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The soil in Wilmington, NC is very dense so the water has a hard time draining properly. People have put drains throughout the premises in order for the water to drain properly. This photo can include the concept of disturbances in a way because the humans put the drain in to help drain the water from the ground so it does not cause any major problems.
During a short trip to the mountains of Western North Carolina I discovered this young plant in my moms garden located in Asheville NC. The jack in the pulpit or Arisaema triphyllum is a medium sized plant who's native range stretches across the whole east side of the United States of America and as far north as some parts of Canada. Jack and the pulpit are 3 leaved plants that can grow hooded pot shaped flowers and red berries that birds consume. Arisaema triphyllum is on of very few plant species with the unique property that allows them to alternate genders. The jack and the pulpit has been extensively studied because of this discovery. Research has found that the reason jack and the pulpit switches sex is due to the amount of resources the plant has access to. If the environment where the plant is located is lacking in water or other essential minerals and nutrients then the plants default is to change from female to male. This is likely because the male form of the plant isn't equipped to carry the flower or fruits making it less dependent on the environmental factors. This is a unique adaption because instead of suffering during times where there are little to no resources they simply change sex to allow for simpler living conditions.
www.google.com/amp/s/eyeonnature.wordpress.com/2012/02/16...
Pitcher plants located in the wildflower preserve on the UNCW campus. Pitcher plants typically grow in soils that are nitrogen poor and instead of competing with the surrounding vegetation for the soil nutrients they evolved to eat insects to get nitrogen. They do this by luring insects with a sweet liquid and when an insect lands on the inside of the plant it slips down into the plants and cannot get out because the walls are smooth and lined with hairs pointing downwards. The insect then dies and rots releasing nitrogen into the liquid that is then absorbed. This adaptation the plant to survive without having to directly compete with the vegetation around it for nitrogen.
Taken 20180117 at Myrtle Grove off the UNCW CMS dock. The picture shows multiple oysters (Crassostrea virginica) that have attached themselves to each other for protection and ease of reproduction. Like coral reefs in the lower latitudes, oyster reefs provide a stable habitat to the many species that live in coastal areas of the East coast. Oysters serve as important filter feeders within the ecosystem and in large numbers help improve water quality by filtering out detritus and plankton. "The filtration rate of Crassostrea virginica was measured at 6.80 liters of seawater per hour in laboratory experiments (RiisgŒrd 1988). Other sources suggest that it is as high as 36 liters per hour (Brusca and Brusca 1990)." This combined with oysters also being a large food source for aquatic animals and humans alike make them an important player in this ecological community.
www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Crassostrea_virginica.htm
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.489.493...
I took this picture Friday the 24th of February behind Friday Hall on campus. There are over 2,500 different species in the Arecaceae family of palm trees around the world each having there own living conditions. This can make identifying individual palm trees difficult. One of the easiest ways to narrow down the type of palm tree is by analyzing the type of leaves. A palm tree will have either palmate leaves in which case all of the leaves fan out at the end like a hand such as in the photo above or pinnate leaves which are like feathers growing along each side of the stem. This fan palm thrives in warmer climates because it is able to out compete other trees and shrubs based on the characteristic of its palmate leaves.
www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/10...
This image was taken on South College Road in Wilmington North Carolina in late May of 2016.
The image shows interspecific competition among two different species within the same population (Humans and Canadian Geese). The Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis) are taking a stand and competing against humans here for premier travel space. In this example of competition it is most likely a fleeting moment. One of two things will happen. Either the geese will decide to become more aggressive in their strives to achieve transport lane dominance in the population and subsequently become victim to human predation (taken out by a car) or they will let species one (humans) win this competition with little resistance by simply moving off the road or perhaps entering into a new travel space that humans don't occupy as heavily (the air).
In the latter example of the geese moving away from the resource of the road and into the free air space, there can be a shift from competition with humans to coexistence, there is no longer a resource that both species are seeking to use. However although it will be closer to a coexistence, there is a scenario in which it becomes a competition for airspace as well, human air transport vehicles.
This spatial competition for land (and select air/water competition) will prevent the geese from ever becoming the dominant species in this population (under the current conditions and with current resources present). The carrying capacity for the geese is far less than that of the humans in this population due to humans hoarding of all the resources. Also (most) humans show little to no regard for the others species present in the population, leading to not only overuse of resources but unnecessary hunting/predation and destruction of habitat.
