December 2018. Every sampling month, 2 collectors (n=2) spent 1 night at each study area where all-night human landing collection were carried out at 3 different sampling points for each collector. Collectors performed outdoor landing catches from 18:00 to 06:00. They collected mosquitoes that landed on naked legs with aspirators. Collectors were given prophylaxis prior to the sampling activities. Collected mosquitoes were then placed at hourly intervals inside glass vials. Mosquitoes were morphologically identified using available dichotomous keys the following morning. In every sampling period, meteorological data such as air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and wind speed was recorded on hourly basis using a handheld weather station.<b>Project: </b>This dataset was collected as part of the following SAFE research project: <b>The effects of progressive land use changes on the distribution, abundance and behavior of vector mosquitoes in Sabah, Malaysia</b><b>Funding: </b>These data were collected as part of research funded by: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Studentship)This dataset is released [...]
Aacl Bioflux, 2020
Increasing human activities at Kota Marudu (an economic and agricultural hub of northern Sabah) a... more Increasing human activities at Kota Marudu (an economic and agricultural hub of northern Sabah) affects water quality and related ecosystem services. However, the impacts of these human activities on the aquatic biological assemblages in tropical streams were poorly understood. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the biological diversity and functional feeding groups of aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages of some streams near different types of land use. Water samples and aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected from 6 streams, in 6 sampling trips. A total of 22994 individuals were identified with 136 genera and 17 orders corresponding to 3 main faunal phyla (Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda). Biodiversity indices and biotic indices showed significant spatial differentiation. The biodiversity of aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages was highest at forested streams and lowest at streams from agricultural lands. In addition, the functional feeding groups also showed si...
Biological indicators are important components for freshwater biomonitoring to assess freshwater ... more Biological indicators are important components for freshwater biomonitoring to assess freshwater water quality. Aquatic insects are well-established biological indicators, but there is scarce information on anurans as potential biological indicators in Sabah. This study was conducted to (i) investigate aquatic insects in Bundu Tuhan, (ii) provide assessment for stream water quality, and (iii) understand anurans as potential biological indicators. Both aquatic insects and anurans were collected from pristine and altered streams, together with water quality data. Overall, 43 families of aquatic insects and 20 species of anurans were collected. Water quality information derived from Interim National Water Quality Standard, and biotic indices revealed that overall stream water quality of the four streams sampled were in good quality. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed no association between aquatic insect and anuran taxa richness. Conversely, anuran occurrence between pristine and al...
Journal of entomology and zoology studies, 2017
A study was conducted to investigate the water quality in the Liwagu River, Sabah using aquatic i... more A study was conducted to investigate the water quality in the Liwagu River, Sabah using aquatic insects as biological indicators. Sampling was carried out at different land use of the Liwagu River (forest, agricultural and urban settlement). Aquatic insects were sampled using a Surber net from August to October 2015. YSI Multiparameter was utilized to measure in situ parameters including dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, conductivity, temperature and pH. Ex situ measurements were undertaken for Total Suspended Solid (TSS), ammonia nitrogen, phosphate and nitrate. A total of 44 genera, 34 families, eight orders and 3,126 individuals of aquatic insects were collected. Kruskal-Wallis test showed that most of the physico-chemical parameters have significant difference between the land uses of the river (p<0.05). Interim National Water Quality Standard for Malaysia (INWQS) showed that physico-chemical parameters in three types of land use were categorized as Class I – Class V. Biotic i...
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Papers by Arman Hadi Fikri