Syrus cesar pacle Decena * , carlo Aguirre Avorque, ian christopher pacle Decena, pol Delbert Asis & Bryan pacle the impact of anthropogenic habitat alteration on amphibians was investigated, employing an investigative focus on leaf-litter and semi-aquatic species across different habitat alteration types. The habitat alteration types which include primary forest, selectively logged primary forest, secondary forest, abandoned farm areas and pasture (this represents a gradient of habitat alteration ranging from least altered to most altered, respectively) also encompass two habitat types: stream and terrestrial. Species assemblage was compared between habitat alteration types and habitat types, where a total 360 leaf-litter and semi-aquatic amphibians were observed (15 species, 6 families). It was found that amphibian abundance was significantly higher in both forest and stream habitat, and species richness did not differ with respect to habitat alteration type. It was determined, however, that species richness was highly dependent on habitat type (significantly higher in stream habitat). Meanwhile, diversity (Shannon-Wiener) was significantly higher in both forest and stream habitat, and species composition differed markedly between habitat alteration types for stream strip plots. forest habitat exhibited domination by forest specialist species, while altered habitat (abandoned farm areas and pasture) exhibited domination by open-habitat specialist species. Additionally, strong relationships were found between species composition and abundance, as well as richness and diversity (within the measured habitat structures and observed microclimatic conditions). Analyses determined that the higher abundance of leaf-litter and semi-aquatic amphibians was best explained by higher DBH (1.3 m from the ground) and lower temperature and the higher species richness was best explained by higher understorey density. Additionally, higher diversity was associated with increasing understorey density, tree density and temperature. In general, the assemblage of leaf-litter and semi-aquatic amphibians in the lowland tropical rainforest in northeastern Leyte was affected by habitat alteration, highlighting the ongoing importance of conservation efforts. Though the Philippines is commonly known as one of the most important biodiversity hotspots on Earth 1 , there is undoubtedly cause for concern, since southeast Asia has the highest relative rate of deforestation of any major tropical region 2. In the Philippines, an average of 162,000 ha of forests are cleared per year 3 and consequently, the remaining primary forest of the country represents approximately only 3% 1 of land area. This decline of the country's forest is commonly attributed to logging, urbanization and agricultural expansion, as well as other peripheral factors such as shifting cultivation, unorganized encroachment on forest lands, squatting, migration to upland forested areas, and government-sponsored settlement schemes 3,4. Deforestation due to these humaninduced acti...
The paper presents a detailed ecological investigation of mangroves (trees and palm) along Carigara Bay in Leyte, Philippines by comparing the diversity, vegetation structure, species composition, and indicator species among forest types (riverine and fringe) and zones (landward, middleward, and seaward/along water) as well as by examining their relationships with environmental variables. A total of 22 mangrove species, belonging to 12 families were documented wherein the most abundant was Sonneratia alba, followed by Nypa fruticans, then by Avicennia rumphiana. It was found that the diversity (Shannon-Wiener) of riverine mangroves (0.94 ± 0.07; 1.20 ± 0.04) was significantly higher than the fringe for both in the middleward and seaward/along the water. In the fringe mangrove forests, the mangrove species Aegiceras corniculatum was associated with the middleward zone, and Camptostemon philippinensis, Aegiceras floridum, Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, and Lumnitzera littorea were associated with the seaward zone, whereas landward zone of fringe and all the zones in riverine were generally associated by species with low to optimum salt tolerances such as Nypa fruticans, and Avicennia rumphiana as the most abundant. As well, a total of 14 mangroves have been identified as indicator species. Lastly, mangrove species can be generally classified as riverine and fringing based on the environmental factors explaining their distributions, and it has been found that soil porosity, water content, soil salinity, and distance from the sea or river’s edge were the most significant environmental factors that determine diversity patterns.
Mangrove forest ecosystems are known to sequester large quantities of carbon in biomass. This paper presents a quantification of carbon stocks in aboveground (standing trees, palm, shrub, standing dead trees, downed wood, and litter), belowground (root), and total carbon stocks, and further compared between forest types (fringe and riverine) and zones (landward, middleward, and seaward/along water) of mangrove forests along the Carigara Bay in Leyte, Philippines. The aboveground carbon stocks for the standing trees were found to be higher in riverine (297.94 ± 58.39) compared to fringe mangrove forests (188.92 ± 18.51), with an overall average of 243.43 ± 31.09 Mg ha− 1. Shrub mangroves were found to be the second most contributor to aboveground carbon stocks which was significantly higher in middleward zone (14.88 ± 6.11 Mg ha− 1), though no variation was found between mangrove forest types. Whereas, all other aboveground components were the least contributors (< 1% combined), with a total average of 0.31 ± 0.10, 0.32 ± 0.10, 1.57 ± 0.27, and 0.19 ± 0.02 Mg ha− 1 for palm (Nypa fruticans), standing dead tree, downed wood and litter, respectively. Meanwhile, no significant variations were detected for belowground (roots) carbon stock, with an average of 65.23 ± 6.84 Mg ha− 1. Total carbon stocks were higher in the riverine (380.83 ± 70.91), with an average of 317.19 ± 37.88 Mg ha− 1. Overall, the results of the study highlight the significant amount of carbon stored in the biomass of the studied mangrove forests, which indicates their potential role in climate change mitigation.
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