Sand County Almanac Pt. 2

In the second part of the Sand County Almanac, the task was to identify elements X and Y. I was under the impression that element X was nitrogen. The essay talked about X laying in the soil, and being carried by the rains. That is part of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen is found in the soil, and used by plants. It is fixated by bacteria, and then is used by plants. The plants are eaten by other consumers, who eventually die, and the nitrogen is then decomposed into the soil. Then, the cycle begins again. As for element Y, I believe it is carbon. I'm led to this assumption by one of the final lines that says, "The atoms that once grew pasque-flowers to greet the returning plovers now lie inert, confused, imprisoned in oily sludge". Carbon is the main element in oil, which in some cases turns into diamonds, that are wholly carbon. I believe this last part of the essay is describing the process of the carbon cycle, where carbon is exchanged between the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. The essay did a fantastic job at descriptively describing biogeochemical cycles via a narrative. It painted a pretty picture of how nitrogen and carbon are exchanged, and made it easier to understand. It made me think of these elements in a more rounded manner, that they aren't just a couple letters in the periodic table. They are a universal necessity that drives all life. It is impressive, to say the least. I think it's really fascinating that I'm made up of recycled nitrogen and carbon that could've been part of a tree in a past life, or another person, or animal. It'd be even more mind blowing if somehow we could trace the bits of nitrogen and carbon in our bodies to find where they originated. Who knows, maybe one day that'd be possible.

"Nitrogen Cycle". Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Sand County Almanac Pt. 1

This essay was about nature, and how if we let it run its course freely, it would be better off. The beginning made me feel as though I was there with the author, standing on the mountainside, looking at a pack of wolves. It was very descriptive and enticing. It definitely hit home for me. One line read, "Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf". To me, this means that the mountain (nature) knows best. Humans may think they know what's best to help nature thrive, but in the end, we only do what is best for us. We cannot think objectively. We think and act so we can survive. The essay talked about our urgent desire to rid the woods of wolves, because we think this is what is best for us, our livestock, and our well being. In reality, however, the wolves are here to keep a natural balance. Without wolves, deer populations would exponentially rise, and plant life would then die. We need the wolves, and we need to stop being "trigger happy". We need to think objectively, without emotion and selfishness, take a step back, and admire the beauty and benefits wolves (and other "harmful" things in nature) give us. We need to think like a mountain, because the mountain knows best. In the Marquette region, I think we are good at thinking objectively. There are a lot of activists in the area promoting the good of the nature that surrounds us. I think it is a well established idea (here and around the U.P.) that nature is an extremely important part of our lives, and we all do really well at protecting it. It seems strange that there is now a wolf hunt. I can understand that there are times when populations of species can get out of control, but I think we should let nature run its course. In starting a wolf hunt, we are looking out for the well being of deer hunters and the safety of our own pets. As for pets, it is pet owners own faults if their pet is attacked by a wolf. This most likely happens when they are left outside in rural areas, unchained. Wolves see these pets as a threat to their dominance, and attack. If you don't want your pet to be at risk, don't let it roam freely in the woods. This is no reason to hunt wolves. We need to be more careful about our decisions to take populations into our own hands. We must be sure it is for the good of all nature, and not just ourselves.

"Howlsnow" by Retron - self-made now. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Presque Isle Adventures

