ELEMENTS OF

NATURAL AND BUILT

ENVIRONMENT

PROJECT ONE

INDIVIDUAL TASK

INTRODUCTION

This is our first project of Elements of Natural and Built Environment a.k.a ENBE.The main purpose of this project is to let us to explore and know our nature before going for built environment as we know that an area before construction is one part of the nature.

As we known that basic is very important, before understanding the built environment, we learn about how it was before first.

SITE VISIT : 15 – 16 APRIL, RIVERSTONE ECO RESORT.

The first part of our project starts by going for a site visit in Riverstone Eco Resort. It was a very natural place that allows us to expose to the nature.

There’s only electricity during 7pm-12am, no air-conditioner, water heater as well as internet.

The place is surrounded by forest, river and lake and our task here is to search and choose a place with measurement of 10m x 10m to do our researches for our project.

This site visit allows us to see and to feel the nature by ourselves instead of doing research all from the internet or books.

Well, it was surely a interesting and exciting experience for us who lives in city with all the technological equipments.

THE SITE VISIT :

With the site visit brief that our lecturers, Ms. Norma and Ms. Delliya prepared for us, we are able to check whether we bring all the things needed and get well prepared before going to the site .

We gathered in Taylor’s University at 7am and departed at 8:30am. The journey was by bus and we reached at around 10am.

Everyone did during the journey to the site is having enough rest before starting the project ! :

Arrived in the resort.

The Riverstone Eco Resort !!!

After a short brief from Ms. D, we went to explore around the resort search for a place for our site .

Our dorm.Well it was quite dirty because the pillows and bed sheets were full of dust but after they changed them it we are satisfied with it.

SITE SELECTING.

We went around the resort and finally we had chosen the stream as our site.

Why? This is because we loved the environment here at the first point, then we discovered there’s a quite variety of species that we could research on here.

The place we selected is where the water flows at a slower speed which allows us to do our research easier and safe.

IN OUR SITE : THE STREAM.

It was a very enjoyful experience researching at the stream as the air condition here was quite humid and the mangrove trees acting as natural umbrellas which blocks most of the sunlight. The water was cold and clear that u could see under the sands beneath easily. The rocks that shows its head out of the water were natural chairs for us.

With the fresh air with a lil bit salty smell, we felt relieved and so refreshing that made our mind extraordinary concentrating.

The sounds from the nature such as bird chirping, water flowing and leaves swirling in the wind made a soft music without any vocals.

The land which is in dark brown and the sands in the water which is light brown makes us curious on what mades them different. The bamboo with thin and straight stem and the mangrove tree with thick trunks with rough textures on it makes a bright difference in their appearance although they both were plants.

In our site, I’ve tried the taste of the riverwater too, it taste like normal mineral water to me but it was fresh compared to normal ones.

Besides, I’ve tasted the sands in the water too ! Well it tastes a bit salty.

The texture of the rock is rough except the area which grew moss, has a slippery texture.

PICTURES : SITE

Pictures from different angle.

OUR FINDINGS : PLANTS

Roots of mangrove tree

Moss

Algae

Rhodes GrassFungus

OUR FINDINGS : ANIMAL / INSECT

Water Strider ( it was very sensitive and moving very fast so I couldn’t capture a clear photo of it :c )

Some kind of prawn with fur that we found .

Mealy bug.

Leech ( we couldn’t capture the one we saw in our site but we captured the one that bite one of our course mate.

RESEARCH: WATER STRIDER ( GERRIDAE )

Sorry this is the clearest picture that I captured it :c

This is a spider like insect which lives on the surface of water. They generally inhabit in freshwater area with calm water flow. They mostly lives in groups. When the surrounding environment is unflavored to them, they will fly to another area by using the small wings they had.

Why did I choose this Insect to research on :Well the first time I saw this insect then I was caught by it. I’m pretty curious what it was actually. It looks like a spider but it did not behave like a spider. Besides, It lives on water which is the main thing that I want to know bout : how it stay on water all the time? Well this is the main reason that brings me to the research on it .

Body of the Strider :

How they look in close.

Antennae

Middle Legs :Use for paddling.

Hind leg :Act as brake and for steering.

Front legs :To catch prey.

Thorax

Abdomen

Head

Sketched by myself.

DIET OF WATER STRIDER

1. The front legs of water strider acts as sensors to feel the vibration of water.

2. When an insect fall onto the water surface and then struggling, the water strider will be attracted by the vibration produced by the ripples in the water.

3. They go to the prey and grab onto the prey and then puncture its body with its claws.

4. Lastly they suck out the sustenance in a method called suction feeding.

PREDATORS :

As a insect living on the surface of river, water striders are hunted upon largely by birds, frogs and fishes but they are not the main food source for them.

