Bogor, 21-22 October 2015
565 The absence of ampupu in CAM not only came from internal factors but also are the
assumptions from external factors. The ecosystem dominated by ampupu in CAM is also used for wild husbandry area. CAM for wild husbandry area were well known by the indigenous
people right before the area was assigned to be conservation area by the government. WWF 2010 assumed that the trace of the wild husbandry influences the ground condition. Thus
condition makes an inability of ampupu to grow. This article analyses the causal factors for the absence of ampupu Eucalyptus urophylla seedlings in Mutis Strict Nature Reserve CAM.
2. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
This research was conducted in Mutis nature reserve CAM and three villages around there. Those villages are Fatumnasi, Nenas, and Pubasu. Those villages located in District Timor
Tengah Selatan, East Nusa Tenggara Province. This research was conducted on February 5
th
– 28
th
2014. Data were collected consist of density, dominance, critical value index of a species in CAM, and some causal factors of ampupu’s growth. There’s two kind of the data, primary
data were collected by observation and interview while secondary data were collected by study literature. Literature which was collected were the influence of animal footstep to the
conservation area; the impact of invasive species; and some other literatures for supporting the primary data. Data were analysed by using vegetation analysis and descriptive qualitative.
Descriptive qualitative analysis is used to give an interpretation to the data which obtained from this study. Vegetation analysis is used to describe the abundance of the species.
Material that used in this research were stationery, alcohol, plastic bag, sack, and newspaper for making herbarium; walking stick, digital camera, compass, pH indicator, measuring tape,
tally sheet, raffia fibre and dry-wet thermometer. This research use combination both of line and square transect; field observation; interview and study literature.
Line and square transect methods is used to determine the dominant and density of vegetation. This method divides into some plots. The size of primary for measuring tree plot
is 20 x 20 m while pole plot 10 x 10 m; stake plot 5 x 5 m and seedling plot 2 x 2 m. Field observation and interview are used to observe and describe about the causal factors for the
absence of ampupu’s natural seedling in Mount Mutis.
3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Eucalyptus urophylla or well known in Indonesia as ‘ampupu’ is a native species of Mount Mutis,
Timor Island, Indonesia. Mutis strict nature reserve is one of homogeneous natural forests dominated by ampupu. In Indonesia, ampupu also lived in Adonara; Alor; Flores, Lembata;
Wetar and Pantar Island. Mutis nature reserve area 124
o
10’ E– 124
o
20’ E dan 9
o
30’ S– 9
o
40’ S is located in the north western part of Timor Island. Mount Mutis is a part of both district
Timor Tengah Selatan TTS and district Timor Tengah Utara TTU. Three villages where the study was conducted, are located in district TTS.
Mount Mutis’ characteristics has a heavy topographic where the relief is dominated by hill and cliff. Most of the area have a slope over 60. Based on a soil map of Indonesia 1968, the
soil in Mutis Timau consist of complex land with complex mountainous form and
mediteranium soil with mountainous folds’ form. Mutis strict nature reserve and the area around there are the wettest area of Timor Island. Rainy days occur a whole years and reach
the peak on November till June. The rainfall is about 1500-3000 mmyear. The temperature ranges between 14
o
C - 29
o
C nevertheless to the extreme conditions, the temperature can descend to 9
o
C.
Bogor, 21-22 October 2015
566 The condition of Mutis Strict Nature Reserve is generally a natural habitat of ampupu in that
ampupu is native species which is dominant to Mount Mutis ecosystem. Ampupu is evergreen tree which can grow up to 45 m. Ampupu is usually grown as dominant species in the area
especially in open area or in the secondary mountainous forest. This species can grow at elevation 500 - 3000 asl with temperature 8
o
C - 29
o
C and the average rainfall 1000 - 3000 mmyear. In Mutis Strict Nature Reserve, ampupu can be found across the area, or the outer
boundary of the region to the peak of Mount Mutis. Mount Mutis has currently been dominated by ampupu, but it is only at tree phase, no pole;
stake nor seedling. Based on the vegetation analysis, there are no natural seedlings. Vegetation analysis was conducted in three locations located in three villages. Those locations are Oenino
in Fatumnasi village; Nuat Lulat in Nenas village; and Oebola in Pubasu village. The data can be seen in Table 1.
Table 1: Comparison of ampupu data in in 3 locations
Location Density
IndHa Frequency
Dominant m
2
Ha Critical Value
Index
Oenino Fatumnasi 91.67
1 264.89
300.00 Nuat Lulat Nenas
62.50 1
404.92 161.38
Oebola Pubasu 95.00
1 105.16
300.00
Critical value index CVI describes about how dominant a species to another in the ecosystem. CVI also illustrate how worth ampupu take a role in the ecosystem. According to
the data in table 1, in Oenino and Oebola, CVI ampupu reach the maximum value 300 indicated a species of tree which live there consist only of ampupu since there is no other kind
life there. A spesies that has a high value of CVI is tending to maintain its growth and
sustainabilty because there’s no competitor occurred there. In contrast to Nuat Lulat, there are other species living there Nenas is an enclave village but ampupu remain dominant.
