Stability and Change in Ecosystems

This week's assignment--find things that are going to change in nature--should be easy because everything will change.  The trick is to predict the change in the time periods given--one day, one season, one year and 20 years for a certain habitat or ecosystem.

I chose my own backyard which is the edge of an 80 acre wood.  Certainly there would be many changes.  Upon opening the door, I found the first thing in the wet leaves of our yard---and this would change in one day I was sure.  The half eaten mouse left by my cat would probably be eaten by some scavenger when darkness returns tonight.

If not, certainly the decomposers would start changing this carcass.  The temperatures are quite warm today, around 60 degrees, so some decomposition will take place.

Next, to find something that would change in one season.  Today would be considered fall, so I was looking for something that would change by winter.  Of course, all of the trees would lose their leaves, but I was looking for something different.  Again, I found it a few steps from my door.  The beauty berry that I had planted.  This is a native species that produces fabulous berries.

But these berries will not be ripe until winter.  They will turn black and be a great winter food source for the birds in our yard.  The leaves will also change color and fall by winter.

For something that will change in one year, I took a picture of the small seedling that had grown up this year in the decaying stump in our yard.

Next year, with good rain and growing conditions, this small oak will put on a lot of growth, but it will take many years to grow to be the size of the mighty oak it replaced.  The oak whose stump is partially visible was almost 180 years old.  I doubt that I will be around to see the seedling become a majestic oak, but future generations will!

For something that will change in 20 years I chose another oak.  This one is mature and only growing slowly, if at all, each year.  This tree will change in 20 years to become a stump because we will harvest it according to our forest management plan.

What do you think would happen to it if we didn't harvest it?  What would it be like in 20 years?

If you ask why harvest the trees, I say why not?  Taking out this giant will let the sun reach the forest floor where there are many acorns waiting to germinate and become the next big tree.  This is one way the forest can renew itself.  An actively growing tree will take in more carbon dioxide than the older, slower growing tree.  In that way, the new forest will help more with the growing crisis of global climate change, and we use the old tree for forest products that people need.  I see it as a win win situation.

Certainly there will be many changes in the future for our little woods.  I can't wait to watch and see what happens.

Interactions in Ecosystems

The assignment, photograph interactions in ecosystems, was full of possibilities.  Everywhere you look there are interactions.  And, like Aldo Leopold, John Muir and other naturalists, I see the world of connectedness.  So this assignment would be easy.  But....

I wanted to find something no one else would think of.  Not that I'm competitive, but I am!  So I walked the trail through my woods one more time with interactions in mind.  Everything is connected, but I wanted to find the most unusual thing to connect with other organisms in the ecosystem.  After one loop around the "Blue Bottle Trail", I saw flowers with hovering insects, mushrooms on dead logs, turtles dropping into the stream, and woodpeckers chiseling at the bark of a tree.  It would be possible to photograph some of these things, but nothing seemed unusual to me.  So, on one more trip along the trail, I looked ahead and the sun shone just right through the trees.  I had it!  My connection......

This old oak had died and then fallen in the woods.  The interaction was unmistakable as you look at the sunshine in the photo.  While growing, this tree had shaded everything under it, but now that it was dead, light would hit the forest floor allowing other plants and tree seedlings to grow and thrive.  In fact, I found plants and seedlings all around where the tree had fallen.  They were soaking up the sun.

In exploring the dead tree, I realized there had been thousands and thousands of interactions while the tree was standing dead and now while it was on the ground.  There would have been the woodpeckers finding insects beneath the bark, birds building nests in the trees, raccoons finding shelter, and much more while it was standing dead.  Then, on the ground, I saw evidence of decomposers-- millipedes, wood roaches, mushrooms and mosses.  Then there were the thousands of unseen species as well.

But, the sunlight hitting the ground, now that the tree was dead, was an important interaction in the continuation of the forest.  Light is the driving force of this ecosystem, and this giant, now on the ground, was impacting the other plants by allowing this driving force to reach the other organisms.

