sungei buloh wetland reserve

vol.
1 5.1
sungei buloh wetland reserve
Maste
i Buloh
CO V E R P I C T U RE :
H ai r y Fo o t M a ngrove S pider
I d io c t i s l i t to ra l i s
M e n d is Ta n, S OO, S B W R .
CONTENTS
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6794 14
Call
03-04 Spider Outing
Mendis Tan shares about his spider outing with
three volunteers at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
A D ay o
u
Spider H t
u nti
Design
Mendis Tan
Senior Outreach Officer,
SBWR
Photos by Mendis Tan
ng
Th ree vol
u nteers a
nd I were
Su ngei Bu
greeted b
loh Wetla
y a brigh
nd Reserv
It was ti
t breezy
e, where
me for a
morning
t
he spider
spider ph
Robert He
at
o
su rvey ha
t
igermose,
o shoot a
s been on
t SBWR. T
Antonios
photograp
go
he th ree
M a k a nd
h spiders
Iris Li,
volu nteer ing.
as we wal
h
s
,
e
lped to s
ked along
The more
earch for
route one
w e c on d u
a nd
ct resea
of SBWR.
h ow i m p o
rch into
rta nt th
s
p
e
y a re i n
iders, th
environ m
e more w
m a i nta i n
ent a rou
e discov
i
n
n
d
g
creatu re
u
a
s
.
b
a
er
B
l
ein g h ig
a nce i n
s ca n th
h
t
l
h
y ad apta
e
rive in b
n
th at you
a
t
u ra l
ble, thes
oth u rba
ca n fi nd
e pred at
n a nd n a
spiders a
u rb a n a r
ory
t
u ra l a re
l most in
eas. At S
as. Th is
all h abit
BWR alon
Here a re
m ea n s
e, there
ats as w
som e of
ell as bu
cou ld be
the spec
ilt up
as m a n y
ies we d
as 300 s
iscovered
pecies.
wh ile on
th is out
in g.
id er
vy Ju m pi ng Sp
M an gr ov e H ea
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Hyl lu s da rd i (J
05-06 Water, Water, Water
Kwok Chen Ko shows us the link between water
quality and the rich bio-diversity of Sungei Buloh
Wetland Reserve’s flora and fauna
0 7 D a d s f o r l i f e
Dadsforlife and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
started their first collaborative activity to foster better
communication between father and child. Read about
the activity here.
0 8 V o l u n t e e r F e a t u r e
This issue’s volunteer feature is Ms Cai Hong Xia and
Mr Wu Zhi Yuan; two of our passionate volunteers at
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve!
White & black Crab spider
Thomisus spectabilis
Continue on page 4
Tw o -S t rip e
ia
d Te la m o n
e leg a n s
Te la m o n ia
ae ac iu s
M a laya n Ph
a laya ns is
Ph ae ac iu s m
Water
Quality in
Sungei Buloh
Wetland
Reserve
Kwok Chen Ko
School of Chemical and Life Sciences
Singapore Polytechnic
Experimental work by Tan Yan Ting, Koh Hui Yan
and Wang Zheng
You see quality assurance and quality control
in television sets, mobile phones and cars.
Why not water? After all, this precious resource
covers about 70% of the earth. In this study, you
get to explore the quality of water in Sungei
Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR). Is the water as
pristine as you hope or is it truly as polluted as
you fear? Read on.
Man
ve
g ro
a
Te t r
-j a
B ig
gn
we d
atha
s
r
p ide
ph
j os e
i
One key factor affecting the health of the
ecosystem is water quality, especially since most
of the reserve is periodically covered by brackish
water. Up till now, little has been documented
about this vital parameter. This study has the
ambition of initiating a scientific approach to
Figure 1
monitor SBWR’s water quality on a regular and long
term basis. No longer will you need to speculate
what causes a sudden algal bloom because it can be pinpointed to the presence of nutrients showing up in the
water quality.
