Galls Natural Environment

Plants are found everywhere on earth, up high on the ridge and down low in caves and caverns. The types of plants that live in these places depends on many factors. These factors are separated into two different categories, the biotic factors and the abiotic factors. Some of the biotic factors include, predation, competition, and habitat destruction. Plants with limited competition and large amounts of resources will be in a higher abundance than plants with limited resources and higher competition rates will be confined to areas and either out competed or will be the dominant species. Certain plants adapt to these factors and thrive and others don’t do as well. Some of the abiotic factors include, sunlight, water, temperature, and wind. These

The bar chart was used to compare the number of species in each transect. In transect A, there were 5 different species. The species in this area were mostly grass, forbs, moss, bugs and beetles. Bugs and beetles made up a small population of this transect. In transect B, there were also 5 species. The species were mostly grass, shrubs, forbs, moss and bugs. In this transect, shrubs were found which makes transect B more diversed than A. In Transect C, 8 species were located in this area. The species included shrubs, grass, fobs, evergreen, trees, dirt, bugs and spiders. New species such as evergreen, trees, dirt and spiders were located in this location. Therefore the test that diversity happens through ecological succession was

With this type of substratum, it favours idyllic conditions for various types of vegetation to inhabit and create the optimum conditions for roach due to them being both herbivorous and detritivorous feeders (Weatherley, 1987; Brabrand, 1985). Looking at figure 8 this is demonstrated as the Trews weir shows that roach have the fastest growth rate and also attain the largest size than any other site with they are found. From looking at Figure 9 and 10 it is evident that roach find this type of area far more beneficial then dace as roach are in higher abundances at this site. According to a study that had previously taken place by Cowx, 1989 said that dace and roach sampled from the Trews Weir had a significant dietary over lap in this area; figures 9 and 10 also show this.

Throughout the world there are many animals, plants, fungi and numerous other living organisms that are influenced by the overall condition or adaptations of other organisms. Whether it is a symbiotic relationship or a predator/prey relationship there are many ways in which animals and other living organisms operate and live; both dependent on others and their own adaptations. The point is that there are many relationships that provide a basis and means for the survival of a variety of different species around the world. This relationship is very apparent in the scientific findings regarding northern spotted owls (Strix Occidentalis), flying squirrels (Glaucomys Sabrinus), and truffles, which can include many varieties but especially Tuber

Read "Lab 3: Biodiversity." This lab will allow you to investigate how various organisms alter their environments. Additionally, it will allow you to assess the health of ecosystems based upon their biodiversity. Then, you will utilize this information and your eScience lab kit to complete Demonstration 1 and Experiment 1 on the Week Three Lab Reporting Form. Make sure to complete all of the following items before submission:

The ancient forests of the Northeast aren’t the only aspect of the bioregion that’s fate have been at perpetual risk since the early settlement of Europeans. There is no question that forests still dominate the landscape of Northeastern region accounting for “60% of the total land area, and in New England alone, the coverage is 80%”. Still the species that exist within the understory of the forests have undergone an equally dramatic transformation because of human interaction with the land and the harvest of its resources. Some species in the understory of the mixed forests of the Northeast have been driven out of the region, are under intense ecological pressure, are on the brink of extinction, or have already gone extinct in the region. Perhaps one of the most harmful and impactful effects colonization of the Northeast has had on the resources of the land is the introduction of non-native species and diseases into the region. Over time the overall makeup of the forests have changed drastically as an example, “…the American chestnut once made up as much as 25% of the trees in some areas and was economically the most important hardwood in the Eastern forests”. The introduction of chestnut blight at the turn of the century accounts for

Nectar and pollen attract a diverse collection of nectar fedding mammals and birds, these animals feed on inscets that are drawn by the great quantity of flowers located there. Heathlands are highly fire prone and the fire regime (frequency, intensity, and season of occurrence) has an enormous effect on composition and structure of habitat. Animals too are affected by this regime. Increasing time since fire may create a variety of habitats within the heath that suit different species, while mass post-fire flowering provides an abundance of food (Evvironment.NSW.gov.au). most of the plants in the heathlands produce large seeds that contain nutrients to make sure they establish even under the harsh conditions, this prevents spreading by wind or the feathers and fur of animals. This is overcome by specialised lipid- rich foods that are on the seeds, these lipid rich foods are food for ants, ants then collect the seeds and store them in their nests, they later then detach the foods from the seeds and discard the seed. This spreading and burial of the seeds protects them from intese bush fires and predators that eat seeds, this is still increasing moisture to soil. If the tweed council were to develop further it would decrease the flora that many animals and humans themselves rely

