o_19ko2dt161ng2j4e1tgnoqv1s45a.pdf

WONG KHOON MENG (2007)
STATUS OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA &
THREAT ASSESSMENT OF PLANT SPECIES IN MALAYSIA
PLANT BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE
MALAYSIAN REGION
Wong Khoon Meng
ABSTRACT
The major characteristics of Malaysia’s rich plant diversity are explored. Basic ideas in plant
geography are recapitulated, outlining the interest and significance of studying plant
distributions. The biogeography of the Malaysian region focuses on two principal components:
the distribution of taxa within the region, which identify the Riau Pocket and other
biogeographical elements, and affinities between geographical areas, such as the Malesian
and Australasian floras. Aspects of historical biogeography, pertaining to changes in distribution
with reference to earth history, i.e., geological processes and changes through geologic time
(including plate tectonics, continental drift and “interplate dispersal” of plants, and climatic
change), and ecological biogeography, addressing patterns of distribution in relation to
prevailing environmental conditions (such as the Malesian demarcation knots and local
edaphically controlled floristic differences), are dealt with. The biogeographical setting of the
Malaysian region is summarized in terms of the biogeographical units recognized via repeated
floristic patterns (the Malay Peninsula, Perak, the Riau Pocket and NW Borneo hotspot, the
Kapuas-Lupar region, the East Coast Sabah subprovince, and seasonal Asiatic intrusions);
sharp ecological definitions and isolated environments (high mountains, limestone hills,
ultramafic sites, kerangas-peat swamp complexes) and the apparently high speciation rates in
lowland rain forests.
Rimba Ilmu Botanic Garden, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur,
Tel: 03–7967 4685; Fax: 03–7967 6150; wong@um.edu.my
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