I took this pciture at Lake Benedict on September 30th, 2019. When I took this picture the first thing that came to mind was the algae. I did some research and found that some algae is actually harmful to lakes and the animals in them. Algae can also be good for the environment. Algae can be food for aquatic animals and also goes through photosynthesis. What amazed me about this photo is the amount of algae in it. There is almost as much algae on the surface as there is water.

Here are some acorns that have fallen from a large Oak Tree. The Oak Tree is an example of a Producer for the environment. The Oak Tree has produced these acorns which will be nutrients for Primary Consumers, like squirrels. Squirrels will than be nutrients for Secondary consumers like Fox. The food web is quite amazing in how it helps sustain life for many living things. This photo was taken at Benedictine University in Lisle Illinois on October 15th around noon. #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2018 #image2 #illinois #lisle #unitedstates

This is a photo I took on the first week on campus. It's a little hard to see but it's an owl on top of Ondrak Hall. I thought it was cool because I did not know there were owls in this environment, but it would make sense because there is a forest behind the campus where it would live. The forest is by a body of water, which produces their food source such as insects and small animals.

This flower, more commonly called the black eyed susan, is native the North America and commonly found in prairie land. Though they look pretty and gentle, this flower is known to become very aggressive in an environment with little to no competition. Meaning they will take over entire areas not allowing over plants to survive. Black eyed susans are important to their ecosystem because they provide food with their seeds to birds as well as give nectar to bees, butterflies, and insects. Some farmers even plant them by their crops because they are extremely deer resistant, which means their smell repels deer.

In ecology class these past few weeks we have learned about our environment. Something that stood out for me in this picture was the idea of evolution. Evolution is defined as the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified. This picture if a perfect example of that. We can see that within his field of plants there are many different types, colors, sizes, and shapes showing that all these plants have grown and diversified from each other. Additionally in this picture we can see a very popular renewable energy being the sun. A renewable energy is something that cannot be used up and can constantly be providing some sort of energy. In this case the sun is providing the energy and “food” to grow to these plants.

This is a photo taken in Maywood Illinois, on October 31st. It’s a stray cat resting on soil. The soil here is 65% Urban Land, 30% Alfic Udarents, and %5 Ashkum. This type of soil in not good for farming purposes. In the area there are not many lush plants. The physical appearance of the spoil is dry it is cracked in many places. Coloring of the soil is gray. The soil is lacking nutrients and it is physically visible. There are many reasons why the soil could be this way some may include erosion, nutrient depletion, water scarcity, contamination, or compaction. #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2018 #image3 #Maywood #illinois #unitedstates #soil

This image shows the a home garden in Chicago and how the soil looks after the plants have started dying as winter starts. Although it looks barren now, this soil is actually healthier than many of the soils found on large farms. Why are farms grown by professional farmers worse off than small family gardens?The crops here are rotated and many different plants are grown at once. Most likely, the soil in this small garden is not tilled often, if at all. It is also possible that it is easier to take care of a smaller garden because any problems or pests are more obvious. This garden is an example of how different farming techniques can have different effects on the health of soil.This picture was taken in Chicago in November 2018.

This picture was taken September 15th, at Greenway Park in Naperville. In the picture, you can see a bumble bee and (what appears to be) a yellow daisy. Bees are critical to the environment as they help pollinate, so the flowers can reproduce. If the bees go extinct, flowers will not be pollinated and would no longer be able to reproduce. Before and after this picture, the bee was buzzing around to other flowers as well. There were also butterflies within the same vicinity.

This tree is directly in front of my house. I took this early in the morning. This tree is very important because it serves as shade, oxygen, and beauty. It is also a home for squirrels as I always see and hear them running up and down the tree.

This picture was taken in Bolingbrook, IL near my house. In my neighborhood their is a nearby lake that has lots of trees and most of them seem to grow fungus of all different colors and sizes. Most fungus aren't harmful to trees and some are even beneficial. When fungus attaches itself to a host it grows rapidly and over long distances. Fungi can capture water and nutrients from far away and bring them back closer to the plants roots. Fungi also serve the function of pest and disease control. With an increase of water and nutrients trees are now more healthy and can fight off pests and diseases. Some fungi however can grow and enter and start to feed on tree shrubs.