On spring break, I went to Los Angeles, California and came across what I believe to be a juvenile Coast Range Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii) which is a native lizard to the area. This Coast Range Fence lizard is important in the food web in LA, California. This lizard is food to many predators including, but not limited to, birds, snakes, spiders and even other lizards. The lizard itself is a predator of small invertebrates such as spiders, crickets, ticks, scorpions and other various small creatures. Fun fact, it has developed a cool mechanism in which it produces a protein in its blood that kills the bacterium that causes Lyme disease allowing the lizard to withstand the attack and consumption of ticks.
It was awesome seeing LA and seeing how different the species of plants and animals were that inhabit the area, and how it is so different to that of Wilmington!
Sources:
www.burkemuseum.org/blog/western-fence-lizard
www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/s.o.bocourtii.html#...
This picture is of the white spotted bamboo sharks and epaulette sharks that are in the shark touch pool at North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. They are both benthic sharks but from different parts of the world. The epaulette shark is the spotted shark and has a native habitat of New Guinea and the northern coast of Australia. They have received their common name from the false eyes behind their spiracles which look like military epaulettes. They are fully grown at 3 feet and have paddle shaped fins. They are a nocturnal species which inhabit coral reefs and tidal pools. Instead of swimming, they wriggle their bodies and "walk" on their paired pectoral fins. This species feeds on a wide range of benthic invertebrates and bony fishes. They are of least concern due to only being wanted for the small aquarium trade. White spotted bamboo sharks are native to the IndoPacific. They can grow up to 3 feet and have long dorsal fins. Their dorsal fin can be altered due to where they choose to live and how they move. They are nocturnal and prey on small fish and invertebrates. Both of these species are oviparous which means they lay eggs. White spotted bamboo sharks are also popular in the small aquarium trade as well as used for human consumption in Taiwan and Madagascar. This picture is demonstrating coexisting because these species are not used to living near each other and now are living in harmony in their tank together.
These four Southern Devil Scorpions[amended to Bark Scorpion] (Vaejovis carolinianus) babies were found a couple days ago in the woods behind my apartment off Racine Drive (near UNCW). Although, at this stage of life, they are commonly found resting on top of their mother as their exoskeletons harden, these little Arachnids were by themselves. Perhaps their mother was eaten and they escaped. Luckily, scorpion species have strengthened their ecological niche by producing up to 30 babies at a time. This allows for a large amount of survivors, even with predators picking them off.
Currently, these critters have been crawling all around the pet carrier I put them in, not trying to hide at all. I love creepers and crawlers and have a pet tarantula (Shelob), but these guys will be returned to where they were found as soon as their exoskeletons harden. At that point, they would have left their mother anyways, and ventured out on their own. An incredibly interesting fact about scorpions is that they glow under a blacklight due to a chemical found in their hyaline layer, a coating on their exoskeleton. This is thought to help them see at night, when most of the light is the blue/green coming from the moon and stars.
Sources:
entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/scorpions.htm
askabiologist.asu.edu/scorpion-facts
blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/12/23/wh...M
This photo was taken on January 20th 2018 around 4pm outside of Dobo Hall .This image has a mixture of ecology, but i will be focusing on the long leaf pine trees (Pinus palustris Mill.) Pine trees are generally tough plants that tolerate the sun, drought, cold and a range of soil conditions. Many species are suitable for erosion control, with the roots holding soil in place and layers of pine needles helping to soften the impact of rain fall. Young pine trees have branches that extend down to the ground, allowing protection from harsh temperatures, winds and predators. As they grow the branch canopies become higher off the ground, with a tall straight trunk that helps prevent predators from climbing into the treetop.
This is a picture of some sort of grasshopper. He is using camouflage so as not to be easily seen by predators. This photo was taken in quadrant B of the UNCW forest during lab one day. I saw him fly up but it took me a while to find him because he blends in so well. This is a great example of camouflage to escape predators. It may be hard to see him but he is in the center of the photo.
This is a photo I took in my hometown, Reidsville, NC over the weekend. We got an unseasonably heavy snow last Thursday that lasted into the weekend. In this photo there is an outline of what looks like an owl or hawk's wings and tail that probably swooped down to catch their prey. This shows natural selection. The prey was perhaps not adapted to the certain conditions of the snow. The prey's hair may have not helped it blend in with the snow and allowed the predator to catch it.
I took this photo on Monday January 22nd 2018. The ecological concepts I identified with this picture are precipitation and climate being influenced by proximity to the coastline. Wilmington is right next to the ocean, which is why we experience more precipitation than cities and states that are farther inland. This is because when air masses move inland from the coast, the water vapor that is lost through precipitation is not recharged while over land as much as it is over the open waters of the ocean.
