Arctic Tern (*Sterna paradisaea*) - Iceland
Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR1

Species Profile - Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)

July 12, 2016 in July 2016

There’s something about the “little known fact” that seems to spark a child-like curiosity in each of us. Paging through “The Guinness Book of World Records” or an old almanac eats time almost as fast as falling down a rabbit hole during a mind-numbing web-crawl. For example, did you know that the Cuban bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) at 7 cm (2.75”) and 1.6 g (0.056 oz) is the smallest bird, while the fastest swimmer is the gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua, which can swim up to 40 km/hr ( 25mph).

Arctic Tern (*Sterna paradisaea*) Hovering - Iceland

The record for long-distance migrations belong to the diminutive Arctic tern, Sterna paradiseaea. The ultimate “snowbird,” the Arctic tern will fly up to 90,000 km/year (56,000 miles) a year as it alternates between its winter and summer habitats. This slender pelagic species spends its summer months breeding in Arctic only to fly south and overwinter in Antarctica annually. Feeding predominately on small fish like herring and sandlances, Arctic terns will also eat insects and berries throughout their northern breeding range. Living for up to 30 years, Arctic terns will often return to their natal colony when searching for a mate and establishing a nesting territory.

Arctic Tern (*Sterna paradisaea*) and Jökulsárlón Growler - Iceland

For those interested in learning about other unique species, you might want to check out other profiles I have written in the past: Megalopygidae, Yucca brevifolia, Kirk’s dik-dik

Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology & Wikipedia

The Reluctant Keystone

May 04, 2016 in May 2016

The structure of a thriving community is often dependent on one or two species within the food web. Often referred to as “keystones,” the niche they occupy have broad implications for the other species in the environment. The role of a so-called keystone is often overlooked until it is too late. For example, the regional extirpation of wolves, otters and elephants from their respective ranges led to striking reductions in biodiversity. The loss of just one critical species has unpredictable consequences that include broad ecosystem changes due to a collapsed food web and unintended trophic interactions. In each case, once the keystone is returned to its depleted environment, biodiversity and ecosystem complexity is restored (See Reintroduction of the Wolf).

Because of its destructive tendencies, the beaver (Castor canadensis), is an under appreciated keystone. Known best for felling trees, damming rivers and building lodges, this large semi-aquatic rodent plays a critical role in promoting biodiversity throughout deciduous wetland habitats.

By pruning forests of aspen and ash, beavers create open patches that promote the germinationof herbaceous plants throughout the understory. Rays of sunlight, once blocked by the impenetrable canopy, are now free to initiate the growth of dormant and light hungry species. This seemingly benevolent affair is far from altruistic, beavers drop trees to access tender leaves and repurpose the fallen wood as building materials.

Branches and chiseled tree trunks are carefully piled wherever the sound of flowing water can be heard. By keying into these audible cues, beavers can identify breaches in their fortress and optimize the size of their habitat. The blocked water will flood lowland areas and allow beavers to swim to new forage rather than risk predation by walking clumsily on land.

The dam-building activity not only floods forests, but creates habitat for wood ducks, geese, diving fowl, kingfishers and pileated woodpeckers. The broad habitat modification disrupts climax communities and resets the succession of the forest. As a result, the actions of this one rodent species have a profound impact on the biodiversity structure of forest ecosystems.

Distant Cousin? Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) — Distant Cousin?
Sea Otter *(Enhydra lutris)*

Did You Know (45)?

December 07, 2015 in December 2015

The evolutionary origins of seals, sea lions and walruses is still unsettled science. Historical taxonomic studies suggest two potential lines of ancestry which include the Ursids (bears) and the Mustelids (otters, minks, ferrets…). While molecular and fossil evidence now appear to implicate an otter-like ancestor, some continue to cling to the “bear hypothesis.”

California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) — California Sea Lion *(Zalophus californianus)*

Collectively belonging to the Clade Pinnipedia, pinnipeds are carnivorous, fin-footed semiaquatic mammals. With the exception of the Baikal seal (Pusa sibrica), pinnipeds are marine mammals divided into three distinct groups. The Otariidae or true eared seals, possess ear flaps and a flexible hind flipper that allows for semi-coordinated movement on land. Familiar examples include the California sea lion, Zalophus californianus, who’s tendency to bark and play make them a favorite of zoos and marine parks. While significantly larger than sea lions, the Odobenidae have a similar body morphology, but are distinguished by their enormous hairless bodies and pronounced tusk-like canines. Commonly known as walruses, only one extant species remains. Sadly, their long-term viability is now threatened by the rapidly changing arctic climate. The significantly smaller Phocids, lack external ear flaps and have inflexible hind fins. Far more cumbersome on land than their sea lion brethren, “true-seals” are more aqua dynamic with their stubby clawed forelimbs and torpedo-like body.