An Unknown in Nature

This week's task was interesting for me.  I was looking for something I couldn't identify in nature, and there are many things that would fill that bill!  The challenge would be to capture enough of the characteristics in a few photographs so that others could help me with the identification.

I decided to go out for a jog in the woods and look for 'unknowns"!  Quickly, the problem presented itself.  There were so many choices; what should I photograph?  The first thing that caught my eye on this sunny but chilly early morning run was a patch of moss on the trail with its reproductive structures??  Are there different species of moss?  Could I figure this out from my photo?  Oops.  I forgot to bring my camera, so I would have to return home to get it.  And a ruler.  The assignment required a scale object in the photo to help with identification.  Quickly I ran home, not wanting to lose the morning light.  Since this was a photography class, I was working on improving the lighting in my photos.

What kind of moss is this?

After taking the photo, I continued on my loop run and found another interesting object.  But this one I knew!  It is important to me as I help teachers discover nature because so many people think it is poison ivy.  It is "leaves of three"...but many things are.  I love to pick a leaflet in front of the teachers, crush it, and put it under my nose. It smells so good to me.  When I do, they realize it is not poison ivy but a look-alike plant.

Can you name this plant?

But close by, another plant caught my eye.  I wasn't sure what it was, and it didn't have a flower, but I thought it could be identified from the distinctive inflorescence.

There were several curved branches where the compact cluster of flowers had been; now, the flowers had finished blooming and gone to seed.  I looked carefully at the leaf.  It had a strong central vein, slight serrated edges, and was tapered at the base and tip.

The entire plant was bout 2 1/2 feet tall.  Notice the blue ruler in the ground by the plant.  Note to self:  next time try a white ruler; it would show up better.

The leaves appear to be bigger at the bottom of the plant when compared to the top. 

I next took a photo of the general habitat.  This plant is growing along a path which is on the dirt bank of a stream that borders the woods on our property.  This area gets lots of sunlight.

Now I thought I had all my clues in photographs and it was time to head back home to see if I could figure out what species this was.  I checked my Ozark Wildflowers book by Don Kurz.  I thought I had the right family and was close to an identification, but two species were quite similar.  The difference between the two were gray hairs on the stem.  I had not noticed this, so I had to return to the plant.  This time I took a magnifying glass.  Sure enough, I saw the hairs.  But the pictures did not turn out--you'll have to take my word for it.

Can you identify the plant??

I didn't get far on my run, but it was a pleasant morning spent on the woodland paths at my home.  This has been a fun assignment.

Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

This week's assignment took some thought.  I  needed to build a photographic food chain.  Use of photographs made me think of the top consumers first because they would be harder to capture with a photo.  What could I find in my backyard?  A spider is a carnivore.  So I went looking for a spider web.  I found one--it even had an insect captured in the web.  Fantastic! However, I did not get a good photograph that showed both the spider and its prey clearly.  Hmm, this assignment was going to be more difficult than I thought.

So I continued my hunt.  When I found this gray tree frog near our hot tub, I was thrilled.
Now to find the prey.  Insects were moving so fast.  I finally found this dead mayfly.  That would work, but I was not satisfied with how it would look in my food chain.  So I searched on.

Finally I found the live mayfly, but I was not satisfied with the photo.  The background made it too hard to see the insect.  I would have to look further for my food chain.

When I went for a hike last Saturday, I decided to take my camera with me...just in case I would find something to include in my food chain.......AND I DID!

It was a warm (52 degree), sunny day in the midwest.  This would probably be the warmest day remaining this fall, so this might be my last opportunity to see those creatures that hibernate or leave for the winter.  In the early afternoon, I spotted it...well actually stepped over it.  It was a rough green snake sunning itself on the trail.  It is brightly colored but seemed to blend in with the moss.  I snapped several photos to make sure I would have one that would turn out well.

