home icon user icon
Welcome to International Network for Natural Sciences | INNS Pub.
Home My Account
Submit Manuscript
double_slash
breadcumb_bg

Reptile Diversity in Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape, South Cotabato, Philippines

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/02/2016
Views (680) Download (46)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Reptile Diversity in Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape, South Cotabato, Philippines

Olga M. Nuñeza, Maria Luisa P. Non, Edna P. Oconer, Maximo C. Aljibe
J. Bio. Env. Sci.8( 2), 9-21, February 2016.
Certificate: JBES 2016 [Generate Certificate]
Key: EndemismLowland dipterocarp forestSphenomorphusvariegatusTropidophoruspartelloi

Abstract

Reptiles are highly diversewith high percentage of endemism in the Philippines. However, reptile diversity in Mindanao, the second largest island in the country,is poorly known. To determine the species richness, diversity, endemism and conservation status of reptiles, this study was conducted from August to December 2013in six sampling sites of Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL), South Cotabato.Cruising methodwasdone in the six sampling sites of MMPL. Paleontological Statistics Software Package (PAST) version 3.06 was used to determine the biodiversity indices, similarity index, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Thirteen species of reptiles belonging to five families and 11 genera with percentage endemism of46.15% were documented. High species diversity of reptiles with more or less even distribution was recorded in MMPL. Among the sampled sites, sampling site 1, a disturbed lowland dipterocarp forest had the highest species diversityand endemism.Sphenomorphusvariegatus was the most abundant species. Tropidophoruspartelloi, the only Mindanao Island endemic species was only found in the disturbed and undisturbed montane forests. Most of the documented species were under the Least Concern status. Bray-Curtis cluster analysis showed that sites 2 and 5 had the highest similarity percentage (68%) while Kruskal-Wallis test showed no significant difference between samples in disturbedand undisturbed sites. Threats to the reptiles of MMPL were observed to be the conversion of forest to farmland and hunting thus implying the need for protection of habitats and conservation of species in MMPL.

VIEWS 121
Cover PDF

Alcala AC. 1986. Guide to Philippine Flora and Fauna,Vol X. Amphibians and Reptiles. Manila: Natural Resources Management Center. Ministry of Natural Resources and the University of the Philippines, Quezon City, 1-195 p.

Alcala EL. 2009. Land Vertebrates field Collection and Techniques (Mock training Version. Silliman University Angelo-king Centre for Research and Environmental Management (SUAKREM) Silliman University Dumaguete City, Philippines.

Alcala AC, Alcala EL, Buot LE, Diesmos A, Dólar M, Fernando ES, Gonzales J, Tabaranza B. 2006. Philippine Biodiversity: Ecological Roles, Uses,  and  Conservation  Status.  Transactionsof  the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines 28, 203-214.

Angell RL, Butlin RG, Altringha JD. 2013. Sexual Segregation and Flexible Mating Patterns in Temperate Bats. Plos One 8(1), e54194.

Belleza BGD, Nuñeza OM. 2014. Herpetofaunal Diversity and Endemism in Selected Caves of Sarangani Province and Lanao del Sur, Philippines. Advances in Environmental Biology 8(21), 411-418.

Bennett EL, Robinson JG. 2000. Hunting of Wildlife in Tropical Forests Implications for Biodiversity and Forest Peoples. Environment Department working papers, no. 76. Biodiversity series, Washington, D.C., The World Bank, 1-29.

Beukema W. 2011.Herpetofauna of disturbed forest fragments on the lower Mt. Kitanglad Range, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Salamandra 47(2), 90-98.

Brown WC, Alcala AC. 1980. Philippine Lizards of the Family Scincidae.Dumaguete City: Silliman University Press, p. 1-264.

Brown R, Rico E. 2009. Cyrtodactylusannulatus. The  IUCN  Red  List  of  Threatened  Species  2009: e.T169838A6680602. Downloaded on 01 October 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20092.RLTS.T169838A6680602.en.

Brown RM, Diesmos AC, Duya M. 2007. A new species of Luperosaurus(Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Sierra Madre mountain range of northern Luzon Island, Philippines. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 55, 153–160.

Brown RM, Linkem CW, Balete D,Duya MV, Diesmos AC, Ferner JW. 2010. Species boundaries in Philippine montane forest skinks (genus Sphenomorphus): Three new species from the mountains of Luzon and clarification of the status of the poorly known S. beyeri, S. knollmanae, and S. laterimaculatus. Scientific Papers, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas 42, 1–27.

Brown RM, Oliveros CH, Siler CD, Fernandez JB, Welton LJ, Buenavente PAC, Diesmos MLL, Diesmos AC. 2012. Amphibians and Reptiles of Luzon Island (Philippines), VII: Herpetofauna of Ilocos Norte Province, Northern Cordillera Mountain Range. Check List 8(3), 469-490.

Brown RM, Siler CD, Oliveros CH, Welton LJ, Rock A, Swab J, Van Weerd M, Van Beijnen J, Jose E, Rodriguez D, Jose E, Diesmos AC. 2013. The amphibians and reptiles of Luzon Island, Philippines, VIII: the herpetofauna of Cagayan and Isabela Provinces, northern Sierra Madre MountainRange. ZooKeys 266, 1-120.

