Lief Erikson Diocampo Gamalo

University of the Philippines Mindanao · Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies

Long-tailed macaques in the Philippines are understudied in terms of ecology and behavior, which includes their sexual behaviors, in their natural habitats. Masturbation is a natural, auto-erotic behavior rarely observed in the wild in most non human primates. In this paper, we report an act of masturbation by a free-ranging male long-tailed macaqu...

In 2022, long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), a once ubiquitous primate species, was elevated to Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In 2023, recognizing that the long-tailed macaque is threatened by multiple factors: (1) declining native habitats across Southeast Asia; (2)...

Non-reproductive sexual behaviors have been reported in many different animal taxa, including non-human primates (NHPs). One of the Philippine NHPs that exhibits non-reproductive sexual behaviors, specifically same-sex sexual behaviors (SSSBs), is the long-tailed macaque (LTM). We observed SSSBs during our ecological and behavioral surveys of wild...

Green spaces in synanthropic environments are known to provide suitable habitats for wildlife species; however, these green spaces also influence the dynamics of bat populations, especially due to their sensitivity to habitat fragmentation, which has conservation and ecological implications. Currently, there is still limited information on bats’ ha...

In 2022, long‐tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), a once ubiquitous primate species, was elevated to Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In 2023, recognizing that the longtailed macaque is threatened by multiple factors: (1) declining native habitats across Southeast Asia; (2) o...

The 93-hectare Hijo Forest, owned by the Hijo Resources Corporation, is known for its rich flora and fauna species, such as the populations of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and Philippine warty pigs (Sus philippensis). In 2021, the Hijo management reported a mass die-off of Philippine warty pigs in the area due to the African Swine Fev...

In addition to protected landscapes, anthropic land covers (ALCs) can also harbor spiders in human-modified landscapes (HMLs). This study determined the diversity of spiders in seven different ALCs within the University of the Philippines Mindanao campus in order to identify ALCs with the highest priority for spider conservation. Direct sampling me...

The Philippine tarsier Carlito syrichta (Linnaeus, 1758) is considered a specially protected flagship species in the Philippines. However, the species is threatened due to natural disasters and human activities. Little is known about the ecology and existing threats of tarsier populations in some islands in the Philippines, particularly in Samar, D...

The technical limitations of capillary sequencing in providing insights on phylogeny have been greatly aided in recent years by the implementation of next generation sequencing platforms which can generate whole mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences. In this study, enriched mitochondrial DNA of Cynopterus brachyotis from Mindanao, Philippines...

Long-tailed macaques are omnivores feeding on plants and animal matter. They are known to feed on meat occasionally, and it represents a very small portion of their diet. This paper reports a predation event by long-tailed macaques on a parachute gecko in Mt. Apo Natural Park, Philippines. Two macaques were involved in the predation: a juvenile mac...

African Swine Fever (ASF) is an economically important reemerging infectious disease (EID) that has spread phenomenally throughout the world. Although it does not pose direct health risks to humans, the disease can cause devastating losses in livestock production due to its almost 100% mortality rate in domestic pig populations. Trade and commerce...

African Swine Fever (ASF) is an economically important reemerging infectious disease (EID) that has spread phenomenally throughout the world. Although it does not pose direct health risks to humans, the disease can cause devastating losses in livestock production due to its almost 100% mortality rate in domestic pig populations. Trade and commerce...

The technical limitations of capillary sequencing in providing insights on phylogeny have been greatly aided in recent years by the implementation of next generation sequencing platforms which can generate whole mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences. In this study, enriched mitochondrial DNA of Cynopterus brachyotis from Mindanao, Philippines...

Spiders are among the most ubiquitous arthropods that can dwell on diverse habitats, which include small-scale urban green spaces (UGS). To promote urban biodiversity, we assessed the awareness of a local community situated within UGS in Davao, Philippines about the ecological roles of spiders. Data were obtained by administering survey ques- tionn...

The “Species from Feces” DNA barcoding offers new opportunities to study the challenging taxonomy and systematics of Philippine bats using a minimally-invasive strategy that employs a short 200-bp mitochondrial encoded cytochrome c oxidase I (mt COI) sequence. A pilot application of the technique to five species of fruit bats collected from Davao C...

The community structure of avifauna along the urbanization gradient in Mintal, Davao City was surveyed and analyzed. A total of 4,210 individuals from 34 species belonging to 23 families were recorded, where seven species are Philippine endemics and five are introduced species. Correlation and regression analysis showed a positive relationship betw...

The community structure of avifauna along the urbanization gradient in Mintal, Davao Citywas surveyed and analyzed. A total of 4,210 individuals from 34 species belonging to 23 fam-ilies were recorded. Seven species are Philippine endemics and five are introduced species.Correlation and regression analysis showed a positive relationship between inc...

The Philippines is considered a megadiverse country. However, there are few published studies on its nonhuman primate (NHP) species (Carlito syrichta, Macaca fascicularis, and Nycticebus menagensis). Understanding the nature and extent of existing NHP research in the Philippines would help us to determine research gaps and opportunities. Thus, stud...

This article presents the anuran species in urbanized areas, diet overlaps between native and invasive alien anuran species, and its implications on conservation and ecological health in urban environment. Visual encounter technique following the road as a transect was done to determine the diversity of anurans, and stomach content extraction was e...

Jabon KJD, Gamalo LED, Responte MA, Abad RG, Gementiza GDC, Achondo MJMM. 2019. Density and diet of invasive alien anuran species in a disturbed landscape: A case in the University of the Philippines Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines. Biodiversitas 20: 2554-2560. The population density and diet composition of three invasive alien anuran species (IA...

Background Macaca fascicularis (long-tailed macaque) is the most widespread species of macaque in Southeast Asia and the only species of monkey found naturally in the Philippines. The species is the natural host for the zoonotic malaria species, Plasmodium knowlesi and Plasmodium cynomolgi and for the potentially zoonotic species, Plasmodium inui....

Different nuisance behaviors of macaques have been reported in different parts of the world where humans and macaques have been living in the same habitats and sharing the same resources. In this study, nuisance behaviors of Long-tailed Macaques were documented in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park using direct observation, survey que...

Methomyl is an oxime carbamate pesticide that is widely used in the Philippines. This insecticide is known to be an endocrine disrupting chemical and a potent genotoxic in mammalian cells. However, limited studies were conducted specifically on its direct effects on estrous cycle and its teratogenic effect. This study aimed to (a) assess the effect...

With the destruction of our natural wetlands, rice fields are man-made ecosystems which serve as an important alternative wetland habitat for birds. In this study, two selected ricefields along Laguna National Highway were sampled to determine the species of both landbirds and waterbirds in ricefield ecosystems during the summer season using transe...

The Philippines is considered as a biodiversity hotspot, however, different threats could cause the demise of its biological treasures. One of these threats could be the lack of awareness and the negative perception of the people towards wildlife and conservation. In this study, 303 students and 52 teachers from Laguna State Polytechnic University-...

Water-borne protozoan parasites, (i.e. Cryptosporidium and Giardia), have received considerable attention over the past few years because of their role as ubiquitous etiological agents of diarrhea and other related diseases of humans and animals. Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts have been found in water samples collected from selected pool...

In this paper, Nepenthes samar is newly reported from two different sites at both of which it is threatened. The first photographs of live plants are published. For the first time, information is presented on the current status of the species in the wild and on the threats it faces there, and on features of the plant, such as lower pitchers and inf...