Plant diversity richness measurement and conservation biology management in dry dipterocarp forest chiang mai thailand

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY DEDEK AHMAD SUPRIANTO PLANT DIVERSITY RICHNESS MEASUREMENT AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY MANAGEMENT IN DRY DIPTEROCARP FOREST,

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

DEDEK AHMAD SUPRIANTO

PLANT DIVERSITY RICHNESS MEASUREMENT AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY MANAGEMENT IN DRY DIPTEROCARP FOREST, CHIANG

MAI, THAILAND

BACHELOR THESIS

Thai Nguyen, 25/09/2018

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT

Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Degree Program Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management

Thesis Title Plant Diversity Richness Measurement and Conservation Biology

Management in Dry Dipterocarp Forest, Chiang Mai, Thailand Supervisor (s) 1 Dr Teerapong Saowaphak

Correspondence Analysis Ten plots of 10 m x 10 m plot size were set up as observation areas A total of 2328 individuals belonging to 95 plant species were

found Chromolaena odorata from Asteraceae family became the most abundant species found in 10 plots while Spondias pinnata, Shorea obtusa and some others

species were the least abundant species PAST 3 software showed that plot 7 had the highest value of 2.987 for the Shannon-Wiener Index while plot 5 contained the lowest value of 1.561 As for the Evenness Index, plot 4 had the highest value with 0.7552 while plot 5 had the lowest value with 0.2383 Plot 7 showed the highest value for Simpson’s Index with 0.9236 and plot 5 showed the lowest value with 0.6598 The

results of Cluster Analysis from PAST 3 also showed that Cratoxylum sp had the

longest distance which showed that this species is not that similar to other species Correspondence Analysis which showed species that can live and support each other were found in plot 2 and plot 5 The results can be used as a significant tool to conserve biodiversity properly

Keywords: Plant Diversity, Dry Dipterocarp Forest, Biodiversity Indices,

Conservation Biology Number of pages: 35

Date of

Submission 25/09/2018

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank Allah SWT, the Almighty god, who by His grace and blessing, I had the strength and opportunity to finish this study I also place my deep gratitude upon Him for abundantly providing my needs during my research

Second, I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to my advisors,

Dr Teerapong and Dr Sa-nguansak of Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, who spent their time, despite their tight schedule, to help and guide me during my research stay in Thailand I also would like to express my gratitude to Mrs Duong for being my Vietnamese advisor and giving her supporting comments to make the research paper better Special gratitude goes to Ms Yim and Ms Lin, who despite their busy schedule, spent a lot of their time assisting me Moreover, my deep appreciation to my Thai buddies, Mr Gene and Ms Giff, who undeniably put a lot of effort into their guidance to my daily life in Chiang Mai

Third, special thanks to Advance Education Program of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry as well as all of the staffs for their assistance and bringing a lot of unforgettable memories

Finally, to both of my parents, Bapak and Ibu, I am deeply indebted and would like to express my sincerest gratefulness for their understanding, unconditional love and moral supports which always give me the strength and motivation to pursue this study Not forget to mention, I would like to give my deepest appreciation to my

siblings, Agus, Ayu and Dini, who always become my inspiration and give me the courage to carry out this study

As a gratitude, I would like to share my favourite quote that gives an ease to me during my difficult time

“Don’t lose your courage no matter what If we give in then the game is over.” – Top

Sincerely,

Dedek Ahmad Suprianto

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

LIST OF FIGURES vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATION ix

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Research Rationale 1

1.2 Research’s Objectives 3

1.3 Research Questions and Hypotheses 3

1.3.1 Research Questions 3

1.3.2 Hypotheses 4

1.4 Significances of the Study 4

1.5 Scopes and Limitations of the Study 5

1.6 Definition of Terms 5

PART II LITERATURE REVIEW 7

2.1 Biodiversity 7

2.2 Biodiversity as Bioindicators 9

2.3 Biodiversity Indices 9

2.3.1 Shannon-Wiener Index 10

2.3.2 Evenness Index 10

2.3.3 Simpson’s Index 11

2.4 Conservation Biology 11

2.5 Dry Dipterocarp Forest 12

PART III METHODOLOGY 14

3.1 Selection of the study area 14

3.2 Research Instruments 14

3.3 Plot Determination 14

3.4 Data Collection 15

3.5 Biodiversity Parameters 16

PART IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 17

4.1 Results 18

4.2 Discussion 27

PART V CONCLUSION 29

5.1 Conclusion 29

5.2 Recommendation 30

REFERENCES 32

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Plot Size

Figure 2 Biodiversity Indices of Plant Species

Figure 3 Cluster Analysis of Plant Species between 10 Plots

Figure 4 Correspondence Analysis of Plant Species between 10 Plots

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Total number of individual of plant species found in each plot

