BEAUTIFUL BIODIVERSITY GIVES CLUES TO OUR FUTURE NOW

MOUNT KINABALU -- MALAYSIAN BORNEO

Tropical mountains are among the most biodiverse places on the planet. They are home to some of the  greatest numbers of endemic plant and animal species which have evolved uniquely as they rise in altitude, as temperatures and microclimates change.

Species living on a tropical mountain summit, may occur only there, and nowhere else in the world. Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, is perhaps the most biodiverse of them all.

Recent botanical surveys of the mountain estimate it supports 5,000 to 6,000 plant species (excluding mosses and liverworts but including ferns), That is more than existing in all non-tropical North America and Europe combined.

The world’s richest variety of orchids  -- over 800 species -- lives at the top of Mount Kinabalu. There are over 600 species of ferns, more than anywhere else, 50 of which are edemic. The widest diversity of Nepenthes pitcher plants live here.

Rafflesia, an endemic parasitic plant, has the largest single flower in the world averaging 94 centimetres (37 in) in diameter).

A recent expedition, led by Vincent Merckx and Menno Schilthuizen, of Naturalis Biodiversity Center, found that most of the unique species living there evolved after the mountain was formed.

Mount Kinabalu is 4,095 meters high. It is home to hundreds of endemic species, earning it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Merckx, Schilthuizen and their team of 45 experts, collected 10’s of thousands of plant and animal specimens, representing dozens of endemic species, which they then subjected to DNA analysis to try to determine their origins. Their findings are published in Nature.

Ferns, mosses, orchids, mushrooms, snails, leeches, insects, spiders, and frogs, collected from 37 locations on the mountain, were examined. Kinabalu appears to be a “hotbed” of evolution.

Some of the unique immigrant species were found to come from as far away as Himalayan, Australasian, and Indomalayan regions. Interestingly they were already adapted to a cool mountaintop environment when they arrived.

The endemic species with local origins, near the base of the mountain, were found to have gradually adapted to the cooler conditions.

Researchers found that most of the species are young. New species also evolve at the top the mountain, often evolving from species that already lived under such similar conditions.

There is a great diversity of birds and mammals on Kinabalu as well. Over 326 bird species, including the rhinoceros hornbill, mountain serpent-eagle, Dulit frogmouth, eyebrowed jungle flycatcher, and bare-headed laughingthrush live here.

Over 100 mammal species live in Kinabalu’s treetops, including orangutans, deer, Malayan weasels (Mustela nudipes), small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea), and leopard cat (Felis bengalensis). Endemic mammals include the black shrew (Suncus ater) and Bornean ferret-badger (Melogale everetti).

And, of course, there are loads of endemic insects and creepy crawlies, like the Kinabalu giant red leech and its prey, the Kinabalu giant earthworm.

Among the most important outcomes of this study are the implications for the protection of the endemic species, giving clues as to which species may be able to evolve to keep up with climate change.

Read more about Beautiful Evolution, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 Beautiful New Books Celebrating the Beauty of Diversity Now, Diversity Makes the World More Beautiful Now, A Beautiful Diverse Palette For Your Palate Now, The Magnificent Art & Beauty of Diversity Now, Experience the Extraordinary Beauty of Biodiversity Now and Beauty is Diversity Now.

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