This corn field is located along the Cape Fear River in Harnett County, NC. The corn grows tall and yields high bushels per acre every time it is planted in this field. The area is surrounded by bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem with swamps , which is most likely what existed in this field before being converted to cropland. There is a drainage ditch that runs through the field to keep the area dry. Swamps and marshes are the most productive ecosystems while cultivated land is far less. This conversion leads to a lower Net Primary Production.
This photo was taken in Huntersville, NC. You can see large established trees lining a four lane road with a car dealership in the background. Ten years ago trees and fields dominated this area, but urban sprawl necessitated their removal. Many animals were forced out of their habitat. When they moved to new habitats many found new stronger competitors. Their niche may already have been filled in this new area. This is a daily problem in the world where humans continue to build further out and take space that other life forms used to inhabit. What will happen when we run out of space?
These red and brown ants likely belong to the red imported fire ant species, Solenopsis invicta. Ants are a good example of intraspecific interference competition, the direct interference between members of the same species, in that the individuals of one colony can be observed biting, stinging, spraying chemicals, or charging members of other colonies in an attempt to limit forging or reproduction. This form of competition can lead to the negative impact of resource stress. In illustration, the stress resulting from crowding and competition results in certain hormonal changes such as higher infant mortality and changes in pheromones that lead to suppressed growth, reproduction, and delays in sexual activity. This short clip was taken on a hiking trail in the Porter's Neck area of Wilmington on May 19th, 2017.
Lach, Lori, Catherine Parr, and Kirsti Abbott. Ant ecology. Oxford: Oxford U Press, 2010. Print.
This image shows the UNCW Shellfish Farm at the Center for Marine Science as Tropical Storm Ana is approaching the region. You can see the waves being whipped up by the storm winds. The cages floating in the water contain shellfish. This is an example of individual ecological processes as the shellfish have to be adapted to living in aquatic habitats occasionally impacted by tropical storms. This is also an example of population ecology, as the Shellfish Hatchery is explicitly trying to grow a population of organisms large enough to serve a commercial market.
This picture was taken at the small pond to the right of the Rec center across from the TL building. The pair of mallard ducks caught my attention. Its hard to make out, but there is a male and female duck. The male duck has the green head and brighter coloring compared to the monochromatic brown female. The male ducks more striking appearance is used to attract female ducks for mating. I was surprised to already see the ducks paired in mid January. I learned in BIO 202 that ducks are monogamous but their bond only lasts a single year. This made me curious to see when ducks start the mating process. As it turns out ducks start mating in the fall season and the engagement takes place throughout the winter. Although the pair stay together the female is responsible for incubating the eggs and tending to the young once they are born.
Here are some raccoon (Procyon lotor lotor) tracks. These were found along the side of a Bradly Creek tributary behind forest C on UNCW's campus. Tracks are common near most bodies of water as this is where the raccoon will hunt or wash its food.
Interestingly, the raccoon may partake in gender-specific social behaviors. Males will hang out in groups of around four to protect their mating area from competition. Females are sometimes known to share common areas together as well.
Sources:
www.mammalsociety.org/articles/behavioral-and-genetic-asp...
wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MCarnivor/Procyonidae/Procyon/...
The past few weeks in Wilmington have been quite unpredictable when it comes to the weather. One day the ground is covered in a thin layer of ice and snow, and the next day it is 65°F and sunny. According to Wilmington’s Star News, the cactus pictured above is a Prickly Pear Cactus that governs the island of Wrightsville Beach. This cactus is especially common because it has the ability to grow outside of desert conditions. In general, cacti are able to withstand high temperatures during the day, but also survive during the colder temperatures at night. Wilmington experiences both temperature extremes that the cactus can survive in. This cactus also grows just outside the beach because of the prime condition of the solid. The Prickly Pear Cactus is most abundant in soil that is mostly comprised of sand, so there is a lot of drainage. That is one of the main reasons why the cactus appears on Wrightsville Beach, rather than the inner city of Wilmington. Another interesting part of this photo is the angle at which the cactus is growing at. It appears to be growing sideways, rather than straight up. This is most likely due to sunlight. Cacti thrive on the abundance of sunlight. The Prickly Pear Cactus is very broad, so it grows sideways to increase the surface area exposed to the sun. It also appears to be growing away from the nearby vegetation, so it will not be affect by shade.
Source:
www.starnewsonline.com/news/20081107/prickly-pear-cactus-...