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

DDF: Dry Dipterocarp Forest

PAST: Paleontological Statistics

SI: Simpson’s Index

SWI: Shannon-Wiener Index

PART I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Rationale

Biodiversity has taken center stage in the planning and strategy of environmental and conservation bodies throughout the world In order to manage biodiversity, measurement is required, and because the term biodiversity comprises such a wide range of biological phenomena, biodiversity is common interpreted in

terms of genes, species and ecosystems (Murray, 2002) As for the example, the Convention on Biological Diversity describes biodiversity as “the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems”

Biodiversity plays a big role in our planet since it covers all aspects including the variety of different species of plants, animals, and even microorganisms in the ecosystem It is the one that supplies the necessities of life on Earth, including the human life and is a foundation for the life of the future generation Thus, conserving the Earth’s biodiversity will give benefits to many sectors such as food, health, economic, ecosystems, et cetera, and a proper biodiversity management can guarantee the richness of species and ensure that the quality of human life will continue to improve But contrary to the importance of biodiversity, human keeps putting pressure

on the utilization of human resources resulting to the decline of biodiversity which has

become a big problem all over the world (Murray, 2002)

Biodiversity loss has become a global issue which is caused by many factors such as habitat reduction, over-harvesting, excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and

pesticides, over-exploitation of natural resources, water and air pollution, and invasive species However, one of the main factors of biodiversity loss is global climate change Global climate change is often linked to human activities, as it is the main reason to why it is happening A rapid human population growth has a significant impact on global climate change which eventually affects our environment and will likely

influence biodiversity both directly and indirectly (Hui, 2013)

Loss of biodiversity also means loss of species Over the time, species loss is happening which leads to extinction Since all species have a finite life span, species extinction is an inevitable natural process even without human intervention Species are exterminated by humans either directly or indirectly Human intervention directly

by hunting, collection, and mistreatment or indirectly through habitat destruction and

modification caused biodiversity losses (Swingland, 2001)

Conservation biology is a multidisciplinary science that has developed to

address the loss of biological diversity (Gerber, 2010) Conserving biological diversity

can be in situ or ex situ, wherein more feasible way of maintaining biological diversity

is in their wild state and within their existing range (Swingland, 2001)

Biodiversity can be measured through many methods and a common method to assess biodiversity richness is by using biodiversity indices Biodiversity richness measurement by using biodiversity indices can be a tool to show how rich and diverse our surroundings are, and will be able to assure the resources that will bring the quality

of human life for the better Measuring the biological diversity richness and determining the conservation biology management can be a helpful tool to maintain high species diversity A research study using biodiversity indices and analysis for the

species richness can be implemented either in the protected areas or in the wider environment, which in this case, in dry dipterocarp forest of Wat Pha Lat in northern part of Thailand

1.2 Research’s Objectives

The overall objective of this research is to measure the biological diversity richness of plant species and conservation biology management in dry dipterocarp forest of Wat Pha Lat Within this general objective, this research has a number of specific objectives listed below:

1 To measure the diversity richness of plant species and its indices

2 To determine the similarity relationship of a species to others and a species

to the area

3 To identify the diversity richness management

1.3 Research Questions and Hypotheses

1.3.1 Research Questions

This research was guided by the following research question:

1 What are the ways in measuring the biological diversity of dry dipterocarp forest of Wat Pha Lat or even in other areas?

2 What is the most and least abundant species in dry dipterocarp forest of Wat Pha Lat, Thailand?

3 What does the different diversity indices and analysis indicate to the biological diversity of an area?

4 How can these indices and analysis results contribute to the proper conservation management in dry dipterocarp forest of Wat Pha Lat?

