The Ultramafic Flora of Sabah An Introduction to the Plant Diversity on Ultramafic Soils

About this book

With over 3500 km² of ultramafic rock outcrops in Sabah (4.6% of the total landmass of the state), Malaysia has one of the largest surface expressions of ultramafic rock, and one of the most species-rich floras occupying these outcrops, in the world. Ultramafic rock occupies less than 1% of the land surface of the earth and these outcrops are renowned as centres of high plant diversity supporting high levels of plant endemism. Over 1500 plant species have been documented on ultramafic outcrops around Mount Kinabalu, of which a large percentage is endemic to either Mount Kinabalu or Borneo.

Sabah is thus recognized as a major locus of floral diversity on ultramafic outcrops, but the full plant diversity and ecology remains largely unknown due to a lack of focused research. Biodiversity in many areas of Sabah is severely threatened by land use conversion and, because many plant species only occur in a single or a few ultramafic sites, impacts on the ecosystems that support them could result in their extinction.

Published in association with Sabah Parks.

Contents

Chapter 1: Ecology of ultramafic outcrops in Sabah
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Ultramafic rock and derived soils
1.3 The characteristics of plants growing on ultramafic outcrops
1.4 Causes for the peculiarities of plants growing on ultramafic outcrops
1.5 Altitudinal compression of vegetation zones on ultramafic mountains
1.6 Plants that hyperaccumulate nickel
1.7 Plant endemism and restriction to ultramafic outcrops
1.8 Vegetation types and ecology of ultramafic outcrops
1.9 State of knowledge and research priorities
1.10 Threats to plant diversity on ultramafic outcrops

Chapter 2: Ultramafic outcrops in Sabah
2.1 Mount Kinabalu
2.2 Mount Tambuyukon
2.3 Bukit Hampuan and Lohan River
2.4 Meliau Range
2.5 Bidu-Bidu Hills
2.6 Morou Porou
2.7 Mount Tavai
2.8 Mount Tingkar
2.9 Mount Silam and Darvel Bay
2.10 Malawali Island

Chapter 3: Flora of ultramafic outcrops
3.1 Lowland forest
3.1.1 Laterite forest
3.1.2 Serpentinite landslides
3.2 Lower and upper montane forest
3.2.1 Lower montane forest
3.2.2 Upper montane forest
3.3 Sub-alpine and ridge vegetation
3.3.1 Stunted forest at Layang-Layang
3.3.2 Summit scrub of Mount Tambuyukon
3.4 Special plant groups
3.4.1 Nickel hyperaccumulators
3.4.2 Carnivorous plants by Charles Clarke
3.4.3 Orchids by Jeffrey Wood
3.4.4 Mistletoes by Todd Barman
3.4.5 Rhododendrons by Anthea Philipps
3.4.6 Gymnosperms and She-oaks
3.4.7 Ant plants by Cameron Kilgour
3.4.8 Ferns
3.4.9 Gingers by Januarius Gobilik and Axel Dalberg Poulsen
3.4.10 Grasses, sedges and bamboos
3.4.11 Parasitic and saprophytic plants
3.4.12 Palms, rattans and pandans

Fieldwork
Acknowledgements
Glossary
References

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