Singapore Field Trip (May 30 - June 3, 2016)

Group 6 Nature Trails Chow Lai Him (Mark)* Lam Lit Man (Alex) Tsang Hin Tung (Alex) Li Choi Chi (Amber) Tsang Chui Shan (Jade) Nature Trails (June 2, 2016)

Imbiah Nature Trail MacRitchie Nature Trail Telok Blangah Hill (Night walk) 13

Imbiah Nature Trail

● located in Sentosa Island ● 1.85km long ● Opened to public since 1970s ● For education & research ● Rare tree species & endangered species of Nepenthes ● Secondary forest 13

History of Sentosa

Before 1819: mostly uninhabited 1819: British opened the free port (Sentosa was known as Pulau Blakang Mati) 1846: land cleared for pineapple cultivation 1878: British forts and millitary installations constructed 1942-1945: Japan invaded Singapore during WWII 1945: Temporary naval shore station 1967: After independence, became Singapore Armed Forces’ School of Field Engineers 1968: Demobilised as a military base 1972: Renamed as Sentosa (Malay term: peace and tranquility), for tourism and recreation 13 13 Adenanthera pavonina ● Fast-growing legume tree ● Up to 25m tall ● Creamy-yellow star-shaped flowers ● Dark brown pods ● Toxic raw seeds ● Unit of measure: 4 seeds = 1 gram

Photo by Edwin Kwok Heritage Tree in Botanic Garden 13

Alocasia odora (Elephant Ear)

● Family: Araceae ● Evergreen herb ● Used as food and ornamental ● Contains calcium oxalate crystals(toxic) ● Medical use of rhizomes: treatment of stomachache, abdominal pain, cholera 13

Kopsia singapurensis ● Family: Apocynaceae ○ connated petals in salverform ○ opposite leaves ● Small evergreen tree (5-6m tall) ● Native to Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia ● Traditional medicine ● Vulnerable ○ Stress: Housing & urban area development, logging & wood harvesting ○ Reduction of habitat 13

Ixonanthes reticulata

● Common name: Ten men tree ● Evergreen tree, up to 40m tall ● Narrow buttresses ● Hard & heavy wood ● Native, common, cultivated 13 Pavo cristatus (Indian peafowl) Introduced species

Female Male 13 Insects

Dragonfly Cicada (Cicada Slough) Ants 13 Fungi 13 Educational Facilities

Before entering Imbiah trail, we saw...

● Sentosa Nature Discovery ● Provide the history, rocks, habitats and species information ● Display boards ● Target: public ● Encourage visitors to observe during exploration 15

Education

● Information boards 15

Education

● Information boards 15

Education

● Information boards (Be an animal detective) 15

Education

● Information boards (Be an animal detective) 15

Education

● Information boards (Be an animal detective) 15

Education

● Applications (Apps) 15

Education

● Information boards 15

Teach you how to conserve the rainforests

Guide you to look at Imbiah trees (common or rare) Introduce special tree species 15 Teach you how to recognise the trees by leaf size & colour, trucks and roots

Introduce ferns, fungi, lichens and mosses Remind you to investigate leaf litters, seeds, insects, birds and other animals in forest 15

Display the model of bird nest

Display the model of seeds to attract visitors

Maps: Provide visitors's locations and prevent them get lost 13

Locational advantages of Imbiah Trail

● Located in Sentosa Island ● Near to tourist sites e.g. Universal Studios Singapore, Siloso Beach ● Good transport (Cable cars, MRT, public buses,Sentosa Express, taxi) ● Attract visitors to explore nature ● Ecotourism ● Nature conservation and economic development in one island MacRitchie Nature Trail 13

Google Maps (2016). [MacRitchie Nature Trail, Singapore] [Street map]. Retreieved from https: //www.google.com. hk/maps/place/MacRitchie+Nature+ Trail/@1.3526386,103.7593086,12 z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1! 1sMacRitchie+Nature+Trail!3m4! 1s0x0000000000000000: 0x8bdba8588cbee21b!8m2!3d1. 345739!4d103.8365614 13 MacRitchie

● Singapore’s largest and oldest reservoir (Constructed in 1867) ● Parks and nature reserves ● Treetop Walks: 250m long ● Nature Trail: 11km long ● Outdoor activities: Water sports, fishing, hiking, bird watching, exercise 13 Layered structure of the tropical rainforest

