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Rusty Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca rubiginosa) being consumed by Red Pavement Ants (Tetramorium caespitum). The Red Pavement ants generally prefer sweets but will eat anything. Once the scouts discover a potential food source it will quickly be swarmed, dismantled, and carried back to the colony. These small red ants are not poisonous but can inflict quite the pinch with their powerful mandibles.
This photo was taken 2/26/17 at Hugh Macrae Park in Wilmington, NC. This photo shows two Canadian Geese swimming in a pond with one dunking its head in the water. This process is known as neck dipping and is part of the geese mating ritual. The geese will alternate dipping their necks and heads under water for several minutes to show interest in mating. If the geese like what they see they will progress to next steps of spreading their wings, stretching their bodies and flapping their wings. After these steps they move on to copulation. During mating season this can happen up five times a day. #image2
It was difficult to identify the bid from afar, but I think this is some kind of sparrow. I saw this bird outside Dobo a few weeks ago. Since the bird was perched on top of a rather large bush, I was able to walk up to the bush without startling the bird and scaring it away. In fact, as I walked closer, it didn’t seem threatened. I don’t think the bird is taking up permanent residence in the bush but it was using the bush as a form of protection. If the bird was looking for food, perching on a bush instead of in a tree may have given it a better view of bugs to eat off the ground. An additional benefit to using the bush as a form of protection is the physical barrier it provides along with the height. For example, if a cat wanted to try to catch the bird for its dinner, the cat would have to go through the bush and climb up without the bird being able to see or hear it, which would be a virtually impossible task. I’m not sure if the bush benefitted from the bird’s presence, so I would say this is a commensal relationship that benefitted the bird.
This is the Drosera Brevifolia, otherwise known as the Dwarf Sundew. I took this picture on 1/12/2017. These carnivorous plant is normally found in sandy wooded areas, so finding this little Sundew on the outskirts of the wooded areas on campus makes sense. The dwarf sundews at the particular area in which this photo was taken were aggregated in small colonies of about two to six individual plants. Dwarf Sundews feed off of the small insects in our location such as ants and beetles native to Wilmington by excreting a clear sticky liquid to trap its prey. These among other native carnivorous plants in our area, such as the venus flytrap, play a role in our community by helping maintain a healthy insect population, but can be affected by aphids, mealybugs, scale, squirrels, raccoons, birds, and fungus.
When you cut into an onion such as this white onion here, an unstable reaction takes place and the lachymal glands in the eyes are stimulated to produce tears (Library of Congress). Sulfenic acid is converted from the amino acid sulfoxides in the onion. From here, a new chemical irritant is made resulting in the production of tears (Library of Congress). Think twice before making dinner! This interaction between an organism and its environment will leave you grabbing for tissues.
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This is a picture of a carolina anole I found while out in ecology lab earlier this week. Another common name for this species is the red-throated anole. This species of lizard is found mostly in the southeastern united states or other tropical/ Caribbean areas. I was able to observe the lizard climb up and down the tree and extend its dewlap. Due to the size of its dewlap, which is a flap of skin that hangs below the throat of some vertebrates, I believe that this anole was a male. Another reason I believed this anole to be a male was due to its particularly territorial behavioral, which is a common trait among males. Green anole lizards feed on small insects such as flies or small spiders.
I took this photo on Saturday (1/29) around noon. This pine tree/Spanish moss duo is beside the pond in front of Randall library. The Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is hanging from a longleaf pine tree (Pinus palustris). Spanish moss is a flowering plant and contrary to popular belief, it is not a parasitic plant. The Spanish moss hangs on trees for support because it has no roots. The plant acquires its nutrients from rainfall and particles in the air. Spanish moss is thought to play a huge role in nutrient cycling and it survives best in areas of high humidity and abundant sunlight.
The green headed duck is a male, and the brown duck is a female. The reason the male has such an attractive color scheme is so that they can show off to females in hopes of attracting a mate for the upcoming breeding season in spring.
This is a photo of a pitcher plant I found here on the carnivorous plant reserve of UNCW. This is actually a photo of the flower which has grown far above the base of the plant that contains the "pitchers" which hold rainwater that dissolves poor insect that fall inside. The plant then absorbs the liquid, which makes it carnivorous. The flowers grow so much higher than the base of the plant so that it does not consume its pollinators, so the mutualistic relationship between the pollinator insects and the pitcher plants is able to thrive.
This photo was taken earlier this week on a walk around downtown Wilmington with my dogs. I have identified the plant as the invasive species Hedera helix or English Ivy; it is an evergreen woody vine, classified by heart-shaped, broad lanceolate leaves with three to five lobes. English ivy is highly adaptable to varied moisture conditions and habitats, which makes sense considering it is wide-ranging in North Carolina ever since its introduction as an exotic species. It is often colonized by birds; however, very few animals feed off of it, as it can be poisonous. English ivy is considered a severe threat to other plant species. It spreads quickly, both high and wide. On the ground, it smothers native plant life and its climbing vines envelop tree branches, cutting off oxygen and making trees heavy and vulnerable to falling.
www.ncforestservice.gov/publications/Forestry%20Leaflets/...
www.ncsu.edu/goingnative/howto/mapping/invexse/englishi.html
This is a sea turtle that was brought into my work at Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral. This turtle was found on the beaches of Wrightsville, NC. There is an epidemic effecting the sea turtles in North Carolina that is causing their shells to deteriorate. This sea turtle has made her home at the Topsail Sea Turtle Hospital. Sea turtles are under extreme threat due to the pollution that is in the ocean. I believe this is a loggerhead sea turtle or a green sea turtle. These animals play an important role in marine ecosystems. They graze on sea grass, control sponge populations, transport nutrients, and consume jellyfish. All of these attributes work together to maintain the health of the ocean. Take this as little cry of help from the sea turtles! They're in need of humans attention to help keep their habitat clean and safe.
During one of the recent lab sessions out in the longleaf pine forest, I came across what first appeared to be a pile of mush. Upon further investigation I realized that what I had found was 2 pinecones that had been picked apart by squirrels looking for seeds. The squirrels play a major role in seed dispersal for the pine tree and renewal for the area. Squirrels do not just eat and disperse pine seeds, they eat a wide variety of seeds helping to spread the population of species that otherwise would not be able to disperse their seeds on their own.
Sand dunes are the integral component of the barrier island system. This photo was taken at the south end of Wrightsville Beach, N.C. at a more forgiving location then north, mainly because of the permanent jetty (seen in the distance) protecting this area. Dune systems absorb the brute force of storms that causes high percentage of erosion each year. The vegetation such as sea oats (Uniola paniculata) gives this flexible system its skeleton to not only grow but act as a wall against high currents and wave impact. Just like the seasons this ecosystem experiences seasonal variability depending on winter or summer months. As seen here we do not see much fluctuation in size because of the lack of natural currents and sediments not being deposited because of the jetty.
This photo was taken on January 15, 2017 at the river walk downtown, Wilmington. It is an example of water's unique properties that is essential to life on earth. Because of the cohesion and adhesion of water molecules, surface tension is formed. Surface tension provides a more solid surface of water making it possible for some aquatic invertebrates, like the Pond Skater, to "walk" on water.