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Hyper-Abundance of Native Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) in a Lowland Dipterocarp Rain Forest of Peninsular Malaysia1

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Hyper-Abundance of Native Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) in a Lowland Dipterocarp Rain Forest of Peninsular Malaysia1 BIOTROPICA 33(4): 682-690 2001 Hyper-abundance of Native Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) in a Lowland Dipterocarp Rain Forest of Peninsular Malaysia1 Kalan Ickes2 Department of Biological Sciences, 107 Life Sciences Building, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, U.S.A. ABSTRACT This study reports extraordinarily high density estimates for the wild pig (Sus scrofa) from an aseasonal tropical forest site within the species' native range. At Pasoh Forest Reserve, a 2500 ha area of lowland dipterocarp rain forest in Peninsular Malaysia, line transects were used to estimate pig density from May to October in 1996 and 1998. In 1996, 44 sightings of S. scrofa consisting of 166 individuals were recorded along 81 km of transects. In 1998, 39 sightings documented 129 individuals along 79.9 km of transects. Estimated population density was 47.0 pigs/km2 in 1996 and 27.0 pigs/km2 in 1998. Sus scrofa biomass in this forest was estimated at 1837 kg/km2 and 1346 kg/ km2 in 1996 and 1998, respectively. Differences between years were attributed to changes in the density of young pigs, coincident with a mast-seeding year of dipterocarp trees in 1996. Pig densities at Pasoh Forest Reserve were much higher than at other forest locations within the species' native range in Europe and Asia. Because Pasoh Forest Reserve is a forest fragment, two factors likely account for the extremely high pig densities: (1) local extinction of natural predators (mainly tigers and leopards) and (2) an abundant year-round food supply of African oil palm fruits from extensive plantations bordering the reserve. Key words: biomass; density; edge effect; line transect; Malaysia; Pasoh Forest Reserve; Sus scrofa; tropical forest; wild pigs. VERTEBRATE FRUGIVORES, GRANIVORES, GRAZERS, AND rounding environments, there is a need for infor- BROWSERS play important roles in plant species pop- mation on their densities as habitats are modified ulation and ecosystem dynamics by acting as agents anthropogenetically. Habitat fragmentation and of seed dispersal (Schupp 1993, Mack 1998), seed top-level predator removal may lead to local in- predation (Becker & Wong 1985, Blate etal. 1998, creases in density for some species, which in turn Curran & Webb 2000), herbivory (Crawley 1983, may provoke faster changes in ecosystem processes. Johnston & Naiman 1990), and physical distur- Addressing such negative interactions is likely to be bance (Holcroft & Herrero 1984, Whicker & De- an ongoing challenge facing conservation biologists ding 1988). Particularly when the relative or ab- in our increasingly fragmented landscape. solute densities of vertebrates fluctuate to unusually Another example of elevated population den- high levels, the impact on individual plant species sities of a terrestrial mammal is the wild pig (Sus or ecosystems can be profound. For example, ele- scrofa). In its native range at Pasoh Forest Reserve phants (Loxodonta africana) in parts of Africa and (PFR) in Peninsular Malaysia, the wild pig popu- bearded pigs (Sus barbatus) in Borneo have in- lation is thought to have increased considerably in creased in density at a local scale because logging, recent decades and consequently to have had neg- forest fragmentation, or fencing have forced them ative impacts on plants and animals. Soil rooting to concentrate foraging in smaller areas. High local by pigs is believed to have facilitated the spread of elephant density has resulted in increased tree dam- an exotic plant into the primary forest (Laurance age and mortality, forest degradation, and retarded 2000, Peters 2001) and to have reduced the local forest succession (Struhsaker 1997, Tafangeyasha density of small terrestrial mammals (Kemper & 1997). In a Bornean national park, the dominant Bell 1985). A pig exclosure study at PFR showed tree family (Dipterocarpaceae) showed a complete that after only two years, woody seedling recruit- lack of seedling recruitment over a ten-year period ment, stem density, and species richness increased due to intense seed predation by pigs (Curran et inside exclosures compared with control plots to al. 1999). Because medium- to large-bodied ver- which pigs had access (Ickes et al. 2001). In addi- tebrates can have such profound impacts on sur- tion to soil rooting, female pigs build large repro- ductive nests out of up to 500 uprooted or snapped 1 Received 5 April 2000; revision accepted 1 February off woody saplings that may be 2.5 cm in diameter 2001. at breast height and 3.5 m tall. Liu et al. (1999) 2 E-mail: [email protected] modeled the effects of nest building by pigs within 682 Pig Density in Malaysia 683 PFR and estimated that even moderate densities of is not allowed within the borders of PFR, but pigs and the subsequent damage to trees would poaching is not uncommon and legal hunting oc- likely result in lowered tree species richness. curs at the boundaries of the reserve. Despite the documented and hypothesized neg- ative effects of pigs on plants and animals in Pen- MATERIALS AND METHODS insular Malaysia, there are no estimates of pig den- sity. I present evidence that the current density at LINE TRANSECTS.