I learnt that the term 'mangrove' refers to the highly adapted plants found in tropical intertidal forest communities or the ecosystem itself. The different types of mangroves are red mangroves, white mangroves and black mangroves. I also learnt that mangroves are disappearing at a rate of 0.8 percent a year in Casamance (Africa) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that mangroves are critically endangered or approaching extinction in 26 out of the 120 countries in which they are found. At first i thought that the most poisonous snake is the King Cobra, but, it is actually the Sea Snake! (The Sea Snake has 10 times more poison than the King Cobra.) I also learnt that the term 'abiotic' refers to the non-living or physical components of an ecosystem. I also learnt that in any ecosystem, the abiotic factors are not identical over the whole area. There are a lot of animals living in the mangrove. They are the Sea mullet, mudskipper, dusky honeyeater etc.
(167 words)
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.- Steve Jobs
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Reflective Journal 5
Abiotic Factors in the Mangrove
Flow of energy and matter in a mangrove swampEnergy is used for all the processes that occur in organisms. Energy is not recycled in the environment it is stored, used or is lost as heat. It flows through the environment. The source of energy for the mangrove ecosystem is the sun. Plants use sunlight to provide energy for the process of photosynthesis. This energy is then passed through the food chain as organisms consume other organisms. At each step in the food chain there is a loss of energy as heat. If the organisms in an ecosystem do not use the available energy it is lost to the ecosystem.
Matter on the other hand is recycled in the ecosystem. A carbon atom that is part of a mangrove tree leaf may fall to the ground and decay. This detritus may then be eaten by a crab. The crab converts the matter into its own body material which may then be eaten by a fish. An ibis then eats the fish. The carbon atom that was part of a mangrove may become part of a crab, a fish or a bird.
The mangrove ecosystem has a detrital food web. Many of the animals that live in this ecosystem consume detritus.
The term abiotic refers to the non-living or physical components of an ecosystem. We are going to look at three abiotic factors:
Salinity
Temperature
Oxygen
To do this we are going to use two pieces of equipment:
A datalogger with a temperature and a salinity probe attached and
an oxygen meter.
Salinity
Temperature
Oxygen
To do this we are going to use two pieces of equipment:
A datalogger with a temperature and a salinity probe attached and
an oxygen meter.
In any ecosystem the abiotic factors are not identical over the whole area. The tide has a lot to do with the distribution of plants in the ecosystem. Mangroves occur in areas that are inundated daily. Further away from the water in areas that only covered with water during the highest high tides are found saltmarsh plants. In the areas that are covered with water most of the time are the seagrasses.
Flow of energy and matter in a mangrove swampEnergy is used for all the processes that occur in organisms. Energy is not recycled in the environment it is stored, used or is lost as heat. It flows through the environment. The source of energy for the mangrove ecosystem is the sun. Plants use sunlight to provide energy for the process of photosynthesis. This energy is then passed through the food chain as organisms consume other organisms. At each step in the food chain there is a loss of energy as heat. If the organisms in an ecosystem do not use the available energy it is lost to the ecosystem.
Matter on the other hand is recycled in the ecosystem. A carbon atom that is part of a mangrove tree leaf may fall to the ground and decay. This detritus may then be eaten by a crab. The crab converts the matter into its own body material which may then be eaten by a fish. An ibis then eats the fish. The carbon atom that was part of a mangrove may become part of a crab, a fish or a bird.
The mangrove ecosystem has a detrital food web. Many of the animals that live in this ecosystem consume detritus.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
- Steve Jobs
- Steve Jobs
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Reflective Journal 4
Did You Know?
1. Mangrove are disappearing at a rate of 0.8 percent a year in Casamance (Africa). The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that mangroves are critically endangered or approaching extinction in 26 out of the 120 countries in which they are found.
2. The Sea snake has 10 TIMES more venom than the King Cobra!
Taken From: Group presentation [mangrove]
3. Do you think that mangroves are more threatened than rainforests?
Ans: Yes! Surprisingly, it is! Destruction of mangrove forests could leave the world deprived of their important ecological services by the end of a century.