This photo was taken from a swinging bench across the pond from the Fisher Student Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The tree pictured is used as a shade tree and is most likely a gum tree or cypress based on the UNCW Arboretum: Landscape Master Plan
(uncw.edu/physicalplant/arboretum/masterplan/academiccore.htm). There are several ecological concepts shown. The standout being the sun shining down reflecting off the pond and absorbing in the tree's leaves proving energy to the entire system. The radiation gives the energy needed for photosynthesis keeping the tree's leaves green. It also provides the heat and energy required for the surrounding plant species and the unpictured turtles that live in the pond to survive. The tree and other plants are also adapted to live close to a direct water source.
This photo was taken January 10, 2018 at Calabash Caye, Belize.
The Southern Sennet are a species of Barracudas which generally inhabit coastal waters and are found in rocky or coral reefs with salinity levels around 35 ppt. They have a total of six dorsal spines, nine dorsal soft rays, two analspines, and nine analsoft rays. They have elongated bodies with pike shaped heads and large jaws. The longest recorded Southern Sennet was 2 feet long. They are generally found in tropical climates, dwelling in the warm waters of most oceans. This factor implies the species has a narrow thermal tolerance.
Due to their speed and size of the adult Southern Sennet, they have few predators; albeit small adults and juveniles have been hunted upon by the Goliath grouper, dolphinfish, and tuna. Instead of using their sense of smell, barracudas rely on their sight to hunt for prey. This factor causes them to mistake shiny items in the water for silvery fish they prey on and can lead to attacks on humans. Other than fish, they also eat shrimp and squid and these carnivores expend energy via the pursuit method to hunt and capture their prey. In this particular area, there were several various small schools of fish swimming under the pier which fit his search image, which the barracuda was angled towards and appeared to be staring at. It seemed that he was readying himself to chase after his prey. Another possibility is that they are very curious creatures and may have been starring/stalking at one of the people snorkeling in the water.
Sources
seaworld.org/Animal-Info/Animal-Bytes/Bony-Fish/Barracudas
www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/sphyrae_barrac.htm
Bio 366 book- Elements of Ecology the 9th edition
This photo was taken February 12, 2017 at the south end of Wrightsville Beach. I took this photo on a jetty, where I found these arthropods and mollusks. A jetty is a manmade structure which serves a very important ecological purpose on coastlines; they are long, narrow structures which serve to protect the shore from erosion due to tides, waves, and currents. They can be made of different substances such as stone or wood, this one appeared to be made of stone. I was interested in this picture because I had never seen mussels in person and instantly thought of zebra mussels which are known to be an invasive species. Zebra mussels are native to water bodies in Russia and have been an invasive species in North America where they have completely covered substrates they were attached to and damaged them. They have completely covered other species of mussels to the point they cannot survive and have even clogged water pipes which their free-swimming larvae form can easily enter and grow to be extremely dense. Invasive species are species which are not native to the area and are likely to cause economic damage, environmental damage, or damage to human health upon introduction. These mussels however were missing the characteristic stripes of zebra mussels and instead were little black mussels, musculus niger, which are native to North Carolina. Little black mussels range from North Carolina to as far south as the Arctic Ocean and are also found in Greenland and Britain. Their shells are oval-shaped, thin, and smooth in the center with ridges on the outer portion of the shell. These guys are filter feeders and most likely get food in the high tide when the jetty is completely submerged. Their color can range from brown to black and many different shades are present in this picture. The barnacles seen around them in this picture are rough barnacles, Balanus balanus, which often cluster on hard, rocky surfaces, are very small, and are normally grayish in color. These barnacles had very sharp shells, they even cut up my foot a little bit. These barnacles, like the mussels, are filter feeders. Perhaps there is some interspecific competition taking place here between these two for filter food and space on the jetty.
Lizards (Lacertilia) are ectotherms meaning they need to get their heat from the external environment. When I saw this lizard in the beginning of April in the Bluethenthal Wildflower preserve on campus, I knew it was trying to regulate its body heat by laying in the sun. The surface of the trashcan it's laying on was also warm from being in the sun so the lizard is being warmed from the sun and the heat from the trashcan. If the lizard were to get too hot it would go to a shaded area to cool off. The body temperature of this lizard changes with the temperature of its environment.
purple pitcher plants pictured next to a pond pine on the blumenthal widlife reserve on campus. Nutrient poor soil has forced these carnivorous plants to evolve to find another way to obtain nutrients. the sandy soil does not allow good nutrient retention for smaller plants leading to the wide variety of indigenous carnivorous plants in the Wilmington area, such as pitcher plants and Venus fly traps. evolution is one of the main driving ecological processes and the nutrient poor soil is one limiting factor to force evolution.