This picture is of Whalon Lake in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Right now the lake is probably going through temperature changes and mixing of the water. Because the lake is large, in the summer it has three different vertical temperature gradients, the Epilimnion, Metalimnion, and the Hypolimnion, which are separate layers in the water based off of temperature. Just from looking at the surface of the water I don't see any suspending solids or algae so there must be a lower water temp and thermocline but a higher percentage of dissolved oxygen compared to if it did have suspended solids. This leads to a healthier lake, because the primary producers at the bottom of the lake are able to get more sunlight. #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2018 #image4

This photo was taken at a local park in Elmhurst. I was walking into work one day while I saw this trash on the ground. Its crazy to see how much trash can spread and cause such damage to the environment. There was also trash near by, blown away from the wind. Taking the extra time to throw trash away will benefit the environment. Littering can impact animals and even us. Trash carries germs and diseases that can spread into our water system. Littering wastes out natural resources, taking away our oxygen and draining into our soil. Polluted water and soil can influence our sanitary lifestyle. Decreasing litter can help the environment only get better.

This picture was taken around 2:45 PM on October 14th, 2019. This picture shows one of the trees in the Benedictine University quad area. This tree is the first tree in the quad to lose its leaves in fall. Trees shed their leaves during fall as cold weather approaches. Over the weekend, it was around 40 degrees here and during the last week, it hasn’t gotten over 55 degrees. The nights have been in the low to mid 30’s. Due to the cold weather, this tree lost its leaves. While most trees in the quad are changing color and will soon be losing their leaves, it seems as if this particular one already changed color, since the leaves are gone. #Ecology #BIOL180 #fall2019 #BenU #image2

This photo was taken on September 19th 2018, in the landscape area in the middle of Scholl Hall here on campus! This photo is a representation of a system: a set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or material. Like of the natural systems we discussed in class, this photo demonstrates multiple plants that all interact in the movement of Carbon and Oxygen. Also known as photosynthesis. The primary function of photosynthesis is to convert solar energy into chemical energy that can be saved for future use.

-Ty Liaromatis

I took a picture of this bird I saw hanging out in my backyard, and thought it would be cool to capture a pic of him!

For my fourth and final Eco Photo, I decided to take a picture of the local lake here on campus. The reason I decided to take a picture of the lake was because one, the lake is starting to freeze over with all the cooler temperatures, and two, in class recently we have been talking about the chemical and physical features of aquatic systems. The way this photo relates to some of those aquatic system points is because the cooler winter temperatures are settling in and the water in the lake is starting to cycle more. In seasons of warm temperatures, the water on top of the lake tends to be warmer where as the water in the bottom of the lake tends to be a lot cooler. In the colder seasons of the year It is almost opposite. Water on top becomes cooler and mixes with the cooler water on the bottom to form a solid which is known as ice. Another key point that can be pointed out here is that the water does not really have a photic zone throughout these cooler months. A photic zone is said to be where light penetrates and warms the water and clearly this is not happening as the lake is starting to freeze over. Lastly, aquatic life is still alive in this lake even though it will soon be frozen. In the water beneath the surface, mixing and movement is taking place which is what allows the aquatic creatures to survive. Not only is it important for them, but it also keeps nutrients and oxygen cycling.

This photo was taken on Tuesday November 5th 2019. As we all know when it starts to get cold and the seasons change from summer to fall the big thing is a lot of plants die off and trees leaves change colors and then lose their leaves. The big question is why? The real reason why this happens is because, it would take a lot of energy for plants and trees to keep their leaves healthy in the winter which is very cold, dry, and usually there isn't much sun. The main energy source for plants and trees is the sun. With that being said, instead of them trying to keep their leaves, some plants drop their leaves and seal the spots on their branches where the leaves had been attached. The reason is that the color changes is because, The leaves are colored by molecules called pigments. The pigment that causes leaves to be green is something called chlorophyll. The chlorophyll is important for plants to make food using sunlight. This is why the sun is so important for the plants and trees and when it gets cold sunlight lacks and that is why the leaves turn different colors and why some plants die out in the cold and that’s exactly what is happening to this tree I took a picture of on our campus here in Lisle.

#BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2019 #Image3

This is a photo I took while back home in palatine Illinois. You can't see the entire space in the photo, however this used to be an area for crops. As you can see there is a rectangular boarder surrounding the area. when this photo was it was raining/ snowing. Although the land is not in use, it is extremely benefictal for the irrigation of the area.

This photo was taken at Butterfield Park In Elmhurst. These are daisies, belonging to the largest families of plants in the world. They circulate nutrients and water throughout plants. Daisies are found almost everywhere around the world. They actually make up two flowers in one. The petals count as one flower and then the yellow disc petals in the ‘eye’ are another. Some believe that daisies can be weeds due to the rapid growth, but keeping up with them will make them more controlled. Not only are they pretty to look at, bees also find them a friend to survive off of. They find them as honey makers which keeps them from dying. Daisies are super important when it comes to the ecosystem.