Water strider’s front leg only able to detect vibrations from the surface on water where made them unable to detect movements in the water and on the air. This made them unable to escape from getting hunted by these animals.

MATING BEHAVIOR

Sex recognization of water strider is determined by the ripple frequency produced by the male strider. The male strider predominantly produces 3 kind of communication frequency signal which is 25 Hz as a repel signal, 10 Hz as a threat signal, and 3 Hz as a courtship signal

When a male strider approaches another strider, it will first produce a repel signal, if the another strider doesn’t reply with signal, then it knows that it’s a female strider and changes into a courtship signal.

Then, the female strider will lower its abdomen and allow the male strider to mount and mate.

LIFE CYCLE ( MAIN THEME OF INFOGRAPHIC )

Egg Stage

Instar Stage( 5 times )Adult Stage

Approximately 60-70days

Larval Stage.Takes around 10-15days until instar stage.

The development stages is highly correlated to the surrounding temperature where the egg was.

Each instar stage takes around 7-10days.

Water striders are insects that 'skate' around on the surface of water. The life cycle of water striders begins when an adult female lays eggs, generally on rocks or aquatic vegetation. When the eggs hatch, they enter into a nymph stage in which they look much like an adult but only smaller. The final stage of a water strider is when they are capable of reproducing after entering their adult phase. Some other insects that share a similar life cycle as that of water striders include box elder bugs and grasshoppers.

RESEARCH : RHODES GRASS

We had a smaller bunch of rhodes grass in our site but it was not clear to be seen, so I decided to use the picture of a big bunch of rhodes grass near our site.

RHODES GRASS :

Why did I choose to rhodes grass to research on?

This is because rhodes grass is a very common plant that we can see it everywhere but we don’t really know what does it called and what it is.

So, I decided to research on it.

INFO’S : RHODES GRASS

Has a scientific name of Chloris gayana Kunth. An erect almost hairless, stoloniferous or tufted, summer

growing perennial grass 0.5 to 1.2 m tall. Stems: Smooth and shiny; creeping stems 4 - 5mm

diameter, and upright stems 2 - 4mm diameter. Leaves:   Leaf blades are hairless except at the base near

the stem and usually of the order of 30 - 40cm long and 3 - 5mm wide, tapering to a point.

Seedhead:   Mostly a single (sometimes double) circle of radiating light, greenish brown (ripening to darker brown) branches 4 - 15cm long.

Seeds:   Light and fluffy, 3.5 mm long, each bearing a long or short awn; 4 million or 7 - 10 million seeds/kg.  Seeds contain a small dark brown grain, with 2 million caryopses/kg.

LIFE CYCLE : RHODES GRASS

Rhodes grass is a tropical grass, growing over the frost-free months and flowering in summer and autumn. It can grow prolifically following summer rains. 

It can be perennial or occasionally annual. Seed germinates 1-7 days after planting or in

Spring and it grows rapidly over summer. Stolons may form in the first and subsequent

summers to spread the plant.

In our country Malaysia which has a tropical rainforest climate, it can grow free without stopping due to the lack of other unflavored seasons such as spring, autumn and winter where Malaysia is summer all the time.

HABITAT

They prefers open sunny situations, open woodlands, grasslands, river and lake margins, seasonally waterlogged areas.

SOILPrefers red earths and loams but grows on a wide range of soils from clays through to sands.

TEXTURESmooth surface on the leaves.The side of leave blade is quite sharp that could cut a wound on hand.Rough surface on the root and stolon stem.

ROOTS :

It has fibrous roots. Well developed deep root system. Roots to 4.7 m deep but few roots extend

beyond 2.4 m.

Due to its high survivability it is one of the pioneer species that changes the quality of the soil until it become more favorable to other species of plants.

16 ARPIL 1PMBefore leaving the resort, we took a group photo of

all of us !

REFLECTIONS :At first what I was thinking before going to the site was just enjoy

and have fun! But after reaching the site, checked-in our dorm and saw the dirtiness and the daily things we used to have is missing, but then when i think rationally, it was right, I came for learning not enjoying life ! Then I stopped complaining about the dorm.

In our site, I found that how clear a river was, how peaceful an natural habitat could be. I started thinking why are we destroying our nature? It was the best gift for us ! Unfortunately we humans kept doing things to ruin it ! I realised that I should do more to help our nature, at least not causing anymore pollutions to our nature !

The creatures in the ecosystem is all linked to each other, a change in one of the population could make a big change to all other population related to it ! Example, an great increase in amount of mealy bug might cause the many of the mangrove trees in the area died because that mealy bug is the pest of it! So, we should conserve our ecosystem to prevent the extinction of wildlife to maintain the balance of ecosystem .

INFOGRAPHIC POSTER

After the researches, we combined all our findings and made it into an infographic poster with a theme of Life Cycle.