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Australian Journal of Botany Australian Journal of Botany Society
Southern hemisphere botanical ecosystems
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Plant diversity and ecology of ultramafic outcrops in Sabah (Malaysia)

Antony van der Ent A E , Rimi Repin B , John Sugau C and Khoon Meng Wong D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.

B Sabah Parks, KK Times Square, Coastal Highway, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

C Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Malaysia.

D Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, Singapore.

E Corresponding author. Email: a.vanderent@uq.edu.au

Australian Journal of Botany 63(4) 204-215 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT14214
Submitted: 31 August 2014  Accepted: 26 January 2015   Published: 19 June 2015

Abstract

Ultramafic outcrops occupy less than 1% of the land surface of the Earth and are renowned as hotspots of plant diversity and endemism. With over 3500 km2 of ultramafic outcrops in Sabah (4.6% of the total landmass of the state) on the island of Borneo and a total of 4252 plant species recorded occurring on this substrate, Malaysia has one of the most species-rich floras occupying these outcrops globally. Over 2542 plant species have been documented on ultramafic outcrops in Kinabalu Park alone, of which a large percentage is endemic to either Kinabalu Park or Borneo. Despite the existence of this species rich flora, the full plant diversity and ecology remains largely unknown because of a lack of focussed research. Furthermore, plant diversity in many areas of Sabah is severely threatened by land-use conversion and, because many plant species occur only in a single or a few ultramafic sites, impacts on the ecosystems that support them could eventually result in their extinction.

Additional keywords: Endemism, Kinabalu Park, Mount Tambuyukon, serpentinite.


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