vlowens
I speak for the trees
Like many people during quarantine I have tried to get outside at least once a day. My morning path has had me walking past this tree almost daily. As this tree is in my neighborhood I have also lived just a block away from it for most of my life. It wasn’t until taking this class however that I noticed some interesting ecological themes present. I believe this is a Holly tree, but it has two types of vines growing on it. The first is Ivy, which has completely wrapped itself around the trunk and much of the lower branches. I am unclear about the identity of the second vine, but it is only growing on the top portion of the tree. Other than the fact it is being constricted by these vines, the tree is very healthy and also serves as a home for many birds during the spring and early fall. What I find really interesting about these birds is that as I walk up to the tree I can hear them chirping quite loudly, but as soon as I get underneath the tree the noise ceases almost immediately. Our class focused on predator-prey relationships and that is exactly what I would classify this observed phenomenon as. They perceive me and any other passer bys as possible predators and stop their chirping to hide themselves.
These birds are a perfect example of why we need to promote SDG #15: Life on Land. This SDG focuses on preserving forests and trees in general as a way to stop desertification, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. There have been several large scale movements that promote the reforestation of land as part of the global climate change effort, but I think it is also important to think about the small scale too. Recently many of the trees in my neighborhood have been cut down because they are getting old and could fall on roofs or their roots have torn up the sidewalks or simply because people don’t want to rake up leaves. I am always sad to see them go. Not only do they provide basic services of taking in carbon and giving off oxygen, but they also provide shade, aesthetic views and of course shelter for tree dwelling animals. Trees are important sources of biodiversity and in some parts of the world forests are the main food source for the population. Urbanization will continue and trees may be cut down, but I think a good practice that developers should adopt is to replace those cut trees with new plantings in order to help preserve the biodiversity and broader ecosystem of the area.
I speak for the trees
Like many people during quarantine I have tried to get outside at least once a day. My morning path has had me walking past this tree almost daily. As this tree is in my neighborhood I have also lived just a block away from it for most of my life. It wasn’t until taking this class however that I noticed some interesting ecological themes present. I believe this is a Holly tree, but it has two types of vines growing on it. The first is Ivy, which has completely wrapped itself around the trunk and much of the lower branches. I am unclear about the identity of the second vine, but it is only growing on the top portion of the tree. Other than the fact it is being constricted by these vines, the tree is very healthy and also serves as a home for many birds during the spring and early fall. What I find really interesting about these birds is that as I walk up to the tree I can hear them chirping quite loudly, but as soon as I get underneath the tree the noise ceases almost immediately. Our class focused on predator-prey relationships and that is exactly what I would classify this observed phenomenon as. They perceive me and any other passer bys as possible predators and stop their chirping to hide themselves.
These birds are a perfect example of why we need to promote SDG #15: Life on Land. This SDG focuses on preserving forests and trees in general as a way to stop desertification, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. There have been several large scale movements that promote the reforestation of land as part of the global climate change effort, but I think it is also important to think about the small scale too. Recently many of the trees in my neighborhood have been cut down because they are getting old and could fall on roofs or their roots have torn up the sidewalks or simply because people don’t want to rake up leaves. I am always sad to see them go. Not only do they provide basic services of taking in carbon and giving off oxygen, but they also provide shade, aesthetic views and of course shelter for tree dwelling animals. Trees are important sources of biodiversity and in some parts of the world forests are the main food source for the population. Urbanization will continue and trees may be cut down, but I think a good practice that developers should adopt is to replace those cut trees with new plantings in order to help preserve the biodiversity and broader ecosystem of the area.