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Charlie the golden doodle shot glass contemplates the meaning of life in a field of violets. Charlie was made as a 21st birthday gift for a human. Artist: Sara Lynch, Potsdam, NY. You can get one that looks like your favorite furry friend right here
With the use of deciduous/local plants such as the palms and grasses pictured at the tidal creek co-op rain garden this creates a depressed area (around 1-1/2 ft. deep) to capture rain water pollutants and sediments. Examples of pollutants coexist from dirt, antifreeze, fertilizer, oil, gas, anything toxic that would in turn go into man-made storm drains into our water supply. This creates a positive flow of clean water on neighboring watersheds while improving landscaping near impervious surfaces. In the U.S. 70% of our stream, river, and ocean pollution is caused by storm water runoff causing algae blooms and decimation to species population sizes. Installing more of these in the Wilmington area alone we will see a cleanliness in creeks and waterways alone. #Sp2017 #bio366 #UNCWecology #UNCW #image2
This photo was taken last weekend at the Falls Ridge Preserve in Virginia. The first thing that caught my eye when looking at the waterfall was the abundance of algae growing underneath the flow of water. It attaches to the rocks by holdfasts. Green algae form the base of the food chain providing food for zooplankton and other organism. They also help to purify the environment by absorbing nutrients and metals that Algae is abundant throughout all water environments and help to provide shelter to some species.
Rather poor image of a likely new-to-science Carpophilus (family Nitidulidae) found, along with other "nit" species in mature (dry) ears of corn, Narupa, Napo, Ecuador, ~1100 meters elevation. No ventral or frontal view yet.
Mimosticus sp. (family Staphylinidae, subfamily Staphylininae, tribe Staohylinini, subtribe Quedina) with SIX pale antennomeres, certainly a species new to science says researcher revising the group. Landed on my outdoor photography table as I worked with other beetle specimens. Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, ~2100 meters elevation.
This is a picture of what is most likely a Dobsonfly. The ecology idea that can be taken from them is the fact that they are essentially part of an Ecological community as the adults are attracted to lights and can typically be found near light fixtures outside much like moths and other insects, such as beetles.
This photo was taken in the maritime forest down at fort fisher. Maritime forests are found along coasts near the ocean and are a huge contributor to the vast range of both plant and animal biodiversity in the area. The wooded are provides a home for species that otherwise would not have a habitat to live in on the coast. Increased winds and sandy soil make it especially difficult for there to be a variety of plants found within the area however this forest provides the opportunity. The forest also plays a part in protecting the island further inland by offering the same type of protection as dunes do. If you look carefully at the image, you can see that the trees are bent slightly forward. this is due to the winds blowing up off of the shore and on to the forest. It causes the trees to grow in this "slanted" kind of patters creating an inclosed type of habitat.
This photo was taken on a brisk morning walk in February. The Cape Fear River Basin is home to many aquatic ecosystems. It is a nursery area for crabs, shrimp and fish. A few major tributaries flow into the basin including the Black River and Northeast Cape Fear River, both of which are "blackwater streams" that "drain the acidic soils of hardwood swamps". Within the basin are 95+ species of fish as well as "42 rare aquatic species". Unfortunately, the Cape Fear River Basin is located close to many hog farms as well as growing cities and takes in their polluted runoff. This increases the amount of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in the water, which in turn can stimulate algae growth and decrease available oxygen. The river basin is of great importance ecologically as well as commercially to North Carolina. We should all remember that the river is not only beautiful on the surface, but also hosts diverse ecosystems and organisms that should be protected.
www.eenorthcarolina.org/Documents/RiverBasin_pdfs/final_w...
This photo was taken on 30/1/17 in the long leaf pine forest B on UNCW's campus. I assume it's a juvenile long leaf pine tree; however, I have no experience identifying plants so that could be wrong. The intriguing thing I found about the plant is the needle shaped leaves. These leaves have a very low surface area with which to absorb sunlight. As a result of this, needle-like leaves can often be found higher up in the tree canopy to limit the amount of sunlight the plant takes in. These leaves can also last multiple seasons, which is beneficial for the organism because it doesn't have to expend energy to making more leaves every season. In addition, the leaves can be used to gather sunlight in the winter during times of moderate temperatures.
The photo was taken over spring break of my boxer Ghost (who loves the beach). Among species, body size is a huge indicator of long life span. Typically, as size increases, life span increases. An interesting exception exists within species. The cost of larger size is especially evident in dog breeds. While the average poodle can live until 15, most Great Danes have a life span of only 6-8 years. Perhaps, artificial selection plays a large role in this as selective breeding of dogs, "has led to breeds that vary in body size by almost two orders of magnitude and in average life expectancy by a factor of two". While it is still mostly a mystery exactly why larger dogs have shorter life spans, many theories exists. Studies have shown that there is an increased baseline hazard for larger breeds; however, the true culprit is quicker aging. It appears that within species, a trade-off for larger size is an increased rate of aging.