My thought was that this could be a predator of the frog.  However, when I looked in my field guide for the reptiles and amphibians, this particular snake has not been reported to eat frogs.  So, although some snakes eat some frogs and this snake might eat a gray tree frog if the opportunity arose, it has never been reported so I decided against this aspect of the food chain.  

But, my guide said that this species of snake eats grasshoppers and crickets.  That would be easy, I thought.  Well, not so fast.  I went looking for crickets.  I heard them everywhere, but when I got close, they stopped chirping and I couldn't find them.  No problem.  I'll try for grasshhoppers.  One of the grasshoppers blended so well with the leaf that it would be hard to see.  Ready to give up, I walked past my house and spotted it.....a grasshopper on the window sill.  This time, the grasshopper would really stand out so I quickly snapped the picture before it could move.  I consulted a field guide, but I am not sure of the species of grasshopper.  I just felt lucky to get the picture with such an active creature.

Next, the plant.  That was easy....plants don't move.  I went to our yard where we have planted native grasses and snapped a photo of Indian grass.  Now I could complete the assignment.





When I started the assignment, I thought that with a little forethought this would be easy.  But as this post shows, it is not as easy as it would seem!!  

The final product:                   

Adaptations

I was on the trail for adaptations--looking for evidence of adaptations in nature.
It was a beautiful autumn day and I was enjoying the weather, so if I found some of the items on my list, great, but if not, it was still time well spent!

First on the list was to find something where size provided a survival advantage.  I choose to look for something small.  And as small things go, these ants are among the most successful of organisms on the planet....the insects.  Their small size ensures that there are ample resources for the entire population.  In addition to the size advantage, these creatures where illustrating food gathering adaptation.  The ant trail can be followed to the food source.

Next on the list was coloration adaptation of mimicry and warning.  This was easy--bees and wasps exhibit the coloration of black and yellow striping that warn of their danger.  The group as a whole shows mimcry by possessing similar coloration.  While I thought this would be easy, it took several attempts (too close for comfort at times) to get a photo of one of these animals.  As I stood among the flowers and watched this bee fly from one place to another, I realized how much patience it takes to get good photos of animals! 

I finally got a photo of this one, but it is hidden behind the stem of the flower.  Time to move on to the next task, though.

Coloration that allows for blending into the surroundings is so common, but this was harder to capture in photos than you would think.  Obviously, if the animal blends with the surroundings, I was going to have to look hard to see it.  Finally, as I stood by our woodpile, I noticed this slug on the wood.  Usually all you really see of a slug is the slime trail it leaves behind so I was excited to capture this one on camera.  I think I need to work on my close up feature.  Looks a little blurry to me, and it wasn't moving very fast!

 

 Looking for shape adaptations was easy for me.  I had so many ideas, but decided on this stand of native prairie grasses.  The thin blades enable grasses to tolerate periods of drought or dry weather by limiting the amount of moisture lost through the surface.

The rest of my list included behavioral adaptations which are much harder to capture in a photo.  But the first of these, nesting behavior, was even more difficult due to the season.  In late fall, most nesting is over for the year.  I did, however, find this tree cavity.  Several species of birds can use something like this, perhaps a chickadee.  And it may even be used in the winter for shelter.  When birds nest in tree cavities, their eggs are usually round and lack color.  Color or pigment takes energy that is not needed in the darkness.  And round eggs will not roll out of a cavity such as this.

Finally I was on the search for food gathering behavioral adaptations.  This time of year, the spider webs are an obvious food gathering technique used by many species of spider to catch flying insects.  I found this bowl and doily web although the spider is hard to see.

Although I didn't find everything on my list, I did enjoy my time out in nature today.  It is my favorite time of year for a walk in the woods.

