Joanne & Aisyah on “Investigations into mangrove tree-climbing crab biology: Gastric mills and Larval periodicity”

Communicating research findings to managers and educators – A talk for staff and volunteers of Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve

“Investigations into mangrove tree-climbing crab biology: Gastric mills and Larval periodicity”

By Siti Aisyah Bte Jamal & Joanne Khew
Systematics & Ecology Lab
Department of Biological Sciences, NUS

Saturday 29th May 2010:
11.15am – 12.15pm (with Q & A)
Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve Theatrete

About the talk
Crab digestion is aided by the appearance of hard structures in their stomach which are called gastric mills. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to the molar tooth row of mammalian herbivores, Aisyah investigates the diversity of the morphology of gastric mills in tree-climbing crabs and evaluates the conformation of phylogeny compared to diet.

Although most mangrove crabs bear large numbers of eggs which are released as larvae into estuarine waters, little is know about the plankton. Joanne’s investigation sheds light into the morphology of tree-climbing crab larvae, sheds light into their periodicity and abundance and discusses the implications as well as a mysterious disappearance event.

About the speakers
Aisyah and Joanne completed their honours year at NUS in May 2010 and are currently awaiting their final results. In their final year, they embarked on research projects into aspects of the biology of tree-climbing crabs under the supervision of Ng Ngan Kee and N. Sivasothi. After a year of mud, tides and dissection, they are no longer strangers to crabs or the mangrove!

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Job opportunity: TMSI has two marine biology research officer positions for immediate hire

The Tropical Marine Science Institute is looking to hire two research assistants to start immediately.

Job opportunity: Research Officers (Marine Biology)

REQUIREMENTS

• A good diploma or degree in Marine Biology or Aquatic Science
• Some practical knowledge of marine biodiversity in Singapore or tropical Southeast Asia would be an advantage.
• Interest in taxonomy of marine invertebrates will be useful.
• Candidates must be able to swim and preferably have a Class 3 Singapore driver’s license
• Must be prepared to work outdoors, and the work may be physically demanding especially during the warm months of the year
• Candidates should be highly motivated, resourceful individuals with good technical skills
• Good oral and written English communication skills are necessary

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist with marine biodiversity surveys and/or biofouling projects, in both field and laboratory
• Assist with data management, analyses, and preparation of reports
• Regular maintenance of field research facilities and equipment, and coordination of group work activities
• The primary job location will be TMSI St John’s Island marine laboratory

SALARY

• Salary will commensurate with qualifications and experience.
• The appointment will be for a period of one year and extendable depending upon the candidate’s performance.

CONTACT

• Interested candidates are invited to email their detailed resume and cover letter to: tmshr@nus.edu.sg
• Please indicate in the subject heading: “RE: Research Officers/Marine Biology”
• Only short-listed candidates will be notified.
• Closing date : Open

Tue 25 May 2010: 4pm – “Do apes really not get the point of human communicative behaviour?”

“Do apes really not get the point of human communicative behaviour?”

By Dr Nick Mulcahy

Tue 25 May 2010: 4pm
Seminar room 1 (S2-04-11) (see map)
Block S2, Level 4
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore

Host: Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz,
Research Fellow, Terrestrial Ecology Lab

About the talk – Understanding others’ communicative intent is one of the hallmarks of human behaviour. Whether other animals also share this ability has attracted a great deal of research activity. Key to this research is the so-­called object-­choice task in which subjects are required to locate a hidden reward by observing a human’s communicative cue, such as pointing towards the correct location. Dogs can easily use the cue to locate the hidden reward whereas apes typically fail.  One popular explanation for this finding is that the domestication process allowed dogs to evolve a specialized set of cognitive skills for understanding human communicative behaviour.   

I will propose an alternative, albeit prosaic, theory to explain the differences between the dog and ape object-choice data. In support of this theory, I will present new findings from studies conducted with orangutans housed at Singapore Zoo.   

