Sunda clouded leopard under threat from habitat fragmentation

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on February 07, 2019 / comment : 0 Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Malaysia, Natural Heritage, Wildlife

The Sunda clouded leopard in Sabah, Malaysia, is under threat from habitat fragmentation and a lack of forest connectivity, finds a study by Cardiff University and the Danau Girang Field Centre.

Credit: spencer77/Flickr

In collaboration with Oxford University's WildCRU, the US Forest Service, and Sabah Wildlife Department, the team used a combination of field data and simulation modelling to map patterns of population connectivity for the clouded leopard species across Sabah. They found that isolated forest patches and areas of reduced forest cover could jeopardise the dispersal of individual clouded leopards and limit gene flow, which in turn could endanger the long-term future of the species.

Dr. Andrew Hearn, from WildCRU, who led the study said: "Sabah is a stronghold for the Sunda clouded leopard in Borneo, yet this rarely seen animal is found at very low population densities, typically as few as 1-5 animals for every 100 square kilometres of forest. Such rarity, coupled with the fact that their forest home is shrinking and becoming increasingly isolated, may expose these beautiful cats to the negative effects of population isolation, as individual animals struggle to disperse across the landscape."

Dr. Benoit Goossens, Director of the Danau Girang Field Centre and Reader at Cardiff University, added: "We mapped patterns of population connectivity for the species across Sabah and concluded there are several forest patches where the clouded leopard population may be isolated, which in turn jeopardises the dispersal of individuals and limits gene flow.

"We also identified the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Tawau Hills Park as patches of habitat predicted to have existing clouded leopard populations that are isolated from other populations. In light of this, we recommend that efforts are made to explore mechanisms to increase connectivity between these areas and the main central forest, such as establishment of riparian corridors, and identification and/or creation of High Conservation Value forest areas within plantation landscapes.

"These recommendations were included in the Sunda Clouded Leopard Action Plan for Sabah, which we hope to see tabled at the next State Cabinet meeting."

Professor David Macdonald, Director of the WildCRU added, "This work involved gruelling fieldwork and elegant analyses and is a major step towards understanding one of the least known and most beautiful wild cats in the world."

Source: Cardiff University [February 07, 2019]

Skeleton from Mesolithic period discovered in Malaysian cave

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on December 19, 2018 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Asia, Malaysia, South East Asia

Researchers stumbled upon a discovery of historic value – the skeleton of a teenage girl believed to be from the Mesolithic period – while excavating Gua Chawan in the Malaysian state of Kelantan.

Department of National Heritage senior museum assistant Khairil Amri Abd Ghani examining the skeleton found in Gua Chawan, Kelantan [Credit: Bernama]

The team from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, along with officers from the archaeology department at the National Heritage Department, estimated the remains to be around 6,000 to 8,000 years old.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohammadin Ketapi said the discovery was crucial in helping to understand ancient funerary rites and culture of prehistoric society, as well as the presence of early man in Malaysia.

“We believe this skeleton to be a teenage girl based on the pelvic bone.

Mohammadin said the skeleton, which was found on Nov 2 in the Nenggiri Valley in Ulu Kelantan, was removed from Gua Chawan on Nov 10, and placed at a laboratory.

The Heritage Department will take 60 days to conduct conservation works at the site for record and restoration purposes.

Teeth and shell samples will be sent to the Beta Lab in the United States for chronometric dating.

“The Heritage Department will be collecting all the artefacts for historical reference and the public will be able to view them as soon as conservation works have been completed,” Mohammadin said.

Source: The Star Online [December 19, 2018]

Ancient DNA testing solves 100-year-old controversy in Southeast Asian prehistory

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on July 06, 2018 / comment : 0 Anthropology, Genetics, Malaysia, South East Asia

Two competing theories about the human occupation of Southeast Asia have been debunked by ground-breaking analysis of ancient DNA extracted from 8,000 year-old skeletons.

Skull from a Hòabìnhian person from Gua Cha archaeological site, Malaysian Peninsula [Credit: Fabio Lahr]

Southeast Asia is one of the most genetically diverse regions in the world, but for more than 100 years scientists have disagreed about which theory of the origins of the population of the area was correct.

One theory believed the indigenous Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers who populated Southeast Asia from 44,000 years ago adopted agricultural practices independently, without the input from early farmers from East Asia. Another theory, referred to as the 'two-layer model' favours the view that migrating rice farmers from what is now China replaced the indigenous Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers.

Academics from around the world collaborated on new research just published in Science which found that neither theory is completely accurate. Their study discovered that present-day Southeast Asian populations derive ancestry from at least four ancient populations.

DNA from human skeletal remains from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos and Japan dating back as far as 8,000 years ago was extracted for the study - scientists had previously only been successful in sequencing 4,000-year-old samples from the region. The samples also included DNA from Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers and a Jomon from Japan - a scientific first, revealing a long suspected genetic link between the two populations.

In total, 26 ancient human genome sequences were studied by the group and they were compared with modern DNA samples from people living in Southeast Asia today.

The pioneering research is particularly impressive because the heat and humidity of Southeast Asia means it is one of the most difficult environments for DNA preservation, posing huge challenges for scientists.

Professor Eske Willerslev, who holds positions both at St John's College, University of Cambridge, and the University of Copenhagen, led the international study.

He explained: "We put a huge amount of effort into retrieving ancient DNA from tropical Southeast Asia that could shed new light on this area of rich human genetics. The fact that we were able to obtain 26 human genomes and shed light on the incredible genetic richness of the groups in the region today is astonishing."

Hugh McColl, PhD student at the Centre for GeoGenetics in the Natural History Museum of Denmark of the University of Copenhagen, and one of the lead authors on the paper, said: "By sequencing 26 ancient human genomes - 25 from South East Asia, one Japanese J?mon - we have shown that neither interpretation fits the complexity of Southeast Asian history. Both Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers and East Asian farmers contributed to current Southeast Asian diversity, with further migrations affecting islands in South East Asia and Vietnam. Our results help resolve one of the long-standing controversies in Southeast Asian prehistory."

Dr Fernando Racimo, Assistant Professor at the Centre for GeoGenetics in the Natural History Museum of the University of Copenhagen, the other lead author, said: "The human occupation history of Southeast Asia remains heavily debated. Our research spanned from the Hòabìnhian to the Iron Age and found that present-day Southeast Asian populations derive ancestry from at least four ancient populations. This is a far more complex model than previously thought."

Some of the samples used in the two and a half year study were from The Duckworth Collection, University of Cambridge, which is one of the world's largest repositories of human remains. Professor Marta Mirazón Lahr, Director of the Duckworth Laboratory and one of the authors on the paper, said: "This study tackles a major question in the origins of the diversity of Southeast Asian people, as well as on the ancient relationships between distant populations, such as Jomon and Hòabìnhian foragers, before farming. The fact that we are learning so much from ancient genomes, such as the one from Gua Cha, highlights the importance of amazing collections such as the Duckworth."

Source: University of Cambridge [July 06, 2018]