Present is a very deformed swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii). Interesting to note is the small sapling growing within the trees base. perhaps the larger older tree is providing a place for water to gather which allowed the sapling to grow so close. This is an example of intraspecific competition because the trees are directly competing for light and water. Along with shelter for plants the tree could also provide shelter for animals from rain. Or a reserve of drinking water after a long rain. Taken around 2pm at the wildflower preserve on UNCW campus.
Shown here, a long leaf pine tree, Pinus palustris, is host to an atypical angiosperm, Tillandsia usneoides. Known commonly as "Spanish moss," it has evolved to live on larger tree species, usually inhabiting live oak and bald-cypress. It’s common name is something of a misnomer, because although it bears the resemblance of overgrown moss, it is in fact a flowering plant (angiosperm). It prefers a warm climate, where there’s humidity that is relatively high on average. It is likely natural to North Carolina, as it is thought to be over much of the south; in other instances it has been introduced to similar locations across the world. Though it tends to thrive more on larger trees, it’s fundamental niche extends to many smaller trees where the climate is accommodating. It is possible that its realized niche (larger trees) is what it is because, although its relationship with the tree is largely commensalistic, it has been evidenced that with greater Spanish moss growth, comes reduced tree growth. As both the tree and the Spanish moss would be competing for light, with the Spanish moss covering enough of the tree’s actively photosynthetic areas, its growth would come at the expense of its host’s. Therefore, the potential for excessive growth on small trees would be all but diminished (with less surface area to grow on), but would also have created a mutually unfavorable condition, wherein the host tree would experience a reduced growth rate and the Spanish moss, in the process of limiting its host’s growth, would too share in its fate should it die.
(This picture was taken the morning of the 29th on UNCW’s Campus).
This a picture primarily focused on, what I believe to be, a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) tree here on campus, near Dobo Hall. The UNCW Arboretum (link below) lists the Red Maple as a shade tree, which means that it was chosen for its ability to provide shade. This tree, like most plants, is a phototroph meaning that its main energy source is light. Since the Red Maple loses most of its leaves in the winter, as shown in the picture, the tree makes the most out of the time that it has functioning leaves for photosynthesis during the summer and spring months.
UNCW Arboreturn :
This is a local anole lizard. As I was walking I saw this lizard on the ground eating some ants. That shows that this lizard is a secondary; ants are primary consumers and since the lizard was eating the ants it is a secondary consumer. The lizard also has predators of its own that it needs to look out for though. Birds, small mammals and even snakes could eat these lizards, which is why they have evolved to be masters of camouflage. This lizard stands out on the brown reed but if it were hidden back amongst the green leaves it would be virtually invisible; a very well adapted trait so that it can survive and pass on its genes to the next generation.
This picture was taken near Fort Fisher in North Carolina on March 21, 2017. It depicts tidal pools formed by the only coquina outcrop on the North Carolina coast. Coquina is a type of sedimentary limestone made of a mixture of whole shells and shell fragments. This outcrop is only fully exposed at low tide. The tidal pool environment is regularly covered and uncovered by the ebb and flow of the tide. This creates a very unique habitat that is can be difficult for organisms to live in. Some organisms have adaptations that allow them to live in this harsh environment. Many organisms that live in tidal pools are sessile (permanently anchored to the rock). Some organisms in NC that are adapted to live in tidal pools are whelks, crabs, sea stars, and many species of bivalve. Mobile organisms are able to move out of the tidal pools when necessary. Sea stars and some crabs are able to occupy the pools when they are filled with water. The have also over time adapted to be able to burrow in sand effectively. When the tidal pools are no longer filled with water, sea stars and crabs will bury themselves in sand (either on the beach face or in the ocean) as a way to be protected from both sun exposure and predators. Whelks and bivalves are examples of organisms that anchor themselves to the coquina in the tidal pools. The most common bivalves found in tidal pools in NC are mussels and clams. These bivalves are adapted for the tidal pool environment, as they are filter feeders. This allows them to gain nutrients from water that flows over their siphons. This is an effective adaptation in tidal pools because new water and nutrients are brought into the pool whenever the tide changes. Over time many species have adapted to life in tidal pools, and this creates are very unique and diverse community in the coquina outcrop tidal pools.
