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Arbor Day

Posted on:  |  rochelle-van reyes Posted in Uncategorized.

Arbor Day

  • Deforestation through logging and kaingin (slash and burn faming) contributes to the rapid increase in greenhouse gases that speed up the adverse effects of climate change.

  • Our tropical forest serves as a carbon sink that stores greenhouse gases which are the main cause of climate change. We need to plant native trees in our area to avoid the unnecessary accidental introduction of invasive alien species.

  • A single tree you planted might have an insignificant impact but our collective efforts of planting trees will slowly create a big impact to save our planet Earth.

In the recent trends, climate scientists say it’s ‘now or never’ to climate change’s critical limits which they are struggling to convince and call for action of every political leader to take it seriously. It is a moral responsibility of every nation and us as individuals to take care of our only home, the planet earth. The government must now look for alternative sources of renewable energy, lessen reliance on fossil fuels, and come up with solutions to mitigate climate change.

Planting a tree during #ArborDay is a simple act of commitment to help save our planet Earth. Why should we plant more trees? First, it can combat Climate Change, through photosynthesis, the harmful carbon dioxide from the air is absorbed and stored in the trees. In return, oxygen is released by the trees for us to breathe easily.

Urban trees provide shade, shelter, and a source of food for many native animals residing in the city. Urban trees are good for our mental and physical health and have proven to reduce our stress and anxiety. Trees in the watershed safeguard our water supply during long droughts.

But we must consider choosing the right species of trees to be planted in the right place to avoid possible invasive alien species. We should promote planting native and/or endemic species in our forests to enhance the local biodiversity.

The tree that we planted today might have no visible impact today but as it grows its many ecological services will benefit our future generation far beyond our lifetime. Now is the time for us to start planting a tree.

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

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“Merging Art with Science: Drawing the Philippine Eagle” workshop

Posted on:  |  rochelle-van reyes Posted in News and Events, Uncategorized.

NMP conducts “Merging Art with Science: Drawing the Philippine Eagle” workshop

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In celebration of Philippine eagle week (June 4-10), your National Museum of the Philippines held its first face-to-face workshop on drawing the Philippine eagle last Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at the Vergara and Co Education Rooms at the National Museum of Natural History building.

Merging Art with Science: Drawing the Philippine Eagle workshop’s objective is to raise awareness on the plight of our national bird, and get familiar with its physical features through various references – be it research publications, photos, taxidermy specimens, and art while learning how to draw.

The workshop was attended by 24 participants, ranging from beginners to professional artists, teachers, and students. The workshop began with opening remarks from Zoology Division’s Curator I/OIC Marivene Santos, followed by an inspirational message from Dr. Jayson Ibanez of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc. – National Museum of the Philippines’ long-time collaborator.  Then, Zoology Division’s (ZD) ornithologist, Rolly Urriza gave a short talk about the natural history and conservation status of the Philippine Eagle, after which ZD artists Aissa Domingo, Eddie Codino, and Larie Dianco introduced and told stories about Gemma, Sakura, and Tinuy-an — National Museum’s resident Philippine eagles taxidermy mounts to our participants, and then they demonstrated various drawing techniques and exercises that allowed the participants to observe their subject thoroughly before interpreting it into paper.  

The activity ended with observational drawing, wherein participants could dissect their subjects using simple geometric shapes and moved further into detailing by applying the other techniques they learned during the workshop. The event received positive feedback from the participants and we hope to bring you more similar activities and workshops at your National Museum in the future.

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World Rainforest Day

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

The Philippines has several forest types and one of them is the tropical lowland evergreen rainforest, also known as the Dipterocarp forest. But sadly they are the most affected by the many anthropogenic factors such as logging, kaingin (slash and burn farm), encroachment of settlers, conversion to palm oil plantations, and many others. Much of our remaining large tracts of Dipterocarp forest are found in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, Samar Island Natural Park, Palawan, and Mindanao.

The tropical lowland evergreen rainforest is so diverse compared to other forest types because of the vertical layering of a habitat called forest stratification. These different layers are emergent, canopy, understory, and the forest floor. Each layer has its own ecological niche that supports unique sets of flora and fauna. 

Emergent layers are large dominant trees sticking out of the canopy layers, usually large dipterocarp species. These trees are the most preferred nesting sites of the Philippine Eagle which provide protection to its young from predators but sadly there is also the large-bole trees preferred by loggers cut.

The canopy layer forms at the mat of the crown of trees around 60-90 feet above the ground which receives 90% of the sunlight. The canopy layer is home to many epiphytes (orchids, ferns, moss, etc.) and arboreal animals (monkeys, tree frogs, flying lizards, etc.). Many species are yet to be discovered in this area especially the invertebrates (insects, arachnids, etc.) that never go down to the ground.

The understory receives only around 2-15% of the sunlight that breaks through the spaces of the canopy layer. This is dominated by some shade-loving trees, palms, and herbs. Some trees develop flowers directly on their trunk which is called cauliflorous which will more accessible to their pollinators. 

While the forest floor is the darkest zone in the tropical lowland evergreen rainforest but nonetheless it is home to so many unique flora and fauna. It is covered with thick layers of forest litter where many detritivores and heterotrophic are found such as arthropods, fungi, and some plants. This is where we can find the giant flowers of many Rafflesia species found nowhere else.