Since we are working from the perspective of nature conservation, we shall focus our definition of water quality
on that for the survival of the ecosystem. These water quality parameters were monitored - water temperature,
pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, phosphorus, nitrate, ammonia, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and
Escherichia coli. Four sampling stations were selected to provide a reasonable coverage of SBWR and to monitor
the 2 main streams – Sungei Buloh Besar and Sungei Bilabong Buloh (see figure 1). Monitoring was performed
once a month from June to November 2008.
The water temperature measurements (25 – 31°C) were consistent with the ambient temperature range in
Singapore.
04 wetlands vol.14.4
p e us
in e d E
L
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o
e a tus
Ye ll
o r b il in
f la v
Ep e u s
Most literature cites a pH between 6 and 9 for optimum growth and health of aquatic organisms. (There are
exceptions as aquatic life can adapt to an extreme environment over time.) The pH in SBWR was slightly alkaline,
ranging from 7.2 to 8.4 because seawater exerts a significant influence.
Continue on page 6
06wetlands vol.14.4
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In general, a DO level of above 5mg/L is desirable for
in g
o is l
e n K e n c e in S pl o r in g
aquatic life. A DO of 1-5mg/L allows various fishes to survive
h
C
i
x
Kwok ental sc always e to the
but their metabolism and growth may be affected. Below
m
s
i
n
e
o
e
r in
1.0mg/L, only small creatures such as worms and mosquito
envir echnic. H ng natu on water d
n
larvae can survive. From figure 2, several incidences of low
s
t
ri
Poly ays to b r t course eachers a or.
DO (below 5mg/L) were recorded, with the lowest being
h
t
w
o
t
r
h
u
n e w o o m . S r in g f o y t h e a
2.5mg/L. This calls for concern and further monitoring.
r
o
b
t
s
i
s
d
cla ty mon nducte wokck@
i
o
Turbidity measures the loss in transparency in water due to the
qual nts are c him at k water
e
il
presence of suspended particles such as phytoplankton and silt.
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hi s
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t
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Fishes start to experience stress when exposed to a turbidity of 10m
You .sg or c ring ac .blogsp
100NTU (nephelometric turbidity units) for several hours. From figure
e
o
u
sp.ed ty monit singapor
3, turbidity ranged from 3-36NTU, with an average of 12NTU.
i n g,
i
n
l
i
an T g
qua quality
Y
n
r
, Ta
Phosphorus has the potential to trigger an overgrowth of
he n
wa t e
iting Wang Z ying
r
w
phytoplankton or nuisance macrophytes. Total phosphorus in surface
s
nd
s
st u d
f t hi
waters seldom exceeds 0.5mg/L. However, a level of 0.005-0.5mg/L
As o ui Yan a tudents al Proces c.
c
i
s
H
i
n
r
h
h
m
a
is already enough to cause phytoplankton blooms. From figure 4,
Ko
al ye a of Che e Polytec
n
fi
r
phosphorus levels ranged from 0.05-0.42mg/L, with an average of
lom ngapo
are
i
e D ip
0.14mg/L. This warrants concern as the data suggest the possibility of
in th ology, S
n
unwanted blooms.
h
Te c
Dadsforlife and Sungei Buloh Wetland
Reserve organised their first collaborative
activity on 10 April 2010 at 8.30am. St. Hilda’s
Primary School pupils and their fathers,
members of Dadsforlife, came to Sungei Buloh
Wetland Reserve to complete a Mangrove
Salvaging activity. Dadsforlife is a national
fathers’ movement that seeks to inspire,
mobilise and involve fathers to become good
influencers in their children’s lives.
Start of
the
mornin g
Like phosphorus, nitrogen can cause a phytoplankton bloom.
Concentrations of 0.1-0.75mg/L nitrate + ammoniacal nitrogen in fresh
waters or even less in saline waters have been enough for a bloom. From figure 5, nitrate + ammoniacal levels
ranged from undetected to 1.73mg/L, with an average of 0.84mg/L. This makes blooms probable.