This picture is of leaves outside my house. The red leaves are from a tree called an Acer Rubrum or a Red Maple tree. What's cool about leaves in the fall is that they decompose causing a larger layer of organic material or the "O layer" if they soil isn't being tampered with such as tilling or plowing. If we used the soil layer website but had data from different times of the year would we see a significant difference after the leaves decompose? In our yards It wont, depending if you leave leaves in your yard in the winter to decompose. In most neighborhoods people rake up their leaves and throw them on the side of the street to get picked up. In that case the O layer will stay relatively the same. #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2018 #image3

As the temperature drops and the seasons change from fall to winter a trees hormones begin a process called abscission. This process is where special cells on a tree actively cut off it’s leaves in time for the cold winter. The reason trees lose their leaves is to conserve water and energy for itself. But the leaves are still very useful to the environment when they fall to the ground. Leaves can be a form of natural mulch that keeps weeds from growing and it also fertilizes the soil as it breaks down. So maybe it’s time we let the leaves stay where they fall!

This image shows the branches and leaves of the Nectarine Tree (Prunus persica nectarina). Some of the branches had to be cut during pruning season to encourage the tree to grow and be healthy. Why does the fruit of this tree only grow during particular months? Maybe only warm temperatures keep it healthy. What causes the differences between nectarines and apricot, which also belongs to the Prunus plant family? Possibly there is a difference in the genes of the different fruits. This tree is an example of the ecosystem services we can control on our own. This tree provides fruit which in turn serves as nourishment to the people who eat it. This picture was taken in Downers Grove in September 2018

This is a stormwater runoff pipe. When rain falls on road surfaces that do not allow water to be absorbed, the water then channels through runoffs on the side of the road and leads out of pipes like this which flow into streams and rivers. One of the problems with this method is that it can cause flooding of these streams and therefore destroy habitats for creatures that live on the stream. Runoff stormwater also carries with it many pollutants that it collects from road surfaces such as sediment, nitrogen, and bacteria, as well as trash and pesticides. (Photo: Hitchcock Woods County Forest Preserve, Lisle, IL- 11/7/2018)

This is a photo of a tree and other vegetation taken in Larimer, Colorado. Larimer only gets 20 inches of rainfall per year, which is about half of the national average of 39 inches, but it receives 88 inches of snow per year. When the snow melt, most of runoff turns into groundwater. This high amount of groundwater, leads to a very healthy ecosystem. As you can see, this photo was taken towards the base of the mountain. This area benefits from the runoff of nutrients and water to further contribute to a very productive ecosystem.

Since winter is arriving, the leaves on the trees around us are beginning to fall of the branches of the trees. Since the trees no longer have as much sunlight because of daylight savings, they can’t produce as much energy or have enough water for the leaves to live. Therefore, the leaves cannot continue their job leading them to die and fall off the trees.

Our amazing Ecosystem provides numerous services to us as humans. All of these services serve us and improve our daily lives. This picture shows a wonderful ecosystem service, solar energy. The picture shows a Lisle, IL preschool with solar panels on the roof. This photo was taken September 13th, 2018. Solar energy is from the sun. Energy from the sun is captured and transferred into thermal electrical energy (seia.org). This renewable energy source serves as a vital function providing light, heat, and comfort while saving people a lot of money (sepia.org). I especially love that a preschool has become solar powered, it is a phenomenal learning opportunity for young children to be exposed to. Hopefully helping our society to gain environmental conscious individuals. #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2018 #image1 #illinois #dupage #september

The Morton Arboretum has over 140 crabapple trees on its grounds. This is one of many species of crabapple (Malus spp.) found in the Morton Arboretum. The last crabapple left on this tree that appears to be affected by apple scab, which is a fungal infection. It is named for the dark patches it creates on the crabapple skin and can cause trees to drop both leaves and fruit prematurely. The majority of the other crabapple trees in the arboretum still had leaves and fruit.

Crabapples are less than 2" in diameter (and very sour), so humans don't usually eat this variety of apple. However, they are very popular trees because of the beautiful flowers they grow, and their fallen fruit attracts animals.

