Research Paper On Snapshots

Unlike many other rodents the flying squirrel does not hibernate. Instead they group together during the winter and cold month’s to maintain warmth. Northern flying squirrels usually communicate with a soft low chirp but also cluck just like other squirrels when distressed. These squirrels also use scent and touch to communicate with one another; utilizing their excellent senses of hearing, smell, vision, and touch to correspond with the signals they emanate. “A major food source for the squirrels are mycorrhizal fungi (truffles) of many different species, though they also eat lichens, mushrooms, all mast-crop nuts, tree sap, insects, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings, buds and flowers. The squirrels are special in that they can find truffles by olfaction, which is the use of smell. They also seem to use clues such as the presence of wood debris, indicating a decaying log, and spatial memory of locations where truffles were found in the past. The northern flying squirrel is also known to stash food for when food supplies are lower such as in the winter. These caches can be in cavities in trees, as well as in the squirrels' nest, or even within the ground. Lichens and seeds are the commonly stored items” (9). Yet in this relationship the most important functions of this squirrel are to provide food for the owls, and in addition, to greatly

I learned that each individual section of the plant/flower structure has its own use. The petals of a flower are used to attract insects or smaller animals while the anther produces pollen. The pollen that is produced by the anther is carried by insects or animals to the pistil of another flower where it may fertilize the eggs.

A long, long time ago people would run through the forests they lived in and when they were hungry they would start eating the organic life that grew around them. It is only fitting to assume since the flower is much prettier than most other parts of the plant that it would be eaten first.

The Latin word for mushroom is fungus (plural, fungi). The word fungus has come to stand for a whole group of simple plants that contain no chlorophyll and lack such complex plant structures as roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. Included among the fungi, along with mushrooms, are molds, mildews, rusts, smuts, truffles, and yeasts. Toadstool is another name for mushroom. Some people use the name toadstool only when referring to poisonous mushrooms, but botanists make no such distinction. A general scientific term for fungi is mycota, from the Greek word for mushroom, mykes, and the study of these organisms is called mycology.

There is a constant battle for farmers to find new and cost effective ways to rid their flock from endoparasites, in particular worms. Endoparasites are a parasite, for example worms, that live in the internal organs or tissues of a host. The most common species of worms that live amongst sheep in Australia are Haemonchus contortus (barbers pole worm), Trichostrongylus colubriformis (Black scours worm) and Teladorsagia circumcincta (brown stomach worm); all of these worms are examples of roundworms. The type of roundworm that is most commonly found in Queensland and the northern half of NSW is the barber’s pole worm. This is due to the climate of these two States where summer rainfall is common or dominant. The barber’s pole worm is located

This topic is important because in the A-horizon of the soil which contains humus which comes from dead organisms, decaying plants and animal remains. Earthworms inhabit the A-horizon and they can alter the soil structure, the flow of water, nutrients available in the soil and the plant growth, while providing many beneficial functions. The earthworms help increase microbial activity by feeding on microorganisms and then creating casing from their waste which are the cycling of nutrients from organic material into nutrients forms that the plants can use. Earthworms excrete a caste and they can move soil down each horizon so the nutrients from the casts can reach deep down into the soil. The earthworm casts contain essential nutrients and minerals like phosphorus, nitrogen, sulfur, and potassium that are needed to help the plant grow.

The Sciurus carolinensis is better known as the eastern gray squirrel that prefers to live in the temperate deciduous forest. This squirrel has a color variation and are medium in size; their appearance may be similar to other tree squirrels. The life cycle is: baby, child, adolescent, adult, depending on how long they survive in the wild can be up to 8-12 years. The Sciuridae respiratory system is much like other mammals or humans, just smaller scale. These rodents are geographically adaptable to their surroundings, as they have been around for millions of years. They communicate with their tails and even though born toothless, their teeth grow constantly. The Sciurus carolinensis is an interesting squirrel that is a vital ecological regenerator of the natural woodlands.

And to enable the other plants to thrive, that is populated and visited by birds, goldfinches, field sparrows, crows, a pair of king birds, buzzing hummingbirds and more. And some butterflies, monarchs, admirals, yellow and black swallowtails, checkered butterflies, sulfur butterflies, and a number of different kinds of moths,

Gray squirrels are predators to small insects and baby birds; but, they also eat plants, fruits, nuts, leaves, and acorns (National Geographic, n.d.). On the other hand, squirrels are prey to many different kind of birds such as eagles, owls, and hawks; snakes are also common predators of squirrels (What eats?, 2010).

Table 1. Mean (+ StdDev) squirrels in area, feeding, and number of peanuts eaten during predator absent and predator present tests on St. Lawrence University campus property.

This is because shrubs inhibit the ground squirrel's ability to escape predators. We found that the thirteen-lined grounds squirrels that we trapped in McCrory Gardens preferred a cover of heavy grass and trees. The Kentucky bluegrass(Poa pratensis) is the more abundant grass in the area the we trapped. Kentucky bluegrass makes a good habitat and cover for all three species. We saw the lowest abundance of all three species in areas of dense tree cover and shelter belts. The reason for less rodent abundance within the dense tree cover could be because predators are more likely found within this habitat.

The Spermophilus armatus, more commonly known as the Uinta ground squirrel, is a species geographically located within the Intermountain West region of the United States (Eshelman et al. 2000). This area includes the range between southwestern Montana to Southern Utah (LaValle 2000). Some portions of this also include sections of Wyoming and eastern Idaho. S. armatus would not be found anywhere else in the United States because it is not a migratory species (Eshelman et al. 2000). S. armatus prefers inhabiting open grasslands, fields, and meadows (Eshelman et al. 2000; Hannon et al. 2006). Moist environments are also favored, and this explains why some populations are located near the Big Lost River valleys in Idaho (Eshelman et al. 2000).

In our lab it involved observations of the red worm, Eisenia fetida. These worms thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure. They are epigean, rarely found in soil. In this trait they resemble Lumbricus rubellus.Eisenia fetida worms are used for vermicomposting of both domestic and industrial organic waste. They

Nightcrawlers, also known as Lumbricus Terrestris, are mainly nocturnal. They can grow up to 14 inches long, and burrow up to 6 feet deep. Earthworms breathe through their skin. Earthworms can grow pieces of their body back if they are cut off, or regenerate. However, this does not mean that if cut in half, two worms will appear. The original worm will grow back its tail or its body over time. They eat almost anything organic or natural, including leaves. Earthworms are herbivores.

They defend the nests and sing while he waits for his mate (Howell 1942). When individuals arrive, testes containing developing spermatocytes and ovarian follicles become enlarged (Kemper and Taylor 1981). Males and females tend to chose mated based off plumage. One of the most interesting things I found was that mates choose their counterparts based off how similar they are to themselves, regarding breast color (Rowe and Weatherhead 2011). In my observations, the couple living on my property both had similar colored chests, so I could relate to those findings.