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Flora of Indonesia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search A melting pot of Indonesian flora in Cibodas botanical garden, Indonesia. The flora of Indonesia consists of many unique varieties of tropical plants. Blessed with a tropical climate and around 18,000 islands, Indonesia is a nation with the second largest biodiversity in the world. The flora of Indonesia reflects an intermingling of Asian, Australian and the native species. This is due to the geography of Indonesia, located between two continents. The archipelago consists of a variety of regions from the tropical rain forests of the northern lowlands and the seasonal forests of the southern lowlands through the hill and mountain vegetation, to subalpine shrub vegetation. Having the second longest shoreline in the world, Indonesia also has many regions of swamps and coastal vegetation. Combined together, these all give rise to a huge vegetational biodiversity. There are about 28,000 species of flowering plants in Indonesia, consisting 2500 different kinds of orchids, 6000 traditional medicinal plants used as Jamu.,[1] 122 species of bamboo, over 350 species of rattan and 400 species of Dipterocarpus, including ebony, sandalwood and teakwood. Indonesia is also home to some unusual species such as carnivorous plants. One exceptional species is known as Rafflesia arnoldi, named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and Dr. Arnold, who discovered the flower in the depths of Bengkulu, southwest Sumatra. This parasitic plant has a large flower, does not produce leaves and grow on a certain liana on the rain forest floor. Another unusual plant is Amorphophallus titanum from Sumatra. Numerous species of insect trapping pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp.) can also be found in Borneo, Sumatra, and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago. Origin of Indonesian flora The origin of flora in Indonesia is heavily affected by geographical and geological events in Asian continent and Australasian continent (now Australia).[2] The present New Guinea island was connected with the present Australia continent, forming a supercontinent called the southern supercontinent Gondwana. This supercontinent began to break up 140 million years ago, and the New Guinea region (previously known as Sahul) moved towards the equator. As a result, animals from New Guinea traveled to Australian continent and vice versa, creating many different species living in different ecosystems. This activities still occur until the two regions separated completely. Asian continent influences, on the other hand, is the result of the reformation of the Laurasia supercontinent, which existed after the breakup of Rodinia around 1 billion years ago. Around 200 million years ago, the Laurasia supercontinent split completely, forming Laurentia (now America) and Eurasia continents. Although this occurred, the mainland of the Eurasia continent, including China, was not separated completely from the Indonesian archipelago. As a result, plants from the Eurasia mainland could propagate to the archipelago, and, under a different ecosystems, new forms of species were formed. # This page was last modified on 28 July 2011 at 13:58. # Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. In the nineteenth century, Alfred Russel Wallace proposed the idea of the Wallace Line, which is a line that divides Indonesian archipelago into two regions, the Asian biogeographical region (Sundaland) and the Australasia biogeographical Region (Wallacea). The line runs through the Indonesian Archipelago, between Borneo and Sulawesi (Celebes); and between Bali and Lombok.[3] The Indonesian archipelago, home of the Spice Islands, has been known since ancient time as the source of spices, such as clove, nutmeg, and pepper. The Maluku Islands were, until the late eighteenth century, the only source of economically significant spices. In the colonial time, clove and nutmeg were the most valuable commodities after gold and silver for the most Europeans. During the Dutch colonial era in Indonesia, the Dutch also created many plantages (plantations) of coffee, tea and sugar cane, mostly in Java. Along with the history of Indonesia the sailors from India, China and Europe have brought also new kinds of plant species to this archipelago. Plant species, which are not native to this archipelago, such as tea, coffee and rubber tree are then established. [edit] Vegetation types The Distribution of Indonesian vegetation Indonesia’s terrestrial flora can be collected into characteristic vegetation groups. The most important determinant is rainfall, followed by temperature which affects water availability. The distribution of Indonesian flora is dominated by the broadleaf evergreen forests. This is mostly seen in the regions where population density is still relatively low, such as Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and West Papua. On Java and Bali the vegetation is dominated by cultivated plants. Swamp forests, mangrove, and Nypa fruticans forests are found along the coast. On the mountainous regions subalpine and alpine vegetation is dominant. In the lesser Sunda islands, where rainfall is not as plentiful as in other parts of Indonesia, grasslands are regularly seen. [edit] Biodiversity Hotspots The flower of Amorphophallus titanum at Bogor Botanical Gardens According to the Conservation International, there are two biodiversity hotspots in Indonesia: Wallacea and Sundaland.