Identifikasi Morfologi dan Filogeni Pohon Keruing (Dipterocarpus spp) di Kawasan Tangkahan, Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser, Sumatera Utara

Abstract

Keruing is a local tree species that grows naturally in the Tangkahan area of Mount Leuser National Park. The high demand and value of its timber and other by-products have led to a drastic decline in the population of keruing. Besides illegal hunting, land degradation, and the reduction of forested areas as keruing's natural habitat have further contributed to the population decline in the wild. There are three known local species of keruing in Mount Leuser National Park (INGL). namely keruing hlin, kerang minyak babi, and keruing daun lebar, but information about these three types of keruing is still limited. Therefore, this research aims to: (1) obtain information about the morphology of keruing species in TNGL. (2) obtain information about the phylogeny of keruing species in TNGL. Morphological observations were conducted on the crown, stem, leaves, and resin to identify differences and variations. The data were then processed using the Numerical Taxonomy System software to generate a dendrogram showing the genetic relationship among keruing species. The results of morphological observations showed variations in crown, stem, leaves, and resin characteristics among the three local keruing species found. The dendrogram illustrating the genetic relationship among keruing species indicated that keruing lilin and keruing minyak babi are the most closely related with a genetic distance of 0.67. while the genetic distance between keruing lilin and keruing minyak babi to kering daun lebar is 0.56. This suggests that keruang lilin and keruing minyak babi share more similarities in terms of characteristics compared to keruing daun lebar.