This is a photo overlooking a mountainous landscape. As you can see, it contains a man made hiking trail. The region contains many tall and skinny fir trees. Most of the fir trees roots are in the top 12-15 layers of soil. As we saw in class, the top 12-15 inches of topsoil in Colorado contain organic matter. The fertile soil makes these trees common and this region shows they are in abundance. The topography of the landscape also impacts plant life. The higher on the mountain I went on my hike, the less plants I saw due to nutrient runoff. The bottom of the mountain had very green grass and healthy soil rich in nutrients. The top of the mountain had less nutrients and the grass was a yellower tint.

This photo was taken on the 14 of February at around 3 o`clock. It was taken at a pond by my house in Plainfield. In this photo you can see the pond has a layer of ice over it as well as some fog. Even though the pond is frozen at the top, fish are still likely to survive. When a pond freezes, the ice acts almost as a isolation layer , allowing for water below to remain warm and still harbor aquatic life.

Photo taken on 9/29/2018 at Johnson Mound Forest Preserve in Elburn, IL. In this photo we see a matting of flowerless green plants known as moss. Moss begins to grow when spores of the plant begin to germinate on a stable surface. The way the plant grows it produces thread like filaments that weave into one another to create the green matted mass that is know as common moss. The moss is an example of a producer, the plant produces its own energy and spreads through seeds into the environment spread by the yellow colored shoots one can see if they look at the picture closely. As a part of the Eco-system the moss can help to provide nitrogen to the soil, and the environment provides the cool and moist conditions along with a stable surface that encourages the moss to grow.

This is a picture I took this past week at Lake St.Benedict. I went fishing at the lake and ended up catching some bass. This relates to what we are learning in class with food chains because I was using a small lure that mimicked a small fish (Secondary Consumer), making the bass (Tertiary Consumer) bite the lure. By the way, there ARE fish in that lake everybody!

This shows the plant growth here on campus. The environment here at Benedictine has a lot of plant and animal life all over. The proper definition of an environment is all biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological community and influence its survival and development. We see the many various plants that we have here on campus in my picture as well. There are plants located all over campus that help us keep a healthy environment. #Image1 #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Semester1-2018 #Lisle #IL

This picture was taken October 3 near the baseball stadium at Ben U. this picture captures a caterpillar species. A species is a population that are potentially interbreeding and capable of producing viable offspring. After doing a littler research, I found that this caterpillar species is specifically called a army worm. This caterpillar is also apart of a food web. In a food web you will find producers, primary consumer, and secondary consumers. The caterpillar would be considered a primary consumer due to the fact that eats leaves. A secondary consumer that would be seen eating caterpillars is a bird.

What was once home to birds and other animals is now barren due to the change of seasons. In anticipation of winter, many bird species have migrated South to avoid the cold weather.

During a weekend trip to Potato Creek State Park in Indiana, I visited a pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are technically fruit, more specifically a winter squash. Not only are pumpkins in the picture, but corn as well, but in the form of a corn stalk. Both corn and pumpkins are producers, this is because they provide their own food from getting energy from the sun. Pumpkins are directly it affected by humans overpopulating areas. This is because the rise of people in an area raises the demand for pumpkin decorations in the fall time which calls for 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins being produced each year. Pumpkins are directly eaten by rabbits, moles, deer, woodchucks and squirrels, making them vital to the ecosystem around them, let alone the profit farms receive for growing them.

I saw this rabbit in front of ondrak while walking to my math class one day. It caught my attention and let me walk within 2-3 feet of it without moving. Rabbits in ecology are quite harmful to local farmers. Rabbits eat a lot of vegetables and flowers that people grow on a day to day basis. Surprisingly I learned that rabbits usually do not live long, sometimes less than a year but while they are alive they eat everything and sometimes even produce 5 or 6 children.

This photo was taken on November 6th, 2018. This is a picture of an autumn leaf with a raindrop on it. Rain is a key part of the water cycle, as it is known as precipitation. These particular raindrops are going to evaporate up into the clouds and become condensation because of the sun. This is what’s called the water cycle. The water cycle is important because it’s process provides the earth with a continuous supply of water, which is what all living things need to survive. If there is a big enough body of water (puddle) it may be absorbed by the ground adding to the water stored there. All in all, water is essential for all life on earth, and it is involved in our lives everyday. It comes in all different forms so it is interesting to observe as well. #BIOL180 #Ecology #BenU #Fall2018 #Image3

#BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2019 #Image3

This picture was taken while hiking at Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, IL. The personal benefit of State Parks is always such a great escape from reality to immerse ourselves with the relaxing and peaceful environment nature has to offer. Aside from personal benefits, state parks are very important to our environment since they help improve water quality, prevent flooding, provide habitats to wildlife, and improve the air quality we breathe. Preserving natural ecosystems will not only benefit the habitat, but also our community as a whole. Continuing to protect our biodiversity is vital in order to safeguard aspects such as our economy, culture, and spiritual values. It is important that as a society we keep these parks clean so that we don’t ever do anything to disturb its cleanliness. Just like as humans we would not want anything or anyone being a disturbance to our home and families, animals want the same. National Parks will continue to provide that safe home for plants and animals.