[4] The provinces of West Papua and Papua are also extremely biodiverse. Lorentz National Park, located in the province of Papua, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 by UNESCO.[5] [edit] Sundaland Sundaland, which is located on the west part of the Indonesian archipelago, holds about 25,000 different species of plants. 15,000 of them are endemic to this region and cannot be found anywhere else. Scyphostegiaceae is a plant family represented by a single species, Scyphostegia borneensis, which is endemic to Borneo. Another 155 species of Dipterocarpus are also endemic to this island. Borneo also has more than 2,000 species of orchids. The forests in Sumatra include more than 100 species of Dipterocarpus, nearly a dozen of them are endemic to this island. The island Java has about 270 endemic orchid species. At least 117 plant genera are endemic in this biodiversity hotspot. 59 of them are found in Borneo and 17 in Sumatra. Unique plants from this region are similar to ones from the Asian continent, mentioning Rafflesia arnoldii, the pitcher plants and Javanese Edelweiss (Anaphalis javanica) as examples. Flowers of Eucalyptus deglupta [edit] Wallacea It is estimated, that there are about 10,000 species of plants in this biodiversity hotspot region. About 1,200 species and 12 genera are endemic. The island of Sulawesi has about 500 endemic plant species. The islands of Moluccas have about 300 endemic plant species and the Lesser Sunda Islands consist of at least 120 endemic plant species. Little is known about the flora of this region. Three of these unique species, Agathis, Pterocarpus indicus, and Eucalyptus deglupta, are mentioned as examples. [edit] West Papua and Papua The flora of this region has somewhat the influence of the Australian continent. This region contain a continuous transect from snow cap mountains, lowland wetlands to tropical marine environment. This is the perfect place for such a huge number of diverse plant species. It has been estimated that Papua and west Papua may contain from 20,000 to 25,000 species of vascular plants. An astonishing 60-90% of them may be endemic to this region. This region has been poorly explored so the actual number of endemic species is unknown. [edit] Indonesia's national flowers On 5 June 1990, in a ceremony to mark the World Environment Day, President Soeharto declared three flowers as Indonesia's national flowers. These are the melati (Jasminum sambac), a small white flower with a sweet fragrance, the anggrek bulan (Phalaenopsis amabilis), and of course the Rafflesia arnoldi. [edit] National love flora and fauna day In order to build respect and love for the Indonesian flora and fauna, the government has declared November 5 as the national love flora and fauna day. Annually there are postage stamps released with this motto. They show pictures of plants and animals, which are endemic or unique for a specific region or a province of Indonesia. [edit] Current issues Deforestation is a major problem in Indonesia. The current rate is a loss of 2 million hectares per year.[6] As a highly populous country with the tendency of rapid industrialisation, the need of natural resources and land also increases. Illegally created wildfire causes heavy smog around Indonesia's neighbour countries. According to the Indonesian department of forestry, there are currently 174 plants endemic in Indonesia listed as endangered species.[7] Maintaining the balance between the need of economical growth of the country and the preservation of its natural heritage is not an easy duty. Just like other developing nations, Indonesia is currently trying to keep this balance. Ecotourism might be one solution to this problem. Using the biodiversity, Indonesia might improve the economical status of its issolated regions. [edit] See also Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Flora of Indonesia * List of national parks of Indonesia * Geography of Indonesia * Fauna of Indonesia * List of Indonesian floral emblems [edit] References 1. ^ "Flora-The Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia in New Zealand". The Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia (Administrator). http://www.indonesianembassy.org.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=89. Retrieved 2007-05-01. 2. ^ "Indonesia - Flora and Fauna". Encyclopedia of the Nations. Encyclopedia of the Nations. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Indonesia-FLORA-AND-FAUNA.html. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 3. ^ Zubi, Teresa (2006-08-25). "The Wallacea Line". http://www.starfish.ch/dive/Wallacea.html. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 4. ^ "Biodiversity Hotspots". http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/hotspots_by_region/. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 5. ^ "UNESCO- Lorentz National Park". http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=955. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 6. ^ "Global Forest Watch: Indonesia". http://www.globalforestwatch.org/english/indonesia/forests.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-03. 7. ^ "Indonesian Departement of Forestry". http://li.defined.net/cgi-bin/pika.exe/html?html=ctry/pl_en_list.htm&iso3=IDN. Retrieved 2006-10-12.

