Tom’s Project Feature

Cardiff University, Earth Sciences, Professional Training Year Student

Hi everyone!

For my project at DGFC, I am looking into how vegetation and soil varies in different environments. I would like to ultimately find out how soil composition affects the vegetation that is found and how they have adapted to survive. The environment around DGFC is unique for many reasons. One due to frequent flooding from the Kinabatangan River, which means vegetation has to be flood tolerant, and at times deal with the anoxic clay conditions in soil. In other places, rocky outcrops of sandstone and limestone in high elevations means vegetation is exposed to harsh weathering conditions. To investigate this interesting dynamic, I have selected sites that have varying soil conditions and elevations. Some include the limestone forests of Supu, the sandstone ridges of Laab hills, and the peat swamps of Kaboi Lake.

Tom collecting samples in the forest

At each site, I set up a random plot of 20m x 20m. After that, there are three methods that are then conducted within the plot: 1. 10 (1m x 1m) quadrats to survey understory vegetation diversity. I measure species richness, abundance, and diversity. 2. Soil sampling (depth of 0-10cm) at each corner of the plot and then one in the middle. These samples are then taken back to the lab for analysis on pH, texture, moisture content, and colour. 3. Tree density using the point centre quarter method. Along each 20m transect, this method is conducted every 4m with the distance to the nearest tree in each quadrant recorded, along with DBH and tree height. I have made good progress so far and every site has had at least one or two of the above methods completed which is good! The tricky part is trying to identity the plants I have seen in the quadrats. Right now, iNaturalist is my saviour and doing most of the work for me 🙂 I also have too many photos of vegetation and canopy cover on my camera roll to count. However, an interesting discovery has been that soil pH tends to decrease with elevation but moisture increases, and this has affected vegetation diversity. So, I look forward to seeing what else I find!

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