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Anker,
Authur Alekseev,
V. R.
Amoroso,
Victor
Bahir,
Mohomed
Benayahu,
Y.
Brook, Barry
Chen
Hui-Lian
Corlett,
Richard
Das,
Indraneil
Davie,
Peter
de
Pinna, M.
Diesmos,
Arvin
Dominy,
N.
Fernando,
C.H.
Grootaert, P.
Guinot,
Daniele
Jayne,
Bruce
Karns,
Daryl
Kottelat,
Maurice
Kunimatsu, Y.
Larson,
Helen
Lheknim,
V.
Liao,
Lawrence
Liu
Riu-Yu
Panha,
Somsa
Pollard,
Simon
Rachmatika,
Ike
Rahayu,
D. L.
Schubart,
C.
Huei-Ping
Shen
Siebert,
Darrell
Song
Daxiong
Voris,
Harold
Wu
Sugong
Wasim Ahmad
Zettel,
Herbert
Central Mindanao State University,
Mindanao, The Philippines
Visit: Feb 2003
Prof Victor Amoroso, from Central Mindanao State
University, Bukidnon Province, Mindanao, The Philippines, specializes
in pteridology (study of ferns) and plant morpho-anatomy, and
obtained his PhD at the University of the Philippines in Diliman,
Quezon City. He visited RMBR under the visiting attachment programme
in Feb 2003 at the invitation of A/P Benito Tan.
The primary aim of this visit was to work on
the large fern collections made recently from the Mt Malindang
National Park in Zamboanga Province of Mindanao of the Philippines.
The visit mainly involved herbarium work done at the RMBR Herbarium
SINU, as well as at SING, the national depository in the Singapore
Botanic Gardens. Types of Philippine fern species described from
Mindanao were examined and comparative studies made with fern
species described from Borneo.
As a result of this visit, several new plant
records were discovered and confirmed for the Mindanao and Philippines
flora. In addition, Prof Amoroso gave a talk at the Department
of Biological Sciences Biodiversity and Ecology Journal Club seminar
series. The talk, entitled "Participatory inventory and assessment
of floral resources and livelihood development in Malindang Forest
Reserve in Mindanao Island, Philippines", dealt with a conservation
project going on at Mt. Malindang National Park as part of his
research on how to link community work and plant conservation.
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Department of Ecology & Biodiversity
The University of Hong Kong
Visit: Jan 4-17, 2003
Previous visit: Jan
5 - 17, 2002
Dr Richard Corlett, a tropical ecologist from
Department of Ecology & Biodiversity, The University of Hong
Kong, visited RMBR under the visiting attachment programme from
4-17 Jan 2003 at the invitation of A/P Hugh Tan.
The aims of this visit were to assess the diversity
of the total flora of Singapore, including native, naturalized
and cultivated species; and to conduct discussions on reafforestation
strategies for tall secondary forest with the host and a graduate
student.
During his stay here, Dr Corlett was based at
the Plant Systematics Laboratory, where bench work and compilation
work to produce the total cultivated flora list was carried out.
Field work was conducted at various sites in the Nature Reserves
to observe site characteristics to select for field studies for
the reafforestation research; as well as various nurseries and
parks to assess the diversity of the cultivated species.
Results of this visit include the identification
of sites for the reafforestation studies; and the completion of
a working list of the cultivated plants of Singapore. In addition,
Dr Corlett gave a public lecture to a packed audience seminar
room (all seats occupied, standing audience too), entitled "Biodiversity
and conservation in degraded tropical landscapes: lessons from
Hong Kong".
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Philippine National Museum
Visit: 9-22 Jan 2003
Mr. Arvin C. Diesmos of the Philippine National
Museum visited the RMBR from 9 to 22 Jan 2003 to conduct collaborative
work. He was hosted by our herptile curator, Mr Kelvin Lim, and
graduate student, Mr Leong Tzi Ming. Arvin's specialises in ornithology
and herpetology. He obtained his MSc in wildlife studies from
the University of the Philippines at Los Banos in 1998
The objectives of this visit were to collaborate
with Tzi Ming on a project to examine the 'shared' species of
anuran (frog) fauna between Sundaic and Philippine realms; with
particular emphasis on the two tree frogs, Rhacophorus appendiculatus
and Rhacophorus pardalis species complexes.
Laboratory work was carried out at the Zoological
Reference Collection (ZRC) of the RMBR. Field studies were conducted
primarily in the freshwater swamp and lowland rainforest habitats
of the Central Catchment Forest of Singapore.
