Summer-rain warm-temperate, wet subtropical and tropical zones in East, South and Southeast Asia are widely covered by evergreen broad-leaved forests. These forests are dominated mainly by evergreen tree species of Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Theaceae, Magnoliaceae and Hamamelidaceae. Trees have leathery smooth leaves ready to reflect the sunshine and brighten, and Kira (1977) put forward a proposal of lucidophyll forest as a new nomenclature of this type of evergreen broad-leaved forest. It was fIrst reported as Lorbeerform by Griesebach (1872) in Canarias Islands. The lucidophyll oak-laurel forests are found in ranges among 85 and 180°C month of Kira’s warmth index, which corresponds to warm temperate zone and among 180 and 240°C month to subtropical zones in Japan.
Such lucidophyll oak-laurel forests have a wide range of distribution in Asia, New Guinea, Macaronesia and southeastern United States. The northern limit of its distribution is at about 40°N of the seashore or islets of Northeast District of Japan in the PacifIc and at 39°N in Açres Islands in the Atlantic. The altitudinal limit goes up to about 1,000 m from sea shore in warm-temperate Japan, and upwards to about 3000 m in the wet tropical Asia.
The constituent species of the forests becomes diversifIed as it goes to the tropics. In the area of northern limit the forest is dominated only by a laurel, Persea thunbergii, but forests are diversifIed with many species of a number of genera and families as shown in Appendix. In the tropics they are mixed with some tropical species such as climbing bamboos, screw pines, palms and climbing species of Araceae. On the other hand, some species of Lauraceae and Fagaceae are found in the lowland tropical rain forests, but they are minority of tall lowland rain forests.
In Africa temperate and montane forests (afromontane forests) do not have lauraceous and fagaceous dominants but for Ocotea as a companion, and their species composition is not similar with the Asian lucidophyll oak-laurel forests. Southeastern evergreen hardwood forests of the United States are dominated by Quercus (Quercus) species under summer-rain climate with hot and humid summer and not so severe winter. As their leaves also reflect sunshine and brighten, this type of forest should be included into lucidophyll forest formation as well as Macaronesian laurel forests.
The nomenclature of the lucidophyll oak-laurel forest is diversifIed, and a number of names have been used. They are largely classified into five groups of terms based on vertical zonation, climatic zone, leaf characters, species composition and plant sociology. The author thinks that it is desirable to give a standard name like summer green forest formation to the forest formation widely distributing in the lowland of warm-temperate, and montane areas of subtropical and tropical regions dominated by oaks and lor laurels. Lucidophyll oak-laurel forest formation is a recommendable name of the formation.
Evergreen Nothofagus forests evolved and developed only in the southern hemisphere under similar climate to that of lucidophyll oak-laurel forest formations, could be included into the latter formation, because trees in evergreen southern beech forests are also lucid under humid climate and both forests assembled only in New Guinea and its adjacent islands. Discussion is carried out on other types of vegetation in the Middle and South America.

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A large-scale research plot 52 ha in area was recently established at the Lambir Hills for a long-term ecological research of tropical rain forest in Sarawak, East Malaysia. The work for plot demarcation including a topography survey was initiated in November 1990 and continued till March 1992. Electronic tacheometers with automatic distance meters were adopted to built the plot with reliable accuracy on steep and complex slopes. The plot with an area of 500 m × 1040 m was divided into 1300 quadrats of 20 m × 20 m and further divided into 20,800 subquadrats of 5 m × 5 m, by setting landmarks at all the comers of quadrats and subquadrats. The compass directions and zenith angles to elevation at the base of respective landmarks were carefully surveyed with tacheometers by following conventional land survey methods. The topographical data thus obtained were transformed into altitude values at each landmark. The altitude difference between the lowest and highest points in the plot was ca. 150 m. A topography map was drawn by using these altitude data. Furthermore, a geometrical plane covering each of 1,300 quadrats was numerically determined to calculate the detailed statistics of topographic variables, such as the altitude, direction, angle, and convexity of slopes. The statistics of these variables and their distribution maps within the plot suggested the steep, undulating, and complex slope-topography of the plot. These topographic features seemed to result in the fragmentation of plant habitats and might be strongly combined with a rich flora of the Lambir rain forest.

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Seasonal and annual variations in litterfall were studied over a 25-month period in a plantation of Diplerocarpus baudii Korth at the campus of Forest Research Institute of Malaysia. Kepong, Peninsular Malaysia. Litterfall compositions were characterized by high percentages of leaf (63%) and stipule litter (12%) of D. baudii and were consistent between two years. Totallitterfall was 12.8 and 9.6 ton ha^-1 year^-1; in 1991 and 1992, respectively, and was significantly different between the two years.
Seasonal variations of totallitterfall, leaf and stipule litter of D. baudii showed two peaks a year and were synchronized over the study period. The temporal variations in total litterfall, leaf and stipule litter of D. baudii were significantly correlated with the precipitation. Aowering and seed production of D. baudii were synchronized with the leaf and stipule litterfall over the study period and were higher in the second than in the first year. The flowering in the second year resulted in the reduction of leaf litter production.
Amounts of nutrients supplied by litterfall were estimated to be 107.9 to 152.4 (N), 4.7 to 6.4 (P), 20.4 to 29.2 (K), 1.6 to 2.1 (Na), 11.8 to 16.4 (Mg), and 71.9 to 102.2 (Ca) kg ha^-1yr^-1 in this D. baudii plantation.

