COSMOS

Meet Holly, the world's first semi-cloned fish.

A shining example of doping.

A perfect reflector.

Detection of spatial clustering with average likelihood ratio test statistics.

Assistant Professor YU Ting – For his research on metal oxide nanostructures and graphene for development of nanodevices and energy harvest.

Assistant Professor Haifeng Yu – For his research on defending against sybil attacks and on distributed systems security.

Dr. Loh Yuin Han Jonathan – For his research on embryonic stem cells and epigenetic reprogramming.

An overview of the invasive alien species situation in Singapore is presented. An updated checklist of introduced or alien animals in Singapore is provided; of the 142 species of invertebrates and vertebrates documented, more than 70% are considered established. A brief introduction and discussion of pertinent definitions and terminology for describing invasive alien species, with particular reference to Singapore, is included. In addition, important pathways for biological invasion into Singapore are highlighted, and legislation and institutional roles with respect to alien species issues in Singapore are summarized, featuring examples of management programmes. The article concludes by identifying areas emphasized in recently published alien species research in Singapore and knowledge gaps that need to be filled.

Bidens pilosa is less widespread than the other composites commonly found in Singapore as it is animal-dispersed, as opposed to wind-dispersed like most of the Asteraceae. However, this species has been observed to spread over a large area within a year in suitable habitats of sandy or rocky moist substrate with adequate sunlight, such as Jalan Chichau and Jalan Lam Sam. Judging by its invasive success in other tropical and subtropical countries, it should do well in Singapore. More studies can be done on this species, and the populations in the abovementioned localities should be closely monitored to determine the success, and the spread of the species.

Leucaena leucaena ssp. leucocephala has become the fourth-most-rampant tree weed in Singapore, after Acacia auriculiformis, Falcataria mollucana, and Spathodea campanulata. The spread of the species around the island in recent times is believed to have been established from seed-contaminated soil, brought in from Malaysia or Indonesia for land reclamation and soil works. However, the species is more easily controlled because of its smaller size. It may be a potential candidate for use in reforestation projects in Singapore's nature reserves, to improve impoverished soils on exposed sites as well as to provide shade for seedling or saplings of forest species planted. More research should be done to ascertain the full potential of this species before categorizing it as another nuisance weed species.

The vegetation of Singapore has undergone many extreme disturbances since the founding of the Republic. As a consequence, many exotic species have been introduced, and many have become naturalized over the course of time. In this paper, we have compiled a list of exotic species that have a wild population independent of further human introductions (naturalized) or have escaped from cultivation but do not yet form independent wild populations (casuals). We also provide a list of species having a biogeographic distribution that includes Singapore, but are locally only found and thriving in artificial habitats or highly disturbed environments ("weeds of uncertain origin"). We discuss a suite of naturalized species which have been observed to possess the potential to penetrate closed canopy forests, in addition to other species for which the label "invasive" has formerly been applied, and make recommendations for efforts to be undertaken to properly define and document local records of exotic species introductions.

Introduced or alien freshwater decapod crustaceans from Singapore's reservoirs are documented from the results of an ongoing survey. Four species of decapods were recorded in the reservoirs, viz., one freshwater crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus (Parastacidae) and three freshwater shrimps, Macrobrachium lanchesteri, M. nipponense, and M. aff. inflatum (Palaemonidae). Native decapods were not found in the actual reservoirs, but in forest stream inlets draining into the reservoirs. All four species were introduced through the ornamental pet trade, indicating the significance of this invasion pathway in Singapore. As yet, no ecological impacts on native ecosystems are known for these introduced species, although the possibility that they could be undergoing a lag phase or of more invasive alien decapods being introduced cannot be discounted.

More information on the distribution of the zebra spiny eel (Macrognathus zebrinus), a non-native species recently recorded in Singapore, is provided in this study. The spiny eel is known from four reservoirs (Kranji, Lower Peirce, Lower Seletar, and Tengeh) on the island. The presence of large numbers of this species in the Kranji and Lower Seletar reservoirs indicates that the zebra spiny eel is now established in Singapore.

We have recorded 54 species of non-native or alien freshwater fishes from 14 of the 15 reservoirs in Singapore. 31 of these species are established and breeding in the reservoirs. Three species (Mystus wolffii, Amphilophus citrinellum, and Satanoperca jurupari) represent new alien records for Singapore.

Sixteen species of introduced or alien aquatic amphibians and reptiles have been recorded from Singapore's Public Utilities Board reservoirs. Their presence in the wild state is largely due to members of the public abandoning their pets, or releasing animals to gain spiritual merit (fang sheng). The ban imposed by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority on the sale of most species of amphibians and reptiles will probably help to restrict the diversity of alien animal species in Singapore. However, the continued availability of hatchling red-eared terrapins in pet shops and live Chinese softshell turtles and American bullfrogs in markets does little to reduce the presence of these three alien species in local water bodies.