Some preliminary findings from this visit include
the determination of diagnostic morphological characters that
can be used to separate the tree frogs of Sundaic & Philippine
populations. In addition, calls of Rhacophorus appendiculatus
were recorded in situ. Arvin also contributed to the RMBR by donating
valuable herptile specimens (Philippine endemics) to the collection.
This project could mark the beginning of further collaborative
work to investigate other Sundaic species 'in common' with the
Philippines.
Arvin also gave a very interesting talk at the
Biodiversity and Ecology Journal Club session entitled "The
amphibian and reptile fauna of the Philippine Islands".
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Queensland Museum
Australia
Visit: Jan/Feb 2003
Mr Peter Davie of the Queensland Museum, Australia,
visited us on 27 Jan to 16 Feb 2003. Peter is working towards
his PhD at the Queensland University, and is already an internationally
recognized expert in the systematics and taxonomy of crabs, and
was invited to visit under the RMBR visiting attachment programme
by A/P Peter Ng to collaborate on Systema Brachyura, a major revisionary
work on crab systematics. Work was carried out primarily in the
Zoological Reference Collection (ZRC) of the RMBR and the Ecology
and Systematics Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences.
The main results of this visit were the completion
of the penultimate draft of Systema Brachyura, and the revision
of the subfamilial taxonomy of the Grapsidae s. lato in collaboration
with graduate student, Ms Ng Ngan Kee. Furthermore, two papers
were finished here, and submitted to the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology;
and three other papers are now being prepared by him and A/P Ng-one
"on the identity of the poisonous crab Atergatis floridus",
another "on aspects of the taxonomy of the genera Platypodia,
Zosimus and Lophozosymus" and the third "on a new subfamily
for Ucides".
In addition to the above, Peter also gave a very
interesting talk at a session of the Department of Biological
Sciences Biodiversity and Ecology Journal Club on 11 Feb. 2003
entitled "Stirring the Pot - taxonomic meddling with commercial
crustaceans".
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Department of Ecology and Evolution
University of Chicago
USA
Visit: Aug 8 to Sep 1, 2003
Dr Nathaniel Dominy, from the Department of Ecology
and Evolution, University of Chicago, visited RMBR under the visiting
attachment programme from 8 Aug to 1 Sep 2003 at the invitation
of A/P Hugh Tan. He received his PhD from the Department of Anatomy,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, and his research
interests include sensory perception, biological anthropology,
evolutionary ecology, anatomy, trichromatic color vision, and
plant-animal interactions.
The aim of this visit was to study the relationship
between seasonality and leaf mechanics as part of a global examination
of the subject. Dr Dominy was based at the Plant Systematics Laboratory
of the Department of Biological Sciences, and carried out field
work at the lowland evergreen rain forests of Bukit Timah Nature
Reserve, MacRitchie Reservoir, and Botanic Gardens Jungle. This
involved collection of leaf specimens for fracture toughness measurements
in the laboratory. During his stay, he also gave a Department
of Biological Sciences public seminar entitled "Fruits, fingers
and form: New views on Anthropoid origins" on 29th August
2003 at Lecture Theatre 20.
In addition, new research collaboration was initiated,
with the joint supervision of a graduate student together with
host, A/P Hugh Tan and Prof. Peter Lucas, Dept of Ecology &
Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong.
[top
Head of the Department of Entomology
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Visited: Nov/Dec 2003
Dr Patrick Grootaert was in Singapore from 15
Nov to 13 Dec 2003 on a research visit that was partly funded
by the RMBR visiting attachment programme, and his hosts were
Mrs Yang Chang Man and Dr Darren Yeo.
The main aim of Dr Grootaert's visit was to make
a series of fresh collections of dolichopodid flies from various
parts of Singapore, as part of a study of our local fauna.
With the support of RMBR and the National Parks Board, Singapore,
successful field collections were made in a variety of habitats,
including mangroves, sandy beach, and primary and secondary forest.
Laboratory work was carried out at the Zoological Reference Collection
(ZRC) of the RMBR, where a brief survey of the material collected
showed that it included specimens of several undescribed dolichopodid
taxa.
Dr Grootaert's enthusiasm for his research subject
and its broader implications was communicated to staff and students
of the Department of Biological Sciences at a seminar session
of the Biodiversity and Ecology Journal Club on 12 Dec 2003. The
talk was entitled "Sexual Selection and Speciation".
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Canterbury Museum
New Zealand
Visit: Feb 2003
Dr. Simon Pollard, obtained his PhD from the
University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and is now based at the
Canterbury Museum. His field of expertise is animal behaviour
and spiders. Dr Pollard was invited by Assistant Prof Li Daiqin
(RMBR Research Associate) to visit RMBR from 8-18 Feb 2003 to
conduct collaborative research.