4. With their dense vegetation, thick and often smelly mud, mangroves are not generally perceived to be particularly appealing habitats to visit. Yet this ecosystem has a diverse and fascinating flora and fauna, and plays a critical role in the conservation of the coast and the productivity of the sea.
1. Mangrove are disappearing at a rate of 0.8 percent a year in Casamance (Africa). The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that mangroves are critically endangered or approaching extinction in 26 out of the 120 countries in which they are found.
2. The Sea snake has 10 TIMES more venom than the King Cobra!
Taken From: Group presentation [mangrove]
3. Do you think that mangroves are more threatened than rainforests?
Ans: Yes! Surprisingly, it is! Destruction of mangrove forests could leave the world deprived of their important ecological services by the end of a century.
4. With their dense vegetation, thick and often smelly mud, mangroves are not generally perceived to be particularly appealing habitats to visit. Yet this ecosystem has a diverse and fascinating flora and fauna, and plays a critical role in the conservation of the coast and the productivity of the sea.
MUDFLATS
5.Mud flats or tidal flats are also held in poor regard by many visitors to the coast. In fact, in Thailand, mud flats are in many places part of the mangrove system, being areas not yet colonised by the salt-tolerant trees. They are important feeding grounds for molluscs and marine invertebrates that crawl into the thick shifting sediments, emerging from their burrows to feed when the tide is in. They also attract millions of shore birds, including migrating and over-wintering waders. Over 40 coastal species of birds use the mud flats of Thailand. Bird watching enthusiasts will be very familiar with the significance of tidal mud flats for shore birds throughout the world, not just in Thailand.
Below is a picture on mudflats.
Adapted from an illustration in Reefs to Rainforests by Thom Henley.
Edited From: http://www.geocities.com/~nesst/mangrove.htm
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.- Steve Jobs
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Reflective Journal 3
Acanthaceae
The family Acanthaceae (or Acanthus family) is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species.
Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brasil and Central America. The representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, in scrublands, on wet fields and valleys, at the sea coast and in marine areas, and in swamps and as an element of mangrove woods.
Plants in this family have simple, opposite, decussate leaves with entire (or sometimes toothed, lobed, or spiny) margins, and without stipules. The leaves may contain cystoliths, or calcium carbonate concretions, seen as streaks on the surface. The flowers are perfect, zygomorphic to nearly actinomorphic, these arranged in an inflorescence that is either a spike, raceme, or cyme. Typically there is a colorful bract subtending each flower; in some species the bract is large and showy. The calyx is usually 4-5 lobed; the corolla tubular, 2-lipped or 5-lobed; stamens either 2 or 4 arranged in pairs and inserted on the corolla; and the ovary superior, 2-carpellate, with axile placentation. The fruit is a two-celled capsule, dehiscing somewhat explosively. In most species, the seeds are attached to a small, hooked stalk (a modified funiculus called a jaculator) that ejects them from the capsule.
A species well-known to temperate gardeners is Acanthus mollis or Bear's breeches, a herbaceous perennial plant with big leaves and flower spikes up to 2 m tall. Tropical genera familiar to gardeners include Thunbergia and Justicia.
Avicennia, a genus of mangrove tree, usually placed in Verbenaceae or in its own family, Avicenniaceae, is included in Acanthaceae by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies that show it to be associated with this family.
Edited From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthaceae
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
- Steve Jobs
The family Acanthaceae (or Acanthus family) is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species.
Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brasil and Central America. The representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, in scrublands, on wet fields and valleys, at the sea coast and in marine areas, and in swamps and as an element of mangrove woods.
Plants in this family have simple, opposite, decussate leaves with entire (or sometimes toothed, lobed, or spiny) margins, and without stipules. The leaves may contain cystoliths, or calcium carbonate concretions, seen as streaks on the surface. The flowers are perfect, zygomorphic to nearly actinomorphic, these arranged in an inflorescence that is either a spike, raceme, or cyme. Typically there is a colorful bract subtending each flower; in some species the bract is large and showy. The calyx is usually 4-5 lobed; the corolla tubular, 2-lipped or 5-lobed; stamens either 2 or 4 arranged in pairs and inserted on the corolla; and the ovary superior, 2-carpellate, with axile placentation. The fruit is a two-celled capsule, dehiscing somewhat explosively. In most species, the seeds are attached to a small, hooked stalk (a modified funiculus called a jaculator) that ejects them from the capsule.