About the Speaker – Nick studied evolutionary psychology before gaining his PhD in ape cognition at the Max-­Planck Institute, in Leipzig, Germany. He has published research in areas of future planning, causal understanding, communicative behaviour and  insightful tool use. Nick is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Wanted: flowering plants with weaver ants visited by pollinators

Rodríguez-Gironés, a visiting researcher in Richard Corlett’s laboratory gave a lovely seminar last week about evolution in pollination networks. It began with an overview of the larger subject and went on to mention and discuss ideas he and his team have grappled with over the years, including mentions why so many bird flowers are red, the evolution of nectar concealment and the evolution of deep corolla tubes.

At the end of the seminar he asked for help for studies he is currently engaged in. I figured the macro-photography nature community as well as the plant and insect naturalists might be able to help him. Here is his “Wanted Poster” with some details:

“Please let us know if you happen to see plants satisfying the following conditions:

• The plants are flowering now.
• The flowers are visited by pollinators (bees, flies, moths…) sufficiently often that you will see some pollinators visiting the plant if you observe it for a couple of minutes.
• There are weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) at the plant or its immediate vicinity.

Please send us a brief note (to rgirones@eeza.csic.es) or give us a call (on 9690 4531; ask for Ahimsa) to let us know

• the plant species (if known),
• the precise location, and
• the time of day at which you noticed that the flowers were visited by pollinators.

Thank you very much for your help!”

Miguel

Fri 14 May 2010: 4pm @ NUS LT20 – Benito Tan on “The importance of bryophytes in plant biology study”

“The importance of bryophytes in plant biology study: lessons learned and misconceptions corrected”

Benito C. Tan
Keeper of Herbarium, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore,
Adjunct Associate Professor, DBS, NUS

Lecture Theatre 20
Block S3/4, Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore
Map: http://tinyurl.com/map-nusdbs

ALL ARE WELCOME

About the talk – The recent progress in the studies of diversity, evolution, phylogeny and conservation of bryophytes, with a focus on the moss subgroup, will be reviewed and presented. Important biological lessons learned from the study of bryophytes, past and present, and the correction of misconceptions given to this group of spore producing and non- vascular plants, will be discussed. Finally, hot topics of research in bryology will also be introduced.

Jobs at Dept Biological Sciences and Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (deadlines in May)

A reminder about the job opportunities at the museum and department:

• The Full-time Teaching Assistant (FTTA) for Life Science (Biodiversity & Ecology) undergraduate courses @ Department of Biological Sciences, NUS. Deadline: 23 May 2010
• Education Officer at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. Deadline extended to 14 May 2010

For details, please see: https://nusbiodiversity.wordpress.com/jobs/

Tue 11 May 2010: 3pm @ DBS – William Laurance on “Strategies for writing and publishing scientific papers”

How to be more prolific: Strategies for writing and publishing scientific papers

By William F. Laurance
School of Marine & Tropical Biology,
James Cook University, Cairns, Australia

Tue 11 May 2010: 3.00pm – 4.00pm
DBS Conference Room (see map)
Block S3, Level 5
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore

Host: Professor Navjot Sodhi.

About the talk – Why do some scientists struggle to write whereas others publish prolifically? In this talk I reveal a lifetime of hard-won secrets for increasing your scientific productivity. I explain how to put yourself in the mood for writing, detail dozens of tricks for writing effective papers, and highlight strategies for dealing with prickly editors and hostile reviewers. Such tricks can literally double or triple your scientific productivity.

About the speaker – William Laurance is Distinguished Research Professor in the School of Marine & Tropical Biology at James Cook University. Laurance received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989 and then held research positions with the CSIRO and Wet Tropics Management Authority in north Queensland, before joining the Smithsonian Institution where he was , based in Brazil and Panama. After 14 years there, he joined JCU He is also a research associate at Harvard University.

Professor Laurance’s research focuses on the impacts of intensive land-uses, such as habitat fragmentation, logging, and wildfires, on tropical forests and species. He is further interested in climatic change and conservation policy. He works in the Amazon, Africa, Southeast Asia, and tropical Australia, and has published five books and over 300 scientific and popular articles. A leading voice for conservation, Dr Laurance believes that scientists must actively engage policy makers and the general public, as well as other scientists.

