Monday, July 13, 2009 7:48 PM
Terrorism
Terrorism is a activity that terrors the world. It affects the whole world and leaves the people who were involved in
trama for the rest of their lives. It leaves family members grieving for their loved ones that are gone. Terrorism affected the people in that particular country that happens but still the people of other will be
perified too. They would be thinking that would their country be the next victim. The fear in people would not disappear unless the terrorists are caught.
Terrorism terrors everyone on the world and that includes me. I would be thinking all the time that terrorism would take away my loved ones leaving me grieving. Terrorist kills anyone they see thus i would be afraid when my loved ones go out. Terrorism is the most sinful thing a person could ever do. Mankind should kill not mankind.
We cannot prevent terrorism. Thus what we can do is to pray and hope that terrorism do not happen in other countries as well as ourselves and that the world can live peacefully.
( 177 words )
Saturday, March 21, 2009 2:03 AM
Reflective Summary
From all the reading of articles and researching, I learnt many interesting facts about the mangroves, like the ecosystems are regulated by many factors, both abiotic and biotic factors, plants and animals in tropical mangrove forests have important controlling influences on several population, community and ecosystem-level processes, at high tide, the roots of the mangroves are fully immersed in sea water, while at low tide, rain or river water may wash out the salt, or evaporation concentrates the roots further, mangrove trees can grow partially submerged in water and where the water usually comes up to the tree by the change in colour of the bark and the animals that encrust the tree roots and trunk and lastly, that the family Rhizophoraceae contains about 100 species of woody plants, all of which are tropical or subtropical in distribution. At first, I thought that in a mangrove, there would only be insects, trees and maybe flowers living together but after all the researching and reading of articles, I now know that in the mangroves, there are many different types of species, how the insects living in the mangrove harm the trees and even the special features and adaptations the trees in the mangrove has. I think the mangrove is a interesting place where I could explore to find out more interesting facts. The insects living in the mangrove destroys the trees in the mangrove, I think I should add some chemicals near the trees they harm so that when the insects smell the chemicals, it will avoid going near the even not even thinking of destroying the tree. I think the mangrove should be restricted and would only be able for people to go in is to buy a ticket and purely going in because they want to admire the trees and not wanting the destroy them. The mangrove should be out of bounds three times a day so as to let the professionals people to observe the trees and to make them healthy in some ways. The mangrove is really an interesting place as we could see all kinds of trees that we had never seen before in our daily life.
(361words) ( Some of the information in my reflective summary were taken from the 5 articles)
Friday, March 20, 2009 6:02 AM
Article 5
The family Rhizophoraceae contains about 100 species of woody plants, all of which are tropical or subtropical in distribution. The most important of the tree-sized species are in the genera Avicennia, Bruguiera, Ceriops, and Rhizophora. The red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is abundant in mangrove forests of south Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. This species has distinctive, round, stilt-roots, which emerge from aerial parts of the stem and then curve downwards to grow into the sediment. The red mangrove also retains its ripe seeds on its branches, where they germinate aerially, extending a radicle up to 10 in (25 cm) long. This sort of germination system is known as vivipary, and is analogous in some respects to the bearing of live young by animals. The germinated seedlings eventually detach from the parent tree, and may plop upright into the mud and establish a new plant, or they may float for a while until they become lodged in sediment after a longer-range dispersal from the parent. The established seedlings of red mangrove send out prop-roots, which quickly become firmly anchored and help to accrete mud around the plant. Young plants of this sort are abundant along the leading edge of developing stands of red mangrove, with older, larger trees occurring further into the stand. The individual stands often occur as discrete mangrove "islands," which may eventually coalesce as an extensive forest. The black mangrove (Avicennia nitida) is also abundant in mangrove forests of Florida, the Caribbean, and Latin America. This species has radially spreading, underground roots from which emerge numerous, vertically growing pneumatophores, or extensions of the roots that emerge from the mud. The pneumatophores are exposed to the atmosphere during low tide, and are useful in conducting oxygen to the underwater tissues of the plant, which grow in an anaerobic environment. Black mangroves often do not reproduce well beneath their own closed canopy, and when their stands senesce and die back, the site may convert into a relatively open community dominated by plants of salt marshes and protected mudflats. Article abstract from http://science.jrank.org/pages/4108/Mangrove-Tree-Species-mangrove-trees.html Reflection 5 After reading the article, I learn that the family Rhizophoraceae contains about 100 species of woody plants, all of which are tropical or subtropical in distribution. The red and the black mangroves are abundant in mangrove forests of south Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The red mangrove has distinctive, round, stilt-roots, which emerge from aerial parts of the stem and then curve downwards to grow into the sediment. It also retains