After spending some time out on Presque Isle island, we were able to identify some real life examples of different kinds of interaction. Firstly, an example of parasitism we saw was a "gall". Galls are essentially a tumor growing inside a tree (or plant) due to a parasite living off of it. As for commensalism, we saw a lot of squirrels running around the forest. The interaction between the squirrels and trees is considered commensalism, because the squirrels are using the trees for shelter and protection, but are not harming the tree in any way. Mutualism is beneficial to both organisms involved. We were unable to find an example of it on Presque Isle, but after some research of interactions in northern temperate deciduous forests, I found one. There are some birds that feed of insects that burrow in the fur of white tailed deer. The birds get their food, and the deer are rid of any harmful insects. Next, we looked for intraspecific competition. This is where members of the same species compete for limited resources. What came to mind for me is not something we could see at that moment in time. There are lots of deer on the island, and there is very limited food during the winter months, due to the lack of foliage, and the ground being covered with snow. The deer have to compete amongst themselves to find food, and in some cases, may be forced off the island. The opposite of intraspecific competition is interspecific. During this kind of competition, members of different species compete for resources. We did a study of trees on the island, and found that there were a lot of different species growing there (white and red pine, oak, spruce, fir...). Each of these species competes for space, sun, and nutrients. They compete by spreading their roots out, or growing taller than other trees. The taller, more spread out trees will be healthier in the long run, because they can obtain more nutrients. Finally, we had to identify a microhabitat. This is a habitat that is vastly different from its surroundings. We chose a rotting log, with a lot of moss growing on it. The log was a home for many different types of insects that wouldn't be found elsewhere in the woods, as well a moist area for moss and lichen to grow. Biogeochemcial cycles on the island are mostly that of decomposition (via the nitrogen cycle) and the water cycle. 

One of my favorite animals to watch on the island is the white tailed deer. It is an herbivore, and eats only plants in the mornings and late afternoons. Its diet changes as the seasons change. In the summer it eats foliage, in the fall, corn, acorns, and other nuts, and in the winter, it eats mostly buds and twigs. White tailed deer generally live in an area of one square mile, and groups of deer consist usually of a mother and her fawns. Bucks, on the other hand, group in threes or fours. They are the prey of wolves, coyotes, and of course, humans.

By Ken Thomas (KenThomas.us (personal website of photographer)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Chernoff Faces

 The picture above is my result of the activity we did in class called "Chernoff Faces". For each part of your head, there were three stipulations. For example, for the head shape itself, you had to pick one (round, oval, or oblong) based on where you lived (Upper Michigan, Lower Michigan, or other). Other questions included major/minor, favorite foods, favorite music, and what kind of pet you want. My result was oval head (U.P), oval eyes (science/math major), oval pupils (my favorite sport is baseball), oval nose (I like rabbits as pets), circle mouth (Italian food is my favorite), and circle ears (I enjoy country music). Eventually, everyone ended up with varying faces due to different likes and dislikes. Then we proceeded to classify the classroom by head shape. Each person of the same shape head went to separate corners of the room. There was about an even number of people in each group. But then, we continued to break down the groups by eye shape, nose shape, ear shape, etc. within groups, until each group was divided more and more. The point of this exercise was to show that with more conditions of classification, the harder it is to group many things together. The more conditions, the fewer people in each group. It also showed that we could classify in any way. After starting the entire thing over again, we made head shape signify major instead of where you live, so many peoples faces changed. We can look at classifying life in many ways as well.

EJ

Yellowstone Wolves

It was interesting to hear of the effect wolves hold on the ecosystem in Yellowstone National Park. I didn't know they were such a major species. In the video, a scientist showed us a graphic of the trophic level pyramid. Wolves are on top, and mainly prey on elk, who are in the middle. An elk’s diet consists of plant life in the park, which is located at the bottom of the pyramid, as the basis for all life. At one point, the wolf population was almost loss, and the elk population began to flourish. Because the elk population increased, the plant life was over eaten, and there wasn't enough food to go around. The elk killed a lot of shrubbery around the park. This all took place because of the loss of many wolves.  

This is where the reintroduction took place. Canadian wolves were placed into the park to restore the wolf population. Yes, this reintroduction did help to control the elk population, and helped to bring back much plant life. However, the return of wolves had an effect on something else that was not in the tropic level pyramid: coyotes. This is where intraspecific competition comes in. This is competition between species, such as the wolf and the coyote. Both species fought for the same food, but in different ways. Coyotes are scavengers, and would eat already dead elk. Wolves would seek out and kill the elk themselves, not leaving anything left to scavenge, thus, ridding the park of a big food source for coyotes. Also, the wolves saw any other dog as a threat, and if a coyote crossed its path, the coyote was surely dead. The park saw a decline in coyote population after the reintroduction of wolves.