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The role of forests Forest ecosystems deliver a vast array of products and services to the society. Perhaps the most famous product from the forest is wood, which also has a enormous diversity of applications and purposes, such as construction purposes, furniture and fuel. But apart from that there is a large number of non-timber forest products, like medicinal plants, honey, fruits and bushmeat. The availability, the use and the importance of these products varies per region and per culture. Especially in developing countries many people are dependant upon these products. In many cases they form an important part of the diet, like proteins from animal products. Most often the poorest and vulnerable part of society depend very much on the forest. This group can also revert to the forest resources in periods when their conditions get worse – the forest is then functioning as a safety net. Ecosystem Services Apart from concrete products, forests also deliver all kind of Ecosystem Services. Forests play an important role in the global and local water cycle. The specific role very much depends on the local circumstances and conditions and also on the forest type itself. Positive effects of forest are attracting rain water, purification of water and regulation of water flows. In areas with relief trees protect the soil against erosion. Forests also influence local climate. Dependant on the latitude forest influences the temperature in a region: in the tropics forest have a net cooling effect through evapotranspiration while at higher altitudes, mainly boreal forests, there is a net warming effect because the relative dark colour of the canopies absorbs warmth from the sun (albedo effect). On a global level forests stabilize climate by regulating energy and water cycles. Rainwater that is generated by the Amazon tropical forest enables the beef and soya production as well as the biofuel industry in Brazil, which are of great importance for the economy. And the deforestation in Southeast Asia can have consequences for the rainfall patterns in Southern Europe and the Northwest coastal area of the United States. Cultural aspects Forests do also have a cultural, religious and spiritual significance, like sacred forests, that are often untouched or protected. In Ethiopia, a country with a very high deforestation rate, the few remaining forests are located near old churches. Specific locations in the forest can also be used for rituals like circumcision or initiation. Biodiversity From a biodiversity viewpont forest are also extremely valuable. The tropical rainforest is the biome with the largest biodiversity of all biomes. Many impressive species live in forests, like the great apes. However, ecosystems in general have very much changed in the past 50 years, more than in any other period of human history. That also applies to forest ecosystems. This has resulted in big en often irreversible loss of diversity of life on earth. In the past centuries 1000 times more species were extinct than on average in the period before. And at this moment 10 to 30 % of mammal, bird and amphibian species are threatened with extinction. It is of importance to conserve biodiversity, because it has all kinds of regulating, supportive, cultural and provisional functions. Interventions are required to stop deforestation, forest fragmentation, forest degradation but also climate change. There is a lot of uncertainty with respect to the effect of climate change on biodiversity, but it is clear that it is an important stress factor for ecosystems. Ownership The services of the forest are public goods: not only the landowner benefits but also its neighbours and e.g. the people that live downstream a forested area. When it comes to CO2 storage or to unique biodiversity, the world population as a whole benefits. Forest owners usually do not get paid for the services, which leads to biased decisions on land-use. The landowners will choose for the most profitable type of land-use and if external costs and benefits are not included, it is likely that forests are converted to arable land, pasture or plantations. By offering the landowner a prize for the public goods, they can make a fair and sustainable choice. One option that of selling the stored or sequestered carbon from the forest through carbon credits. Sources: -Mitchell, A.W.,Secoy,K and Mardas N. (2007). Forests First in the Fight against Climate Change. Global Canopy Programme. - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC.