He is a fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science and former president of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, the world’s largest scientific organization devoted to the study and preservation of tropical ecosystems. He has received many scientific honors including the prestigious BBVA Frontiers in Ecology and Conservation Biology Award, regarded by many as the ‘Nobel Prize’ for environmental conservation.






Mon 10 May 2010: 3pm @ LT20 – William Laurance on “Long-term changes and threats in the world’s tropical protected areas”

“Islands of Survival: Long-term changes and threats in the world’s tropical protected areas”

By William F. Laurance
School of Marine & Tropical Biology,
James Cook University, Cairns, Australia

Mon 10 May 2010: 3pm-4pm
Lecture Theatre 20 (see map)
Block S3/S4, Level 1
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore

Host: Professor Navjot Sodhi.

About the talk – Many of the world’s leading tropical protected areas are now fragments or man-made islands surrounded by drastically modified landscapes. Even some of the historically most-remote sites suffer from hunting and other forms of human encroachment. Will these protected areas function as arks to help conserve tropical biodiversity, or are the arks sinking? Moreover, does each protected area face a unique suite of threats, or do they suffer from common drivers of change?

Using data from >240 expert interviews, I will assess long-term shifts in biodiversity and ecosystem processes and identify their potential drivers in 60 key protected areas across the American, Asia-Pacific and African tropics. These findings have potentially vital implications for the future of tropical biodiversity.

About the speaker – William Laurance is Distinguished Research Professor in the School of Marine & Tropical Biology at James Cook University. Laurance received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989 and then held research positions with the CSIRO and Wet Tropics Management Authority in north Queensland, before joining the Smithsonian Institution where he was , based in Brazil and Panama. After 14 years there, he joined JCU He is also a research associate at Harvard University.

Professor Laurance’s research focuses on the impacts of intensive land-uses, such as habitat fragmentation, logging, and wildfires, on tropical forests and species. He is further interested in climatic change and conservation policy. He works in the Amazon, Africa, Southeast Asia, and tropical Australia, and has published five books and over 300 scientific and popular articles. A leading voice for conservation, Dr Laurance believes that scientists must actively engage policy makers and the general public, as well as other scientists.

He is a fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science and former president of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, the world’s largest scientific organization devoted to the study and preservation of tropical ecosystems. He has received many scientific honors including the prestigious BBVA Frontiers in Ecology and Conservation Biology Award, regarded by many as the ‘Nobel Prize’ for environmental conservation.

Follow up article on Weiting’s honours project: Threats to the Siglap Civets

Weiting just finished her exams. Before that, however, she presented her poster, submitted her thesis and delivered her first public talk to some 300 people during the during the “Zoological Explorations of Singapore” on 16th April 2010.

Relieved of all that pressure, I am quite sure Weiting looks like this these days:

Of course she’s not done yet. There are debts to pay. One of which is public education. Well, I suppose she has bought some time now, as she has just had some help.

Update (06 May 2010) – Ria Tan has blogged about Weiting’s lovely public talk, see: “Celebrating Singapore’s Biodiversity“.

The Straits Times has followed up on the results of Weiting’s honours year project on the civets of Siglap, which they first reported on last November, (“The great ‘musang’ stakeout“) (30 Nov 2009). Read on…

“‘Musang’ facing threat from annoyed residents,” by Ang Yiying. The Straits Times, 04 May 2010.

The musang, believed to be the last small wild carnivore in Singapore, has made its home in the east. A study team puts its population in Siglap and Opera estates at between 20 and 30. — PHOTOS: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE

THE musang, or Asian palm civet, is clinging on as a species in the urban environment of Singapore. It is believed to be the last small wild carnivore here.

A study of its presence in the Siglap and Opera estates shows that the animals are breeding, which bodes well for its preservation. But this delicate balance is being threatened by residents snaring them and possible changes to housing developments.

