Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular Malaysia
To date, documentation of the diversity of orchids from the limestone hills in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in the states of Kedah and Perak, is still lacking, with limited literature available. There is indeed an urgent need to fill this knowledge gap, so that proper docum...
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| author | Shahrul Nizam Abu Bakar Farhan Rashid Muhammad Hilmi Jamaluddin Muhamad Faizal Md Azmi Ahmad Sofiman Othman Rahmad Zakaria Azimah Abd Rahman Akmal Raffi Farah Alia Nordin |
| author_facet | Shahrul Nizam Abu Bakar Farhan Rashid Muhammad Hilmi Jamaluddin Muhamad Faizal Md Azmi Ahmad Sofiman Othman Rahmad Zakaria Azimah Abd Rahman Akmal Raffi Farah Alia Nordin |
| author_sort | Shahrul Nizam Abu Bakar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To date, documentation of the diversity of orchids from the limestone hills in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in the states of Kedah and Perak, is still lacking, with limited literature available. There is indeed an urgent need to fill this knowledge gap, so that proper documentation of the diversity of orchids from this unique karst habitat can be prepared. In this study, a series of 12 months of diversity assessments on five limestone hills in Kedah and Perak has resulted in the discovery of 56 orchid species from 37 genera. From this account, 12 species are new records within Kedah and 2 species are new records within Malaysia, namely <i>Bulbophyllum meson</i> J.J.Verm., Schuit. & de Vogel and <i>Luisia brachystachys</i> (Lindl.) Blume. Three species are endemic to Peninsular Malaysia which are <i>Anoectochilus sanguineus</i> P.T.Ong & P.O’Byrne, <i>Cheirostylis goldschmidtiana</i> Schltr. and <i>Phalaenopsis appendiculata</i> Carr. Findings of two keystone species, the long-lost <i>Cheirostylis goldschmidtiana</i> and the endangered snow-white slipper orchid, <i>Paphiopedilum niveum</i> (Rchb.f.) Stein, have catalyzed the need for a more comprehensive study to unveil the species richness and endemism within a limestone habitat. Heat maps using geographical data produced from ArcGIS software have enabled precise determination of the areas with the highest concentration of orchid diversity. Results from this study have shown that Gunung Fakir Terbang houses the greatest number of orchid species, followed by Gunung Batu Putih and Gunung Baling. Meanwhile, lower species occurrences were recorded from Gunung Pulai and Gunung Pong. However, lack of attention and delayed conservation action on this unique karst habitat would only lead to more habitat loss, leading to the decline of limestone orchid populations. Orchids as well as other plants are threatened by anthropogenic activity such as quarrying and forest clearing for agriculture. Thus, the results of this study will serve as baseline data for future work in documenting and conserving limestone orchids and their karst habitat in northern Peninsular Malaysia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:09:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-470a3f02cc3d40c191ed155e084afabb |
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| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:09:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj.art-470a3f02cc3d40c191ed155e084afabb2023-11-18T18:59:39ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-06-0115781910.3390/d15070819Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular MalaysiaShahrul Nizam Abu Bakar0Farhan Rashid1Muhammad Hilmi Jamaluddin2Muhamad Faizal Md Azmi3Ahmad Sofiman Othman4Rahmad Zakaria5Azimah Abd Rahman6Akmal Raffi7Farah Alia Nordin8School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaSchool of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaSchool of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaSchool of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaSchool of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaSchool of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaSchool of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaFaculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan 94300, Sarawak, MalaysiaSchool of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaTo date, documentation of the diversity of orchids from the limestone hills in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in the states of Kedah and Perak, is still lacking, with limited literature available. There is indeed an urgent need to fill this knowledge gap, so that proper documentation of the diversity of orchids from this unique karst habitat can be prepared. In this study, a series of 12 months of diversity assessments on five limestone hills in Kedah and Perak has resulted in the discovery of 56 orchid species from 37 genera. From this account, 12 species are new records within Kedah and 2 species are new records within Malaysia, namely <i>Bulbophyllum meson</i> J.J.Verm., Schuit. & de Vogel and <i>Luisia brachystachys</i> (Lindl.) Blume. Three species are endemic to Peninsular Malaysia which are <i>Anoectochilus sanguineus</i> P.T.Ong & P.O’Byrne, <i>Cheirostylis goldschmidtiana</i> Schltr. and <i>Phalaenopsis appendiculata</i> Carr. Findings of two keystone species, the long-lost <i>Cheirostylis goldschmidtiana</i> and the endangered snow-white slipper orchid, <i>Paphiopedilum niveum</i> (Rchb.f.) Stein, have catalyzed the need for a more comprehensive study to unveil the species richness and endemism within a limestone habitat. Heat maps using geographical data produced from ArcGIS software have enabled precise determination of the areas with the highest concentration of orchid diversity. Results from this study have shown that Gunung Fakir Terbang houses the greatest number of orchid species, followed by Gunung Batu Putih and Gunung Baling. Meanwhile, lower species occurrences were recorded from Gunung Pulai and Gunung Pong. However, lack of attention and delayed conservation action on this unique karst habitat would only lead to more habitat loss, leading to the decline of limestone orchid populations. Orchids as well as other plants are threatened by anthropogenic activity such as quarrying and forest clearing for agriculture. Thus, the results of this study will serve as baseline data for future work in documenting and conserving limestone orchids and their karst habitat in northern Peninsular Malaysia.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/7/819Orchidaceaediversitylimestoneheat mapPeninsular Malaysiaconservation |
| spellingShingle | Shahrul Nizam Abu Bakar Farhan Rashid Muhammad Hilmi Jamaluddin Muhamad Faizal Md Azmi Ahmad Sofiman Othman Rahmad Zakaria Azimah Abd Rahman Akmal Raffi Farah Alia Nordin Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular Malaysia Diversity Orchidaceae diversity limestone heat map Peninsular Malaysia conservation |
| title | Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_full | Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_short | Unveiling Limestone Orchid Hotspots in the Karst Hills of Northern Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_sort | unveiling limestone orchid hotspots in the karst hills of northern peninsular malaysia |
| topic | Orchidaceae diversity limestone heat map Peninsular Malaysia conservation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/7/819 |
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