A SURVEY (2009) OF MACROPHYTE INHABITING THE PENGKALAN GAWI – PULAU DULA SECTION OF TASIK KENYIR, TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA

Kamaruddin, I.S., A.S. Mustafa Kamal, A. Christianus, S.K. Daud, and L. Yu-Abit, (2010). A survey (2009) of macrophyte inhabiting the Pengkalan Gawi – Pulau Dula Section of Kenyir Lake, Terengganu, Malaysia. International Symposium of Forest and Forestry Products. Kuala Lumpur. Poster Presentation. 82-83pp.

A SURVEY (2009) OF MACROPHYTE INHABITING THE PENGKALAN GAWI – PULAU DULA SECTION OF TASIK KENYIR, TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA

Kamaruddin, I.S.,¹ A.S. Mustafa Kamal,¹* A. Christianus¹ and S.K. Daud²

¹Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

²Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

*Corresponding author: E-mail: akuakultur_upm@hotmail.com

A survey was conducted in the month of September 2009 to identify macrophyte species inhabiting the Pengkalan Gawi – Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, Malaysia. The macrophyte samples were collected at three sampling stations within this section designated as Station A which is located at Pulau Dula, Station B which is located at Sungai Ikan and Station C which is located at Pulau Pupi. All the macrophytes were collected using racking tools, grapple claws, scissors, scoop and stick and the species were identified using standard taxonomic keys. A total of 7 species of macrophytes were observed in this survey. These species are Nitella sp., Cyperus sp. Hydrilla verticillata, Utricularia aurea, Acorus calamus, Leersia hexandra and Eleocharis dulcis. At stations, Pulau Dula station was observed to be inhabited by three species of macrophytes, Sungai Ikan station was inhabited by four species of macrophytes and Pulau Pupi station was inhabited by one species macrophyte. The submerged species, Nitella sp. was found to live in all stations in this survey. The data on macrophytes in this lake section are hoped to provide some useful input for the fishery management in Tasik Kenyir especially in the Pengkalan Gawi – Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir. Sustainable management and conservation programmes are needed in managing the lake for the present and future generations.   

Keywords: Macrophyte, Aquatic plant, Lake, Tasik Kenyir. 

The poster presentation: 

Below is the Full Paper for the poster presentation. 

  

Kamaruddin, I.S., A.S. Mustafa Kamal, A. Christianus, S.K. Daud and L. Yu Abit (2010). A Survey (2009) of macrophytes inhabiting the Pengkalan Gawi - Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, Malaysia. 239-244pp. In: K.S. Gan, S. Mahmudin and M.Y. Mohd. Nor (eds.). Addressing global concerns and changing societal needs. International symposium on forestry and forest products: Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Kuala Lumpur. October 5-7.

A SURVEY (2009) OF MACROPHYTES INHABITING THE PENGKALAN GAWI–PULAU DULA SECTION OF TASIK KENYIR, TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA

I.S. Kamaruddin1, A.S. Mustafa Kamal1*, A. Christianus1, S.K. Daud2 & L. Yu Abit1

¹Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
²Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
*Corresponding author: E-mail: akuakultur_upm@hotmail.com

Abstract

            A survey was conducted in the month of September 2009 to identify macrophyte species inhabiting the Pengkalan Gawi–Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, Malaysia. The macrophyte samples were collected at three sampling stations within the lake, designated as Station A which is located at Pulau Dula, Station B which is located at Sungai Ikan and Station C which is located at Pulau Pupi. All the macrophytes were collected using racking tools, grapple claws, scissors, scoops and sticks and the species were identified using standard taxonomic keys. A total of seven species of macrophytes were observed in this survey. These species were Nitella sp., Cyperus sp. Hydrilla verticillata, Utricularia aurea, Acorus calamus, Leersia hexandra and Eleocharis dulcis. At stations, Pulau Dula station was observed to be inhabited by three species of macrophytes, Sungai Ikan station was inhabited by six species of macrophytes and Pulau Pupi station was inhabited by three species of macrophytes. The submerged species, Nitella sp., was found to live in all stations in this survey. The data on macrophytes in this lake section are hoped to provide some useful input for the fishery management in Tasik Kenyir, especially in the Pengkalan Gawi–Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir. Sustainable management and conservation programmes are needed in managing the lake for the present and future generations.

INTRODUCTION
 
Tasik Kenyir is the biggest man-made lake in Malaysia (about 260 km2) and it supports various species of flora and fauna within the lake. It is home to thousands of plant species, fungi, insects, birds, mammals and many other exotic wildlife (Hasan & Ambak 2005). The lake was built without pre-clearing and lies within a thickly forested region (Ambak & Jalal 1998). Algae and macrophytes that grow on the dead trunks and branches serve as food to the majority of fish, as described by DOF (1994). However, there is little information available on the biological diversity of the lake, especially on the aquatic macrophyte community of Tasik Kenyir. 

Aquatic macrophytes are also known as aquatic plants. Macrophytes are essential to the survival of other aquatic organisms. They not only supply oxygen to the other biota but also contribute to the physical habitat (Cronk & Fennessy 2001). Aquatic plants are also a source of food and protective cover for fish (Weber 1979). The freshwater ecosystem quality is also strongly related to the macrophyte community as described by previous researchers (Scheffer et al. 1993, Van Donk et al. 1993, Van den Berg et al. 1999). Aquatic macrophytes can play a critical role in the nutrient dynamics of aquatic systems (Carpenter & Lodge 1986). Thus aquatic plants have major effects in terms of the physical and chemical environments of water bodies (Cronk & Fennessy 2001). If too many aquatic plants are changed, fish and wildlife populations may suffer (Whittaker 1975).

