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Tree Hollow
This picture was taken on the UNCW campus on the path behind the recreation center next to the tennis courts. From time to time I see these hollow cavities in trees and I thought it would be interesting to so what caused them and if living creatures are able to occupy them. This is what I found, a tree hollow is a cavity that forms in the trunk of a tree. Reasons for the cavity can be due to injury from external stressors such as wind, fire, heat, rain or insects. Another cause can be due to a branch falling from the tree. Usually older trees are more susceptible to these injuries, so tree hollows are rarely found on younger trees. These stressors then expose the sapwood of the tree. Fungi and bacteria consume the sapwood, leaving a hollow cavity in its place. These cavities can act as a shelter or habitat for living species. Tree hollows contain valuable resources and are vital for some species. An animal can use the cavity for multiple reasons. They can use it as a nocturnal shelter site, for feeding, temperature regulation, or nursing. The animals that reside in these hollows depend on the environment where the tree is located and the size of the cavity opening. If the tree has fallen into a stream or other body of water it can be used for aquatic animals to lay and shelter eggs. When the tree is terrestrial the hollow can be occupied by echidnas, lizards, birds and other reptiles.
Resources
www.wires.org.au/wildlife-info/wildlife-education/tree-ho...
Tree Hollow
This picture was taken on the UNCW campus on the path behind the recreation center next to the tennis courts. From time to time I see these hollow cavities in trees and I thought it would be interesting to so what caused them and if living creatures are able to occupy them. This is what I found, a tree hollow is a cavity that forms in the trunk of a tree. Reasons for the cavity can be due to injury from external stressors such as wind, fire, heat, rain or insects. Another cause can be due to a branch falling from the tree. Usually older trees are more susceptible to these injuries, so tree hollows are rarely found on younger trees. These stressors then expose the sapwood of the tree. Fungi and bacteria consume the sapwood, leaving a hollow cavity in its place. These cavities can act as a shelter or habitat for living species. Tree hollows contain valuable resources and are vital for some species. An animal can use the cavity for multiple reasons. They can use it as a nocturnal shelter site, for feeding, temperature regulation, or nursing. The animals that reside in these hollows depend on the environment where the tree is located and the size of the cavity opening. If the tree has fallen into a stream or other body of water it can be used for aquatic animals to lay and shelter eggs. When the tree is terrestrial the hollow can be occupied by echidnas, lizards, birds and other reptiles.
Resources
www.wires.org.au/wildlife-info/wildlife-education/tree-ho...