After the mangrove salvaging activity, the
fathers and children took a leisurely walk
back to the visitor centre, with a checklist
ve of flora and fauna found in SBWR.
sa
to
w
ho
ing
Fathers learn
Ammoniacal nitrogen is normally less than 0.25mg/L in unpolluted waters. Higher concentrations may be due
to sewage, industrial waste or fertiliser run-off. The un-ionised form of ammonia is toxic to fish and other aquatic
animals. High pH, high temperature and low salinity increase the proportion of un-ionised ammonia. Un-ionised
ammonia should not have any lethal or sub-lethal effects below 0.005-0.01mg/L (as nitrogen) for warm water
fish species. From figure 6, it ranged from 0.002-0.021mg/L (as nitrogen), with an average of 0.010, implying a
possibility of ammonia toxicity.
COD is a measure of organic pollution in water. Biodegradable organic pollutants require DO for aerobic
decomposition, possibly lowering the DO to dangerous levels. COD ranges from 20mg/L or less in unpolluted
waters to greater than 200mg/L in contaminated waters. From figure 7, the COD levels in SBWR ranged from
5-126mg/L, with an average of 41mg/L. The water could be considered weakly polluted.
E. coli is commonly used as an indicator microorganism for faecal contamination. United States Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) standards mandate a maximum of 1000 CFU (colony forming units) per 100mL sample
for primary contact activities e.g. swimming, and a maximum of 5000 CFU/100mL for secondary contact activities
e.g. boating. From figure 8, E. coli count ranged from 60-3000 CFU/100mL,
with an average of 700 CFU/100mL, rendering the water undesirable for
swimming if you are game to try.
One of the main objectives of the activity was
to foster father and child communication.
The fathers were first taught how to salvage
mangrove saplings from the mudflats of
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, by digging
them up carefully from the mud, putting
the saplings into planting bags and moving
them to a nursery. They then taught their
children to do the same and completed
the activity together. In total, the group
salvaged 67 mangrove saplings.
ng
a mang rove sapli
A picture tells a thousand words, so
have a look at the photographs taken
during this event.
The children walk on mud. Most of them
were doing this for the first time.
Overall, the water quality in SBWR was either relatively unpolluted or
weakly polluted. Some concerns are raised regarding the levels of
DO, phosphorus, nitrogen (ammonia and nitrate) and E. coli. Further
monitoring of these parameters is recommended to decide if remedial
action is necessary.
it
Father & child doing
tog ether
Working at it as
a team
It was certainly a fruitful morning for SBWR
as well as the participants! A picture tells
a thousand words, so take a look at the
photographs taken during this event.
Dads
for life!
Mendis Tan
Photos by Mendis Tan
Senior Outreach Officer,
SBWR
s!
7 saplin g
ll don e! 6
A job we
Yu a n n,
i
h
Z
u
dari
a nd W
n
a
a
i
M
X
g
n
rs i
ai Hon
C
u
o
:
e
T
m
d
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hops
u ide
s
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k
r
:
o
s
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a
i
riga m
teers
O
n
u
l
Vo
Zh i Yu an
Hong xia
h
m uc a n!
y
r
Yu
ve
you nd Zh i
k
n
Th a X i a a
g
Hon
Contributions:
Hon g Xia
a n d Zh i
Yu a n
designed
SBWR’s fi r
s
t g u ided
tou r con
ducted i
n M a ndar
They a re
in.
in nov ati
ve a n d
com m itte
d i n p ro
vidin g
qu ality
ser vice
to visito
of SBWR.
rs
They both
the orig
h
e
l
p
t
o
a m i work
run
shops mo
Su ndays.
nth ly on
Both of them in
action du ri ng or
igam i
workshops
Hon g xia
g
and Zhi yua n have been conductin
ce
sin
R
SBW
at
y
origam i sessions monthl
art
se
ane
October 2009. Origam i is the Jap
use this
of paper foldin g. Both of them
to teach
ty
creative and interesting activi
and som e
participa nts about the beh avior
atu res
interesting facts about the cre
h of them
they are foldin g. Further, bot
tou rs at
pioneered the mandarin guided
and
ign
SBWR. They volunteered to des
rs. Now,
conduct the mandarin guided tou
ngst our
it is a pop ula r guided tou r amo
visitors.
Text by Mendis Tan,
SBWR
Senior Outreach Officer,