Since organisms living in communities form interdependent relationships, a change in the abundance of one species will not only affect the physical and more direct interactions, but could indirectly affect the number of other species within the community as a consequence (Wootton 1993). These indirect affects rise because the interactions between pairs of species are not independent of other species, such as increasing the density of vegetation may increase the survival rate of the prey, reducing the intensity of the interaction between the predator and prey (Wootton 1993, 1994). An

Leopold’s land pyramid describes the hierarchical dynamics of the biotic community. Based upon what we learned in class, a biotic community is the relationship between soil and animals. It is a sum of all the parts within the community. The pyramid represents layers within the biotic community. The bottom layer is the soil. A plant layer rests upon the soil layer, an insect layer lies atop the plants, a bird and rodent layer rests upon the insects. The pyramid works its way up the various animal groups until it finally comes to the peak layer, which consists of the lager carnivorous animals. Leopold places humans in the top layer.

The goldenrod gall fly (or Eurosta solidaginis) is a parasite whose life depends upon and revolves around the goldenrod plant. After mating, the female gall fly uses its ovipositor (structure used to inject eggs into a plant) to insert its eggs into the stem of a goldenrod plant. After about ten days, the fly larvae hatch and begin to eat the inside of the plant. The saliva of the larva contains a chemical that causes the plant to swell, creating what is known as a gall; this serves as a food source and a protective shell for the growing larva. When fall approaches, the larva digs an escape tunnel by which it will later exit the gall as an adult; however, the larva does not complete the tunnel, instead it leaves a thin membrane of plant material for protection (Abrahamson & Heinrich, n.d.). E. solidaginis larvae then pupate in late winter or early spring, and leave the gall as adults soon afterwards (Abrahamson, Sattler, McCrea, & Weis, 1989). Once freed from the gall,

These 14 species are distributed differently across the area of study, with some species dominating specific areas while others are distributed scattered around the site (Figure 8).

They discuss the variety of sources used to collect data and where they gathered data from in both Non-agricultural habitats and Agricultural habitats. They then present the following: “ Estimates of the amount of milkweed in non-agricultural habitats, agricultural fields and total milkweeds in Iowa from 1999 to 2010,” (10) as a table. They then point out their sources for the data they used on land use. They acknowledge that their land use data were published in 2006 and is therefore somewhat out of date, however, they anticipate that the numbers were still similar when they published their paper. Next, they estimate the monarch use of non-agricultural milkweed and provide data on the “monarch use of milkweeds in agricultural fields,” (10). Their data points to the conclusion that monarchs use agricultural milkweed at a greater frequency than non-agricultural milkweed. In the final subsection of the methods section Pleasants and Oberhausen estimate the potential monarch

In general, top predators and green plants are common because of the different community organisms such as the Chippewa Natural Forest that is in total disorder. These species come and go as free spirits and their colonization’s possible extinction are not determined by the presence or absence of other species (Wilson, 1992, p. 163). In fact, the amount of biodiversity is considered a random process in which the species fail to coexist except by accident. Secondly, some species are closely independent, that the food web is design so rigid the symbioses is so tightly bound and the community is virtually a super organism (Wilson, 1992, p. 16). Therefore, one species such as the Acadian flycatcher or goblin fern is a super organism, that thousands

Although many researchers have found that Gammarus setosus lives in panarctic region, few of them work to specify whether it predominantly lives in rocky zones or sandy zones. To determine this, we set out for a choice experiment on G. setosus that can help us determine its distribution more precisely.

A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Such an organism plays a role in its ecosystem that is analogous to the role of a keystone in an arch. While the keystone feels the least pressure of any of the stones in an arch, the arch still collapses without it. Similarly, an ecosystem may experience a dramatic shift if a keystone species is removed, even though that species was a small part of the ecosystem by measures of biomass or productivity. It has become a very popular concept in conservation biology.