Alyssa,+Chloe,+Grace+and+Sarah

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Hi. Please post your notes and photos from Sungei Buloh here. ~Sarah Update: Please post some photos! We don't have any so far... :( I was busy taking notes so I don't have many but Chloe helped me take some (Thanks Chloe) so I will upload those later if possible.===== Sarah, I'm editing from your notes... I've got extra information...~Chloe (ok :D :D ~Sarah)

Our Task(s):

 * Review the pictures and notes that have been taken during the field trip. Select 3 features of the ecosystem and describe how they aid in the survival of specific organisms.
 * Post the threats faced by the ecosystems and how Singaporeans can remove or minimize the threat.

Notes about the Species found at Sungei Buloh:

 * Horse Shoe Crab (//Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda//)
 * Blood is blue-coloured.
 * Used to test toxins
 * Killed by factory chemicals
 * Brackish Water Habitat
 * Sea Water + Fresh Water
 * Archer Fish
 * Uses tube in mouth to shoot water at prey
 * Able to see through water (without images getting distorted)
 * Smooth-coated Otter (//Lutrogale perspicillata)//
 * Lives in water
 * 'Fish-tail' Palm Tree or Caryota (//Caryota mitis//)
 * Leaves are shaped like fish tails
 * Powder under leaves are used to make fire in villages etc.
 * Interesting Fact: The more times it flowers, the lower the flowers will grow on the tree.
 * Sea Hibiscus (//Hibiscus tiliaceus)//
 * Flowers: Are yellow coloured early in the day, maroon colour in the evening
 * Bark is used to make rope, twine and medicine
 * Roots are used to cure fever
 * Sea Holly or Holly Mangrove (//Acanthus ebracteatus)//
 * Toothed edge leaces
 * Seeds are crushed to make a drink as a cure for cough
 * Also used to cure boils and intestinal worms
 * Apiapi Bulu (//Avicennia rumphiana)//
 * Leaves are salty
 * Because the salt from the salt water absorbed by the roots are gotten rid of through the leaves
 * Ashes from the wood are used to make soap (fragrant)
 * Xylocarpus Granatum or Cannonball Mangrove
 * Used in medicine
 * Tree trunk produces taninn, which is used in/as (?) dye
 * Mangrove Plant (Not sure of the name)
 * Seed germinates while still on the parent plant;
 * Seed is released after germination
 * Mudskipper (//Periophthalmus argentilineatus//)
 * Stays out of water most of the time
 * Has gill chambers that trap water and act like air bags
 * Has two big bulging eyes hat allows it to see above and under water (did you know? the Mudskipper rolls its eyes into their sockets to keep them moist!)
 * Oriental Pied Hornbill (//Anthracoceros albirostris//)
 * Fun fact: Hornbills were extinct in the 1970s in Singapore due to deforestation. They have since been reintroduced back here.
 * Other plants/animals:
 * Bamboo
 * Mud lobsters
 * Crabs
 * Mudskippers
 * Cotton Stainer Bug
 * Olive Sunbird (not sure if we saw it there)

Sarah: Here are some photographs I have in my camera (but Chloe took them for me so thanks Chloe):
 * Photographs:**

Information about the Ecosystem:
What do you think? Please try to improve on this. This is only what I can find so far so please help to find more information and put it here. ~Sarah I am not sure about the solutions for the threats so please try to think of other possible solutions to reduce the threats to do ecosystems. ~Sarah :)
 * Task 1**
 * Smooth Otters
 * Mainly eats fish, but eats shrimps/crayfish, crabs, insects, frogs and other such animals as well.
 * Help to control the population of the animals they eat.
 * Crabs
 * Feed on fallen mangrove leaves that do not decompose easily. Help to break down leaves into nutrients for the mangrove plants.
 * Shorebirds feed on the eggs of these crabs as their primary food source.
 * Sea turtles feed on adult horseshore crabs.
 * Birds
 * Aid in the dispersal of seeds in ecosystems.
 * Enable plants to disperse seeds and reproduce.
 * Mudskippers
 * Like smooth otters, eat insects, sandworms and small crustaceans.
 * Help to control the population of these animals.
 * Mud lobsters
 * Feed on organic matter in the mud.
 * Help bring organic matter up from deep inside the ground, aiding the recycling of nutrients in the ecosystem.
 * Task 2**
 * Clearing and Deforestation
 * Mangroves are often seen as unproductive and smelly.
 * They are cleared to make way for industrial areas, infrastructure and tourist developments. Trees are also cut down for wood and to make paper, etc.
 * Singapore currently has the highest rate of deforestation (95% of the land) and the highest rate of species loss (extinction rates of 34%). The present forest reserves are only 5% of our land and only 50% of biodiversity is left.
 * Ecosystems end up being affected and animal and plant species are not able to survive because their home is cleared away.
 * We can set up more large parks and nature reserves. For example, National Parks like HortPark, East Coast Park and Kent Ridge Park. Currently the "rule" is that for every 1000 hectares of land, there should be one big park.
 * We can also recycle. By recycling the materials we already have, we minimise deforestation or the cutting down of trees. For example, we can also recycle paper and take the effort to minimise our use of paper (e.g. printing on both sides of the paper) so that less trees are cut down.
 * Pollution
 * Toxic man-made chemicals can kill animals and oil can smother mangrove roots and suffocate trees.
 * We can ensure that we do not pollute these mangroves and thus the ecosystems do not get affected. The government can also put in place regulations to prevent factories/companies and the public from polluting these mangroves.
 * We can also have programmes to clear away pollution.