The Biodiversity in West Guinea – The Science as of 2001, at the Turn of the 21st Century

The Biodiversity in West Guinea – The Science as of 2001, at the Turn of the 21st Century

Author

Series Title

ISBN

Publication Date

May 29, 2024

No. of Pages

488

Size

Binding

Paperback

82.00

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The Biodiversity of New Guinea covers the situation as it was in the year 2001. It is divided into three main sections. Section One comprises the biodiversity of the entire island of New Guinea, PNG and WNG. Section Two concentrates on the Timika area and the Lorentz National Park/World Heritage Site. Section Three lists the plants and animals the Kamoro ethno-linguistic group uses from the natural resources available to them.

This volume, researched in 2003 was written in the town of Timika (south coast of WNG) where the author had easy access to the ample material generated by the Environmental Department of Freeport Indonesia, the mining company that employed the author. Among much material on the biodiversity of PNG, J.L. Gressit’s Biology and Ecology offered great help. Research on WNG was made difficult by the greuling process in obtaining the necessary government permits, but provided an invaluable sources in a two-volume Ecology of Papua.

After the introduction, Section One treats the following topics: Basic Influences (geology, the Ice Ages, and landforms); Plant and Animal Life; Origins of New Guinea Animals; Molluscs; Crustacea (shrimps, crayfish, and crabs); Insects (butterflies and beetles); Fresh Water Fishes; Amphibians (frogs and toads); Reptiles (snakes, turtles, crocodiles); Birds (in different environments); Mammals. Section Two includes Vegetation; Insects; Fresh Water Fishes; Amphibians and Reptiles; Birds and Mammals. Section Three concentrates on the name of plants and animals used by the Kamoro. An Appendix lists animals with their Latin, English, Indonesian, and Kamoro designations.

Much new research has given ever-increasing information about the various animal groups during the past two decades. The author has made only a few updates on the frogs, thanks to Dr. Steve Richards. The other chapters were left largely as in the original text. Some mysteries remain such as the date of the first arrival of pigs that can differ by 2,000 years. One of the newest discoveries, this one by C. Austin, revealed that the world’s smallest frog was incidentally also the world’s smallest vertebrate. Named Paedophyrne amanuensis, the little fellow measures seven to eight mm and weighs in at 0.01 grams.

Author

Series Title

ISBN

Publication Date

May 29, 2024

No. of Pages

488

Size

Binding

Paperback

About the author

Dr Muller spent 22 years working and living with two Papuan groups, allowing him access to excellent relations with not just the people but also prominent academics and scientists and their resources.

Table of contents

CONTENTS

Preface…………………………………………………….. 1

SECTION ONE:

BIODIVERSITY OF THE ISLAND OF NEW GUINEA

1.

Introduction …………………………………..…………..…….5

• Troubles in Paradise: threats to nature

• The meaning of biodiversity

• An incomplete picture

• What a single, quick survey can do

2.

Basic influences: geology, Ice Ages, landforms ……….…29

• Step one: geology

• Floating continents

• Step two: the Ice Ages

• Step three: landforms: creating a plethora of eco-systems

3.

The plant and animal life of New Guinea  ……..…………43

• The plant life of Malesia

• Synusiae: another way to divide plants

• Support-dependent plants: climbers, stranglers, and epiphytes

• Saprophytic heterotrophics: bacteria and fungi

• Mycorrhizal associations: fungi at work

• Parasitic heterotrophics: fungi, bacteria, and plants

• An overview of the main eco-systems

  • The Lowlands: 1. Coastal vegetation

                            2. Mangrove swamps;

                            3. Swamp forests;

                            4. Heathland flora;

                            5. Lowland rainforest.

  • The highlands: 1. Lower montane forests (to 1,000m);

                            2. Mid-montane forests (1,000 to 3,000m);

                            3. Upper montane forests (3,000 to 4,000m);

                            4. Subalpine and Alpine Zone.

• History and evolution of high-altitude flora

• Pandanus nuts and leaves

• Special families

• Man and plants in New Guinea

4.

Origins of New Guinea’s animals………………..…………85

5.

Molluscs: coiled or hinged……………………….…………91

6.

Crustacea: shrimp, crayfish, and crabs………………..…..95

7.

Insects: butterflies and beetles………………………………99

• The butterflies (Families Hesperiidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lyaenidae, Nyphalidae.

• Butterfly or moth? Beetles galore; Beetle families

8.

Fresh water fishes…………………………………..………117

• Fascinating fishes

9.

The amphibians: frogs and toads…………………………125

• Crucial steps in evolution: water to land; What is special about frogs; New Guinea frogs; Families Microhylidae, Ranidae, Hylidae, Myobatrichidae.

10.

The reptiles: lizards, snakes, turtles, and crocodiles……143

• Lizards. Lizard Families Pygopodidae, Gekkonidae, Scincidae, Agamidae, Varanidae.

• Snakes. Turtles. Crocodiles. Evolutionary adaptations; Crocodile behavior and Environment; Crocodiles and humans; Extinctions and future hope; Indo-Pacific and New Guinea crocodiles.

11.

Class Aves: the birds of New Guinea……………………..181

• Environments: mangroves, rivers, lakes and marshes, rainforest, grasslands, lowlands and hill forests, montane birds. Kingfishers. Birds-of-Paradise: An overview.

• Evolution. Feeding. Displays in leks.

12.

Mammals…………………………………..…………………..205

• Order Monotremata. The Marsupials. Tree Kangaroos. Family Dasyuridae, Peramelidae, Peroryctidae, Phalangeridae, Burramyidae, Petauridae, Macropodidae, Acrobatidae, Pseudocheiridae. Order Chiroptera. Suborder Megachiroptera: insect eating bats, foraging by echolocation. Order Rodentia. Introduced species.

SECTION TWO:

BIODIVERSITY OF TIMIKA/FREEPORT PROJECT AREA AND THE LORENTZ PARK

1.

Introduction…………………………………..……………..245

2.

Vegetation…………………………………..…………………251

• The lowlands: beaches, tidal swamps (mangroves and Nypa), the meander belt, peat swamps, alluvial fans, and valleys: the tropical rain forest, dissected terraces.

• The montane zone: lower montane forest, mid-montane forest (Nothofagus), upper montane forest. Subalpine and Alpine vegetation: the subalpine zone, the Alpine zone, flora of the glacier lakes, Cryovegetation on the Puncak Jaya glaciers.

3.

Insects…………………………………..………………………….277

4.

Fresh water fishes…………………………………..……………..289

• Freeport area and the Lorentz Park

5.

Amphibians and reptiles…………………………………..………295

6.

Birds…………………………………..……………………………..301

7.

Mammals…………………………………..………………………..307

• Bigger is better; Lorentz Park mammals.

SECTION III:

THE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES BY THE KAMORO GROUP OF PAPUANS

1.

Introduction…………………………………..………………………319

• Who are the Kamoro and where do they live?

• Study focus and comparison with PNG

• Three essential ecosystems

2.

Plant use…………………………………..…………………………..327

3.

Animal use…………………………………..…………………………345

• Insects—shrimp and crabs—molluscs, other bivalves—gastropods—fishing and Fishes—reptiles—snakes-birds—mammals.

APPENDIX I: Glossary of scientific terms…………………………..393

APPENDIX II: Geological Time Scale………………………………..411

APPENDIX III: Taxonomy…………………………..…………………415

APPENDIX IV: Evolution…………………………..…………………..423

APPENDIX V: Species lists: crustacea, amphibia, reptilia…………431

APPENDIX VI: Medicinal plants ………………………………………449

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………..…………………………….457

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