Singapore, located on the equator carries a suitable climate for a diverse forest ecosystem. There are four different types of forests in Singapore, each carrying its own distinctive characteristics.

Lowland dipterocarp forests:

These types of forests are dominated by tall trees from the Dipterocarpaceae, where tree species are characterised by their large canopies that forms a large proportion of the wide canopy cover, as well as the high structural diversity in the forest. The structural diversity in lowland dipterocarp forests supports epiphytic and liana growth, as well as a wide range of animals. However, the density of its canopy limits light from reaching the underground level resulting in limited understorey growth. Such forests are found locally in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Central Catchment Nature Reserve, and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Coastal hill forests:

These types of forests carry subtle differences as compared to the lowland dipterocarp forests. The main difference is that it is situated above any splash zones from the sea, on cliffs, and hillslopes exposed to drying winds. Hence, due to the differing environmental conditions, these forests have trees that are not as tall as lowland dipterocarp forests but it may support species at lower altitudes that are confined to higher altitudes further away from the coasts. Coastal hill forests can be found near coastal environments, and in Singapore, they are found in Labrador Nature Reserve and the Western Catchment.

Freshwater Swamp forests:

Growing in wet, entirely freshwater, and often seasonally flooded lowlands, freshwater swamps have soils with high mineral content that are often saturated by high water table. Plants that grow here are adapted to such waterlogged conditions, hence. they have special adaptations like prop and stilt roots, as well as breathing roots or pneumatophores. Many rare species of plants and animals are supported in this type of forest. Freshwater swamp forests are found in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Nee Soon Swamp forests.

Secondary forests: 

These types of forests are the most abundant type in Singapore due to rapid development. Historically, forests were cleared for the cultivation of crops. As Singapore’s urban development increased, such land are being abandoned, hence allowing a variety of plants to grow. Due to the cultivation of crops, the soil in these plots of land are degraded and are often acidic. Plants that overtake these lands are often adapted to the poor soil conditions, as well as very bright conditions as there may not be any existing canopy cover. Over time, these plants establish themselves and form secondary forests. This type of forest can be found around Singapore, including within our NUS Kent Ridge campus, behind the Department of Biological Science at the Faculty of Science.

 

In Singapore, many of us may relate environmental pollution to the annual haze event. However, there may be other forms of pollution that are occurring in Singapore, some may even be happening all year round. The National Environment Agency has frequent updates on the pollutant levels in 4 different parts of Singapore (cite), however, there are actually some other interesting methods that may be used to track or monitor environmental pollution. These methods were actually mentioned in our previous posts, but it is interesting to find out that locally, we also have potential bioindicators of pollution.

Stay tuned to find out what are the potential bioindicators that track Singapore’s pollution!

 

References:

National Environment Agency. (n.d.). Haze – The National Environment Agency. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://www.haze.gov.sg/

National Parks Board. (2014, October 15). Terrestrial. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://www.nparks.gov.sg/biodiversity/our-ecosystems/terrestrial

Yee, A. T. K., Corlett, R. T., Liew, S. C., & Tan, H. T. (2011). The vegetation of Singapore—an updated map. Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore, 63(1&2), 205-212.