HO Jin Chi Honours Student Email: e0735381(AT)u.nus.edu

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Background and Research Interests

I am a final-year Life Sciences student specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity and minoring in Aquatic Ecology. ­I am interested in the ecology and evolution of marine invertebrates, particularly echinoderms. For my UROPS, I worked on the diversity and phylogeny of sea stars in Singapore. Sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) are diverse members of marine benthic communities that play crucial roles as keystone species in maintaining the ecological balance of various ecosystems. By integrating molecular and morphological data to delimit species, I aimed to address gaps in our understanding of their diversity and evolutionary history to aid in the conservation of these organisms.

As part of my previous research modules, I have also assessed the potential of Pachyseris speciosa for seawall transplantation by quantifying the effects of emersion and investigated the effects of urbanization on spider diversity and composition on Sentosa Island.

Honours Project

I am currently working on the diversity and distribution of intertidal metazoans at Labrador Beach. The rocky shore at Labrador Nature Reserve is the last remaining natural shoreline along the southern coast of mainland Singapore. Despite its protection as a nature reserve, surrounding anthropogenic pressures may have continued to impact the marine organisms in the area. This resurvey, conducted twenty years after the last comprehensive survey in 2004, seeks to document the changes in the species populations and community structure of intertidal macrofauna to provide a deeper understanding of the ecological dynamics at Labrador Beach and refine conservation efforts.