Weighing about 3.2kg, with grey, coarse shaggy hair and a tail about the same length as its body, the musang, also known as the toddy cat, is common to the region.

While their numbers in Singapore are not available, these nocturnal creatures have been sighted in the east. The Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) and National University of Singapore’s biological sciences department put the musang population in the Siglap and Opera estates at between 20 and 30.

The estimates are based on sightings in the area and photographs taken by the study team and remote camera traps that are triggered by motion.

About five offspring were caught on camera, a sign that the musangs are breeding and could be a sustainable population. Their food sources include small birds and fruits.

But residents say more of the musangs are being snared by those who consider them a nuisance. The animals are known to patter on rooftops and eat fruits from trees grown in residents’ gardens.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said the number of musangs it received went up from 23 in 2007 to 31 last year. Almost all came from the Siglap and Opera estates. So far this year, seven have been turned over to the agency, all from that area.

Musangs handed to the AVA are released into nature areas. Those that are weaker may be sent to the zoo.

The Night Safari’s acting assistant curator of zoology Abdul Razak Jaffar, who is part of the study team, thinks the musangs should be left alone in their urban stronghold. ‘Right now, we’re not sure how these animals are doing in the nature reserve,’ he said.

‘So, if we keep pushing them there, there may be a point of time when the resources are not enough to sustain the introduced population or they may not adapt well because they are from a different location.’

WRS is looking into organising night walks in the area to allay people’s fears about the harmless wild animal which also eats pests such as rats.

Dr Vilma D’Rozario of environmental group Cicada Tree Eco-Place, which teaches children about local flora and fauna, has another concern.

The musang, which likes to stay under the eaves of old houses, may have nowhere to go as new buildings may have sealed rooftops that they cannot get into. ‘I feel that as old homes get torn down, there won’t be many musangs left,’ said Dr D’Rozario.

Thanks to WildSingapore for the alert – as usual!

Seminar, Mon 03 May 2010: 4pm – Theodore Evans (CSIRO) on “New views on termite biology”

“New views on termite biology: communication and ecosystem services”

Theodore Evans
Division of Entomology,
CSIRO, Australia

Mon 3rd May 2010: 4pm
@ NUS DBS Conference Room
For map, see: http://tinyurl.com/map-nusdbs

About the talk – This talk will discuss two different aspects of termite biology. The first is more fundamental and behavioural: how do termites gain information and communicate given the constraints of their biology? The second is more applied and environmental: what ecological functions do termites (and ants) have in soil and can humans harness them as ecosystem services?

[1] How do termites gain information and communicate given the constraints of their biology?
Communication and information gathering is essential for cooperative activities of social animals. Much research effort has been expended exploring chemical communication in termites, following the diverse examples observed in ants, yet only one family of pheromones has been found, those for trail following. Given the similarity of complexity of ant and termite social behaviours, clearly an alternative communication method must be used to coordinate termite activity.

One candidate is vibration and acoustical communication given soldier termites communicate warning to workers using vibrational alarm signals; first observed 220 years ago. My work has demonstrated that termites detect food quantity using vibrations generated by their chewing, use these signals to find nestmates, and to discriminate different species.

[2] What ecological functions do termites (and ants) have in soil and can humans harness them as ecosystem services?
Biodiversity provides critical beneficial ecosystem services, such as water purification, soil health and carbon sequestration, yet the ecosystem function underlying these services is poorly understood as they are regulated by small and prosaic organisms, such as ants and termites. Ants and termites regulate key ecological processes such as decomposition, nitrogen fixation, nutrient cycling, herbivory and seed dispersal, and are widely regarded as ‘ecosystem engineers’. However, whether they can be used to garner ecosystem services
remains largely untested.

Most of the small amount of available evidence comes from subsistence agricultural systems, so I tested whether industrial scale agriculture can use such services. I have completed a three year field experiment to measure ecosystem services provided by ants and termites in no-till dryland wheat. Yield was 55% higher and weeds were 50% lower in control plots compared with insect exclusion plots. Yield was higher due to the increased water infiltration and nitrogen availability.