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Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia

The iconic giant clams are known for its multifaceted importance throughout the Indo-Pacific -for functional, ecological, or cultural purposes. In Malaysia, habitat destruction and illegal poaching were main reasons behind the declining populations of giant clams. As previous surveys date back to 19...

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Main Authors:	Lee, Li Keat, Neo, Mei Lin, Hii, Kieng Soon, Gu, Haifeng, Chen, Chaolun Allen, Lim, Po Teen, Leaw, Chui Pin
Format:	Article
Published:	Elsevier 2024
Subjects:	Q Science (General) QH Natural history
Online Access:	http://eprints.um.edu.my/45096/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103546
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spelling	my.um.eprints.450962024-09-17T02:41:23Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/45096/ Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia Lee, Li Keat Neo, Mei Lin Hii, Kieng Soon Gu, Haifeng Chen, Chaolun Allen Lim, Po Teen Leaw, Chui Pin Q Science (General) QH Natural history The iconic giant clams are known for its multifaceted importance throughout the Indo-Pacific -for functional, ecological, or cultural purposes. In Malaysia, habitat destruction and illegal poaching were main reasons behind the declining populations of giant clams. As previous surveys date back to 1990 s, an update on the status of giant clam populations in Malaysia is overdue. Using the extensive monitoring data from Reef Check Malaysia, we analysed and provided an assessment of population trends of giant clams between 2007 and 2021 in Malaysia. This study showed a decline in giant clam population in the east coast Peninsula and Sabah, while their abundances have always been low in the west coast Peninsula and Sarawak. In the east coast Peninsula, Tridacna maxima and T. crocea were most common (2.7 +/- 7.3 and 1.4 +/- 7.6 clams per 100 m2, respectively), followed by T. squamosa (0.7 +/- 1.4 clams per 100 m2), and Hippopus hippopus (0.3 +/- 2.5 clams per 100 m2). The boring species, T. maxima and T. crocea, typically displayed highly aggregated populations, reaching densities of 41.5 and 70 clams per 100 m2, where a reciprocal abundance shift between both species was observed between northern and southern sites of east coast Peninsula. The demography of T. maxima and T. crocea is either positively skewed or normally distributed, indicating abundant recruits that correspond to their higher densities. In contrast, T. squamosa showed a negative skew, suggesting poor recruitment rates. Findings here underscore the need to tailor conservation strategies for respective giant clam species in Malaysia. Proposed initiatives include establishing conservation zones in key areas like Perhentian, Lang Tengah, Redang, and Tioman Islands, which have significant T. maxima and T. crocea recruit populations. Also, targeted restocking efforts are necessary for T. squamosa and H. hippopus to ensure long-term viability of populations. Elsevier 2024-09 Article PeerReviewed Lee, Li Keat and Neo, Mei Lin and Hii, Kieng Soon and Gu, Haifeng and Chen, Chaolun Allen and Lim, Po Teen and Leaw, Chui Pin (2024) Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 74. p. 103546. ISSN 2352-4855, DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103546 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103546>. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103546 10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103546
institution	Universiti Malaya
building	UM Library
collection	Institutional Repository
continent	Asia
country	Malaysia
content_provider	Universiti Malaya
content_source	UM Research Repository
url_provider	http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic	Q Science (General) QH Natural history
spellingShingle	Q Science (General) QH Natural history Lee, Li Keat Neo, Mei Lin Hii, Kieng Soon Gu, Haifeng Chen, Chaolun Allen Lim, Po Teen Leaw, Chui Pin Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia
description	The iconic giant clams are known for its multifaceted importance throughout the Indo-Pacific -for functional, ecological, or cultural purposes. In Malaysia, habitat destruction and illegal poaching were main reasons behind the declining populations of giant clams. As previous surveys date back to 1990 s, an update on the status of giant clam populations in Malaysia is overdue. Using the extensive monitoring data from Reef Check Malaysia, we analysed and provided an assessment of population trends of giant clams between 2007 and 2021 in Malaysia. This study showed a decline in giant clam population in the east coast Peninsula and Sabah, while their abundances have always been low in the west coast Peninsula and Sarawak. In the east coast Peninsula, Tridacna maxima and T. crocea were most common (2.7 +/- 7.3 and 1.4 +/- 7.6 clams per 100 m2, respectively), followed by T. squamosa (0.7 +/- 1.4 clams per 100 m2), and Hippopus hippopus (0.3 +/- 2.5 clams per 100 m2). The boring species, T. maxima and T. crocea, typically displayed highly aggregated populations, reaching densities of 41.5 and 70 clams per 100 m2, where a reciprocal abundance shift between both species was observed between northern and southern sites of east coast Peninsula. The demography of T. maxima and T. crocea is either positively skewed or normally distributed, indicating abundant recruits that correspond to their higher densities. In contrast, T. squamosa showed a negative skew, suggesting poor recruitment rates. Findings here underscore the need to tailor conservation strategies for respective giant clam species in Malaysia. Proposed initiatives include establishing conservation zones in key areas like Perhentian, Lang Tengah, Redang, and Tioman Islands, which have significant T. maxima and T. crocea recruit populations. Also, targeted restocking efforts are necessary for T. squamosa and H. hippopus to ensure long-term viability of populations.
format	Article
author	Lee, Li Keat Neo, Mei Lin Hii, Kieng Soon Gu, Haifeng Chen, Chaolun Allen Lim, Po Teen Leaw, Chui Pin
author_facet	Lee, Li Keat Neo, Mei Lin Hii, Kieng Soon Gu, Haifeng Chen, Chaolun Allen Lim, Po Teen Leaw, Chui Pin
author_sort	Lee, Li Keat
title	Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia
title_short	Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia
title_full	Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia
title_fullStr	Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed	Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia
title_sort	vanishing giants: an assessment on the population status of giant clams across malaysia
publisher	Elsevier
publishDate	2024
url	http://eprints.um.edu.my/45096/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103546
_version_	1811682085770887168
score	13.211869

Vanishing giants: An assessment on the population status of giant clams across Malaysia

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