In west Kalimantan, Indonesia, a study of hunting and trade in the species of freshwater turtles and tortoises (Order Chelonia) indigenous to Danau Sentarum National Park (DSNP) was undertaken during the summer months of 1995. Research revealed that the trade targets 3 species of soft-shelled turtles (Amyda cartilagenea, Dogania subplana and Pelochelys bibroni), and the Malaysian giant tortoise (Orlitia borneensis). None of the 11 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises present in DSNP are unique to the area, or indeed Borneo. The trade in the Malaysian giant tortoise is local, but the soft-shells caught in DSNP are part of the international trade throughout South-East Asia. An estimated maximum of 50 t of soft-shells cross the Kalimantan – Sarawak border at Lubuk Antu/Badau each year. A large proportion of these turtles come from DSNP and immediate areas. The trade was estimated to be worth up to USD 75 000 to the inhabitants of DSNP.
Tag: biology
Weedy rice in sustainable rice production. A review
Weedy rice refers to the unwanted plants of the genus Oryza that have some undesirable agronomic traits and pose a major threat to sustainable rice production worldwide. Widespread adoption of direct seeded rice and hybridization or gene flow between cultivated rice and their wild relatives has resulted in the creation and dissemination of weedy rice. Currently, weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) has become one of the most common weeds infesting rice fields worldwide. In this paper, we review the biology, physiology, evolution, and genetic features of weedy rice. We also discuss the major obstacles in weedy rice management, including high diversity of weedy rice, ecological impacts of gene flow on weedy rice, changing climate, and weedy rice management. We then present a framework for the sustainable management and utilization of weedy rice. Our main emphasis is to explore the reservoir of natural variations in weedy germplasm and to utilize them for crop improvement. This review outlines some of the latest biotechnological tools to dissect the genetic backgrounds of several favorable traits of weedy rice that may prove beneficial for breeding and evolutionary studies on cultivated rice. We suggest that by merging the disciplines of genomics, breeding, and weed management, we can achieve the goal of sustainable rice production.
Ecology and biology of Uapaca kirkiana, Strychnos cocculoides and Sclerocarya birrea in Southern Africa
This chapter summarizes the biology and ecology of three key priority miombo fruit trees (Uapaca kirkiana, Strychnos cocculoides and Sclerocarya birrea) identified for southern Africa and their potential for domestication. Sclerocarya birrea is a member of the Anacardiaceae (cashew family), along with 650 species and 70 genera of mainly tropical or subtropical evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs and woody vines. Uapaca kirkiana (Euphorbiaceae) is distinctive within the Euphorbiaceae on account of its wood, vegetative and floral characters. It has characteristically broad, leathery leaves and rounded crown. Strychnos cocculoides belongs to the family Loganiaceae, a semideciduous small tree, 2-9 m high, with spreading branches and a compact, rounded crown, which grows on both deep and loamy sands.