A species well-known to temperate gardeners is Acanthus mollis or Bear's breeches, a herbaceous perennial plant with big leaves and flower spikes up to 2 m tall. Tropical genera familiar to gardeners include Thunbergia and Justicia.
Avicennia, a genus of mangrove tree, usually placed in Verbenaceae or in its own family, Avicenniaceae, is included in Acanthaceae by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies that show it to be associated with this family.
Edited From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthaceae
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
- Steve Jobs
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Reflective Journal 2
Mangrove horseshoe crab
Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda
Family Limulidae
Size: up to 40 cm in length (plus tail)
Edited From: http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/text/2076.htm
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
- Steve Jobs
Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda
Family Limulidae
Size: up to 40 cm in length (plus tail)
The horseshoe crab is a survivor unlike other mangrove animal alive today. It is what biologists call a 'living fossil' an organism which has remained basically unchanged for millions of years! In fact, fossils of horseshoe crabs over 400 million years old look almost identical to the species alive today. Slow and steady nonetheless, they have withstood the ultimate challenge Mother Nature has thrown at them - the test of time!Mangrove horseshoe crabs are basically scavengers, but they also feed on bivalves. They are found throughout Southeast Asia. The telson or tail is used to right itself up when overturned and not as a weapon as some believe!Their large eggs, which hatch into miniature versions of the adults, are laid in the upper parts of the mangroves. Males (usually much smaller than females), cling on to and follow their potential mates around for long periods before egg-laying. Not surprisingly, some locals identify this crab with matrimonial fidelity.
The eggs of these crabs are eaten in some areas, with locals cutting open the body and eating the unlaid eggs directly after cooking. There have been some reports, however, of the crabs being toxic. The blood of the crab is important in the biomedical world as a purified version can help detect baterial toxins, important in disease detection as well as ensuring the cleanliness of equipment.Edited From: http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/text/2076.htm
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
- Steve Jobs
Monday, March 16, 2009
Reflective Journal 1
What is a mangrove?
The term 'mangrove', is used in the broad sense either to refer to the highly adapted plants found in tropical intertidal forest communities or the ecosystem itself. The term 'mangrove' may have been derived from a combination of the Malay word 'manggi-manggi', for a type of mangrove tree (Avicennia) and the Arabic 'el gurm', for the same, as 'mang-gurm'. As a word, it can be used to refer to a species, plant, forest or community!
A mangrove community
Nature, at the highest level of organisation, consists of the ecosphere which includes all living things (biosphere) together with non-living parts (atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere). The next level is the biome which consists of groups of similar ecosystems over large geographic areas. Next is the ecosystem, which is a self-regulating community of organisms and their non-living environment.The community consists of interacting populations (single-species groups) of all the different plants and animals in the area, which in this case, is the mangrove. Thus essentially, the mangrove community is the biotic part of this ecosystem, which this book introduces.
Types of tropical rain forest
The term 'tropical rain forest' is used to describe forests of the ever-wet tropics or beyond, where there is, at most, minimal seasonal water shortage. These can be divided into dry-land and wetland rain forests. The first includes tropical lowland evergreen rain forest, which was the main type of forest covering Singapore, parts of which still exist in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Mainland Singapore has many beaches (including artificial ones), a few mangrove patches, and one rocky shore (Labrador Beach) - all of these and more, also occur naturally on our offshore islands, and each ecosystem is occupied by a different and characteristic community.
Edited From: http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/text/1002.htm
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
- Steve Jobs
The term 'mangrove', is used in the broad sense either to refer to the highly adapted plants found in tropical intertidal forest communities or the ecosystem itself. The term 'mangrove' may have been derived from a combination of the Malay word 'manggi-manggi', for a type of mangrove tree (Avicennia) and the Arabic 'el gurm', for the same, as 'mang-gurm'. As a word, it can be used to refer to a species, plant, forest or community!