—To minimize the amount of PFR is extremely high in comparison with other clearing required to conduct this study, only trails sites at which S. scrofa occurs naturally. It is im- already established previously in the reserve were possible to know if the high density reported here used as line transects. Ideally, line transects should is typical of the region because these data represent be established randomly throughout the habitat be- the first estimates of pig density from the highly ing surveyed (Buckland et al. 1993). This is seldom diverse aseasonal rain forests of Southeast Asia. I possible in forest reserves, however, because of lim- suggest, however, that pig density at PFR is much itations on how many trails may be cut and where higher than historical levels in this forest type, and they can be placed. As a consequence, it was not that the increase is due to an absence of feline pred- possible to survey the hill dipterocarp forest in the ators and a year-round food supply from tree plan- northeast portion of the reserve (Fig. 1). Therefore, tations that surround the reserve. the resulting density estimates apply only to the flat, fairly homogeneous habitat that comprises the STUDY SITE rest of the reserve. All transects were located in primary forest except transect 1, which was located Pasoh Forest Reserve (PFR) is located in the state in the selectively logged forest (Fig. 1). of Negeri Sembilan, 110 km southeast of Kuala Line transect surveys were conducted during Lumpur, Malay Peninsula (2°59'N, 102°18'E). two separate periods: 5 May—10 October 1996, The reserve is comprised of three areas: a 650 ha and 17 May-28 October 1998. The 13 transects core of primary lowland dipterocarp forest; a 650 were 500—1600 m in length and each was walked ha buffer zone of lowland forest selectively logged five to ten times over the course of the study pe- almost 50 years ago; and another 650—1000 ha of riod. Total transect length of 12,880 meters in primary hill forest. Aside from a narrow corridor 1996 was reduced to 12,495 m in 1998 due to of hill forest that connects PFR to the southern treefalls that caused two transects to be shortened. end of the main mountain range, the remaining Transects were walked on foot at an approximate perimeter (ca 85%) abuts mature African oil palm rate of 1 km/hr, primarily by K. I ekes, but occa- {Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) plantations. Annual rainfall sionally a second observer was present or conduct- is ca 2000 mm with a known range of 1700—3200 ed a survey alone. To standardize for time, all tran- mm (Kochummen et al. 1990). Monthly rainfall sects were completed within the first 3 hours or the means exceed 100 mm, resulting in an aseasonal last 2.5 hours of daylight. On days when surveys climate. were conducted, one or two transects were walked A number of herbivorous/frugivorous terrestrial in the morning and one or two at night, although mammals no longer occur at PFR, which may in- the same transect was never walked twice in one fluence the population dynamics of S. scrofa day. An attempt was made to walk all transects an through lack of competition. Locally extinct species equal number of times over the course of the study, include Indian elephant (Elephas maximus), Javan but in two cases, transects had to be temporarily rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), Sumatran rhinoc- abandoned due to nests of a king cobra and an eros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), and gaur (Bos gau- aggressive wasp species. When it was difficult to rus; Medway 1983, Kemper 1988, Kochummen detect pigs due to darkness or rain, a measurement 1997). Other potential competitors of wild pigs of how much of the transect had been completed that still may be present in the reserve at extremely to that point was taken and the survey stopped. low densities include the Malayan tapir (Tapirus For example, if 400 m of a 1000 m transect had indicus), sambar (Cervus unicolor), barking deer been completed when a storm developed, any ob- (Muntiacus muntjaH), greater mouse-deer (Tragulus servations (or lack thereof) to that point were re- napii), and bearded pig (S. barbatus). The leopard corded and the length of that transect was recorded (Panthera pardus) and tiger (Panthera tigris), the as 400 m for that day. Transects 4—13 had been primary natural predators of wild pigs, have been established previously as part of an ornithological rare or absent in the area since the 1960s. Hunting study plot, which was used by researchers in July 684 Ickes fisL, •tn %%j ll-li t PASOH RESEARCH CENTRE NEGERI SEMBILAN \\ r%^\\.
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