● Unclear emergent layer ● Undergrowth and ground layer compared with primary forest ● Mosses and fungi ● Not much sunlight 13

Special features of plants

● Large buttress roots ● Can stand as high as 15 feet ● Support tall trees ● Get more nutrients ● Adaptation to rainforest 13

Special features of plants

● Swollen maroon stipules ● Found in Common Mahang ● Produce food which is rich in lipids and proteins ● Feed ants(Crematogaster) ● Ants protect the plant from other herbivores and fungal pathogens ● Mutualism 13 Lianas

● Woody climber ● Start at forest floor ● Climb along other plants ● Reach sunlight-rich environment ● Not harmful to the trees 13 Galeopterus variegatus (Sunda flying lemur)

● Family: Cynocephalidae ● Forest-dependent species ● Habitat: evergreen forests ● Feed on fruits ● Sleep on trees during the day ● Population decline ● Protected by national legislation 13 Gallus gallus (Red junglefowl)

● Family: Phasianidae ● Original wild chicken ● Hybridization and domestication by human (thousands of years) ● Native to SE Asia ● Endangered in Singapore 13 Eutropis multifasciata (Common Sun Skink)

● Family : Scincidae ● Smooth, scaled skins ● 36cm long ● Feed on insects ● Habitat: Primary/Secondary forests ● Widespread and common 13 Macaca fascicularis (Long-tailed macaque)

● Family : Cercopithecidae ● Feed on leaves, fruits, small size of mammals and birds ● Can live for 31 years ● Habitats: primary + secondary forests, mangroves, agricutural lands ● Widespread and abundant 13

Insects

Ypthima baldus newboldi Pseudagrion microcephalum Dragonfly Cricket (Common Fivering) (Blue riverdamsel) 13 Management and Facilities ● Visitors have specific routes e.g.Trails and Treetop walk to walk ● Oberve the forest in different ways ● Minimise soil and water erosion ● Minimise disturbance to wildlife

Treetop Walk 13

Fishing is not allowed in this area(nature reserve)!

Introduce Tembusu to you! Map and Trail Manners to visitors 13 Beware of MONKEYS! Keep your food in bags!

No pets, No smoking, No bicycles please!

Don’t get lost and see how long did you walk already? 14

Telok Blangah Hill Explore the sound and soul of the forest in the dark 14

Diversity

Ahaetulla Felis catus

● mildly venomous with rear fangs Toad ● slender body, triangular head, keyhole shaped pupils ● diurnal ● diet: lizards, frogs & rodents 14

Hammerhead worms

● genus Bipalium ● nocturnal ● shape of head resembles to a hammer ● tetrodotoxin was recorded in some species ● hermaphroditic ● predatory: ○ diet: earthworms, mollusks ○ tracking→uses muscles & secretions to adhere itself to the prey→ turn pharynx inside out & secrete enzymes for digestion→ suck the liquefied tissues 14 queen

male Insects Parade- Ants worker work from S.E. Thorpe

● genus Solenopsis (fire ants) ● brown head, brown body & darker abdomen ● consume dead animals & sweet food ● Nest= mound of 40 cm high ● react aggressively towards stimulant→ exact a painful sting→blister after 48 hours ● major pest in agriculture & city 14

Insects Parade- Wasps

● bees, ants & wasps are paraphyletic ● eusocial ● harmful stings & warning coloration (black & yellow) ○ Batesian mimicry ○ Müllerian mimicry ● build nests beneath leaves/ branches ● only nest maintenance & brood care continues during the night 14 Indulge in the beauty of the secondary forests at the fringes of Telok Blangah Hill Park by trekking the Forest Walk - National Parks Board

Special Design of Facilities& What’s More Behind

● Elevated walkway of Forest Walk ○ same eye level with the canopy layer ○ with interspace: for light & water droplets penetration ○ minimum artificial light: dim, does not point outwards

● Social conception of nature ○ for health, recreation, economic resources, asthetics, scientific research ○ consumerable form, objectification ○ replacement of primitive nature to artificial (commercial?) nature ✔ improve quality of life ❌ not “real” conservation 11