Works Cited:
UNCW Oceanography Lab Manual
Coquina Outcrops- Island Ecology 2011
In this photo we see a couple of Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) who were just swimming in the pond over by the Recreation center on UNCW's campus. Interestingly enough they actually migrate to regions of the US that are free of ice for the winter. Wilmington is in a region that rarely gets snow or ice so it makes a great environment for these ducks. These ducks are a good example of conditions and resources because Wilmington has warmer conditions during the winter for the Hooded Merganser and these conditions also allow them to find resources more easily, like food and mates.
I found this is a Black Blister Beetle, commonly know as a Black Aster Bug or Epicauta pennsylvanica, in the morning of May 21st, 2017 while I was barefoot on my way to let my roommate back into the dorm. I was very fortunate that I didn't step on and crush this beetle because the Black Blister Beetle got its name from the caustic chemical it emits when crushed. This chemical, cantharidin, can cause blister-like and rash symptoms on human skin. This beetle is typically active during mid to late summer and even into September. However since this photo was taken in May it leads me to question why the beetle is out in the spring time. Perhaps this is correlated to climate change effecting the temperature of the Black Blister Beetle's habitat? As stated in class, temperature is the most important condition that affects organisms. Temperature anomalies are often found to be in correlation with certain flowers blooming early and other biological processes deviating from typical patterns. This leads me to believe that the Black Blister Beetle maybe be affected too and becoming more prevalent earlier in the year.
References:
Professor E. David Morgan, Chemical Ecology Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratory School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire U.K. ©Red Planet Inc. This source was found here: www.cirrusimage.com/beetles_blister_Epicauta_pennsylvanic...
I believe this to be an Atlantic Brief Squid. This animal was caught during a trawling excursion as part of BIO 362, just off the coast of Wrightsville Beach. Squid and other cephalopods have chromatophores that allow them to change color. This comes in handy when mating and evading predators. The chromatophores allow the squid to be camouflaged with the surrounding environment. Another defense squid have, which is prevalent in this photo, is ink. When threatened, squid can expel ink to distract predators while they escape quickly. The squid in my hand wasn't a huge fan of being held, and started releasing ink. You can see this by the dark color of the mantle, which is filling up with the ink.
This photo was taken on March 7th, 2018 off the coast of Belize City in Belize. Within this photograph is very turquoise water, my absolute favorite. The water in Belize is more turquoise because there is a lower amount of phytoplankton and a lower amount of nutrients, than in the ocean off of North Carolina's coast. Also, Belize being closer to the equator, water it too warm for blue green algae to grow which is what feeds the phytoplankton.
In addition, shown in this photograph are large darker spots underneath the water which are actually parts of the Belize Barrier Reef. The caption of our catamaran on this day informed of this reef being home to over 70 hard coral species, 36 soft coral species, and 500 or more species of fish. I enjoyed snorkeling here so much, I also saw a sting ray and hopefully can upload that picture for the next EcoPhoto!
Anas platyrhynchos
I took this picture this past weekend while I was home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
They are Mallard eggs but unfortunately my dad said that they had been there abandoned for about a week. Mallards have a rich population across North America in wetland habitats. They are the most hunted duck but still their numbers are increasing. This species flies the easternmost portion of the Atlantic flyway that consists of states from Virginia up to Connecticut. They are dabblers which means they tip forward into the water to feed on aquatic vegetation in contrast to diver ducks which dive into the water column to eat. These ducks face constraints such as poor water quality, pollution, and wetland cleaning/draining.
Mallard females make a bowl-shaped depression in moist ground, usually close to water, for their nests and surround it with grasses and twigs like the nest in the picture. The nests are generally concealed although this one was fairly out in the open. They incubate the nest for 23-30 days and when the babies hatch they are alert and ready to leave the nest within 13-16 hours. I suspect that the mother duck left the nest because too many people walking their dogs come through that area. It is also an active boating area so the noise pollution could have possibly disturbed her as well.
This is a picture is of a Cypress tree in Greenfield Lake, these trees can be found all throughout North Carolinas wetlands. They grow in estuaries near the coast but can tolerate no more than 0.89% salt. They thrive in many different types of wetland environments such as, riparian corridors, large contiguous swamps, and small isolated wetlands. Cypress trees are known for having “knees” that bulge at the base of the tree that helps to anchor them in the water. Cypress swamps are an ecological gold mine, they preform functions that have ecological importance and social value. They have a high-water table which aids in biodiversity, they help with water quality by collecting inorganic sediments and acts as a recharge zone for groundwater. The Cypress trees in the Black River are thought to be the oldest trees in the eastern United States, over 1,000 years old. They have a huge impact on our coastal ecosystem and should be protected, which is why just last year in July of 2017 House Bill 353 was ratified, which made Black River a newly proposed state park.
www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_parresol014.pdf
www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=...
