Speaker:
Associate Professor (in Practice) Ascher, John Stoskopf  

Synopsis:
Bees are our most important pollinators, and reported declines in these are of concern globally. However, we know very little about bee diversity in tropical Asia. Even today, new species for science can be found in urban Singapore, and little is known about the current status of forest-associated species recorded long ago by Alfred Russel Wallace and other pioneering entomologists. This talk will focus on discovery and rediscovery of bees and other flower-visiting insects in Singapore. It describes ongoing sampling of bees across habitats ranging from dipterocarp forests to rooftop gardens and beaches and mangrove remnants of offshore islands. It shows how high-resolution imaging and high throughput DNA barcoding and population genomics help us to detect cryptic diversity. After overcoming the taxonomic impediment, the next step is to document species interactions between insects and plants including discovery of the bee pollinators of reintroduced Tiger Orchids. Resolution of difficult taxonomic problems also facilitated the first status assessment for the 141 bee species known from Singapore, a first step towards Asia-wide conservation work on bees. Of greatest concern are apparent extinction of several forest-associated species, rarity of certain forest-associated species that persist in Singapore’s remnant forests, and ongoing arrival of exotic species. During the talk we will highlight print and online resources informing the public about local bee diversity and share opportunities to help us advance bee monitoring through citizen science web portals.

For enquiries, please contact:

Mr Ambert Ang
Phone: +65  65162711
Email: DBS_outreach@nus.edu.sg