Secondary forest

primary forest agricultural Deforestation land secondary Abandoned forest 11

Secondary forest

● lower biodiversity ○ slow recovery rate ○ challenges in re-colonization: fragmented landscape, lack of seed dispersers ○ depletion of soil nutrients & soil erosion ➔ domination of some plant species 11

Secondary forest

Long-lived pioneer: Dense thickets formers: Tiup-tiup tree, Resam fern, Simpoh Ayer, Adinandra dumosa Dicranopteris linearis & Dillenia suffruticosa

Wang LK (n.d.). Adinandra dumosa. Retrieved from http://lkcnhm. Wang LK (n.d.). Dicranopteris linearis. Retrieved from http: nus.edu.sg/dna/organisms/details/365 //lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/dna/organisms/details/417 Wang LK (n.d.). Dillenia suffruticosa. Retrieved from http://lkcnhm. nus.edu.sg/dna/organisms/details/362 11

Telok Blangah Hill

● 60 hectares urban forest (red)

● surrounded by traffics, residences and industrial buildings

Google Maps (2016). [Telok Blangah Hill, Singapore] [Satellite map]. Retreieved from https://www.google.com. hk/maps/place/Telok+Blangah+Hill+Park/@1. 2785178,103.8106982,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4! 1s0x31da1bdaf58d556b:0x35699ad324d5c58!8m2!3d1. 2785124!4d103.8128869 11

Land-Sharing/Sparing

● integration/segregation of production system and nature

King A and Cole B (2006). Singapore Satellite Image. Retreieved from http: King A and Cole B (2006). Hong Kong //geology.com/world/singapore-satellite- Satellite Image. Retreieved from image.shtml http://geology.com/world/hong-kong- satellite-image.shtml Google Maps (2016). [Hong Kong] [Hybrid map]. Google Maps (2016). [Singapore] [Hybrid map]. Retreieved from https://www.google.com. Retreieved from https://www.google.com. hk/maps/place/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF/@22. 11 hk/maps/place/%E6%96%B0%E5%8A%A0%E5%9D%A1/@1. 3580723,113.8408114,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4! 31507,103.7069302,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4! 1s0x3403e2eda332980f:0xf08ab3badbeac97c!8m2!3d22. 1s0x31da11238a8b9375:0x887869cf52abf5c4!8m2!3d1. 396428!4d114.109497 352083!4d103.819836

12

Population density to food energy yield, and their frequency among birds and trees in southwest Ghana (Gh) and northern India (In).

Species A & B: higher density in farmland (benefited from farming, winner)

Species C & D: lower population (loser) 12

More species were negatively affected by agriculture

Species with small global ranges: stronger effect 12

Trade-offs: Land sharing

● higher biodiversity within urbanized region

● habitat fragmentation ● homogenizing landscapes favours generalist, affects specialist → lower overall diversity? ● more disturbances from human e.g. light pollution (telok blangah) 12

Trade-offs: Land sparing

● economic advantages: ○ compacted urbanization reduces transport time ○ require less land area which is scarce ● less habitat fragmentation & disturbances from human ● species richness increase with: increasing habitat area & habitat diversity ● ecological integrity of a reserve remain intact with increasing reserve area and habitat diversity 12

Trade-offs: Land sparing

● unbalanced preservation (original natural habitat may be heterogeneous) → no protection of flatland habitat

● high population density in urban area → public hygiene/enviroment problems 12

Motivation from citizens

● Greening of Singapore: motivated by economical & environmental factors and citizens

● Being a Garden City: improves Singapore’s global competitiveness enhances quality of life 15

Reflection References

Ahaetulla (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Wikipedia. Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahaetulla

Baker N (n.d.). Long-tailed Macaque. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Ecology Asia. Website: http://www.ecologyasia. com/verts/mammals/long-tailed_macaque.htm

Baker N (n.d.). Many-lined Sun Skink. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Ecology Asia. Website: http://www.ecologyasia. com/verts/lizards/many-lined_sun_skink.htm

Bipalium (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Wikipedia. Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipalium

Boeadi and Steinmetz R (2008). Galeopterus variegatus. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Versin 2015-4. Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41502/0

Butler R (2012). Vines and Lianas. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Mongabay. Website: http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0406.htm

Chua SC et al. (2013). Slow recovery of a secondary tropical forest in Southeast Asia. Forest Ecology and Management, 308, 153–160.