The main objectives for this visit included investigating
a unique form of jumping spider mimicry and its relationship to
how spitting spiders detect this common prey and predator, and
studying the relationship between crab spiders and pitcher plants.
Laboratory work was done in the "Spider Lab" of Asst/P
Li, and field work involved collections as well as in situ experiments
at Kent Ridge Park.
Through previously established experimental and
observational methods, Dr Pollard and Asst/P Li found that Portia
labiata, an araneophagic jumping spider, forms a search-image
for spitting spiders and the predators that had fed on spitting
spiders are more dangerous to spitting spiders. A manuscript on
this topic is now being prepared. In addition, the two researchers
have agreed to publish a book on jumping spiders with NUS press.
Dr Pollard also gave a very interesting talk
at a session of the Department of Biological Sciences Biodiversity
and Ecology Journal Club on 17 Feb. 2003 entitled "Tiny tusks
and horns: secondary sexual characters in jumping spiders (Araneae:
Salticidae)"
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Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute
Visit: Mar 2003
Ms Huei-Ping Shen of the Habitat and Ecosystem
Division, Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute, specialises
in the study of terrestrial earthworms. Huei-Ping obtained her
MSc in zoology in 1996 from the National Taiwan University, and
was invited by Dr. Darren Yeo (RMBR Research Officer) to visit
the museum from 2-15 Mar 2003. The objectives of the visit were
to help sort, identify and re-appraise terrestrial earthworms
in RMBR collection, and to conduct a preliminary survey of the
terrestrial earthworms of Singapore based on museum material and
fresh collections.
Laboratory work was conducted at the Zoological
Reference Collection (ZRC) of the RMBR, and the Systematics and
Ecology Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences. Field
trips were made to various parts of the Sungei Buloh Wetlands
Reserve, Central Catchment Reserve and Singapore Botanic Gardens
jungle. Huei-Ping is currently consolidating the findings from
this visit into a manuscript to be published in the Raffles Bulletin
of Zoology. In addition to the two main objectives, RMBR further
benefited from her visit through her instruction of RMBR staff
on identifying some common terrestrial earthworms in Singapore,
and the proper way of processing specimens for research.
Despite her tight schedule, Huei-Ping managed
to give a talk at the Department of Biological Sciences Biodiversity
and Ecology Journal Club on14 March 2003 entitled "Biodiversity
of terrestrial earthworms in Taiwan".
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Aligarh Muslim University, India
Visit: Aug/Sep 2003
Dr. Wasim Ahmad, a Reader at the Section of Nematology,
Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, India, was invited
by Dr. Darren Yeo of the RMBR to visit the museum from 25 Aug
to 7 Sep 2003, to study Singapore's nematode fauna. Dr Wasim's
area of research includes Biodiversity, Systematics, Ultrastructure
and functional morphology, Molecular Taxonomy, and Ecology of
nematodes. He obtained his PhD from the Aligarh Muslim University,
India, in 1981, and has published extensively on the subject of
nematodes, including 89 technical papers, two book chapters and
two books. He has been on Visiting Fellowships to a number of
international institutions including Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad,
Costa Rico, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, The Natural History
Museum, London, and Institut fur Nematologie and Wierbeltierkunde,
Germany.
With the help of RMBR curator, Mr Yeo Keng Loo,
Dr Wasim made field collections from sites at Sungei Buloh, Bukit
Timah Nature Reserve and Kent Ridge; and processed and studied
these collections at the Zoological Reference Collection of the
RMBR.
Previously, virtually nothing was known about
Singapore's nematode fauna. However, preliminary results of Dr
Wasim's work indicate that up to 28 genera of soil-dwelling nematodes
from four orders (Dorylaimida, Tylenchida, Mononchida and Rhabditida)
can be found here. He is currently working on the samples to determine
the identities of the specimens down to species level. One particularly
interesting aspect of this investigation is on nematodes occurring
in the pitchers of Nepenthes spp. (pitcher plants). The results
of these studies will be published in due course.
Dr Wasim also hopes to initiate further baseline
studies on nematodes in Singapore as well as the Southeast Asian
region, which he says is sorely lacking; and to this effect, he
discussed the possibility of follow-up collaborative nematological
research with Dr Peter Ng (Director, RMBR).
Prior to leaving Singapore, Dr Wasim presented
a seminar on 4th Sep 2003 at the DBS Seminar Room 3 for a session
of the Biodiversity Journal Club of the Department of Biological
Sciences. The seminar was entitled "Feeding Diversity in
Nematodes".
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