Nomadic Lass - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomadic_lass/5862614354/

Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center - West Yellowstone, Montana Alpha female of the High Country Wolves

I agree with the idea of reintroduction. The fluctuation of the wolf population was a natural one that would've continued had humans not stepped in. It was for the betterment of plant life in the park, and if they hadn't brought in the Canadian wolves, the park surely would've looked desolate. There was another introduction discussed in the video: the Florida panther. The state’s cat was on the decline, and when brought back, many people were upset due to the panthers wandering close to their homes. I, however, agree with the act of reintroduction in this instance as well. Panthers are a necessary element in the Florida forest ecosystem. They, as mentioned in the video, are the prime predator of the wild hog, who also inhabit the forests in that states. The wild hogs are a menace, that became even more so when the cats died out. Progress is already being seen in the decline of the wild hog population, as a result of the panther reintroduction.

As for wolves in our back yard (the U.P.), they are truly a natural part of the ecosystem, and belong here. I am glad that they are protected. On the other hand, I believe their population can fluctuate just as much as any other, and should be controlled. I think a hunting season is justified, but not for reasons such as “violent, menacing wolves”, but because more wolves means less deer, or moose. Too many wolves would throw off other populations of necessary species.

Wildlife is such a beautiful, majestic thing. I feel strongly that we are obligated to help it survive, and not only that, but flourish. It is our duty to protect the species that can’t do such for themselves (i.e. plant life in Yellowstone), and control species at risk of over or under population. We should feel honored to defend the gift that nature is.  

EJ

A Walk in the Bog

I'm so unbelievably thankful to live in the pristine place that I do, and here's why- the peace and quiet of nature is only five minutes from home. For one class session, we met at one of these beautiful locations that I'm so blessed to be near- the Presque Isle Bog, a small area between the mainland of Marquette, and Presque Isle Island.

A bog can form two ways; one by terrestrialization, and the other by paludification. Terrestrialization takes place when sediments and peat (dead plant material) build up in a small pond or lake. When enough sediment builds up, plants are able to take root. When a bog forms by paludification, the ground becomes over saturated over an extended period of time by water. This can happen because of beaver dams, or man made construction. Bogs are considerably different than other habitats. Soil in a bog is much more acidic, but low in nutrients. It takes a strong plant to grow there. You'll usually find that trees growing there are Tamaracks, Speckled Alder, or Birches. Plants grow slowly, and decay even slower. Bogs have a way of preserving things.

One thing I was particularly fascinated by was the pitcher plants, a carnivorous plant. It uses a liquid to attract insects which then fall inside the plant, and can't climb back out the slippery surface. The flowers don't always blossom, but there were plentiful flowers when we were there, which means it has been the perfect environment for them. I also liked learning about the horsetails that we found. They are among the oldest terrestrial plants, and resemble bamboo. Since they have a tough quality about them, Indians wove them and used them as pot scrubbers. It's crazy that these plants, plants that were around during the time of dinosaurs, are still found in bogs today. I think that represents how great of an environment a bog provides.

EJ

What's Alive?

Sometimes it's fun to get out of the classroom, and do something to keep students active. That's exactly what our Life Science class did a few days ago. One early, warm morning, we ventured into the courtyard with one task: to gather as many living things as possible. But what is living? I mentioned in my previous post, something is living if it grows, can reproduce, has a balanced internal environment, can respond to stimuli, and uses energy. We picked weeds, a flower, a pine cone, some berries, and even managed to get an ant, and put them all in a plastic bag. Back inside, we went through the contents of our bag, and labeled each item as living now, was living, dead, or never alive. We were also given objects from the classroom to label, which included popcorn kernels, a straw, cotton balls, etc. Once we had a consensus of what each object was, we dampened a paper towel, placed everything in it, and put the entire setup into the plastic bag. We gave the bag a nice puff of air, and closed it. We were to see if anything had grown the following week.

While some things did grow, others made no progress, and others died. The popcorn kernels sprouted into the cotton balls. Some beans that were thrown into the mixture had sprouted. We had guessed that both those items were still alive with potential to grow, and we were correct. The ant, however, hadn't had a source of food, and died. This activity showed us that life does abide by those 5 things I listed, but sometimes there are exceptions. We can create that environment life needs (the baggy), and though something may seem like it isn't currently alive (ie, not growing), it just might not have responded to necessary stimuli yet.