TRACING THE TINY TITANS: PAST AND PRESENT DIVERSITY OF BORNEO’S SMALL MAMMALS
Borneo is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot, hosting a remarkable diversity of small mammals, including bats, rodents, shrews, and tree-dwelling insectivores. Despite their ecological importance in pollination, seed dispersal, and insect population control, these species remain understudied and often overlooked in conservation planning. This presentation examines the past and present diversity of Borneo’s small mammals, synthesising knowledge from historical field surveys, taxonomic collections, and contemporary molecular and ecological studies. By integrating data from species inventories, phylogenetic analyses, and metagenomic approaches, we explore patterns of species distribution, evolutionary adaptation, and biogeographic history across the island. We also review conservation trends, highlighting how anthropogenic effect have impacted population stability and species survival over time. The findings emphasize the dynamic interplay between evolutionary processes and human-driven environmental change, providing a clearer understanding of small mammal biodiversity in Borneo with an emphasise on Sarawak and Sabah. By combining traditional and modern research methods, this work underscores the critical role of small mammals in tropical forest ecosystems and the urgent need to integrate them into conservation strategies.
PROF. TS. DR. FAISAL ANWARALI KHAN
UniversitI Malaysia Sarawak
Dr. Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan currently serve as the Dean of the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). His research focuses on the systematics and molecular evolution of Southeast Asian mammals, particularly bats, to understand how biogeography has shaped their genetic diversity and evolutionary history. His laboratory integrates molecular phylogenetics, bioinformatics, behavioral ecology, and geometric morphometrics to study evolutionary patterns across bats, rodents, shrews, and primates. By examining multiple genetic transmission lines and behavioral traits such as echolocation, his research helps refine species boundaries and uncover the processes driving diversification in the region. Recently, Dr. Faisal’s team has expanded into metagenomics, investigating the gut microbiomes of bats, rodents and primates to understand how ecology and evolution shape microbial diversity. As Dean, he continues to strengthen research excellence and international collaboration in advancing the understanding and conservation of Borneo’s remarkable biodiversity.