It will compare the richness, diversity and phylogenetic composition of adult and sapling communities over a range of forest types represented within permanent rainforest plots that have been established in the vicinity of the field centre. An open access DNA barcode reference library will be created to assist with the identification of adult and sapling trees and to allow the investigation of plant-animal interactions in the future.
Danau Girang Field Centre is collaborating with Dr Natasha de Vere from the National Botanic Garden of Wales using DNA barcoding to investigate forest composition and regeneration in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. This project will investigate the resilience of forest within the Sanctuary to reductions in patch size, increases in fragmentation and the effects of changing composition of animals involved in pollination, dispersal and predation.