Some might claim that Singapore is a concrete jungle that lacks biodiversity. Prior to the field trip, I too, was sceptical of the biological diversity that Kent Ridge could offer. However, the field trip ended up broadening my limited knowledge of plants as well as animals that live around the National University of Singapore. With the help of the field trip, I was able to appreciate the history of Kent Ridge, and identify many species of plants as well as learn the way they pollinate, in order to reproduce and ensure their survival.
Kent Ridge, also known as Adinandra belukar, used to be a primary lowland rainforest. Due to exploitation for agricultural purposes, the feritility of the soil was exhausted, and it eventually became a secondary forest that was dominated by Adinandra dumosa. The exhaustive cultivation led to the soil being extremely acidic, (pH3.3-3.9) (Sim et al., 1992), and the levels of nitrogen and minerals, required for plant growth, was also very low. As a result, in comparison to other nature reserves in Singapore, Adinandra belukar is species poor. There are only approximately 240 species of vascular plants that have been recorded. I found it interesting that even though the soil was not optimal for plant growth, certain species of plants could still survive under such harsh conditions, contridictory to my prior knowledge. One example would be the Dicranopteris linearis, commonly known as Resam. Native to Singapore, this fern can be easily distinguished due to the structure of the leaf branches, and the shape of the leaf blade, being deeply lobed. The roots of the Dicranopteris linearis secrete acid, which prevents other plants from growing, and its invasive nature competes with other plants for nutirents ...
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... at the same time depositing the pollen, and this cycle repeats.
The Kent Ridge Practical was indeed an eye-opening experience. It not only proved my previous misconception of Singapore not being biologically diverse wrong, but also managed to spark an interest in finding out more about the different ecosystems in Singapore. The most important highlight would be the field trip itself, as it gives a hands-on experience, visual, and intimacy that neither lecture notes nor videos can provide. Though alien species have been introduced to the species poor Adinandra belukar, the forest is still natural in the way the ecosystem is mantained, not only by plants, but also by various species of insects and invertebrates. Though the walk was long and somewhat tiring, I did enjoy the privilege of being able to participate on this field trip, and look forward to the next one.
As a result of these factors, the flora has adapted to these conditions in a variety of ways including their shape, leaf type, root system, and color. One of the most prominent adapt...
There are many Chinatown in this world, and the Chinatown of San Francisco has much historical significance. Today I want to write about the Chinatown of San Francisco base on my personal experience because there are many historic things I can illustrate, and I attended a free tour from San Francisco city guide website, also they assigned tour guide, Marann. There was a Mid-Autumn parade in Chinatown on that day, accompanying the dragon and lion dancing, Marann started to give us illustration about Chinatown. Before I started traveling this field trip, I did some research carefully in San Francisco city guide, so I eager to travel as soon as possible. Because It is hard to get a parking lot in Chinatown, and the
Scott, Heidi. "Crazed Nature: Ecology In The Yellow Wall-Paper." Explicator 67.3 (2009): 198. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Purple loosestrifes reduce biodiversity by degrading natural habitats such as wetlands and replaces native vegetation rapidly. They blocks native plants to grow by forming dense mats with their roots. If native vegetation being replaced with purple loosestrifes, it will impact animals, too. In wetlands, hundreds of species rely on native vegetation for their shelter, food source, and breeding to survive. They will lose their habitat by purple loosestrifes’ invasion since none of them solely depends on purple loosestrifes as their food source or shelter. Since they change many factors of the invaded ecosystem, most of flora and fauna will be affected and it will lead to the reduction of the b...
...lts in an increasing population of non-native species, which in turn might oppose a threat in the years to come to the number of the native specie populations of the islands. Zimmerman et al. described that the islands’ “forests seem to be balancing between two opposing factors”, meaning that the native and the non-native plants are competing for space in their common ecosystem (1).
The “disturbed preserves” are areas in which there has been human alteration of the landscape, whether it be infrastructural installations or beaten trails, that has then been left alone. These areas are recovering forests that normally transition from primary growth to secondary, but are made vulnerable through these artificial developments that alter the dynamics of the landscape in which the native species would emerge. Consequently, these sites, which are protected via the Lullwater Management Plan regardless, have grown into monoculture communities that consist usually of only one or two invasive species. The most aggressive invasive within Lullwater is Ligustrum sinense (Chinese Privet), which is a semi-evergreen shrub of great phenotypic plasticity, allowing it to invade and thrive in a wide range of habitats. Figure 2 is a dam and culvert constructed in 2003, which
Bunyaville state forest, is a national park located in between the suburbs of Albany creek and Everton hills. Bunyaville has been educating the young minds of many school aged students for many years. Alongside the the education programs at bunyaville, there is a vast range of biodiversity, present at the site. From fish, birds and plants, there is without a doubt that bunyaville though having experienced a loss of biodiversity over the years, still has a lot of diversity within its species. The purpose of this report is to find and evaluate the biodiversity in the park and the conservation methods being used to maintain it.
a) The Daintree rainforest at Cape Tribulation, in far north Queensland is diverse in many ways. It holds 12 of the 19 primitive plant families in the world (Cairns Today, 2007). The forest covers an area of 1100 square kilometres and is approximately eighty kilometres wide. This dense and luxuriant rainforest has the greatest diversity than any other in Australia and many in the world. The Daintree is also the home of rare and threatened of being extinct plant and animal species. The importance of this ecosystem is the very high. This ecosystem contributes to the overall health of this plant in many ways. The diversity contributes in the breakdown of pollution and helps to control the climate to name a few. This rainforest also is a great ‘carbon sink’. It has many photosynthesising plants and this allows the control of carbon dioxide (CO2). The plants take in the CO2 from the atmosphere and return oxygen (O2)
Invasive plants are introduced non-native species that cause ecological or economic harm. This happens through specific physiology that allows them to outcompete native plants. Not all invasive plant species affect the forest ecosystem in the same way. Four studies looked at nutrient cycling, allelopathy, and throughfall chemistry to understand the differences in physiology of different invasive plant species that contributes to their competitiveness.
Management In Malaysia Issues And Initiatives Related To Conservation Of Biodiversity And Critical Habitats.pdf [Accessed 9 Aug. 2014].
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
Zacherl, Danielle. “Biology 171 Evolution and Biodiversity.” National Association of Research in Science Teaching 2007 Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA. (2007):n. page. Print.
The education department and institutions carry out their activities under the supervision of the Ministry of education of Singapore which make policies for the betterment of their people and society in regard of the education. The government has given authority to the Ministery of education to take care of the education sector. The government controls the overall educational setup. Subsidies are provided to different secondary educational institutions working under the government. The government supports the education system. It pays more attention towards all sectors of education according to their requirement. The dropout rate in the education system is high. The government offers scholarships for international students and allocated a
Wilson, H.D., 1994. Regeneration of native forest on Hinewai reserve, Banks peninsula. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 32(3), 373-383.
Stiling, Peter. Ecology: Theories and Applications. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.