XVI International Botanical Congess

Dipterocarp forests in West Malesia are characterized by a phenomenon called 'general flowering'. During general flowering, which occurs at irregular intervals of 3-10 years, plants of Dipterocarpaceae and other families flower heavily. Using a canopy observation system, we monitored phenology of 576 plants representing 305 species for 7 years in Sarawak. Besides, we censused insect population with monthly light traps, and identified pollinators of 270 plant species. The studies revealed that the proportion of flowering plants increased to up to 16% during general flowering,while the proportion was 3-5% otherwise. Such great fluctuation in floral resource availability affected population and behavior of insects, and may promote pollination.