Although tending to be able to maintain its life, but what occurred in CAM is really different that there’s no single seedling has been found. According to Arrijani et al. 2006 a successful
regeneration affected by fecundity and fertility. In addition, the ability to survive in a community as well as other factors that affect a survival of the species. The factors affecting
regeneration consist of a kind of internal factors caused by the ability of the plant and external factors that comes from outside of the plant.
3.1 Internal factors Based on the data in table 1, there are two conditions of high density ampupu with low
dominance in Oenino and Oebola, and low density ampupu with high dominance in NuatLulat. Meanwhile, the frequency of ampupu found in all locations has 1 in value indicates
that the ampupu was found in each sampling plot. High density indicates that there are many ampupus yet have small broad base. Most of these individu cause the closure canopy of these
tree. That affect to the growth of ampupu’s seedling which is intolerant and cannot grow within the shade Orwa et al. 2009. The shade and fact that ampupu is an intoleran species is
one of the factors of the failure in ampupu regeneration, furthermore CAM regeneration. In contrast to the ampupu which grow in production forest, the regeneration process can be set.
Bogor, 21-22 October 2015
567
3.2 External factor 3.2.1 Environmental
The condition of the abiotic component on the sampling plot also obtained in this study Table 2. The condition of the abiotic component is an imagery of the environmental quality
to the growth place which affect the growth of a species Latifah 2004. So that is why to find
out the causal factors for the absence of ampupu’s natural seedling needs to be seen whether the environment quality is adequate for ampupu’s life or not.
Table 2: Climate data and soil sampling locations
Location Elevation
asl Temperature
°C Humidity
Soil type pH
KTK
Oenino Fatumnasi 1751
18 90
Mediteran 6.5
Low Nuat Lulat Nenas
1547 16
79 Mediteran
6.5 Low
Oebola Pubasu 1249
20 73
Mediteran 7.0
High
Based on the data in Table 2, the results show that the environmental conditions of each sampling plot is adequate for ampupu’s life. Mount Mutis condition ecologically is not too far
different to the other natural habitat of ampupu. In addition, in plantation forest, ampupu’s seedling need a special treatment to guarantee the survival of the seedling Tibok et al., 1995,
Anggangan et al., 1998, Morris et al., 2004, and Sein and Mitlohner, 2011. According to Sein and Mitlohner 2011 ampupu blooms after two or three years and will produce seeds in the
fourth year. Ampupu is known to live both in normal and extreme condition, this species can be grown on the slope, valley, swamp, peat even on rock. Most species of Eucalyptus spp. do
not require special treatment in germination phase, some need to be treated to be able to germinate properly. The appropriate temperature for the Eucalyptus spp. to germinate is 20
o
C occurred for 10-21 days depending on the species Voozo, 2002 referenced in Sein and
Mitlohner, 2011. Although Mount Mutis is still adequate for ampupu’s life, but the absence of
ampupu’s natural seedling was caused by the other factors. There is another condition required for supporting germination phase.
Pollinators for ampupu’s flowers are insects, birds, mammals, and also the wind. One of the pollinators is the honey bee Apis dorsata. That honey is often used by the indigenous. The
indigenous believed that the bees will come depending on the condition of the ampupu flower. So the presence of bees can be used as an
indicator for the condition of the ampupu’s inflorescence. The indigenous claimed that the condition of the flower is determined by the
climate. No flower is usually caused by strong winds that affect flowers fall. Meanwhile ampupu’s inflorescence occurs every dry season, so that no flower can be thought to be the
other factors causing the absence of ampupu’s natural seedling in Mount Mutis. 3.2.2 Wild Husbandry presence
Aside from the environmental factor, other external factors causing the absence of amp
upu’s seedling was the wild husbandry in forest areas. Forest was an important part to indigenous
people who live around Mount Mutis. According to WWF 2010 the presence of wild husbandry within a large population and continuously in forest area make the ground on a
forest floor so compact, so that made it tremendously difficult to the seed which fall be able to grow well. This can affect the growth and activities of new seedling especially ampupu. The
solidification of forest ground can change the structure and texture of the ground. It reduced ground pore so that could reduce the infiltration and increase the surface flowing rate. Surface
flow is a main suspect for the erosion of top soil and other organic element so that the forest land is being infertile.
Bogor, 21-22 October 2015
568 Beside due to the trace, the influence to the ground caused by wild husbandry is an influential
to the seedling condition because of their feeding way. Axford et al. 2013 said that the existence of Equus caballus or wild horses in a forest ecosystem can damage the ecosystem for
causing the occurrence of the opening the ground, erosion and sedimentation, and also drying and solidification of ground. The other effect of the wild horse presence is the absence of the
seedling because a wild horse identified the seedling as a feed as grass. So the seedling cannot grow because it has ripped first before could grow.
4. CONCLUSION
