In Peninsular Malaysia, passage and wintering Barn Swallows often congregate at nocturnal roosts ... more In Peninsular Malaysia, passage and wintering Barn Swallows often congregate at nocturnal roosts in towns, most conspicuously on utility wires and adjoining roofs and ledges. As a Holarctic migrant, the species is potentially susceptible to population crashes. The first objective of this study was to investigate half-centennial changes in the number of passage and wintering Barn Swallows utilising an urban roost at Bentong, Peninsular Malaysia, through monthly counts following equal procedures in 1966-68. The second objective was to assess evidence for competition in terms of dietary overlap with a recently established population of house-farmed swiftlets (Aerodramus sp.) using both morphological identifications and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Modern peak numbers in October 2015, at 63,290 swallows, were 72% of the November peak of 1967 (87,880). The negative trend may reflect a declining swallow population in the Palaearctic breeding area but may also be a consequence of diminished resources in this tropical wintering region. A notable change during the half-century interval has been the introduction of a large population of trophically similar house-farmed swiftlets Aerodramus sp. exceeding passage and wintering Barn Swallows at peak numbers. At an ordinal level, the diets of Barn Swallows and house-farmed swiftlets both include a high proportion of hymenopterans, but at the level of genus, there is dietary separation between them. Molecular NGS data based on lower taxonomic levels (i.e., family, genus, and species) showed only about 10% overlap. We conclude that, after an interval of half a century, dietary competition with the new resident population of house-farmed swiftlets is unlikely to account for the reduction in peak numbers of migratory Barn Swallows.
The importation of non-native fish species into Malaysia began as early as the 19 th century, whe... more The importation of non-native fish species into Malaysia began as early as the 19 th century, when a substantial number of non-native fishes were introduced from southern China, heralding the beginning of aquaculture in Malaysia. In this review, we analyzed the available literature on the history, checklists, current status, production trends, and potential ecological and socioeconomic impacts of non-native freshwater fishes in Malaysia. We identified a total of 30 non-native food fishes belonging to 12 families, with Cichlidae occurring the most frequently. Moreover, 173 species from 40 families of non-native freshwater ornamental, recreational and biological control fishes were also listed. The aquaculture production and wholesale value were significantly higher (p < 0.05) for non-native species, as compared to native species. Approximately 93% (1,317,990 metric tonnes (MT)) of aquaculture production and 85.6% (RM 7.4 billion) of wholesale value are from non-native species. However, for inland freshwater captured fisheries, the landing and wholesale values were significantly higher (p < 0.05) for native species than the non-native species. Non-native species only occupied approximately 28.6% (18,227 MT) of the landing, and 14.2% (RM 110 million) of wholesale value, respectively. For the ornamental fish production, the highest value was recorded in the year 2012 (RM 629 million), but dipped to its lowest value in 2017 (RM 327 million). The cyprinids that are mostly represented by non-native species recorded the highest value (RM 112 million) in the year 2018, followed by osteoglossids that are mainly represented by the native Asian arowana (RM 108 million). Despite the massive economic contribution from these non-native fishes, some of these fish present important ecological and socioeconomic threats to Malaysia. Several recommendations are proposed for a win-win situation between the economic gains and environmental threats caused by these non-native fishes.
This study explores the potential effects of alien fishes on the native fish community, well-bein... more This study explores the potential effects of alien fishes on the native fish community, well-being, and tropic preferences in selected rivers of Klang Valley, Malaysia. Following the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit assessment, most of the alien fishes (80%) are invasive. The alien species occurrences correlated positively (p < 0.05) with poor water quality, such as rivers with high ammonia-nitrogen and nitrite, but negatively with phosphate and dissolved oxygen. Anthropogenic characteristics, such as rivers with high pollution levels and ease of accessibility to the fish habitat, are mainly associated positively (p < 0.05) with the occurrences of alien fish species. In general, the results of fish stomach contents analyses and their associated indices, together with stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, revealed domination by alien fishes or diet overlaps between both alien and native fish species. This finding indicates that alien fishes benefited from the impacts o...
Large areas of tropical forests around the world were critically converted into agricultural area... more Large areas of tropical forests around the world were critically converted into agricultural areas especially oil palm plantation and for other human activities. Malaysia is one of the leaders in oil palm production and conversion of natural ecosystems into agricultural area gives an impact to the local biodiversity. This study aims to compare
Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, 2020
Invasive introduced fish species are well known for their deleterious impacts on aquatic biodiver... more Invasive introduced fish species are well known for their deleterious impacts on aquatic biodiversity and environment. This study provides the first report on the occurrence of introduced Amazon sailfin catfish, Pterygoplichthys pardalis from the Gombak basin, Selangor, Malaysia, where the suckermouth catfish, Hypostomus plecostomus and vermiculated sailfin catfish, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus had been previously reported. Besides, selected morphometric and meristic measurements between P. pardalis and P. disjunctivus from the Pusu River, Gombak basin were compared. Moreover, we also described two body patterns of the P. pardalis collected from the river. The body pattern which does not fit entirely with the known characteristics of P. pardalis or P. disjunctivus is suspected to be a result of hybridization between both species, but deeper study should be conducted to confirm this claim.
