Introduction Bukit Timah Natural Reserve consists of more than 840 flowering plants and over 500 species

of animals [1]. According to an article, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore contains more species of trees than the entire North American continent [2]. Bukit Timah Reserve consists of a primary forest and a secondary forest. Secondary forest arises from the reoccupation of plants after the clearing of the primary forest. Secondary forest do not usually comprise of large, tall and perennial plants that have low regeneration rate such as Dipterocarps. This is because plants that have high adaptability to the cleared area will quickly colonise these area and out-compete those plant with low regeneration rate. Examples of competitive interactions between plants at Bukit Timah and adaptations to solve each of these challenges facing plants Resources are important for the survival of living organism. It includes water, air and food. A competitive interaction is the competition for resources between two or more organisms. It arises because resources are limited in the wild. Therefore organisms such as plants will have to adopt special adaption to have a better chance to obtain these resources to survive. Nature selection will choose the variant with a better competitive advantage over its competitors to survive. There are 2 forms of competitive interaction, Intraspecific and Interspecific. Intraspecific involve competition between the same species while Interspecific involve competition between members of different species. Competitive interactions between plants involve competing over space, water, sunlight and nutrients. Competition for Nutrient Although Bukit Timah is home to a wide diversity of plant, the soil in Bukit Timah has very low nutrient level. Despite low nutrient level, plants are able to grow because of a few reasons. Firstly, there is an efficient cycle of nutrients which result in fast turnover rate of nutrients. Whenever plants or animal die, its bodies will be broken down into smaller pieces by detritivores such as worms and millipedes. This speeds up the rate of decomposition by decomposer such as bacteria and fungi. The decomposers will free up the nutrients, allowing plants to use it. For example the group encounters a dead log during the tour. Though the log is dead, there were organisms found on the log. Worms and mushrooms were found on the log. The worms act as detritivores and the mushrooms act as decomposers. Beside decomposer cycling nutrients back to the soil, nitrogen fixing bacteria can fix nitrogen into the soil. These nutrients are picked up by the plants through the roots. Secondly, the plants living in the Bukit Timah are adapted to the low nutrient levels in the soil by requiring lower level of nutrients to survive. Although most plants obtained their nutrients from the soil through the roots, plants such as ferns live on the trees and do not have any contact with the soil. These plants have special adaptation to obtain their nutrients. For example, the leaves of the bird nest fern is

specially structured to capture dead leaves falling from the tree it reside in. These leaves will decompose and the fern will absorb the nutrient from it. Competition for Light The forest can be divided into different layer [3], emergent layer, canopy layer, under storey layer and forest floor. In Bukit Timah Reserve, the canopy layer is densely occupied by tall plants which block out sunlight resulting in lesser sunlight reaching the lower layer. The emergent layer consists of tall plant with very broad trunk. The plants in the emergent layer are vertically taller than the plant in the canopy. Thus it allows better exposure to sunlight, overextending its reach from the plants in the canopy layer for sunlight. Shorea is example of plants in the emergent and canopy layer which uses its height as an advantage to obtain sunlight. As mentioned earlier, in the reserve the canopy layer prevent most of the sunlight from reaching the lower layer of the forest. Therefore, the plants in the under storey layer is exposed to low amount of sunlight. To maximize its exposure to sunlight, the plants adapt by having larger leaves. Furthermore, the leaves are strategically positioned in a spiral manner, where no leaves will be overshadowed by another leaves above. This positioning is achieved by the specific positioning of the branches. This positioning is also evident in plants from the canopy layer. Least amount of sunlight is available to plants at the forest floor. Therefore, not much plant is found on the bottom layer. Plants at the forest floor comprise mainly of grasses and mosses where there are gap in the canopy layer, allowing spots of sunlight to reach the forest floor. During the trip, the group observed the presence of numerous climbing plants. Most of these climbing plants have flexible but strong stem. These plants often have spines that allow them to hang onto on others plants for support. One example of climbing plant spotted is the rattan. It has numerous spines found throughout the stem and the leaves. These spines help the Rattan cling to the trunks of trees to increase its exposure to sunlight. Another prominent climbing plant observed during the trip is a plant that has the nickname of Wait-AMinute Bush. This plant has cat-like claws allowing it to attach onto other plant. The plant name is originated from the fact that most passer-by has to wait a minute to remove the plant that attached onto them upon contact. Another interesting observation of plant that depends on other plant for support is the Strangler Fig. It shares a parasitism relationship with its host. The strangler fig embrace tall tree as if it is strangling the tree. The seeds of the Strangler Fig are often dispersed by birds onto tree branches of a tree in the canopy layer. The strategic dispersal of seeds onto high ground increase availability of sunlight to the fig. The fig will grow its roots down the tree, toward the ground. Eventually it will expand and strangles the tree it grows on.

