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This small wetland is on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington between Friday Hall and Leutze Hall. While it is often dry, it periodically fills with rainwater that lets an aquatic community erupt. Thus, the very existence of this habitat type depends on the water cycle and vagaries of the Earth System. Apparently professor McCrary identified an endemic ferry shrimp from this pond turing her tenure at UNCW. The reflections of the Longleaf Pine trees adds to the mystery of this early mooring image.
This photo was taken at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, NC. It was taken on April 2, 2017. This photo depicts a Yellowbelly Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta). This turtle is native to a large portion of the southeastern US. In North Carolina they reside mostly in the Piedmont and Coastal areas. It tends to inhabit areas of slow moving rivers, ponds, lakes, floodplains, marshes, and swamps. They are omnivorous. As evident by the photo the Yellowbelly Slider is basking in the sun. Aquatic turtles are ectotherms, meaning they rely on other sources of heat, in this case the sun and the warmth of the rock, to maintain their body temperatures. Basking allows these turtles to absorb warmth and necessary UV rays. Basking also reduces algal growth on the shell, thus reducing the likelihood of bacterial and fungal infections. This is an ecological advantage, as these turtles no longer must expend energy to regulate their body temperature. This energy can then be used for other things, such as hunting and reproduction, that increase the overall fitness of the species instead. Also reducing the chance of fungal and bacterial infections increases the likelihood of organism's long term survival.
On Friday March 17th I went with a friend to the carnivorous plant preserve behind Alderman Elementary and found many purple pitcher plants and some Venus flytraps there. The pitcher hoods of the pitcher plants have a pair of lateral ear-like wings on each side and are usually veined. The pitchers are filled with fluid that contains digestive enzymes produced by the plant to digest insects that get trapped in the pitcher after being lured by drops of nectar. The hairs pointed downward guide the insects down where they cannot easily crawl back up. Further down, the walls of the pitcher become very slick where the insects will lose their grip and fall into the water pool in the pitcher to drown. Mutualism is demonstrated between the pitcher plant and certain types of larvae and bacteria that live in it's water pool. The larvae and bacteria help accelerate digestion and break down of insects to sooner provide the nutrients to the plant while also having a good environment to live in.
www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq5538.html
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/carnivorous-pitcher-pla...
www.researchgate.net/publication/272560483_Mutualism_betw...
Ever wanted a houseplant that captures your friends attention and has a lot of personality? Even though it's not on social security or wrinkly, the Cephalocereus Senilis also referred to as the "old man" cactus, has white fluffy tufts around the exterior of its cactus body. The old man cactus is a species of cactus native to Guanajuato and Hidalgo in Eastern Mexico. I took this picture in my apartment at UNCW around 3 p.m. on January 27th when the lighting was optimum. I received the seeds of this cactus from my aunt about a year ago and I've been growing it ever since; and I've been making great progress so far. This species of cactus is one of the dominant elements of the "xerophile scrub" where it inhabits. The fruits and seeds of the old man cactus are eaten by the house finch during the months of June, July, and November. It is considered as an endangered species and is restricted to calcareous canyons within xerophile vegetation.
source: www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/old-...
This picture was taken on the side of a tree along the Cross-City Trail here in Wilmington. These are the sporophytes of a moss growing on the side of a tree. The sporophyte of a plant is the part of the plant that... produces the spores. In alternation of generations, a plant goes through two phases in its life history. The first is the diploid sporophyte phase when the sporophyte grows and produces spores. The second phase is when the spores divide to produce haploid gametes. When two gametes meet during fertilization it forms a diploid zygote, which divides to form a new sporophyte thus continuing the cycle. Alternation of generations, and how most plants reproduce shows, an r-strategy life history style. Mosses produce large numbers of offspring, have no parental care, and are dispersed very widely; all of these are characteristics or r-strategists. This is also a somewhat energetically costly way to reproduce because making thousands of spores takes a lot of energy. However, due to the vulnerability of the spores and their low likely hood of growing to adulthood, this is the most effective life history for mosses given the trade-offs involved.
This is an image of dew which has settled on my car. Dew is a great example of how temperature influences the water content of air. During the day when the temperature is relatively high water is present in the air in a gaseous state. At night when the temperature drops and the air cools, water converts from a gaseous state to a liquid state... leaving behind dew which is visible in the mornings. This is due to the fact that warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. As the temperature begins to rise again, the dew will evaporate and turn back to its gaseous state.
These guys are Boxelder bugs, or Boisea trivittatus. As I was walking to my next college class, they scurried quickly in front of me and I was able to get a photo before they completely disappeared. They primarily feed on low vegetation and seeds on the ground. They received their name by eating boxelder trees, and are known to also eat maple and ash trees. These bugs only have a life expectancy of a few days to a week, so they must reproduce quickly and often in order to keep up their species numbers.
Odds are that you have seen this bug in your house during colder weather, as they are attracted to warm areas. They have what is described best as a commensalistic relationship with our species. They overwinter inside our warm houses, and leave once it is warm outside again. They do not bite humans, cause no property damage, and are not known to eat common house plants. The only notable aspect of this species that negatively affects humans is that they release a fluid that stains whatever it touches when they are killed.
Fun fact: A "true bug" is an animal that sucks, literally! True bugs have specialized mouth parts to suck juices out of their food item. A true bug's proboscis does not retract as a honeybee's or butterfly's would. Next time you see someone mistakenly call the wrong insect a bug, feel free to share this cool fact with them!
Sources:
www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/boxelder-bugs/
The coquina outcrop is a formation of limestone created by coquina clam shells. This image was taken in Fort Fisher, near the Riggins Condo complex. The outcrop is mainly visible at low tide and most of it is completely covered during high tide. The outcrop at Fort Fisher is the only one of its kind in North Carolina. This unique ecological zone provides a habitat to a variety of sea life, such as sea stars, sea urchins, and sea anemones. In addition, many shelled animals make this place their home, including clams, crabs, and sea whelks. For shell hunters, this is a great place to visit because often larger, whole shells get washed to shore due to the wide range of shelled animals living on the outcrop. The coquina outcrop also provides a home to horseshoe crabs and sting rays. The outcrop has a large amount of biodiversity, where each species serves a different ecological purpose. However, with pros come some cons. Researchers have found that the outcrop may cause larger amounts of flooding after storms and can move and displace sand. For more information and to have an encounter with these creatures, check out the Fort Fisher Aquarium coquina outcrop exhibit/ touch pool and this link: sites.google.com/site/islandecology2011/coquina-outcrops