Vegetation Composition of Savanna Ecosystem as a Habitat For The Komodo Dragon (<i>Varanus komodoensis</i>) on Padar and Komodo Islands, Flores East Nusa Tenggara Indonesia

Abstract

Tropical savanna and dry forest in Indonesia are an important type of ecosystem that supports various endemic wildlife of Indonesia including savannas at Padar and Komodo Islands which is home to the Komodo (Varanus komodoensis). The Komodo dragon is considered as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Studies with regards to the Komodo dragons’ habitats are scarce, considering that these types of habitats are significant to support Komodo’s existence, but yet are also very prone to conversion and disturbances. This paper elaborates the results of ecological study on the tropical savanna forest in Komodo National Park as habitat for the Komodo dragon. Vegetation sampling was conducted using nested plots 20 x 20 m, 10 x 10 m, 5 x 5 m and 2 x 2 m spread across the sampling sites. Data was analysed using PRIMER software which includes cluster analysis, analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and similarity percentage (SIMPER). As many as 17 plant species which belongs to 11 families were identified in the sampling sites. These consist of six trees habitus, six shrubs, four grasses and one palm. Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae were the plant families which has high number of species. The result of cluster analysis shows that the similarity level of the two groups (Komodo and Padar) based on the results of cluster analysis is 60%. This result infers that there are similarities in terms of species composition in savanna on Komodo and Padar Island, however, each savanna still has its own species characteristics. This is confirmed by the ANOSIM test. The ANOSIM test results show the Global R value of 0.6.With the looming challenges from invasive alien plant species (IAPS), the Komodo Island’s savanna has double threats to overcome. Hence conservation of the remaining savanna ecosystem is important

Herbaceous Diversity in the <i>Gumuk</i> Ecosystem in Ledokombo District-Jember Regency with Varied Land Use Type

“…Even some Asteraceae have a high potential for new functional foods (Garcia-Oliveira 2021; Kurniawan et al 2022). Asteraceae dominance was also reported on herbaceous dynamics in urban areas in India (Khan 2020), also became the family with the highest IVI value in the Savannas in Padar and Komodo Islands (Sutomo 2020). This weed dispersal strategy is strongly influenced by geographical conditions (Dematteis et al 2019), natural seed dispersal by wind also contributes to the breeding and spread of this weed at the landscape level (Mao et al 2022).…”

Reviews: Komodo National Park as a conservation area for the komodo species (Varanus komodoensis) and sustainable tourism (ecotourism)

“…Savannahs and savanna grasslands occupy drier areas. Savanna is a grassland that is used by Komodo dragons (Sutomo 2020). The palm tree (Borassus flabellifer) is the most dominant and distinctive species in the savanna ecosystem.…”

The Herbaceous Species Tropical Savanna of West Timor Indonesia: Structure and Composition Pattern

“…Descriptions are available for such types of savannas, e.g. Borassus flabelifer (Palmae) dominated the tree layer of savanna at Komodo Island, Rinca Island and the northern and southern coast of Flores Island up to an altitude of about 400 m above sea level (asl), whereas Ziziphus mauritiana was found growing from sea level up until 500 m asl [22,23,24,25]. However, the available description is inadequate when compared to those in other areas.…”