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Goh Gan Khing
(Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Science student)
Establishment of strangler and climber fig species on trees: towards the non-drastic replacement of cultivated exotic street trees by native species.
Plants used for landscape or street plantings in Singapore and elsewhere in the tropics, tend to be species from South America. In Singapore, most cultivated species are exotic or non-native species. There is a world-wide trend to plant native species, but replacement of exotics by cutting down trees to replant with native species is very drastic, as it is not environmentally friendly as even exotic species provide environmental and ecological services. There are many native strangler or climber fig (Ficus) species which grow well in street or urban conditions, and can grow on cultivated exotic street trees. Strangler and climber figs will ultimately engulf the host plant over time, so allowing the services to continue till the native species is sufficiently large. This horticultural and ecological project will determine the feasibility of establishing strangler and climber fig species on urban plantings, and the factors involved. |