Conover MR. 2001. Effect of Hunting and Trapping on Wildlife Damage. Wildlife Society Bulletin 29(2), 521-532.

D’Cruze ND, Kumar S. 2011. Effects of anthropogenic activities on lizard communities in northern Madagascar.Animal Conservation 14(5), 542– 552.

Delima EMM, Ates FB, Ibañez JC. 2006. Species composition and microhabitats of frogs within Arakan Valley Conservation Area, Cotabato, Mindanao Island, Philippines.Banwa 3, 16–30.

Devan-Song A, Brown RM. 2012.Amphibians and Reptiles of Luzon Island, Philippines, VI: The Herpetofauna of the Subic Bay Area. Asian Herpetological Research 3(1), 1–20.

Diesmos A, Demegillo A. 2009. Tropidophoruspartelloi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009: e.T169764A6670895. Downloaded on 01 October 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20092.RLTS.T1 69764A6670895.en.

Diesmos AC, DiesmosML, Brown RM. 2006. Status and distribution of alien invasive frogs in the Philippines. Journal of Environmental Science and Management 9, 41–53.

Diesmos AC, Brown RM, Alcala AC, Sison RV, Afuang LE, Gee GVA. 2002. Philippine amphibians and reptiles: an overview of species diversity, biogeography, and conservation, In: Ong P, Afuang L, Rosell-Ambal R, Eds. Philippine biodiversity conservation priorities: a second iteration of the national biodiversity strategy and action plan. Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau andFoundation for the Philippine Environment, Quezon City, Philippines, 26-44 p.

Edgar P, Foster J, Baker J. 2010. Reptile Habitat Management Handbook. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Bournemouth, p. 1-73.

Foundation for the Philippine Environment. 2014. Life All Around: The Distribution of Biodiversity. Retrieved August 6, 2015 from http://fpe.ph/biodiversity.html/view/life-all-around-the-distribution-of-biodiversity/all/0

Gaines WL, Harrod RJ, Lehmkuhl JF. 1999.Monitoring biodiversity: quantification and interpretation. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-443. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 1-27 p.

Garciano DMP, Nuñeza OM, Barrion-Dupo AL. 2014.Species Richness of Spider in Mt. Matutum, South Cotabato, Philippines. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 4(6), 214-224.

Glaw F, Vences M. 2007: A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar,Third Edition. – Köln, Vences and GlawVerlags, Cologne, 450-496 p.

Green J. 2013.  The  impact of  environmentalism: Food and Farming. Raintree, London, 60-64 p.

Heaney LR, Regalado JC. 1998. Vanishing Treasures of the Philippine Rain Forest. The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Hutchens S, DePerno C. 2009. Measuring species diversity to determine land-use effects on reptile and amphibian assemblages.Amphibia-Reptilia 30, 81– 88.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.3. Downloaded on 01October 2015. www.iucnredlist.org

Kryštufek B, Janžekovic F, DonevNR. 2008.Elevational diversity of reptiles on two Dinaric mountains. Journal of Natural History 42(5-8), 399-408.

Lambert MRK. 2002. Amphibians and Reptiles. In:Granr IF, Tingle CCD, Eds.Ecological Monitoring Methods for the Assessment of Pesticide Impact in the Tropics. Natural Resources Institute, Chatham, UK, 213-227 p.

Linkem CW, Siler CD, Diesmos AC, Brown RM. 2010. A new species of Gekko(Squamata: Gekkonidae) from central Luzon Island, Philippines. Zootaxa 2396, 37–49.

Lubis MI, Endarwin W, Riendriasari SD, Suwardiansah, Ul-Hasanah AU, Irawan F, Aziz KH, Malawi A. 2008. Conservation of herpetofauna in BantimurungBulusaraung National park, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Conservation Leadership Programme, 1-24 p.

Lynch BM. 2015. Undercover researchers expose two new species of lizard for sale on Philippine black market. Retrieved August 6, 2105 from http://news.ku.edu/2015/01/12/undercoverresearch ers-expose-two-new-species-lizard-sale-philippine-black-market.

Mallari NAD, Collar NJ, Lee DC, McGowan PJK, Wilkinson R, Marsden SJ. 2011. Population densities of understorey birds across a habitat gradient in Palawan, Philippines: implications for conservation. Oryx 45(2), 234-242.

Marks R. 2006.Amphibians and Reptiles.Natural Resources Conservation Service and Wildlife Habitat Council.Fish and Wildlife Habitat Leaflet 35, 1-8.

Mc Cain CM. 2010. Global analysis of reptile elevational Diversity.Global Ecology and Biogeography (Global Ecology and Biogeography) 19, 541–553.

Middeljans MJ. 2014.The species composition of the mangrove forest alongthe Abatan River in Lincod, Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines and the mangrove forest structure and its regeneration status between managed and unmanaged Nipa palm. BSc Tropical Forestry and Nature Management, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands, 1-67 p.

Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, da Fonseca GAB, Kent J. 2000. Biodiversity Hotspots for Conservation Priorities. Nature 403(6772), 853-858.