its ripe seeds on its branches, where they germinate aerially, extending a radicle up to 10 in (25 cm) long and this geminantion system is known as vivipary, and is analogous in some respects to the bearing of live young by animals. The seedlings will detach from the parent tree to start a new plant or may float for a while until they become lodged in sediment after a longer-range dispersal from the parent. I also learn that the black mangrove has radially spreading, underground roots from which emerge numerous, vertically growing pneumatophores, or extensions of the roots that emerge from the mud, and they often do not reproduce well as beneath their own closed canopy and when their stands senesce and die back, the site may convert into a relatively open community dominated by plants of salt marshes and protected mudflats. (216words) ( Some of the information in my reflective journal is taken from the article)
Thursday, March 19, 2009 5:59 AM
Article 4 Mangrove forests form along sheltered coasts particularly where rivers meet the sea. Mangrove trees grow in this intertidal zone that is covered with seawater at high tide and where the ground is covered with soft, oxygen-poor mud. Here they are also exposed to dry, coastal winds. The unusual features of mangrove trees are adaptations to these challenging conditions. Mangrove trees can grow partially submerged in water. You can see where the water usually comes up to the tree by the change in the colour of the bark and the animals that encrust the tree roots and trunk. How do the trees do this? There is little oxygen in the fine mud usually found in mangroves. Mangrove trees have special breathing roots to absorb oxygen from the air. These roots also help mangrove trees to stay upright in the soft mud. Mangrove trees also have ways to extract freshwater from salty water. Some block out the salt at the root level, others get rid of excess salt on their leaves. Much like desert plants, mangroves store this precious extracted freshwater in thick leaves. Hairy or waxy leaves help reduce evaporation in the drying coastal winds. Some mangrove trees give their seeds a headstart in a harsh habitat. The seeds germinate on the mother tree instead of simply dropping off when ripe. For example, long green seedlings develop on the Bakau tree. Other trees provide a large food store for their seeds before sending them off. Article abstract from http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/m001.htm Reflection 4 After reading the article, I learn that the mangrove trees can grow partially submerged in water and where the water usually comes up to the tree by the change in colour of the bark and the animals that encrust the tree roots and trunk. They did by as they have special breathing roots that can absorb oxygen from the air and help the tree stand upright in the soft mud. Mangrove trees also have another unusual feature is that it can obtain freshwater from salt water by blocking out the salt at the root level or by getting rid of the excess salt on their leaves. They are quite alike as the desert plants, they store the extracted freshwater in thick leaves and their waxy or hairy leaves will help to reduce evaporation in the drying coastal winds. Some mangrove trees when dispersing their seeds, mangrove tree give their seeds a headstart in a harsh habitat. The seeds will germinate on the mother tree instead of dropping off when ripe. The trees will provide a large food store for their seeds before sending them off. (185words) ( Some of the information in my reflective journal is taken from the article)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 5:54 AM
Article 3
Mangrove forests are a type of tropical wetland forests, which include brackish-water, freshwater and peat swamp forests. It is directly influenced by seawater, existing in an intertidal zone between mid-tide level and the highest spring tides. At high tide, the roots of the mangroves are fully immersed in sea water, while at low tide, rain or river water may wash out the salt, or evaporation concentrates the roots further. Mangrove soils are fine-grained and rich in organic matter (detritus). They are alluvium, transported as sediment and deposited by rivers and the sea. Mangrove soils are made up of sand, silt and clay in different combinations. The soil is typically anaerobic or lacking in oxygen. Soils are usually soft and unstable, and become semi-fluid when flooded. Mangroves have special adaptations to survive the extreme environmental conditions of high and fluctuating salinity, submergence in inter-tidal seawater and fine silt that is deficient in oxygen. In order to adapt to the high saline conditions, mangroves are especially salt-tolerant. All species secrete salt to some extent through their roots. Some mangrove species, such as Api-Api (Avicenna) and Sea Holly (Acanthus) secrete salt through their leaves, through special glands. Salt crystals form on the leaf surface which are then removed by the wind and rain. The saline condition also makes this a 'physiologically' dry environment. Thus, to reduce water loss, most species have thick walled and waxy leaves. The root systems of mangroves have special features to adapt to the unstable anaerobic soils. Specialised aerial breathing roots, known as pneumatophores, provide air supply for the underground root system. Pencil or finger-like breathing roots of the Avicenna and Sonneratia protrude up through the soil surface, from the base of the plant. Some trees, such as Bruguiera and Ceriops have "kneed-roots", horizontal roots growing just below the soil surface grow vertically upwards and then immediately loop downwards to resemble a bent knee. To anchor the trees to the unstable soil, stilt roots are developed in bakau (Rhizophora) trees, with branched, looping roots that arise from the trunk and lower branches. Nyireh bunga (Xylocarpus granatum) trees grow plank roots. These are horizontal roots which grow vertically upwards on its upper side above ground.
