Effect of Transition Area on Herpetofauna Distributions in Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation Area Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung Province

Abstract

Edge effect is tendency of differences in species composition or abundance of the transition area and core area. Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation Area (TWNC) is part Bukit Barisan Selatan National park. TWNC area consists of various types of habitats which are expected to affect composition, diversity and distribution of herpetofauna in the area. Research was carried out to determine differences in species composition, species diversity and distribution between the transition area and core area. Research was carried out in Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation and Laboratory of Environmental Analysis and Modelling of Spatial Faculty of Forestry IPB, in August 2009-January 2010. Amphibian and reptile were collected using Visual Encounter Survey (VES) with transect design method in coastal forests, lowland forests, gardens, transition area between the coastal forest and lowland forest as well as the transition area between the garden and lowland forest. Total amphibians found are 19 species. All species of amphibians are found along transects. There were 33 species of reptiles, consisting of 18 species found in transects and 15 species outside transects. Herpetofauna species composition differs among habitat types, as well as between transition area and core area. In core area, lowland forests have the highest number of amphibian species (14 species), followed by garden (8 species) and coastal forest (3 species). Lowland forests and coastal forest have the same number of species (10 species) of reptiles and garden (8 species). Number of species in transition area is 5 species of amphibians and 2 species of reptiles between coastal forest and lowland forest and 2 species of amphibians and 2 species of reptiles between garden and lowland forests. Differences in habitat type did not influence the value of species diversity index except for number of individual. More amphibians are found in low land forest area whereas reptile is found more on coastal forest. Spatial distribution of amphibian tends to congregate in lowland forest area consisting more micro habitats, close to fresh water source and protected from dessication. Reptile tends to distributed randomly due to its higher mobility that amphibian. Lower number of herpetofauna found at the transition area compared to core area, show that edge effects is negatively impacted the distribution of herpetofauna especially in fragmented area.