--------------------------------------------------------------------
Habitatnews 2002-10: Thursday, 2nd May 2002
The Habitat Group's Nature Information List
To subscribe, email: habitatnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Current nature-related news busy Singaporeans might otherwise miss
More information and archives at: <http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents
1. Ecotax, a mailing list for technical/semi-technical seminars
2. Seminar - Coral spawning, Friday 3rd May: 12.30pm
3. Seminar - Ex Anambas, Friday 3rd May: 4pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------
---> [1] Ecotax, a mailing list for technical/semi-technical seminars
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ecotax is a mailing list for the natural history community in Singapore.
Unlike Habitatnews, the content is mainly seminar announcements of a
technical or semi-technical nature, which are usually held during office
hours. These originate mainly from:
-- NUS Dept. Biological Sciences (including the Raffles Museum of
Biodiversity Research and the Biodiversity & Ecology Journal Club),
-- NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI),
-- NUS Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP)
-- NUS Dept. Geography
-- NTU (mainly NIE)
-- NParks.

Two recent announcements for this Friday are listed below.

A secondary objective is to occasionally circulate interesting news from
journals, technical/semi-technical webpages and mailing lists, and
conference or job announcements.

Like Habitatnews, Ecotax was started in 1998, but as a restricted list to
circulate information about research visitors/projects to encourage
interaction. It's primary usefulness now is in seminar announcements and
this may be of some use to interested members of the public hence the list
is now open, like Habitatnews.

To subscribe, simply email ecotax-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---> [2] Meetings of the Biodiversity & Ecology Journal Club
Department of Biological Sciences, The National University of Singapore
<http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/BDJC>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mass Synchronous Spawning of Corals at Raffles Lighthouse"

by James Guest

Friday 3rd May 2002: 12.30pm - 1.30pm

at DBS Conference Room
Level 3, Block S3
Science Drive 4, Science Faculty,
The National University of Singapore

Visitors, please park at Carpark 10.
Please see <http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/RMBR.JPG>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Speaker
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
James Guest is currently persuing a PhD, working on reproduction of corals.
http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/~webdbs/lab/reef/james.htm


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mass synchronous spawning is a remarkable phenomenon that is unique to
marine invertebrates. There are very few reports of mass coral spawning from
low latitude reefs and it has been suggested that this phenomenon may be
absent or significantly reduced close to the equator. Sampling of the coral
genus Acropora to determine their reproductive state was conducted at the
southern most reef off Singapore (Pulau Satumu, 1° 10'N 103° 45'E), on March
21st 2002 (eight days before the full moon). From 22 different Acropora
species, 15 (68%) had at least one colony with mature eggs, 48.5 % of
colonies had mature eggs (pigmented), 10 % had immature eggs (un-pigmented),
and the remaining 41.5 % had no visible eggs (n=112). On the 3rd, 4th and
5th nights after the full moon between 8 and 10pm we observed synchronous
spawning of corals. At least 18 different coral species from 10 genera and 5
families were observed releasing gametes over the three nights. This is the
first time multi-specific spawning of corals has been observed in Singapore.
These observations demonstrate that this phenomenon can indeed be a
characteristic of equatorial coral reefs.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---> [3] NUS Department of Biological Science Seminar
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Biodiversity And Diplomacy On The High Seas: Exercise Anambas, A Confidence
Building Measure For Countries Of The South China Seas"

N. Sivasothi & Tan Heok Hui
Raffles Museum Of Biodiversity Research
NUS Department Of Biological Sciences

Friday, 3 May 2002: 4 ­ 5 pm
At LT32, Blk S1A, Science Drive 4
Hosted By: A/P Peter Ng

Abstract:
The South China Sea is a potential hotspot due disputes over territory and
jurisdiction. ³Preventitive diplomacy² has resulted in the ³Workshop on
Managing Potential Conflicts in the South China Sea². Initiating several
confidence building measures, biodiversity studies has made the most
progress.

A proposal called Exercise Anambas, prepared by NUS in 1999 was adopted by
the 11th Workshop in March 2001. A year later, Raffles Museum and the
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), launched a 10-day international
expedition.

After more than a century, about 60 littoral, reef and freshwater sites were
spot sampled in the Anambas and Natuna island groups. Immediately, half a
dozen new species were revealed including marine gobies, blue-ringed octopus
and freshwater crabs and prawns.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you clicked for hunger today? <http://www.hungersite.com>
--------------------------------------------------------------------