20th of January

2.30 pm after school, we went on a blissful trip to bukit timah hill. At the start of the trip, we was greeted with a abaudant source of fresh air. we went to the visitor centre and we saw the historical culture of the nature reserve and also how the last tiger was killed by a hunter because it was assaulting human workers working at the plantation near the hill. we also saw different samples of the hills such as the lianas and the different animals such as the flying lemurs and what biomes that lived in it. Soon, the forest guide finish their tour with the other group.

We started off with the Introduction of the fig trees which bears fruits all seasons for animals and insects and is abundant. We also learn that the fig fruit was actually the nest for wasps to mate, give birth and die. we also learnt that the wasps have a short lifespan and was just to reproduce for the fig trees.

The next thing we learnt was the birdnest fern, stag horn fern which are epiphytes that live on the trees that is found in the canopy layer as it lives under the umbrella shaped crown of the trees that are emergent layer uses photosynthesis for the production of chlorophyll for food, they reproduce by the spores under their leaves. the next edible vegetation was the betel nut that is a popular snack eaten by the taiwanese in old times,
the betel nut causes cancer if over consumed.

We also seen that the shrubs in the undergrowth layer was desperately trying to reach out for sunlight, this shows that the abundant greenery vegetations are all vying for sunlight as it is the most important source of energy to produce food for the plants. The leaves of some plants contain algae that built up on the plants due to lack of water washing away the moisture and this can cause the plant to die due to the prevention of photosynthesis by the algae.

After we seen some different unique shrubs, we went to see the lianas(the ah gong) as it has the thickest and biggest vines while the baby lianas were as tiny as a 20cm ruler that has entwined itself with tree trunks and was very thick and huge, we also see that prop roots support the trees as it is tall and has shallow roots and it requires roots that can support so that it will not fall off. the guide told us that if the trees were to fall off they will do maintenance on the trees to help the forest.

After we seen the different roots of the trees and lianas, we went to see the largest,tallest,biggest heritage tree that probably lived around 200 years old, it is probably in the emergent layer as it is high above the rest of the canopy, the NEA(Nationa environment agency) has placed lightning rods on trees that were very important. it also has a counter to count the number of lightning strikes that struck the tree.

Furthermore, the guide showed us how the trees decompose due to termites, slugs, insects and other decomposers that soften the wood to become humus. Another interesting vegetation is the terantang tree that shed its leaves for nutrients for itself, also the Leaf litter plant that adapts to the condition it is in.

While in the forest, we heard the cicadas mating call that was like the sound of nature and they were pretty annoying. When they stop, it shows that rain is coming. After that, we also discovered that the rattan trees have thors on their stems that may pull off our flesh if we get hooked onto their thorns.

On the last few discoveries, the terendang sapling tree has the biggest leaves we've seen in the forest, also, the last interesting discovery is the ants tree that is home to ants and provides food and shelter to them, the ants would climb onto the leaves to prevent caterpillars and insects from eating their plant which provides for them.

This trip is extremely educational and we learnt more about how the way of nature works in a tropical rainforest, and how nature actually decomposes and then regrows by using the nutrients from the decomposition. This shows that nature has its own iterative cycle of life, that keeps on continuing. We also can say that the forest is home to many different biomes and life and it is important to preserve our forest and our environment as they're a part of us and they are the ones that provide us with medicine, food, fruits, protein from insects, and herbs and spices and Keith. Remember to plant more trees! Save Gaia!

MAY THE GREENY FORCE BE WITH YOU!

THE END!

By KNKL,
TDM
KFFZ
Thank you very much! arigato! terima kaseh!

CREDITS http://www.eastchesterschools.org/m/file.php/11792/Course%20Graphics/Geogrules.jpg