In Peninsular Malaysia, passage and wintering Barn Swallows often congregate at nocturnal roosts ... more In Peninsular Malaysia, passage and wintering Barn Swallows often congregate at nocturnal roosts in towns, most conspicuously on utility wires and adjoining roofs and ledges. As a Holarctic migrant, the species is potentially susceptible to population crashes. The first objective of this study was to investigate half-centennial changes in the number of passage and wintering Barn Swallows utilising an urban roost at Bentong, Peninsular Malaysia, through monthly counts following equal procedures in 1966-68. The second objective was to assess evidence for competition in terms of dietary overlap with a recently established population of house-farmed swiftlets (Aerodramus sp.) using both morphological identifications and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Modern peak numbers in October 2015, at 63,290 swallows, were 72% of the November peak of 1967 (87,880). The negative trend may reflect a declining swallow population in the Palaearctic breeding area but may also be a consequence of diminished resources in this tropical wintering region. A notable change during the half-century interval has been the introduction of a large population of trophically similar house-farmed swiftlets Aerodramus sp. exceeding passage and wintering Barn Swallows at peak numbers. At an ordinal level, the diets of Barn Swallows and house-farmed swiftlets both include a high proportion of hymenopterans, but at the level of genus, there is dietary separation between them. Molecular NGS data based on lower taxonomic levels (i.e., family, genus, and species) showed only about 10% overlap. We conclude that, after an interval of half a century, dietary competition with the new resident population of house-farmed swiftlets is unlikely to account for the reduction in peak numbers of migratory Barn Swallows.
The importation of non-native fish species into Malaysia began as early as the 19 th century, whe... more The importation of non-native fish species into Malaysia began as early as the 19 th century, when a substantial number of non-native fishes were introduced from southern China, heralding the beginning of aquaculture in Malaysia. In this review, we analyzed the available literature on the history, checklists, current status, production trends, and potential ecological and socioeconomic impacts of non-native freshwater fishes in Malaysia. We identified a total of 30 non-native food fishes belonging to 12 families, with Cichlidae occurring the most frequently. Moreover, 173 species from 40 families of non-native freshwater ornamental, recreational and biological control fishes were also listed. The aquaculture production and wholesale value were significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) for non-native species, as compared to native species. Approximately 93% (1,317,990 metric tonnes (MT)) of aquaculture production and 85.6% (RM 7.4 billion) of wholesale value are from non-native species. However, for inland freshwater captured fisheries, the landing and wholesale values were significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) for native species than the non-native species. Non-native species only occupied approximately 28.6% (18,227 MT) of the landing, and 14.2% (RM 110 million) of wholesale value, respectively. For the ornamental fish production, the highest value was recorded in the year 2012 (RM 629 million), but dipped to its lowest value in 2017 (RM 327 million). The cyprinids that are mostly represented by non-native species recorded the highest value (RM 112 million) in the year 2018, followed by osteoglossids that are mainly represented by the native Asian arowana (RM 108 million). Despite the massive economic contribution from these non-native fishes, some of these fish present important ecological and socioeconomic threats to Malaysia. Several recommendations are proposed for a win-win situation between the economic gains and environmental threats caused by these non-native fishes.
This study explores the potential effects of alien fishes on the native fish community, well-bein... more This study explores the potential effects of alien fishes on the native fish community, well-being, and tropic preferences in selected rivers of Klang Valley, Malaysia. Following the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit assessment, most of the alien fishes (80%) are invasive. The alien species occurrences correlated positively (p < 0.05) with poor water quality, such as rivers with high ammonia-nitrogen and nitrite, but negatively with phosphate and dissolved oxygen. Anthropogenic characteristics, such as rivers with high pollution levels and ease of accessibility to the fish habitat, are mainly associated positively (p < 0.05) with the occurrences of alien fish species. In general, the results of fish stomach contents analyses and their associated indices, together with stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, revealed domination by alien fishes or diet overlaps between both alien and native fish species. This finding indicates that alien fishes benefited from the impacts o...
Large areas of tropical forests around the world were critically converted into agricultural area... more Large areas of tropical forests around the world were critically converted into agricultural areas especially oil palm plantation and for other human activities. Malaysia is one of the leaders in oil palm production and conversion of natural ecosystems into agricultural area gives an impact to the local biodiversity. This study aims to compare
Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, 2020
Invasive introduced fish species are well known for their deleterious impacts on aquatic biodiver... more Invasive introduced fish species are well known for their deleterious impacts on aquatic biodiversity and environment. This study provides the first report on the occurrence of introduced Amazon sailfin catfish, Pterygoplichthys pardalis from the Gombak basin, Selangor, Malaysia, where the suckermouth catfish, Hypostomus plecostomus and vermiculated sailfin catfish, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus had been previously reported. Besides, selected morphometric and meristic measurements between P. pardalis and P. disjunctivus from the Pusu River, Gombak basin were compared. Moreover, we also described two body patterns of the P. pardalis collected from the river. The body pattern which does not fit entirely with the known characteristics of P. pardalis or P. disjunctivus is suspected to be a result of hybridization between both species, but deeper study should be conducted to confirm this claim.
Uploads
Papers by Muhammad Rasul