Chua LSL (1998). Kopsia singaporensis. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015-4. Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/31758/0

Corlett RT (2000). Environmental heterogeneity and species survival in degraded tropical landscapes. In Hutchings MJ, John EA, Stewart AJ (ed.) The ecological consequences of environmental heterogeneity, pp. 333-355. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. References

Ekroos J et al. (2016). Sparing Land for Biodiversity at Multiple Spatial Scales. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 3, 145.

Fern K (n.d.). Adenanthera pavonina. Retrieved June 14, 2016, from The Useful Tropical Plants Database. Website: http://tropical. theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Adenanthera pavonina

Fern K (n.d.). Ixonanthes reticulata. Retrieved June 14, 2016, from The Useful Tropical Plants Database. Website: http://tropical. theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ixonanthes+reticulata

Fern K (n.d.). Alocasia odora. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from The Useful Tropical Plants Database. Website: http://tropical.theferns. info/viewtropical.php?id=Alocasia+odora

Fire ant (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Wikipedia. Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ant

Geoffrey Davison (2007). Urban Forest Rehabilitation – A Case Study from Singapore. In Don Koo Lee (ed.), IUFRO World Series Bol. 20-1: Keep Asia Green Volume 1 “Southeast Asia”, pp. 171-182. Vienna: IUFRO Headquarters.

Gonthier DJ et al. (2014). Biodiversity conservation in agriculture requires a multi-scale approach. The Royal Society, 281, 1791.

Hakim J (n.d.). Common Sun Skink. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Reptiles and Amphibians of Bangkok. Website: https://bangkokherps. wordpress.com/2011/09/18/common-sun-skink/ References

Hulme MF et al. (2013). Conserving the Birds of Uganda’s Banana-Coffee Arc: Land Sparing and Land Sharing Compared. PLoS ONE, 8 (2): e54597.

JungleBoy (2013). Differences between primary and secondary rainforest. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Rainforest Journal. Website: http://www.rainforestjournal.com/differences-between-primary-and-secondary-rainforest/

Kong L and Yeoh BSA (1996). Social constructions of nature in urban Singapore. Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 34(2), 402-423.

Lang KC (2006). Long-tailed macaque. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Primate Info Net. Website: http://pin.primate.wisc. edu/factsheets/entry/long-tailed_macaque

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (n.d.). Secondary Forest. Retrieved June 4, 2016, from The Digital Nature Archive of Singapore. Website: http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/dna/habitats/details/18

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (n.d.). Kopsia singapurensis. Retrieved June 14, 2016, from The Digital Nature Archive of Singapore. Website: http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/dna/organisms/details/546

Mayntz M (2016). Red Junglefowl. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from About. Website: http://birding.about.com/od/birdprofiles/p/Red- Junglefowl.htm References

National Parks Board (n.d.). MacRitchie Reservoir Park. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from NParks. Website: https://www.nparks.gov. sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/macritchie-reservoir-park

Phalan B, Onial M, Balmford A, Green RE (2011). Reconciling Food Production and Biodiversity Conservation: Land Sharing and Land Sparing Compared. Science, 33, 1289-1291.

Puccio P (n.d.). Kopsia singapurensis (Beltramini M, Trans.). Retrieved June 14, 2016, from Photomazza: Giuseppe Mazza. Website: http: //www.photomazza.com/?Kopsia-singapurensis&lang=en

Singapore Tourism Board (n.d.). MacRitchie Nature Trail & Reservoir Park. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from YourSingapore. Website: http://www.yoursingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/reserves/macritchie-nature-reserve.html

Sodhi NS, Koh LP, Brook BW and Ng PKL (2004). Southeast Asian biodiversity: an impeding disaster. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 19, 654-660.

Tan R (2009). Red junglefowl. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from Wildfactsheets. Website: http://www.wildsingapore. com/wildfacts/vertebrates/birds/gallus.htm

Wasp Removal UK (n.d.). Advice and info about wasps, hornets and bees. Retrieved June 22, 2016. Website: http://www.wasp-removal. com/wasp-answers5.php The End Thank You