A mangrove community
Nature, at the highest level of organisation, consists of the ecosphere which includes all living things (biosphere) together with non-living parts (atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere). The next level is the biome which consists of groups of similar ecosystems over large geographic areas. Next is the ecosystem, which is a self-regulating community of organisms and their non-living environment.The community consists of interacting populations (single-species groups) of all the different plants and animals in the area, which in this case, is the mangrove. Thus essentially, the mangrove community is the biotic part of this ecosystem, which this book introduces.
Types of tropical rain forest
The term 'tropical rain forest' is used to describe forests of the ever-wet tropics or beyond, where there is, at most, minimal seasonal water shortage. These can be divided into dry-land and wetland rain forests. The first includes tropical lowland evergreen rain forest, which was the main type of forest covering Singapore, parts of which still exist in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Mainland Singapore has many beaches (including artificial ones), a few mangrove patches, and one rocky shore (Labrador Beach) - all of these and more, also occur naturally on our offshore islands, and each ecosystem is occupied by a different and characteristic community.
Edited From: http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/text/1002.htm
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
- Steve Jobs
Monday, March 9, 2009
Chek Jawa
Chek Jawa
At first, when I heard of Chek Jawa, I thought that it is in Indonesia or maybe, Malaysia. But after searching on the Internet, I found out that it is actually in Pulau Ubin, Singapore. Chek Jawa is a gem of marine wildlife. Located at the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa is a collection of six distinct habitats - coastal forest, mangroves, sand bars, sea grass lagoon, rocky shore & coral rubble.
Coastal Hill Forest
The hill overlooking Chek Jawa is covered with trees and plants that shelter and feed a variety of animals. Many of these plants and animals are no longer commonly seen on mainland Singapore.
Mangroves
The mangroves of Chek Jawa have many interesting plants and animals. Mangrove trees have unusual shapes and properties as they are adapted to being covered in seawater at high tide and to grow in soft mud.
Rocky shore
Chek Jawa is among the few places left with a natural rocky shore, gravel beach and other interesting rock formations.
Sandy shore and sand bar
The shore teems with tiny crabs which, if undisturbed, go about their amusing antics at low tide. The sand bar is the backbone of Chek Jawa and provides a home for all manner of intriguing creatures.
Seagrass lagoon
A calm, shallow lagoon lush with seagrasses and seaweeds form behind the sand bar. Here, a rich variety of marine creatures shelter during the low tide. First-time visitors are often stunned by the carpet anemones which are bigger than your face and come in a stunning variety of colours.
Coral Rubble Area
The coral rubble area near the front beacon is probably the richest part of Chek Jawa and also the most fragile. Rarely exposed, even at low tide, this area shelters delicate sea creatures that prefer to be submerged most of the time.
The living thing that I liked the most is the sea stars. The knobbly sea star is larger than your face (up to about 30cm across). These gorgeously coloured sea stars are indeed the Super Stars of Chek Jawa. They come in shades of red, orange and beige. On Chek Jawa, these spectacular sea stars can be rather numerous at times in the coral rubble area. They are also sometimes seen on the northern arm of the sand bar and in the seagrass lagoon.
Knobbly parts: Knobbly sea stars are not venomous, although they are often brightly coloured and covered with dangerous-looking knobs, nodules and spines. They are also called the Giant Nodulated sea star, Horned sea star or Chocolate Chip sea star. They have thick, triangular arms. Although their arms appear stiff, these can bend quite extensively. Knobbly sea stars are mostly red, but sometimes, white or brown ones are encountered on Chek Jawa. Blue or green ones have been recorded in the past. Their knobs may be black or brown and come in various patterns and arrangements. Like other sea stars, they have tube feet emerging from the grooves under their arms. These tube feet can be bright red or purple!
Knobbly food: The Knobbly sea star prefers to eat snails and clams, but will also eat sponges, soft corals and other small creatures. It is also reported to eat algae and scavenge on dead creatures.