 

Ethics in Nature

The assignment was to find an example of ethics or ethical behavior in nature.  For example, not getting too close to animals as they go about their daily life.  But I started thinking about this as I snapped the photo of the backyard birdfeeder.  After being up for only one day, birds started coming....all sorts of birds.  I put the feeder up so my granddaughter could get a close up view of birds and learn to appreciate them.
But what about the birds.  The placement of a feeder has changed their behavior patterns as they forage for food in nature.  Is this ethical?  Is this good for the birds?  Professionals have said that feeding birds, while a popular outdoor activity, does not help the birds except under extreme weather conditions like snow and ice cover.  However, it certainly adds to the enjoyment of humans as the birds are more readily visible to us when feeding at these stations.  And if adding to human enjoyment leads to awareness and appreciation of these animals, isn't that a good thing?
My granddaughter, at age 2, can identify cardinals, mourning doves, chickadees, and titmice that visit the feeder.  I think that is good for the birds and my granddaughter! 

Summer Scavenger Hunt

Today is one of the hottest days of the summer in southern Illinois.  But I needed a break from the air conditioned environment.  I needed to feel the heat, to sweat, and to connect with nature.  The scavenger hunt I had been developing for a teacher workshop seemed like the thing to do, so I went outside with my camera for a look. 
The first item on my hunt was to find something colorful.  The beauty berry bush that I had planted less than two years ago provided just the color I was looking for.  The berries were shining as the sunlight hit them on this summer afternoon.

 I loved the shiny bright color and the contrast with the green leaves.  This plant will feed the birds in the middle of the winter when the berries turn to black and become edible.  For now, they give me the color I am looking for on this green summer day.

Next, something small.  I turned my camera setting to close up and looked for something small, but living.  It is amazing how much of the insect world is active in the summer.  This one was on a leaf in the same garden as the beauty berry.  The plant is a native, though I'm not sure which one it is.  I am disappointed with the photo because it doesn't seem in focus.  The veins of the leaf are clearer.  I guess I will have to practice more with this feature of my camera.  Any suggestions?

 Something gross in nature was easy to find--my cat.  I love him dearly, but he has a negative impact on wildlife in our wooded property.  He has brought home snakes, skinks, birds, mice, flying squirrels, bats, and more.  Although he may not look that ferocious now, WATCH OUT.  This cat is a hunter.  If I ever get a cat again, it will be one that is totally indoors.  I have tried to convert this one, but no luck!

 I'm off to look for something strange or unusual....strange can be a good thing as this photo will illustrate.  This is an oak stump that has rotted out and a new seedling emerges.  I like the thought of new life from something dead.  While this isn't strange in nature, it is strange to us humans.  We don't usually think of something good like renewal when we see a dead tree.  But it is a fact of nature.  To add to the strange aspect of the photo, I left the image in a horizontal rather than vertical view.  It is my attempt to be artistic!

 Finally, something important in nature:

Of course, everything is important.  Important is a value system we humans use to classify things, but nature doesn't care.  It is all connected and works together.  But since I had to take a picture of something, I chose this one of prairie grass with trees and vines in the background.  This illustrates the importance of green plants.  They are the base of the energy pyramid for ecosystem dynamics.  Most of us recognize that these plants produce oxygen (which we use) and use carbon dioxide (important in keeping CO2 levels low).  There are many products that we use which are derived from plants....including the food we eat.  So plants are important to us and the entire ecosystem.

My scavenger hunt finished, I return to the house for a cool glass of water.  But it is the time spent exploring nature that has refreshed me more than I can express.

Close Up in Nature

I have been exploring safety and ethics in nature while taking photographs.  When I took this photo, I was at the edge of a pond.  Safety considerations included not getting too close to the edge and not moving too fast.  I didn't want to fall in the water even though this August day in Missouri was very hot.
The dragonflies were swarming all around me but moving too fast to capture with my camera.  Instead of me getting close to them, I stood still near some appropriate habitat, and they came close to me!!

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Even though dragonflies are carnivorous, no one fears them.  They do not harm humans.  Most humans consider them delicately beautiful.  And this specimen was no exception.  So I took my point and shoot camera, and snapped the shutter before the resting animal could move.