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 PEAT SWAMP VEGETATION
The peat swamp forests at Tasek Bera
display some similarity with swamp forests elsewhere in Malaysia, but have little in
common with the coastal peat swamps, either floristically or structurally, owing to the
topogenic origins of the peat at Tasek Bera. The peat swamp forest near Pos Iskandar is
characterized by having tree species that can withstand seasonal and prolonged inundation
(Chong and Lim, 1997). However, during the course of the survey, the forest was suffering
from a prolonged dry spell exacerbated by the El Nino phenomenon.
The area does not present a continuous tall
forest facies, but includes a patchwork of open water, low scrub and thickets. An
avifauna typical of closed forest is therefore not to be expected.
Most of the peat swamp forest trees are
about 40 centimetres in diameter and are generally not taller than 30 metres. The
canopy is quite open and sparse. Eugenia is the dominant tree species in
that habitat. The undergrowth is often found covered in a dense mat of 1.5 - 2 metre
tall coarse sedge Thoracostachyum sumatranum, which may be accompanied by ferns,
the aroid Lasia spinosa, and the shrubby Melastoma malabathricum.
Within the peat swamp forests are narrow channels of flowing water, with many logs and
roots along the banks. Pandanus helicopus, tall grasses, scrub and the
pitcher plant Nepenthes are common at the fringes of the waterways.
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