This is a picture of some fiddler crabs just off the side of the pier at the Center for Marine Science of UNCW. There were many more, but as we were walking by, they began retreating into the seagrass. Fiddler crabs are found in intertidal regions, usually in the mud around seagrass, but they can also be found on sandy beaches as well.
I took this photo at Halyburton Park on May 21st at around 5:00pm. This pond did not appear to have any wildlife but it did have plenty of algae covering the surface. Why is this algae forming? In class we were discussing the anoxic event that took place in Washington. The prolonged upwellings brought up lots of nutrients, which caused algae to grow. Is it nutrients that caused algae to grow in this pond? On the Royal Horticultural Society website, it states that there could be multiple reasons why this is happening. It does say that too many nutrients due to fish feces, fallen leaves, or fertilizers could be the cause of the algae. There was no fish in the pond so feces probably aren’t the reason. Though, that doesn’t mean the fish couldn’t have died off from the algae. There are trees around so the fallen leaves could be a reason. Also, I am not aware if Halyburton uses fertilizers to treat their flowers and plants so that is also likely.
It could be a number of reasons but, I think the major reason is due to the fact that the pond is in direct sunlight. The Horticulture website states that algae tend to grow in very sunny areas. It is also summer time, which contributes to higher algae growth. Makes sense.
This photo was taken in my backyard in Farmington, NC. It has been drier than normal and you can see how certain plant species have better adapted to the drier climate than others by the patches of green versus the patches of yellow and brown.
Taken on January 22nd in the woods behind Seahawk Village at UNCW. I could not identify the exact species, but these are clearly oyster shells. Oyster shells are not commonly found inland especially away from bodies of water with high salinity. However, these empty shells were found in this environment, which is not their habitat. They appear to be fairly recently placed here, indicating that someone probably discarded these after consuming the oysters themselves. The person consumed the oysters as an energy source.
This is my backyard in Scott's Hill. This has been my favorite place to live since I moved to Wilmington. I wake up the Quercus virginianas every morning that stay green year around. These southern live oaks always have leaves and are also always green because they are a breed of evergreen tree. Looking at the water it is in the process of switching from high tide to low tide it is moving out of the channel. This is due to the moons gravitational force. I also find it funny how my yard is both green and brown. I found that it is because the brown grass is Bermuda grass which turns dormant in the winter. The green grass is a breed of grass that does not go dormant in the winter.
My mint plant (Mentha) that I began growing at the beginning of February. The ecological concept that I was experimenting with here is the growth of the plant toward the light stimulus. When the plant first sprouted it was growing directly toward the source of light due to a hormone called auxin that controls plant cell growth. After some time, I turned the plant 180 degrees so that it was facing away from the light to observe new growth toward the stimulus. As you can see, the resulting shape is a curved stem as the mint plant begins to further sprout and develop in the presence of the light. The hormone auxin is actually inhibited by the light so the shade side of the plant is the side in which the cells are growing, resulting in the curvature of the stem.
The honey bee shown in the picture above is captured fulfilling its vital role in ecosystems across the North American continent. Honey bees are excellent transporters of pollen excreted from the male part of a flower to the female part of the flower to allow fertilization to occur. The honey bees are attracted to the flowers due to the fact the honey bees use the pollen as good source of protein for their offspring. This creates a mutualistic relationship where both species benefit in one way or another from their interaction. Specifically this is a non-symbiotic mutualistic relationship. Honey bees are also in an indirect mutualistic relationship with humans due to the fact that honey bees are responsible for responsible for pollinating most of the fruiting plants that are in our every day diet. The bees still benefit from the pollen the plants produce and humans indirectly benefit through secondary consumption of the fruits of the plants the bees help fertilize.
Wisteria sinesis is an invasive flowering vine that originates from China. This vine is part of the legume family and was brought to the United States by a Chinese native for decorative purposes. This species has a reported range along the east coast of the United States and as far west as Texas. While climbing trees around Greenfield lake in Wilmington NC I noticed a couple of hanging bean pods. Upon further research I identified these pods as belonging to the wisteria vine. The bean pod looking objects are the fruit of the wisteria plant and act as the seed dispersal method. This invasive species wraps its vines around the trees and foliage nearby completely encompassing them until they are no longer able to sequester the necessary needs for the organism to survive. When the wisteria kills the trees it opens up the forest coverage and allows more light to penetrate the lower areas that were once covered by leaves. In turn opening several bean pods because they're now exposed to more light continuing the invasive process.