5 How important is conservation biology management in dry dipterocarp forest of Wat Pha Lat?

1.4 Significances of the Study

This research will be significant to the following:

1 Students and Researchers: The results of this study will serve as a secondary

data for further research and study

2 Government: The results of study will determine the biological diversity

richness of plant and tree species in dry dipterocarp forest of Wat Pha Lat and further actions for conservation biology management that are necessary in the future

1.5 Scopes and Limitations of the Study

There are several limitations of this study that influenced the research process and result findings The expected limitations to be encountered during the study are listed below:

1 Time: Given time to conduct the research is only 3 months Seasonal plant and

tree species cannot be observed and measured

2 Language: The study will be expected to have some obstructions due to

language difference

3 Application: The accuracy of plant identification application on smartphone is

uncertain, therefore, plant identification is not that accurate

1.6 Definition of Terms

”Biodiversity” is simply contraction of biological diversity, commonly refers to the

number and variety of living organisms from all sources in the world, including diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems

“Conservation Biology” is a multidisciplinary science that focuses on preserving and

protecting biological diversity, including factors that affect biodiversity loss and the success of conservation efforts

“Bioindicator” refers to any species or group of species which is used to assess the

health of an environment and its changes over time

“Biodiversity Index” is a measurement of species diversity in a community which

gives more information about community composition than simply species richness

“Shannon-Wiener Index” is the index that is commonly used to characterize species

diversity in a community

“Evenness Index” refers to the diversity index which is used to see how close or equal

each species in a community is

“Simpson’s Index” also known as Dominance Index, is a measure of diversity which

shows the common or dominant species found in a community

“Dry Dipterocarp Forest” shall refer to the type of dry forests, commonly dominated

by the species from Dipterocarpaceae family

PART II LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Biodiversity

Biodiversity has become an important role in life which provides the necessities

of life on Earth, including human life The term “biodiversity” is an abbreviation of

biological diversity and refers to the number and variety of living organisms in the

world It was first used in 1980 by Lovejoy and is often used to define the number of species However, biodiversity does not equate only to the number of species in an area Species richness is a more appropriate term for this measure, which is only one component of biodiversity (Swingland, 2001)

Biodiversity is an attribute of an area and specifically refers to the variety within and among living organisms, assemblages of living organisms, biotic communities, and biotic processes, whether naturally occurring or modified by humans Biodiversity can be measured in terms of genetic diversity and the identity and number of different types of species, assemblages of species, biotic communities, and biotic processes, and the amount (e.g., abundance, biomass, cover, rate) and structure of each It can be observed and measured at any spatial scale ranging from microsites and habitat patches to the entire biosphere (DeLong, 1996)

Biodiversity management requires measurement, since the term comprises such

a wide range of biological phenomena, it has become customary to describe biodiversity in terms of genes, species and ecosystems, and to make comparisons based on quantitative values ascribed to one or more of these levels (Murray, 2002)

For example, the Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity as “the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and

other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems”

In contrast, some argue that biodiversity, according to the definition of biological, does not include the diversity of abiotic components and processes, and that

it is inaccurate to identify ecological processes, ecosystems, ecological complexes, and landscapes as components of biodiversity The term ecological, as used in the sense of ecological system (ecosystem), encompasses both biotic and abiotic components and processes Therefore, ecological diversity is a more appropriate term for definitions that include the diversity of ecological processes and ecosystems (Swingland, 2001)

Based on the definitions, biodiversity is an essential aspect on earth, thus, it should be protected The number of species on earth is estimated from 3 million to 100 million species The UN Convention on Biological Diversity states there are around 13 million species, of which 1,75 million have been described An updated figure comes

from an analysis of the IUCN’s 2008 Red List of Threatened Species which says that

1,8 million species have been described out of an estimated 5 million to 30 million existence (Hood, 2010)

Over the time, species extinction becomes inevitable According to the IUCN’s

2009 Red List of threatened Species, there are at least 803 species that have become

extinct since the year 1500 It is expected that the actual number of species extinctions may be higher, as many extinctions have either not been detected or belong to a taxonomic group that has not been evaluated (Hood, 2010)

through the use of bioindicators (Parmar et al., 2016)

Biodiversity can act as bioindicators for different aspects in the ecosystem Biodiversity indicator can be a group of taxa whose diversity can be an indication of the other group’s diversity as well In order to measure these diversities, parameters such as species richness, character richness, level of endemism and genetic diversity are used (Underwood, n.d.)