Our remaining tropical lowland evergreen rainforest is still full of mysteries and surprises. We still have time to do more fieldworks and research to uncover new species and new understanding that is useful to us. Let us protect this forest not only for today but for our future generations to come.

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Mt. Hamiguitan New Plant Discoveries

Posted on:  |  rochelle-van reyes Posted in Uncategorized.

The 5th day of #MuseumWeek bears the theme “culture, society, and innovation” and today’s topic #environmentMW focus on the new plant discoveries in Mt. Hamiguitan. This mountain is still full of surprises as new species are discovered each year. 

Mt. Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1403/) in 2014 because it represents a complete, substantially intact, and highly diverse mountain ecosystem, in a significant biogeographic region of the Philippines. As a result of its isolation and its vegetation in ultramafic soil and climate conditions, its biodiversity has a high level of endemicity that has led to the discovery of unique species found nowhere else. The unique “bonsai” forest is the largest known tract of its kind in the Philippines that embodies nature’s adaptability to survive in adverse conditions.

Mt. Hamiguitan is home to five Nepenthes or pitcher plants found else in the world. Nepenthes peltata was described in 2008, followed by Nepenthes micramphora in 2009, Nepenthes hamiguitanensis in 2010, Nepenthes justinae in 2016, and the newest species described was Nepenthes alfredoi in 2018. 

Other taxa discovered in the area were ferns such as Lindasaea hamiguitanensis in 2012 and two grass fern Actinostachys minuta in 2020 and Actinostachys simplex in 2021. Actinostachys minuta is known as the smallest grass fern with a unique habit of growing along the trunk of the tree ferns (Alsophila sp.). 

Rubiaceae (Coffee family) one of the largest family in the Philippines has several new species described from Mt. Hamiguitan. Ophiorrhiza erythropilosa and Ophiorrhiza hamiguitanensis both deascribed in 2020 and Hedyotis hamiguitanensis in 2021. In the mistletoe family (Loranthaceae), a new genus record for the country and new species Amylotheca cleofei was described in 2021.

The list of both flora and fauna of Mt. Hamiguitan is far from complete. As researchers visit new sites not previously surveyed, many more species are discovered and described. Let us protect our remaining primary forests as they harbor many unknown species waiting to be discovered. 

#MuseumWeek2022
#environmentMW
#NationalMuseumPh

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Queerness in Nature

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

We’ve learned about clownfish or anemonefish because of the movie Finding Nemo. They are quite easy to find – all you have to do is spot a sea anemone when you dive or snorkel.

This particular species is called Tomato clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus) and is known to be closely associated with Bubble-tip sea anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) like this one in the video. And although grouped under the same subfamily Amphiprioninae, this species is larger and is differently hued than False clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), the one shown in the movie. This species is characterized by a single white stripe with a black outline that runs from the cheeks and joins over the head. They are mostly bright red-orange with the females being more darkly colored.

There are at least 30 species of clownfish and all have a symbiotic relationship with anemones. The fish “feeds” and drives away predators from the anemone in exchange for safety and additional nutrients from the latter (among many other benefits from both ends). 

Another interesting fact about anemonefishes is that they can change their sex when needed! All individuals are born male, while the most dominant switches to being female and is the largest in the group. This phenomenon called sex reversal is not unique to anemonefishes; this also occurs in wrasses, parrotfishes, and many other species. Some start out as all females and switch to males, while some are bidirectional hermaphrodites where individuals, depending on environmental cues or circumstances, can switch to the sex that is more convenient at the time.

This last bit of info may sound new to many but sex and role reversals happen to other animal groups, too. We know that the web of life is stronger and survives in diversity and nature does not conform to any set boundaries.

#Sexuality
#NationalMuseumPH

Text and video by Zoology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Birth Anniversary of National Artist for Visual Arts
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
(June 6, 1932- February 2, 2011)

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

The #NationalMuseumPH celebrates the 90th birth anniversary of National Artist for Visual Arts Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, born #OnThisDay in 1932.

In celebration of his life and art, we feature his painting “Sunset in Intramuros”, an oil on board painting completed in 1979. It depicts an aerial view overlooking the golf course and the Walled City of Intramuros, and the sun, setting over the horizon at the pier in Manila.  Alcuaz is known for his Cubist-inspired paintings, but painting landscapes is one of his favorite subjects.  He flies to New York to attend events and enjoy the cityscape that inspired him to paint New York’s rooftop and the Central Park and later painted other cities he had visited.  In the Philippines, he would paint landscape views of Manila, Makati, Intramuros, Binondo, and the Manila Bay sunset.  Alcuaz was well-recognized and has exhibited in leading galleries and museums locally and internationally. He was declared National Artist for Visual Arts in 2009. The painting is part of the Government Service and Insurance System (GSIS) Collection and is currently exhibited alongside his other works at the GSIS North Hallway, Third Floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts.  We invite you to view more of his artworks once we re-open.

The National Museum of Fine Arts is temporarily closed until July 4, 2022.  Follow this page for more features from the National Fine Arts Collection.  While we are closed, here is the link for the 360-degrees virtual tour of the nine select galleries at the National Museum of Fine Arts:  https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nmfa360/HTML5/NMFA360.html

#OnThisDay
#FedericoAlcuaz
#MuseumFromHome

Text by NMP FAD

Photo by Bengy Toda

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