Nuñeza OM. 2012. Guideto Amphibiansand Reptilesof Mindanao, Philippines. Office of Publication and Information OVCRE , Mindanao State University-IliganInstituteof Technology, IliganCity, Philippines, p. 1-72.

Nuñeza OM, Galorio AHN. 2015. Cave Herpetofauna of Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape, Philippines. World Journal of Environmental Biosciences 4(1), 26-35.

Nuñeza OM, Ates FB, Alicante AA. 2010. Distribution of endemic and threatened herpetofauna in Mt. Malindang, Mindanao, Philippines. Biodiversity and Conservation 19(2), 503– 518.

Nuñeza OM, Non MLP, Makiputin RC, Oconer EP. 2015a. Species diversity of bats in Mt. Matutum protected landscape, Philippines. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 6(6), 377-390.

Nuñeza OM, Calizo-Enguito MR, Labajo-Villantes Y, Ponce AG. 2015b. Species richness and endemism of cave herpetofauna in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Extreme Life, Biospeology and Astrobiology-International Journal of the Bioflux Society 7(1), 10-24.

Nuñeza OM, Fabricante KM, Alicante AA, Sucaldito MP, Ponce AG. 2012. The Herpetofauna of Mounts Sambilikan, Ararat and Berseba of the Diwata Range, Agusan del Sur, Philippines. Asian Life Sciences 21(1), 203-216.

Oliveros CH, Ota H, Crombie RI, Brown RM. 2011. The herpetofauna of the Babuyan group of islands, northern Philippines.Scientific Publications of the Natural History Museum of the University of Kansas 43, 1–20.

Philippine Information Agency. 2011. Lady solon files bill establishing Mt. Matutum as protected area. Retrieved August 4, 2015 from http://archives.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=57298&y= 2011&mo=12.

Rebollido RG. 2009. Mt. Matutum’s hidden wealth. Retrieved from http://balita.ph/2009/09/08/mt-matutums-hidden-wealth/

Relox RE, Leańo EP, Ates-Camino FB. 2010. Herpetofaunal endemism and Diversity in Tropical Forests of Mt.Hamiguitan in the Philippines. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 6(1), 107-113.

Romero A Jr. 2012.Caves as Biological Spaces. Polymath: An Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Journal 2(3), 1-15.

Sanchez-Gonzalez A, Lopez-Mata L. 2005.Plant species richness and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the Sierra Nevada, Mexico. Diversity and Distribution 11, 567–575.

Siler CD, Welton LJ, Davis DR, Watters JL, Davey CS, Diesmos AC, Diesmos ML, Brown RM. 2014. Taxonomic revision of the Pseudogekkocompresicorpus complex (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae), with descriptions of three new species. Herpetological Monographs 28, 110– 139.

Siler CD, Welton LJ, Siler JM, Brown J, Bucol A, Diesmos AC, Brown RM. 2011. Amphibians and Reptiles, Luzon Island, Aurora Province and Aurora Memorial National Park, Northern Philippines: New island distribution records. Check List7, 182–195.

Smith BE. 1993. Notes on a Collection of Squamate Reptiles from Eastern Mindanao, Philippine Islands Part 1: Lacertilia. Asiatic Herpetological Research 5, 85-95.

Stuart SN, Chanson JS, Cox NA, Young BE, Rodrigues ASL, Fischman DL, Waller RW. 2004. Status and trend of amphibian decline and extinction worldwide. Science 306, 1783-1786.

Sy E, Custodio C, Gonzalez JC, Delima EM. 2009. Najasamarensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009: e.T169763A6670726. Downloaded on 30 September 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20092.RLTS.T1 69763A6670726.en.

Theisinger O, Ratianarivo MC. 2015. Patterns of Reptile Diversity Loss in Response to Degradation in the Spiny Forest of Southern Madagascar. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 10(1), 273– 283.

Tubelis DP, Cavalcanti RB. 2001. Community similarity and abundance of bird species in open habitats of a Central Brazilian Cerrado. Ornitologia Neotropical 12, 57-73.

UetzP. 2015. Reptile Database: General Information. Retrieved August 6, 2015 from http://www.reptiledatabase.org/dbinfo/introduction. html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2003. Protecting wetlands for amphibian and reptile conservation. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/HerpCon servation.pdf

Wathen S, Thorne JH, Holguin A, Schwartz MW. 2014. Estimating the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Species Richness within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. PLoS ONE 9(12), e112465.

Welton LJ, Siler CD, Bennet D, Diesmos AC, Duya MR, Dugay R, Rico ELR, van Weerd M, Brown RM. 2010. A spectacular new Philippine monitor lizard reveals a hidden biogeographic boundary and a novel flagship species for conser-vation. Biology Letters 6, 654–658.

Williams AE, Hendry K, Bradley DC, Waterfall R, Cragg-Hine D. 2005. The importance of habitat heterogeneity to fish diversity and biomass.Journal of Fish Biology 67, 278–278.

www.google.com.ph. 2015. Philippines. Retrieved August 8, 2015 from https://www.google.com.ph/maps

Submit Manuscript