Kraus, Cornelia, et al. “The Size–Life Span Trade-Off Decomposed: Why Large Dogs Die Young.” The American Naturalist, vol. 181, no. 4, 2013, pp. 492–505., www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/669665.
Over my spring break I went to NJ/PA/NY. While I was there, I encountered the most snow I have ever seen. I've lived in NC my whole life, so compared to the snow that I have seen, the snow in NJ is very different. The composition of the snow up north was very thick, large snowflakes that stuck to the ground. However, the snow that I have seen in NC has always been very powdery, small in snowflake size, and rarely stuck to the ground. I would consider the snow that I saw in NJ a snowburst because it snowed a lot in a very short amount of time. I would like to also comment on the effects snow has on people in NJ vs in NC. Everyone in NJ was driving around despite all of the snow, but in NC it seems like a wasteland because no one leaves their house. It was a very interesting phenomenon to see!
In January this picture was taken at Fort Fisher. What's visible in this picture is the abrupt drop in the landscape. This sudden drop could be from erosion. The constant waves carry the sand away from the shore giving it this look.This spot is right on the coast so it experiences a lot of wind which could also lead to the erosion. The erosion can intensify during storms especially if it is a hurricane. This can reduce the available space for a species habitat causing them to relocate for survival.
This photo was taken behind Bear Hall on the UNCW campus on April 25th. In the photo (taken at a distance) is a Broad- Winged hawk, Buteo platypterus, is consuming a small mammal. The hawk is a carnivore and would be found at a high trophic level. The smaller mammal most likely an omnivore would be found on a lower trophic level. Depending on the number of organisms in this particular food chain the hawk would be considered a tertiary or quaternary consumer and the small mammal would be considered a secondary consumer. After learning about energy transfer it can be assumed that the hawk, being at the top trophic level, will only be gaining 10% of transferred energy from his meal. The rest was lost to the metabolic process as heat. This photo is also very amusing because the hawk is perched on a pink bicycle. It shows how wildlife has been able to adapt to a human dominated world.
This specimen is a Tulip Snail, Fasciolaria tulipa, found along the coastline of Wrightsville beach. Like most gastropods the Tulip Snail has protective univalve shell that it can retreat into when it feels threatened. The shell also functions as a way to retain water when sealed shut so the snail will not dry out. However, for this to occur the Tulip Snail had to undergo internal adaptations. Snails have reduced the size of their internal organs over millions of years of evolution to fit in their shell. In this way they made a trade off of reduced organs for a protective shell and have become more fit for their environment.
Camellias are my favorite flower because they bloom in the winter when you typically wouldn't expect a flower to bloom. Camellias are native to Japan, and they bloom between January and March. Japan has a fairly temperate climate, and plants that grow in temperate environments tend to be more adapted to variables in weather, just like here in Wilmington, where it is normal to have 40 degree days consecutive with 70 degree days. Nonetheless, its is a risk for Camellias to invest their resources into reproduction and blooming when most other plants are dormant and focused on survival during these harsher months. There is an ecological advantage to this trade-off. In the spring, plants are immediately all competing for sunlight and pollinators. Camellias are able to have first access to these. Competition for sunlight is considered contest competition because plants can be cut off from sunlight completely if they do not establish themselves. Competition for pollinators is more like scramble competition because each plant can access them, but not all plants are equally likely to get pollinated, especially when more are competing. Also, the fact that there are less flowers to pollinate in early spring means that Camellias also benefit from increased genetic variation because pollinators must fly further between flowers. All in all, Camellias are as competitive as they are beautiful.
Source: universityofbristolbotanicgarden.blogspot.com/2013/03/the...
This is a photo of Carolina Jessamine growing in the Longleaf pine forest behind Seahawk Landing. All parts of this plant are poisonous if consumed. This adaptation allows the plant to flourish because animals that may potentially eat it will be deterred if they know it is poisonous. However, there are trade-offs involved. The nectar is potentially poisonous to bees if too much is consumed. It will be harder for the flowers to be fertilized if their main fertilizers are poisoned when they come by for a snack.
This photo was taken on March 12th; the day that we got a little bit of snow in Wilmington. This photo was taken in my front yard and depicts a pile of pollen directly beside a layer of icy snow. I loved the contrast of this photo because pollen is something that is typically associated with Spring and snow is usually associated with Winter. As I was taking this photo, I was thinking about pollination and how the melting of the snow could be an influence. Upon doing some research, I learned that once the ice melts and the pollen is in/on the water it is called surface hydrophily. It turns out that this mode of pollen dispersal in relatively rare too. In fact, this mode of pollination is typically only found in water weeds and pond weeds because they release their seeds directly into the water. Many species that pollinate using this method also become invasive species in the U.S. although I could not obtain any specific species from my research. Considering that the plants in my front yard are not aquatic species, its is unlikely that the water transport of pollen will be successful.
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