Snapped this picture walking to my car after class. It’s still fall even tho the leaves are frozen to the side work!! the leaves are still the pretty fall colors, winter came early this year!’ #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall19 #image4

"A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence" Through the process of erosion, nutrients and minerals are removed from one location and deposited elsewhere. (Picture taken at HitchCock Woods Forest Preserve, Lisle, IL, 10/17/2018)

Even though the temperatures are decreasing an Evergreen Shrub does not shed its leaves like a typical tree would in the Midwest. However it does lose some leaves throughout the year. Some evergreen shrubs can even grow berries that can feed small animals. This one in particular did not have any berries. These shrubs are far more vulnerable to pollution than deciduous trees because they don’t shed all their leaves throughout the year. This is important for us to find a better alternative car fuel and things of that nature.

This photo was taken on October 17th 2018, in a patch of landscaping here on campus between the parking garage and Goodwin Hall! It is a photo of a patch of soil. Soil is important to our environment because it helps modify the atmosphere by emitting and absorbing dust and many gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor. Soil is also helpful because most of the water we drink on a daily basis has been filtered and purified through soil. Along with processing and recycling nutrients, such as carbon so that living things can use them over and over again, soil is also a big contributor to our local food web. This is because most of our plants are anchored in soil which is what helps our plants live. Plants are our primary producers, which is the start of the food web and provides for our primary consumers, who provide for our secondary consumers and so on and so forth. Finally soil doesn’t only provide for our upper levels of the food chain, by keeping our primary producers alive, soil also provides for us humans not just by aiding in water filtration but also by hosting the plants that directly and indirectly provide us with most foods!

In this photo you can see a river ecosystem with lots of wildlife around. The river supports the surrounding life with water and other nutrients. its also home to different animals specifically in the picture you can see a few birds living/feeding in the area. The river is an important part for the growth of the trees and other animals whose home is in the river and surrounding trees.

I took this picture while walking past our own Scholl Hall. The day prior to this was pouring rain, so this is the result of surface water runoff. The area where the water built us is at the bottom of two little hills, so the rain runoff passed down into these two puddles. The soil in which this water lays on is probably very dense, and I say this because the water was not retained on the hills. As I walked on the hill part of the grass I noticed that the soil was still particularly dry compared to the water built up on the bottom. This makes me believe that the soil is very dense, which would mean that it would not hold much water and just pass it on to the bottom of the hills where it accumulated.

This picture was taken on October 14, 2019 of a tree outside my room with its leaves changing color. This happens due to the changes in the length of daylight and the drop in temperature. The leaves stop their food making process and the chlorophyll breaks down. This causes the color to change from green to yellowish orange. Later on in the fall the leaves will fall off in preparation for winter. #BenU #Ecology #BIOL180 #Fall2019 #image2

This photo was taken at Graue Mill in Oak Brook. Waterfalls are super fun and interesting to look at, contributing to the ecosystem. A waterfall is a steep descent of a river or other body of water over a rocky ledge. Waterfalls play a role in erosion, they form as streams flow from soft to hard rock. The soft rock erodes, leaving the hard rock ledge over for the stream to fall. Waterfalls give geologists an idea of the underlying rock structure. As the stream of the water flows, it carries sediment. That can be silt, pebbles, or sometimes boulders. Due to the amount of erosion taking place, it will determine the velocity of the stream. The stronger the erosion, the more dramatic and recede the waterfall will cause. Erosion is just one way that can form a waterfall. Waterfalls can have many different types due to their descends of the fall.

This image shows the flower of a Daylily (Hemerocallis). Each individual flower lasts only one day, but if you remove the wilted flower, the plant can continue blooming for a long time. These lilies grow quickly and spread easily. Why does the plant spread so easily? This is probably because it produces large amounts of pollen. Why are there so many different flower colors and variations of this plant? Possibly the plant adjusts depending on it's climate and location. Maybe a color change makes it easier to escape predators. This flower is an example of a primary producer. It makes its own food and provides food to primary consumers. The yellow daylily is not seen as invasive but one of its variations the Common orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) is extremely invasive and hard to get rid of. This picture was taken at Benedictine University in October 2018