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235 seedlings of Avicennia marina were grown for 12 months in nutrient solutions containing 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150% artificial seawater. The salt concentration in the various organs and salt excretion from the leaves were measured to examine the salt regulation in the seedlings. The water potential of various organs in relation to external media was measured concurrently with salt concentration in the seedlings to discuss the water potential adjustment. A. marina was found to absorb a great amount of sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl^-). The salt uptake increased with the increase of external salinity and reached to the ceiling level at around the normal external seawater. The salt concentrations in the seedlings were maintained at levels higher than those of external media. This contributed to produce water potential in the seedlings lower than that of external media. The salt excretion was found to be related positively with the salt concentration in leaves. It was concluded that A. marina seedlings equipped a workable mechanism of salinity regulation through absorption and excretion. And therefore it can survive in the high salinity environment.

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Honeybees trained to scented sugar solution feeders were monitored along 220 m of canopy walkways and three 50-65 m tree towers using a canopy access system (LHS) in Lambir Hills, Sarawak to study pollination and bee foraging patterns. Feeder presentation was manipulated and included ground level stations to evoke variation in bee search behavior. Apis koschevnikovi (Ak) and Apis dorsata (Ad) discovered feeders rapidly and moved 220 m between tree towers in as little as 6 min, recruiting 2-4 thousand bees in response to I L artificial nectar. Experienced bees discovered new feeders in less than 5 min within LHS. Height fidelity was 70 % within trees and 55 % between trees for Ak, and 60 % for each among Ad. Travel between trees tended downward for Ad but upward for Ak, with no vertical directional preference detected within trees. Increased resource patchiness augmented bee vagility, but not appreciably between trees. Bees visited feeders between tree tops and ground level, some traveling at least 640 m. Thus, genetic neighborhood size of plants they pollinate exceeds 0.3 km².

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We studied pollination biology of three orchids, Dendrobium setifolium, Neuwiedia borneensis and Lecanorchis multiflora, during 1993-1994 in Sarawak. Dendrobium setijolium, a canopy epiphyte, was pollinated by one species of stingless bee, Trigona melanocephala. This may be the first report on stingless-bee pollination of Dendrobium. A primitive orchid, Neuwiedia borneensis, was pollinated by three species of stingless bees which visited flowers for pollen. Autogamy was observed in Lecanorchis multiflora.

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From Java, 6 genera and 22 species of cassid beetles have been recorded. Keys to genera and species which are known to occur in Java are presented. Aspidomorpha hexaspilota Baly is treated as a new synonym of Aspidomorpha miliaris (Fabricius).

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Land-use changes in the period between 1969 and 1988 of 38, 480 sq km areas in South Sumatra were examined. Those two periods of land-use map were digitized and input as Geographical Information System (GIS) data base using Arcllnfo software packages. Quantitative analysis of land-use changes was carried out by overlay technique. Other related factors such as timber concession, and land tenure system changes, were also examined.
It has been believed that the deforestation in South Sumatra was caused by timber concession exploitation that have mostly been started in 1968. Our observation, however, shows that most deforestation had occurred before 1968. In 1969, forest area only covered about 35%, while regrowth and cultivated land accounted for 37% and 26% of the total area, respectively. Therefore, the loss of forest might be related to other factors such as cash crop introduction in the early nineteenth century and road construction for oil exploration in the beginning of twentieth century.
There was clear evidence that in South Sumatra, timber concessions’ exploitation that was started in 1968, had less impact on forest cover than other land uses. This was demonstrated by the fact that during 1969-1988, in concession area about 74% of forest areas still remained unchanged, in comparison with only 42% in non concession. Moreover, there was much more forest regeneration from regrowth and cultivated land. In total, during 19 years period, forest cover area decreased by less than 10%. This was partially explained by forest regeneration, and the changes of land tenure system (marga system) that made farmers difficult to access forest land.

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Taxon of Piper species was difficult in taxonomy and ecology. We investigated species biological populations of Piper in Southeast Asia and South Pacific areas. A new variant of Piper kadsura was found in Iriomote Island, Okinawa.
In Japan, P. kadsura is distributed from Kanto (Chiba) to Okinawa and grows in the forest along the sea coast. Forty eight samples taken between Chiba and Ryukyu Islands were used. The samples were examined and compared for their leaf-form, inflorescense, pollen ornamentation and isozyme patterns.
Result showed that the leaf-form of Shirahama and Haimida-hama populations in Iriomote Island was ovate, entire with acute apex, cordate base, palmate venation and sharp tip pollen ornamentation than those from other populations having flat top pollen ornamentation. Moreover, isozyme pattern was found different from other populations sampled.
Its morphological characteristics were not similar to P. kadsura . Hence, it is assumed that Shirahama and Haimida-hama populations were variants of P. kadsura.

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