Article abstract from http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_412_2005-01-03.html Reflection 3
After reading the article, I have learn that at high tide, the roots of the mangroves are fully immersed in sea water, while at low tide, rain or river water may wash out the salt, or evaporation concentrates the roots further. Mangrove soils are made up of sand, silt and clay in different combinations. Mangroves even have special adaptations to survive the extreme environmental conditions of high and fluctuating salinity, submergence in inter-tidal seawater and fine silt that is deficient in oxygen, and to adapt to the high saline conditions, mangroves are especially salt-tolerant. . Some mangrove species, such as Api-Api (Avicenna) and Sea Holly (Acanthus) secrete salt through their leaves, through special glands. Salt crystals form on the leaf surface which are then removed by the wind and rain. The saline condition also makes this a 'physiologically' dry environment. Thus, to reduce water loss, most species have thick walled and waxy leaves. I even learn that the root systems of mangroves have special features to adapt to the unstable anaerobic soils, such as breathing roots, known as pneumatophores, provide air supply for the underground root system. Pencil or finger-like breathing roots of the Avicenna and Sonneratia protrude up through the soil surface, from the base of the plant. Some trees, such as Bruguiera and Ceriops have "kneed-roots", horizontal roots growing just below the soil surface grow vertically upwards and then immediately loop downwards to resemble a bent knee.
(239words) ( Some of the information in my reflective journal is taken from the article)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 3:35 AM
Article 2
Trophic interactions involving plants and animals in tropical mangrove forests have important controlling influences on several population, community and ecosystem-level processes. Insect herbivores remove up to 35% of leaf area from some mangrove tree species and can cause the death of seedlings. Leaf chemistry and toughness and soil nutrient status all appear to be important in explaining the between- and among-species variance in leaf damage. Insects also attack and damage, mainly by boring, a large proportion of mangrove seeds. Shadehouse experiments have shown that such post-dispersal predation can have a significant effect on seedling survival, growth and biomass allocation to leaves, stems and roots. Sesarmid crabs are also responsible for severe post-dispersal seed predation. In field trials, crabs consumed more than 70% of the seeds of five tree species. For four of these five species there was an inverse relationship between seed predation rate and the dominance of conspecific adult trees, while the within-site distribution pattern of one tree species appears to be partially controlled by crabs. The same crab species also consume 30–80% (depending on forest type and intertidal elevation), of the annual litter fall in mangrove forests and, thus, have an important role in controlling the rate of remineralization of detritus within forests and the export of particulate matter from the forests to other nearshore habitats. The other major component of litter in the forests is wood, which is broken down relatively rapidly by teredinid molluscs (shipworms). More than 90% of the weight loss from decomposing trunks of Rhizophora species during the first four years of decay is through ingestion by teredinids. The annual turnover of dead wood mass in Rhizophora forests is equivalent to that of the processing of leaf detritus by crabs. Because of the relatively low species richness of trees and consumers in tropical mangrove forests, they are likely to serve as productive sites for further investigations of the influence of plant-animal interaction the dynamics of tropical forests.
Article abstract from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119361815/abstract
Reflection 2
After reading the article, I have learned that the plants and animals in tropical mangrove forests have important controlling influences on several population, community and ecosystem-level processes. Insect herbivore can cause the death of seedlings and leaf chemistry, toughness and soil nutrient status all appear to be important in explaining the between- and among-species variance in leaf damage. Insects mainly attack or damage a large proportion of mangrove seeds, causing the increase in death of the seedlings. Sesarmid crabs are also responsible for severe post-dispersal seed predation as they consumed more than 70% of the five tree species. Out of five of this species, four of them have an inverse relationship between seed predation rate and the dominance of conspecific adult trees. The same crab species also consume 30–80% (depending on forest type and intertidal elevation), of the annual litter fall in mangrove forests leading to shorter lifetime for the trees and, thus, have an important role in controlling the rate of remineralization of detritus within forests and the export of particulate matter from the forests to other nearshore habitats. The other major component of litter is wood, which is broken down relatively rapidly by shipworms. More than 90% of the weight loss from decomposing trunks of Rhizophora species during the first four years of decay is through ingestion by shipworms. The total turnover of dead wood mass in Rhizophora forests is as much as to that of the processing of leaf detritus by crabs. The insects do play a part in making the forest look like a mangrove but by damaging the plants, the forests would be gone by just a while, so I think if there is a possibility, separate the insects and the trees they damage away from each other. By doing that, I think the mangroves are saved.
(303 words) ( Some of the information in my reflective journal was taken from the article)
