Within the tropical peat swamp forest ecosystem, interactions between all living
creatures, i.e., peat-forming vegetation, fauna in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats,
other living creatures, and non-living creatures, i.e., organic matter and water, are
incredibly complex, forming circular uses and distributions of matter and energy.
For example, trees in the forest do not stand alone, but they have developed a
collaboration to share the water, nutrients, and other necessities. Bader and
Leuzinger (2019) see this collaboration among living creatures in forests forms a
super-organism. Ecological collaboration among living species and matter in the
peat swamp forest forms a circular mechanism in the use of limited resources.
Anthropogenic disturbances, such as deforestation and drainage, lead to irreversible
losses of circularity and singularity. Peat properties significantly change due to
disturbances. These are the decline of water storage, breakdown of organic carbon
into CO 2 to atmosphere and water, and an increase of flammability of dry peats into
fires.
Circularity and singularity are qualitative properties of undisturbed tropical peat
swamp forests. Therefore, I would introduce these important qualitative attributes of
peat swamp forests to augment the current knowledge of the tropical peat swamp
forest ecosystem.
16.2 Origin and Age of Tropical Peat Swamp Forest
The origin of tropical peat is various kinds of dead rain forest trees preserved under a
water-logged, and acidic environment, and the environment is free from anthropogenic disturbances. The tropical peats differ markedly from boreal and temperate
peats in which various species of Sphagnum moss are the major peat-forming plants.
Underlying most coastal tropical peats can be found the remains of mangrove forest
(Anderson and Muller 1975), while other peat types are preceded by freshwater
swamp forest and heath forest on the sandy substratum (Morley 1981, 2013;
Cameron et al. 1990).
Tropical peat swamp forest consists of abiotic and biotic components that are
unique and different from other tropical rainforests on dry land. Two abiotic
components are various stages of decayed organic matter from tree species and
black water containing dissolved organic matter. Many kinds of mineral substratum
such as sand, clay, and marine sediment, underneath peats are a part of the ecosystem
and influence the chemical properties of peats. Biotic components consist of various
kinds of floristic formations, which have adaptive tools and mechanisms to cope
with inundation, acidic environment, and lack of nutrients. These tree formations
represent complex tree communities sharing limited resources—fish, crocodiles,
otter, and other aquatic fauna live in the black water. Moreover, the tropical peat
forest ecosystem is a habitat for water birds, such as egret, stork, and heron, and
wildlife, e.g., orangutan (Pongo spp.).
The age of tropical peatlands that currently occur in coastal areas of the tropics is
commonly mid-Holocene (3000–7000 years), when the climate was wet, and the sea
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G. Anshari
creatures, i.e., peat-forming vegetation, fauna in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats,
other living creatures, and non-living creatures, i.e., organic matter and water, are
incredibly complex, forming circular uses and distributions of matter and energy.
For example, trees in the forest do not stand alone, but they have developed a
collaboration to share the water, nutrients, and other necessities. Bader and
Leuzinger (2019) see this collaboration among living creatures in forests forms a
super-organism. Ecological collaboration among living species and matter in the
peat swamp forest forms a circular mechanism in the use of limited resources.
Anthropogenic disturbances, such as deforestation and drainage, lead to irreversible
losses of circularity and singularity. Peat properties significantly change due to
disturbances. These are the decline of water storage, breakdown of organic carbon
into CO 2 to atmosphere and water, and an increase of flammability of dry peats into
fires.
Circularity and singularity are qualitative properties of undisturbed tropical peat
swamp forests. Therefore, I would introduce these important qualitative attributes of
peat swamp forests to augment the current knowledge of the tropical peat swamp
forest ecosystem.
16.2 Origin and Age of Tropical Peat Swamp Forest
The origin of tropical peat is various kinds of dead rain forest trees preserved under a
water-logged, and acidic environment, and the environment is free from anthropogenic disturbances. The tropical peats differ markedly from boreal and temperate
peats in which various species of Sphagnum moss are the major peat-forming plants.
Underlying most coastal tropical peats can be found the remains of mangrove forest
(Anderson and Muller 1975), while other peat types are preceded by freshwater
swamp forest and heath forest on the sandy substratum (Morley 1981, 2013;
Cameron et al. 1990).
Tropical peat swamp forest consists of abiotic and biotic components that are
unique and different from other tropical rainforests on dry land. Two abiotic
components are various stages of decayed organic matter from tree species and
black water containing dissolved organic matter. Many kinds of mineral substratum
such as sand, clay, and marine sediment, underneath peats are a part of the ecosystem
and influence the chemical properties of peats. Biotic components consist of various
kinds of floristic formations, which have adaptive tools and mechanisms to cope
with inundation, acidic environment, and lack of nutrients. These tree formations
represent complex tree communities sharing limited resources—fish, crocodiles,
otter, and other aquatic fauna live in the black water. Moreover, the tropical peat
forest ecosystem is a habitat for water birds, such as egret, stork, and heron, and
wildlife, e.g., orangutan (Pongo spp.).
The age of tropical peatlands that currently occur in coastal areas of the tropics is
commonly mid-Holocene (3000–7000 years), when the climate was wet, and the sea
464
G. Anshari