The use of biodiversity as bioindicators can assess ecological change related to land use which will be more efficient if community of bioindicators itself is understood Generally, it will ensure a correct interpretation of what the bioindicators imply (Andersen, 1997)

2.3 Biodiversity Indices

Measuring species diversity is important to many aspects including biodiversity indicators but quantifying it is not an easy task to begin with In result, several biodiversity indices were made in order to measure biodiversity in term of species richness and species abundance These can give principal information about the

commonness and rarity of species in an area or a community Biodiversity indices can also help to determine ecosystems structures and abundance of each variety of species There are three commonly used biodiversity indices which are used to measure

biodiversity richness, namely; Shannon-Wiener Index (SWI), Evenness Index (EI) and Simpson Index (SI) (Beals et al., 2000)

2.3.1 Shannon-Wiener Index

Shannon-Wiener Index considers both evenness and abundance of the species

found in a community As this index increases, it shows that both the evenness and richness of the community also increase SWI can be calculated given the proportion

of an individual of species and the total number of individuals found (Student Handout 1A: How to Calculate Biodiversity n.d)

Evenness Index concerns in how close the numbers or population each species

are in a community It is the measurement of the fairness among the species where the resulted data ranges from 0 to 1 Student Handout 1A: How to Calculate Biodiversity n.d)

J ′ = H′

J’= Species Evenness H’= Shannon diversity index 𝐻′𝑚𝑎𝑥= Maximum diversity possible (lnS)

2.3.3 Simpson’s Index

Simpson’s Index, also known as “Dominance Index”, includes both species

richness and species evenness in a single number and shows the common species found in a community The resulted data ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 representing the lowest biodiversity (Student Handout 1A: How to Calculate Biodiversity n.d) The value of SI can be found by using the following formula:

Where:

D = ∑ n i (n i −1)

N(N−1) D= Simpson’s Index/Dominance Index

𝑛𝑖= number of individuals of species N= total number of individuals

2.4 Conservation Biology

Environmental crisis is inevitable as human population increases As a dominant species on earth, humans have caused a lot of damages on earth Many human activities have destroyed and polluted earth’s natural habitats, in fact, a vast majority of populations and species of plants and animals are in decline, and many are already extinct Habitat loss and pollution which cause biodiversity loss have become

a global issue and a threat to human life support systems Those phenomena are particularly acute in developing countries because these harbour the greatest species diversity and are the richest centre of endemism (Sodhi & Ehrlich, 2010) In order to reduce the impact of human activities on earth’s natural habitat, conservation biology should be implemented

Conservation biology is a multidisciplinary science that has developed to address the loss of biological diversity Two main goals of conservation biology are to assess the impact of human activities on biological diversity and to develop strategies

to avoid the extinction of species (Gerber, 2010) Conservation biology and biodiversity richness are strongly related since one of the aims of conservation biology

is to conserve species diversity Learning and understanding conservation biology will improve key working parts of human life support systems which are population and plants and animals species

Preserving biological diversity will be possible by implementing conservation biology because it provides principles and tools to prevent habitat loss as well as an understanding of both threatening and mitigating factors in order to propose solutions for real world conservation challenges (Dick & Gusset, 2013)

2.5 Dry Dipterocarp Forest

Forest is an essential element which contains many sources for life sustainability In Southeast Asia, dry dipterocarp forest (DDF) becomes one of the main dry forest types that can be found Areas with limited rainfall and a pronounced dry season are where DDF is commonly found About 11% of the total forest area in Thailand or 18,569 km2 is covered by DDF, distributed mostly in the northern region

(Larpkern et al., 2016) DDF is a common dry forest type which covers xeric sites in

the northern, northeastern and central regions of Thailand The forest can be found on areas without soil (rocky) and various soil types with different parent rocks Various soil types are essential factors in order to determine the variation of plant communities

in this forest, including the plant species composition and diversity as well as plant

growth and production (Khamyong et al., 2016)

Variation of the plant species is also influenced by other factors such as topography, altitude, the amount of rainfall and microclimate DDF usually exists in