Knobbly Babies: Like other sea stars, Knobblies practice external fertilisation. Eggs and sperm are stored in their arms and released simultaneously into the water. It is reported that they gather in large numbers to spawn. Like other sea stars, Knobblies undergo metamorphosis and their larvae look nothing like the adults. The form that first hatches from the eggs are bilaterally symmetrical and free-swimming, drifting with the plankton. They eventually settle down and develop into tiny sea stars.
Human uses: Knobbly sea stars are harvested from the wild for the live aquarium trade, often selling for only a few dollars. In captivity, they are unlikely to survive long without expert care.
Status and threats: In the past, Knobbly sea stars were among the most common large sea stars of Malaya. They are now listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. Chek Jawa is among the few places left in Singapore where they can be seen regularly.
At first, when I heard of Chek Jawa, I thought that it is in Indonesia or maybe, Malaysia. But after searching on the Internet, I found out that it is actually in Pulau Ubin, Singapore. Chek Jawa is a gem of marine wildlife. Located at the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa is a collection of six distinct habitats - coastal forest, mangroves, sand bars, sea grass lagoon, rocky shore & coral rubble.
Coastal Hill Forest
The hill overlooking Chek Jawa is covered with trees and plants that shelter and feed a variety of animals. Many of these plants and animals are no longer commonly seen on mainland Singapore.
Mangroves
The mangroves of Chek Jawa have many interesting plants and animals. Mangrove trees have unusual shapes and properties as they are adapted to being covered in seawater at high tide and to grow in soft mud.
Rocky shore
Chek Jawa is among the few places left with a natural rocky shore, gravel beach and other interesting rock formations.
Sandy shore and sand bar
The shore teems with tiny crabs which, if undisturbed, go about their amusing antics at low tide. The sand bar is the backbone of Chek Jawa and provides a home for all manner of intriguing creatures.
Seagrass lagoon
A calm, shallow lagoon lush with seagrasses and seaweeds form behind the sand bar. Here, a rich variety of marine creatures shelter during the low tide. First-time visitors are often stunned by the carpet anemones which are bigger than your face and come in a stunning variety of colours.
Coral Rubble Area
The coral rubble area near the front beacon is probably the richest part of Chek Jawa and also the most fragile. Rarely exposed, even at low tide, this area shelters delicate sea creatures that prefer to be submerged most of the time.
The living thing that I liked the most is the sea stars. The knobbly sea star is larger than your face (up to about 30cm across). These gorgeously coloured sea stars are indeed the Super Stars of Chek Jawa. They come in shades of red, orange and beige. On Chek Jawa, these spectacular sea stars can be rather numerous at times in the coral rubble area. They are also sometimes seen on the northern arm of the sand bar and in the seagrass lagoon.
Knobbly parts: Knobbly sea stars are not venomous, although they are often brightly coloured and covered with dangerous-looking knobs, nodules and spines. They are also called the Giant Nodulated sea star, Horned sea star or Chocolate Chip sea star. They have thick, triangular arms. Although their arms appear stiff, these can bend quite extensively. Knobbly sea stars are mostly red, but sometimes, white or brown ones are encountered on Chek Jawa. Blue or green ones have been recorded in the past. Their knobs may be black or brown and come in various patterns and arrangements. Like other sea stars, they have tube feet emerging from the grooves under their arms. These tube feet can be bright red or purple!
Knobbly food: The Knobbly sea star prefers to eat snails and clams, but will also eat sponges, soft corals and other small creatures. It is also reported to eat algae and scavenge on dead creatures.
Knobbly Babies: Like other sea stars, Knobblies practice external fertilisation. Eggs and sperm are stored in their arms and released simultaneously into the water. It is reported that they gather in large numbers to spawn. Like other sea stars, Knobblies undergo metamorphosis and their larvae look nothing like the adults. The form that first hatches from the eggs are bilaterally symmetrical and free-swimming, drifting with the plankton. They eventually settle down and develop into tiny sea stars.
Human uses: Knobbly sea stars are harvested from the wild for the live aquarium trade, often selling for only a few dollars. In captivity, they are unlikely to survive long without expert care.
Status and threats: In the past, Knobbly sea stars were among the most common large sea stars of Malaya. They are now listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. Chek Jawa is among the few places left in Singapore where they can be seen regularly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)