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Sangeh Monkey Forest Information

Sangeh is a village located on the western part of Denpasar, around an hour drive from Kuta and other tourist resort on south Bali. It is renown as one of the tourist object. Sangeh Monkey Forest covers an area of six hectare of tropical rain forest and is connected by well developed road to Denpasar. Other interesting place around this area is Pelaga Village featuring breathtaking green hill views with hectares of rice paddies on the foot of the hill.

There is an old temple in Sangeh Monkey Forest and was built during the seventeenth century. Thousand of sacred nutmeg trees covers the whole area and are the home for the monkeys and bats. This is a small forest measuring 12,00ha where you can find hundreds of monkey in their natural habitat.

In Hindu religion monkeys have a special status that is the main reason monkeys live freely and peaceful in Sangeh. Humabeing and monkeys live harmoniously without disturbing each other.  The monkeys are very attracted in shiny object such as Camera, glasses and etc, so keep your things with calm.

How to get there
To get there, you can ride Bemo the local public transportation, from Ubung and Wangaya bus terminal in central of Denpasar. Sangeh is within an easy drive from Mengwi, 15 kilometer southwest, or 40 minutes ride to the west of Ubud. Alternatively you can join in an organized tours from the travel agent.
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The tropical rainforest

Tropical Broadleaf Evergreen Forest: The Rainforest

Introduction. The tropical rainforest is earth's most complex biome in terms of both structure and species diversity. It occurs under optimal growing conditions: abundant precipitation and year round warmth. There is no annual rhythm to the forest; rather each species has evolved its own flowering and fruiting seasons. Sunlight is a major limiting factor. A variety of strategies have been successful in the struggle to reach light or to adapt to the low intensity of light beneath the canopy.
Climate: (Koeppen's Af and Am climate types.) Mean monthly temperatures are above 64 ° F; precipitation is often in excess of 100 inches a year. There is usually a brief season of reduced precipitation. In monsoonal areas, there is a real dry s eason, but that is more than compensated for with abundant precipitation the rest of the year.
Vegetation: A vertical stratification of three layer of trees is apparent.. These layers have been identified as A, B, and C layers:

• A layer: the emergents. Widely spaced trees 100 to 120 feet tall and with umbrella-shaped canopies extend above the general canopy of the forest. Since they must contend with drying winds, they tend to have small leaves and some species are deci duous during the brief dry season.
• B layer: a closed canopy of 80 foot trees. Light is readily available at the top of this layer, but greatly reduced below it.
• C layer: a closed canopy of 60 foot trees. There is little air movement in this zone and consequently humidity is constantly high.
• Shrub/sapling layer: Less than 3 percent of the light intercepted at the top of the forest canopy passes to this layer. Arrested growth is characteristic of young trees capable of a rapid surge of growth when a gap in canopy above them opens.
• Ground layer: sparse plant growth. Less than 1 percent of the light that strikes the top of the forest penetrates to the forest floor. In such darkness few green plants grow. Moisture is also reduced by the canopy above: one third of the precipitation is intercepted before it reaches the ground.

Growthforms: Various growthforms represent strategies to reach sunlight:

1. Epiphytes: the so-called air plants grow on branches high in the trees, using the limbs merely for support and extracting moisture from the air and trapping the constant leaf-fall and wind-blown dust. Bromeliads (pineapple family) are especially abundant in the neotropics; the orchid family is widely distributed in all three formations of the tropical rainforest. As demonstration of the relative aridity of exposed branches in the high canopy, epiphytic cacti also occur in the Americas.
2. Lianas: woody vines grow rapidly up the tree trunks when there is a temporary gap in the canopy and flower and fruit in the tree tops of the A and B layers. Many are deciduous.
3. Climbers: green-stemmed plants such as philodendron that remain in the understory. Many climbers, including the ancestors of the domesticated yams (Africa) and sweet potatoes (South America), store nutrients in roots and tubers.
4. Stranglers: these plants begin life as epiphytes in the canopy and send their roots downward to the forest floor. The fig family is well represented among stranglers.
5. Heterotrophs: non-photosynthetic plants can live on the forest floor.
   • Parasites derive their nutrients by tapping into the roots or stems of photosynthetic species. Rafflesia arnoldi, a root parasite of a liana, has the world's largest flower, more than three feet in diameter. It produces an odor similar to rotting flesh to attract pollinating insects.
   • Saprophytes derive their nutrients from decaying organic matter. Some orchids employ this strategy common to fungi and bacteria.

Common characteristics of tropical trees. Tropical species frequently possess one or more of the following attributes not seen in trees of higher latitudes.

• Buttresses: many species have broad, woody flanges at the base of the trunk. Originally believed to help support the tree, now it is believed that the buttresses channel stem flow and its dissolved nutrients to the roots.
• Large leaves are common among trees of the C layer. Young individuals of trees destined for the B and A layers may also have large trees. When the reach the canopy new leaves will be smaller. The large leaf surface helps intercept light in the sun-dappled lower strata of the forest.
• Drip tips facilitate drainage of precipitation off the leaf to promote transpiration. They occur in the lower layers and among the saplings of species of the emergent layer (A layer).

Other characteristics that distinguish tropical species of trees from those of temperate forests include

• Exceptionally thin bark, often only 1-2 mm thick. Usually very smooth, although sometimes armed with spines or thorns.
• Cauliflory, the development of flowers (and hence fruits) directly from the trunk, rather than at the tips of branches.
• Large fleshy fruits attract birds, mammals, and even fish as dispersal agents.

Soil: Oxisols, infertile, deeply weathered and severely leached, have developed on the ancient Gondwanan shields. Rapid bacterial decay prevents the accumulation of humus. The concentration of iron and aluminum oxides by the laterization pro cess gives the oxisols a bright red color and sometimes produces minable deposits (e.g., bauxite). On younger substrates, especially of volcanic origin, tropical soils may be quite fertile. Subclimaxes: Distinct communities (varzea) develop on floodplains. Jungles may line rivers where sunlight penetrates all layers of the forest. Where forests have long been cleared and laterites have developed to cause season waterlogging of the sub strate, tropical grasslands and palm savannas occur.
Fauna: Animal life is highly diverse. Common characteristics found among mammals and birds (and reptiles and amphibians, too) include adaptations to an arboreal life (for example, the prehensile tails of New World monkeys), bright colors and sharp patterns, loud vocalizations, and diets heavy on fruits.
Distribution of biome: The tropical rainforest is found between 10 ° N and 10 ° S latitude at elevations below 3,000 feet. There are three major, disjunct formations:

• Neotropical (Amazonia into Central America)
• African (Zaire Basin with an outlier in West Africa; also eastern Madagascar)
• Indo- Malaysian (west coast of India, Assam, southeast Asia, New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.

The species composition and even genera and families are distinct in each. They also differ from species of temperate forests. Species diversity is highest in the extensive neotropical forest; second in the highly fragmented Indo-Malaysian formation; and lowest in Africa. Where 5 to a maximum of 30 species of tree share dominance in the Temperate Broadleaf Deciduous Forest, there may be 40 to 100 different species in one hectare of tropical rainforest. Tropical species of both plants and animals often hav e very restricted distribution areas.

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Alpine expressions of the biome: A simplification of the tropical rainforest in species composition and in stratification occurs as elevation exceeds 3000 ft. Distinct communities are found at higher elevations, communities that do not replicate latitudinal changes in vegetation as do alpine communities in temperate zones. For more information, see Tropical Life Zones.

Biomes

Biogeography

Geography Department

Radford University

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Created by SLW, October 13, 1996 Last modified October 29, 1997.