I came across this Eastern Cottontail Rabbit on May 25, 2017. I spotted this rabbit while I was walking to class. The Eastern Cottontail is known to live in a habitat that is woody but also can live in open habitats. Between the months of February through September, these mammals are mating. There is intraspecific competition between these mammals when it comes to mating. Males will often fight with each other to win the female. Specifically, interference competition is shown as the males are directly interacting with each other to claim the female. Once the males have battled it out, the female and male will participate in a dance by chasing each other before actually mating.
Taxodium distichum, the baldcypress, was one of the new organisms that I interacted with when moving down to North Carolina. This picture was snapped one sunny warm February day on White Lake, NC. The baldcypress’ seeds, that remarkably can still germinate up to one year after dropping from a mature tree, by both water and animals. In this picture one can see a bundle of lake debris around the base of the tree. That lake rubbish is caught in the root system of the cypress which shoots out of the water near the apex of the trunk. This anomaly has puzzled scientists for years; so much so that there are many hypotheses about them. The most common reasoning for these enigmas is, because knees are more often found to be on trees that are in shallow water areas or wet ground, they might be caused by the root growing in a poorly aerated soil. We learned in class that plants use both photosynthesis and respire. Oxygen for respiration in the plants must be taken in by all plant cells in order for those cells to break down carbohydrates and get the energy it needs to grow. We talked in class about the idea that organisms possess trade-offs; an organism can not perfectly adapt to its environment. The baldcypresses likely underwent a trade-off when its’ root system to form in knees; shunting its efforts to grow large roots instead of growing many leaves. This is a trade-off all plants must undergo and find balance to in order to survive. #image2 #UNCW #bio366
arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2000-60-4-cyp...
www.growstone.com/2012/01/the-importance-of-aeration-to-s...
This is a great example of mutualism, in which two species benefit from an association. The bee pictured in this photo is the common eastern Bumblebee; Bombus impatiens. This picture was taken right outside of Friday Hall near the greenhouse, on the UNCW campus on Monday June 6th, 2016. This picture shows the Bumblebee accessing a major resource, vital to its existence; nectar. While it obtains the nectar, the flowers benefit by being cross pollinated by the Bumblebee. This is an expensive tradeoff for the flower. Producing nectar, and attractive, colorful flowers for the bee are of no nutritional value to the plant, but this is an important sacrifice to make since it allows it to reproduce. These Bumblebees also possess an important coloration that warns potential predators to stay away. This is called apoematism. In order for this function to work, predators must have a previous unpleasant experience associated with the color patterns. I for one, have been stung by similarly colored wasps and definitely learned that being stung by organisms with this coloration does not feel particularly great. Even though I had to get close to capture this picture, I maintained a fair distance from these bees!
"Common Eastern Bumblebee." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 June 2016. .
Smith, Robert Leo. "Parasitism and Mutualism." Elements of Ecology. By Thomas M. Smith. 8th ed. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2012. 311-12. Print.
Smith, Robert Leo. "Predation." Elements of Ecology. By Thomas M. Smith. 8th ed. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2012. 286-87. Print.
Above is a video that I took in Cozumel, Mexico during spring break of pigeons courting. At the very beginning over the video you can see a male pigeon courting a female around the tree. Pigeons exhibit a monogamous mating system, meaning that they generally come together and form a pair. A monogamous system is rare among animals but very common in birds. It requires cooperation to raise young and the two partners usually are known to stay together their whole lives. A monogamous mating system is the most similar to human's marriage system. The male pigeon courts a female and usually begins cooing (if you listen closely you can hear the cooing). Observing a male pigeon court a female is rather comical. Male birds are known to have a vast amount of behaviors and displays when courting. Some of these include things such as fanning their tails, entwining necks, singing, kissing, and dancing around the female to what looks like chasing them. Courtship is important in ecology because it helps assure that breeding will occur. In order for a species to survive, the organisms within the species must successfully reproduce. Most birds, such as these pigeons, exhibit inter sexual selection when looking for a mate.
Do you ever wonder why pelicans fly in a line?
Well, I saw these guys and asked myself that question. Upon research I found that while flying, an updraft is created by the upstroke of one birds wings. The bird behind the previous can take advantage of the wingtip vortex. The outcome being it is saving energy.
Another place pelicans usually fly is right over top of the water. I always thought this was to spy for fish, however they are taking advantage of something called the "ground effect". The pressure is lower where the air is moving faster, above the wing. This lower pressure causes lift. Just above the water, air gets trapped beneath the wind. It slows down the air making it a zone of higher pressure further increasing lift.