Scientific management and conservation of lakes are overwhelmingly important in the milieu of predictions about freshwater shortages in this new century, especially with the lowest per capita freshwater availability in the Asia-Pacific region (ILEC 2007). However, the management and conservation programmes of a lake need baseline data and information on its natural resources. Lake managers always use macrophytes as a tool for this purpose, and often to help organize environmental inventories and research programmes, and to set goals for management programmes or restoration projects (Reed 1997).
 
           As such, this survey was conducted to identify the macrophyte species inhabiting the Pengkalan Gawi–Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu. It is hoped the findings will benefit the management and conservation programmes in the lake.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
 
Tasik Kenyir was inundated in 1986 due to the construction of the Jenagor Dam for hydroelectric power. The lake lies at 102o E and 4o N located in the district of Hulu Terengganu, in the state of Terengganu. It is located 137 m above sea level. It has maximum depth of 145 m with average depth of 37 m and is dotted with more than 300 islands. The lake which is located in the middle of tropical rain forest is a paradise for anglers and nature lovers.

This survey was conducted in the month of September 2009 in the Pengkalan Gawi–Pulau Dula Section of Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu (Figure 1). This section is only a small part of the lake with an area about 30 km2. It extends from the main jetty (Pengkalan Gawi) to the south of the Pulau Dula (Dula Island). All of the macrophytes were sampled from three sampling stations in this section designated as Pulau Dula (Station A), Sungai Ikan (Station B) and Pulau Pupi (Station C).

The macrophytes were collected near the shore area of the lake (about 1 m from the shore) using racking tools, grapple claws, scissors, scoops and sticks. The macrophytes were identified according to the standard taxonomic keys following previous studies (Stodola 1967, Prescott 1969, Barnes & Chandapillai 1972, Sarabhai & Arora 1995, Fassett & Ogden 2006).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 
A total of seven species of macrophytes were observed in this survey. These species were Nitella sp., Cyperus sp. Hydrilla verticillata, Utricularia aurea, Acorus calamus, Leersia hexandra and Eleocharis dulcis (Table 1). These macrophytes were classified into three categories based on their habitats categorized as submerged, emerged and marginal macrophytes. Nitella sp., H. verticillata and U. aurea were classified as submerged macrophytes. Acorus calamus and E. dulcis were classified as emerged macrophytes while Cyperus sp. and L. hexandra were categorized as marginal macrophytes.

At the sampling stations, Sungai Ikan (Station B) was found to be inhabited by six species of macrophytes. This station recorded all of the species identified except E. dulcis. Meanwhile, Pulau Dula (Station A) and Pulau Pupi (Station C) were found to be inhabited by three species of macrophytes at each station (Table 1). The high number of species in Sungai Ikan might be due to the location of this station which is located at the river mouth of Sungai Ikan (Ikan River).

Table 1: List of macrophytes inhabiting the Pengkalan Gawi–Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu.

Species	Family	Category		Stations
			Pulau Dula (A)	Sungai Ikan (B)	Pulau Pupi (C)
Nitella sp.	Characeae	Submerged	x	x	x
Hydrilla verticillata	Hydrocharitaceae	Submerged	o	x	o
Utricularia aurea	Lentibulariaceae	Submerged	o	x	o
Cyperus sp.	Cyperaceae	Marginal	x	x	o
Acorus calamus	Acoraceae	Emerged	x	x	o
Leersia hexandra	Poaceae	Marginal	o	x	x
Eleocharis dulcis	Cyperaceae	Emerged	o	o	x

                x = Present

                o = Absent

Sungai Ikan could be a nursery ground for fish juveniles with the abundant availability of submerged macrophyte species such as H. verticillata. Submerged macrophytes are also important to the growth of fish juveniles in this lake section. In Florida Lake, in the presence of 75% of H. verticillata, the survival of the young American sport fish was higher than outside such areas (Shireman et al. 1983). This survey also found that H. verticillata, U. aurea and E. Dulcis were living together in the shallow littoral area in the Sungai Ikan station. This has some similarity with results in Bung Khong Long reservoir in Thailand where Udomsri et al. (2005) reported that H. verticillata was found in the shallow area of the lake, mostly living together with other aquatic plant species such as U. aurea and E. dulcis.

The submerged macrophyte, Nitella sp., was found in all stations in this survey. This species was found in the littoral area of the lake about 1 m deep from the water surface. It occurs in shallow waters along the edges of pools, lakes and slow-flowing streams, attached to the sandy barks as muddy substratum (Sarabhai & Arora 1995). There were no floating macrophytes recorded in this lake section during the survey. Junk (1973) stated that free floating plants in lakes could be moved by wind, resulting in the nil data of the floating macrophytes in this survey.

In total, the abundance of macrophytes in the Pengkalan Gawi–Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir was rather low. It was very hard to find macrophytes to collect as samples in this survey. This might be due to the trophic state of the lake where Yusoff and Lock (1994) classified Tasik Kenyir as a mesotrophic lake. High water level fluctuation of the lake also affects the abundance of macrophyte species which totally depend on the lake water. The lake’s average annual water-drawdown is 7 to 10 m, being repeated rhythmically almost at the same magnitude every year (Rouf et al. 2008).

CONCLUSION
 
Pengkalan Gawi–Pulau Dula section of Tasik Kenyir was inhabited by seven species of macrophytes which were categorized as submerged, emerged and marginal species. There were no floating macrophytes recorded in this survey. All of the species of macrophytes have their own roles in the lake section’s ecosystem and seem important to the aquatic life especially to the fish species. Sustainable management and conservation programmes on the aquatic macrophytes should be seriously considered in managing the lake, as the presence of macrophytes in this lake section could positively benefit the lake ecosystem.

 
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