Competition for Water Besides competing for sunlight and nutrients, plants can also compete for water. One example of plant with specialised root structures to store water and nutrients is the cactus which is found in area with scarce supply of water. In Bukit Timah Reserves, water is not scarce due to frequent rainfall. Signs of stream and fishes in it suggest frequent rainfall. However plants do have adaptations to minimise water losses. For example plants at the canopy layer have smaller leaves than plants located at the lower layers. This is because sunlight is more abundant at the canopy layer resulting in higher rate of transpiration when compare to that of the lower layers. On the other hand, the lower layers have a humid environment. Thus plants at the canopy layer will have small leaves to minimise water loss and plants located at the lower layer can afford to have bigger leaves to absorb more sunlight without fearing excessive loss of water. This phenomenon could also be seen on the same plant, where the leaves at the lower part of the plant has a nodal shape, and the leaves found on the upper part of the plant lose the nodal shape to adopt a more streamline shape. Another way plants adapt to minimise water loss is to have a waxy layer of cuticle present on the surface of the leaves.Although the roots main function is to facilitate transport and uptake of water, it also acts as a form of support for the plant. Some of the larger trees have buttress roots to support its heavy weight. Pollination and Seed Dispersal Pollination and dispersal of seed are carried out via 2 means, animals and wind. Animals interaction with plants played an important role in pollination and seed dispersal. Plants that are pollinated via animals are normally angiosperm (aka flowering plant). The flowers of these plants are normally brightly coloured and scented to attract animals. There are few ways animals can disperse. Firstly, animals feed on the fruit and disperse the seeds by excreting it. The seeds are usually coated with a protective layer that prevents the seeds from being digested inside the animal gut. The fruit are normally juicy and brightly coloured to attract animals. During the trip, the group encounter several animals such as the horn-bill bird and squirrels which also play a role in dispersing seeds. The horn-bill horn is specifically adapted to feed on specific fruits situated on top layers of the forest, thus dispersing seed in the process. The squirrels feed also feed on those fruit. However it has a habit of storing the unfinished food around the forest floor. Usually the squirrels forget where it hid the fruit, thus the seeds are not eaten and given the chance to germinate. Secondly, the fruit may have hook-like structure to adhere to animals passing by. Another interaction observed is the mutualism of fig and fig wasps. The fig offer food to the wasp while the wasp helps the fig to pollinate. Fruits were found on the stems and branches of figs. Flowers were found in the interior of the fruit. Before ripening, the fruit has a hard exterior structure. Female wasps will enter the fruit by squeezing through tiny openings of the fruit to lay eggs. The wasps will often losing their legs and wings in the process and eventually die from the injuries they sustained. Once the eggs hatches, the young wasps will feed on the content of the fruit and mate inside the fruit. As the fruit ripen, it will soften. The female wasps will be able to leave the fruit without losing its wings or leg. As it

leave the fruit, pollen grains from the fruit will adhere to the wasp and be carried over to another fruit thus fertilising the ovule of the another plant. This cycle is continuous throughout the lifecycle of Fig and Fig Wasp. As mentioned earlier, pollination and seeds dispersal can also be carried out by the wind. The flowers of such plants normally have exposed stamen to allow its pollen grain to be carried away by the wind. Fruit of such plants are usually odourless, dull and light. For example spore can be found on the underside of fern to be dispersed by the wind. However, these fruit could also have wing-like adaptions like Shorea. The fruit of shorea has 2 winglike structures which allow the fruit to fly when carried by the wind. As Shorea is a tall plant, its height helps the fruit to travel greater distance thus further facilitating wind dispersal. Dipterocarps Dipterocarps derived its name from its two-winged fruit. Dipterocarps are a family of tall, broad, hardwood tropical trees. Most Dipterocarps are of economic value because it serves as a source of high quality wood such as plywood and other materials. Dipterocarps are known for their inconsistent period of mast flowering and fruiting. Mast fruiting serves several advantages. For Dipterocarps that are pollinated by animal, the chances of animal bringing the pollen grains to the ovary of another flower increases. Mast fruiting facilitate fruit dispersal by animal. This is because the large quantity of fruit available on the tree will ensure that not all fruits will be eaten by animals. In order to observe evidence of past mast flowering and fruiting event, effort have been spent to search for Dipterocarps offspring (sapling of Dipterocarp). Mast flowering and fruiting help to increase survival rate of offspring by producing more offspring and spreading more offspring within a period of time. Despite this, the group did not manage to see any of such evidence. Furthermore, there were very few Dipterocarps spotted in the secondary forest. This shows that the survival rate of Dipterocarps offspring is very low and the regeneration rate of the Dipterocarps to replace existing Dipterocarps is very low. Dipterocarps is often harvested for its economic value. Overharvesting and its poor regeneration rate will drive this family of plant to extinction. Mosses, ferns, and flowering plants Mosses are usually found in damp and shady areas such as the forest floor and understory layer. During the trip, mosses are found on rocks, logs found on the forest floor and on the stem of some trees. The mosses may share a symbiotic relationship with algae by providing the algae structure to grow on. In return the algae provide it photosynthetic product.

Ferns are vascular and reproduce by spore. Ferns are usually found on trees or on the understory layer. Flowering plant can be found on virtually all layers of the forest. Dynamic Of Forest To conclude, resources are limited in Bukit Timah Reserve. Organisms including plant have special adaption to ensure it has a competitive advantage over others to secure the resources. The survivability of an organism is also dependent on its interaction with other organisms. References 1. http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/btnr.htm 2. http://www.newasiasingapore.com/places_to_go/parks_and_nature_reserves/bukit_timah_nature_reserve_ 2007053170.html 3. http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/whlayers.html