Invasive trees in Singapore: Are they a threat to native forests?

Tropical Conservation Science81201-21

A circular economy approach by co-gasification of water hyacinth and algae bloom for high-quality biochar production

Water hyacinth is of interest for biochar production due to its high biomass yields, high carbon content and environmental benefits of carbon sequestration and pollutants removal. Gasification technology has attracted considerable attention to design a renewable biochar production process to be performed on a larger scale for both separation and immobilization of contaminants from water hyacinth and the production of energy and multifunctional materials. The concept of the circular economy has become popular since it is a solution that will allow countries, firms and consumers to reduce harm to the environment and to close the loop of the product lifecycle through three main approaches of reusing, reducing and recycling materials, energy and waste. This study is focused on the sustainable management of water hyacinth biomass via gasification (300-900˚C) to high-value products of biochar, bio-oil and syngas, from the perspective of energy consumption, heat reduction and recycling, emissions to the air and residues in the biochar based on circular economy towards environmental sustainability. The objective is to compare two different types of processes of mono-gasification and co-gasification for environmental, economic and social benefits. The environment, economy and society are inter-related to highlight the new insights for the biochar utilization and resonate with phytobioremediation strategy. The process is based on lab-scale gasifiers/pyrolyzers and a functional unit of a 20KW downdraft gasifier. In our previous experience, we have successfully converted waste biomass from horse manure in Singapore Turf Club to syngas and biochar in the downdraft gasifier. In this study, an equipment level of optimization is implemented for best-operating conditions to improve energy efficiency. In the first process of mono-gasification, biochar is produced from water hyacinth. The alternative to this method is co-gasification, where biochar is now produced with addition of algae bloom. The cost-benefit analysis and life cycle analysis demonstrate the difference in sustainability between these two processes, which offers a higher understanding of biochar production and hence determine which method would be the preferable sustainable practice. It is expected that the co-gasification process could increase the syngas, heat and energy production with high-quality biochar production. One of the major challenges is to guarantee the water hyacinth resources are conserved and used efficiently and affordably

Identification and Characterization of RcMADS1, an AGL24 Ortholog from the Holoparasitic Plant Rafflesia cantleyi Solms-Laubach (Rafflesiaceae)

10.1371/journal.pone.0067243PLoS ONE86-POLN

STUDIES ON SOME RUBIACEOUS PLANTS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE GENUS HEDYOTIS L. : INCLUDING EXOMORPHOLOGY, TAXONOMY, ANATOMY, BREEDING SYSTEM, EMBRYOLOGY AND PALYNOLOGY

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

The floriphilic katydid, Phaneroptera brevis, is a frequent flower visitor of non-native, flowering forbs

Distribution of consumers in a patch of vegetation can be predicted by resource availability and explained by the resource-concentration and optimal-foraging hypotheses. These hypotheses have not been explored for flower-visiting Orthoptera because they are deemed less economically or ecologically important. Some flower-visiting orthopterans can provide pollination services, which warrants more attention. We studied a Singaporean, floriphilic katydid, Phaneroptera brevis, to investigate the following questions: 1) how frequently does P. brevis visit flowers compared to other flower visitors and 2) what factors predict the abundance of P. brevis? We collected abundance data for P. brevis and other flower-visiting arthropods and quantified seven environmental parameters, including flower abundance and host-plant species richness. We found that P. brevis frequents flowers significantly more often than some common and expected flower visitors such as hoverflies. In line with the prediction of the resource-concentration hypothesis, the abundance of P. brevis was positively correlated with a higher flower abundance. Owing to the limited information on unexpected wild flower visitors and pollinators, especially from the understudied tropics of Southeast Asia, we propose that P. brevis can be a model organism for future studies to answer fundamental questions on flower visitation

The floriphilic katydid, Phaneroptera brevis, is a frequent flower visitor of non-native, flowering forbs

Distribution of consumers in a patch of vegetation can be predicted by resource availability and explained by the resource-concentration and optimal-foraging hypotheses. These hypotheses have not been explored for flower-visiting Orthoptera because they are deemed less economically or ecologically important. Some flower-visiting orthopterans can provide pollination services, which warrants more attention. We studied a Singaporean, floriphilic katydid, Phaneroptera brevis, to investigate the following questions: 1) how frequently does P. brevis visit flowers compared to other flower visitors and 2) what factors predict the abundance of P. brevis? We collected abundance data for P. brevis and other flower-visiting arthropods and quantified seven environmental parameters, including flower abundance and host-plant species richness. We found that P. brevis frequents flowers significantly more often than some common and expected flower visitors such as hoverflies. In line with the prediction of the resource-concentration hypothesis, the abundance of P. brevis was positively correlated with a higher flower abundance. Owing to the limited information on unexpected wild flower visitors and pollinators, especially from the understudied tropics of Southeast Asia, we propose that P. brevis can be a model organism for future studies to answer fundamental questions on flower visitation

Assessment of light adequacy for vertical farming in a tropical city

10.1016/j.ufug.2017.11.004Urban Forestry & Urban Greening2949-5

3D city models for urban farming site identification in buildings

Computers, Environment and Urban Systems86101584-10158

Whitefly predation and extensive mesonotum color polymorphism in an Acletoxenus population from Singapore (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Volume: 725Start Page: 49End Page: 6