Harbor Seal  (Phoca vitulina) — Harbor Seal *(Phoca vitulina)*

Otter and Seal... a study in comparative morphology

All Images were Made with a Nikon D7200 and Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR1 Lens

View of the Beaver Lodge 10/25/2015Nikon D800E + 17-35mm f2.8 — View of the Beaver Lodge 10/25/2015
Nikon D800E + 17-35mm f2.8

The Civil Engineers

November 04, 2015 in November 2015

It is hard to deny the intellectual prowess of those with a prominent and bulbous pre-frontal cortex. Responsible for higher cognition and executive functions that include, but are not limited to the capacity to make decisions, orchestrate thoughts, and interpret abstractions, this master of meta-cognition has enabled our primate lineage to transcend a life in the trees to one among others in a creative civilization.

Buck-toothed Bob (Castor canadensis)Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR — Buck-toothed Bob (*Castor canadensis*)
Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR

While the frontal cortex is an oft cited reason for many of our unique qualities, recent research now suggests that we humans may not be so special. For example, the diminutive chihuahua has a bigger brain per unit body mass than the typical human. What’s more, the gregarious California sea lion has a larger frontal cortex than well respected primates like baboons and gibbons. As if this is not humiliating enough, it appears that the lowly llama has a pre-frontal cortex that exceeds that of a macaque monkey (Kaufman, 2013).

Bob's Cousin (Castor canadensis)Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR — Bob's Cousin (*Castor canadensis*)
Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR

The cognitive superiority I have proudly worn for the past 50 years has recently suffered yet another indignity. While my pre-frontal cortex continues to search for meaning to that which I witnessed this weekend, I can confidently state that I have been bested by a lowly rodent. The beavers I have watched and photographed with a strange obsessive passion have now conspired to outsmart my big brain and thus deny me access to my voyeuristic perch. What you see in this collection of photographs is the work of a small group of radicals who managed to reengineer my once unfettered view. What is so amazing and beyond my cognitive grasp is how these thumbless engineers managed to do so much in only 7 days… at this point, one has to ponder the value of a large pre-frontal cortex when a small pack of bucked toothed scaly tails can do so much with so little.

View of Beaver Lodge 11-1-2015iPhone 6 — View of Beaver Lodge 11-1-2015
iPhone 6

Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) - Tanzania, AfricaCanon 30D + Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 HSM — Vervet Monkey *(Chlorocebus pygerythrus)* - Tanzania, Africa
Canon 30D + Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 HSM

Did You Know (43)?

August 28, 2015 in August 2015

Apes are not monkeys, and all monkeys are not the same. When primatologists’ describe a type of monkey, they begin by defining it as an Old World or New World species. As the name suggests, the Old World monkeys are those found throughout Europe, Africa and Asia while the so called New World varieties are restricted to the Americas. DNA evidence strongly suggests that the old and new world species are derived from a common ancestral stock that diverged about 40 million years ago. With an ocean separating the two populations, each variety evolved in response to their respective habitats. Forty million years later, there are now 78 species in old world and 53 in the new.

Geoffroy's Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) - Guanacaste Region, Costa RicaNIkon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR1 — Geoffroy's Spider Monkey *(Ateles geoffroyi)* - Guanacaste Region, Costa Rica
NIkon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR1

Geographic isolation and environmental characteristics are responsible for some of the key differences between the two groups. Monkeys found in the Old World tend to be larger than those in the new. New World varieties are entirely arboreal and many have prehensile tails that allow them to move throughout the dense forest canopies found in the American tropics. In contrast, many Old World species are as comfortable on the ground as they are in trees. Found from the deserts of Ethiopia to the snow-capped mountains of Japan, Old World monkeys have adapted to a variety of habitats. Other anatomical differences include an opposable thumb and trichromatic vision throughout the Old World, compared to a thumb in line with fingers and dichromatic vision in the new. When faced with the choice of new or old, one just needs to look at the face. The flat-faced Platyrrhines are found throughout the Americas while the narrow-nosed Catarrhines with their downward faced nostrils are found in the Old World.

Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina): Elkhorn Slough, CaliforniaCanon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS w/ Canon 1.4x Converter — Harbor Seal *(Phoca vitulina)*: Elkhorn Slough, California
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS w/ Canon 1.4x Converter

The Cycle

August 07, 2015 in August 2015

In biology, energy is king. Solar energy is at the core of nearly every ecosystem on the planet, and this energy from the sun drives everything from the complexity of a food web to the cellular processes that replicate the genetic code passed from one generation to the next. Deprived of the energy required to do work, the essence of an organism, its “livingness,” comes to an end.

In living systems, energy is only half of the story. For life to exist, molecular vessels (organisms) must be modified, organized and assembled in ways that can harness the energy. These pliable molecules are commonly referred as biological nutrients.

Harbor Seal Pup (Phoca vitulina) Splashed by California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) - Moss Landing, CaliforniaNikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR — Harbor Seal Pup *(Phoca vitulina)* Splashed by California Sea Lion *(Zalophus californianus)* - Moss Landing, California
Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR

A fundamental concept to all biological systems requires that energy flows while nutrients are cycled. Energetics are subject to the physical laws of nature, and life can only exist if it obeys these laws. The ”first law of thermodynamics” informs us about energy’s limits. Energy in a biological system is conserved but not recycled. This energy is transferred and transformed from molecules to motion, from motion to molecules, but can not be created nor destroyed. The energy trapped by the molecules in our food is transferred to packets of chemical energy that drive our cellular processes. Simultaneously, some of the energy from each meal results in the generation of heat, or the vibration of molecules, that will increase the entropy in a living system. This energy is not lost, it just flows from one state to another.

Dead Harbor Seal Pup (Phoca vitulina) - Moss Landing State Beach, CaliforniaNikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR — Dead Harbor Seal Pup *(Phoca vitulina)* - Moss Landing State Beach, California
Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR

In contrast to the energy on the planet, nutrients are limited and must be recycled. Without the cycling of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen the resources required to build an organism will diminish. One of the great harmonies of living systems is the ability to harness energy to order molecules in a manner that can sustain itself for a finite period of time. However, as this molecular order is subject to the stresses of the environment, an ecosystem and time, it becomes less efficient and less capable of harnessing the energy required to remain whole. It is at this point that death ends the cycle inherent in every life. To this biologist, death is nothing more than the completion of a life that includes the wonderful serendipity of unique molecular interactions on this planet we call Earth.

Brown Stick Mantis - Horizontes Biological Station

Hidden in Plain Sight

July 20, 2015 in July 2015

Familiarity can be the breeding ground for complacency. The repetition of a morning’s commute is a mind-numbing experience as we become underwhelmed by the sameness of each passing moment. The redundancy of the route makes us blind to subtle changes and the little hidden pearls that are always present. The shackles of life’s endless rerun are not difficult to escape given the opportunity to break from work. It is the monotony of daily life that fuels the wanderlust that I feel down to my bones.

Cat's Eye Snake (moderately venomous) - Sensoria Rainforest Preserve

At 1:00 a.m., June 20, 2015 Tamy and I left the comforts of home for the airport to begin our tenth excursion to Costa Rica. As with a few prior trips to Central America, we were chaperones to fourteen high school students who would be doing research with leaf-cutter ants. Much like the 2014 trip, the students were everything a chaperone could wish for. Polite, committed and adventurous, each one of my charges became wonderful travel companions. While much of our time was devoted to making their experience a positive one, we managed to steal minutes throughout the days to pursue our passion for nature and photography.

Peek-a-Boo Bananaquit - Finca La Anita in Colonial Libertad

Adventure and international travel is a transformative experience. Rather than residing in some miniature recreation of home or a pseudo-utopian vacationland, eco-travelers revel in the realness of a place where non-humans freely interact with the humans in their landscape. Such experiences are a hard break from the “Groundhog Day” we relive in our working lives, and it is times like this when adults can play and begin to hunt for the gems that are hidden in plain sight.

Green Mantis - Horizontes Biological Station

Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) - Jasper NP, CanadaCanon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS — Rocky Mountain goat (*Oreamnos americanus*) - Jasper NP, Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

Did You Know (40)?

February 18, 2015 in February 2015

The Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) may be as much antelope as it is goat. Mountain goats belong to an order of even-toed ungulates known as Artiodactyla. This large mammalian group includes antelopes, gazelles, cattle, muskox and true goats. Classified within the subfamily Caprinae or goat-antelopes, the mountain goat is the only member of the genus Oreamnos. The evolutionary history of this species is unclear, making the mountain goat a classic example of a ‘rogue taxon.’ Various DNA comparisons fail to link mountain goats with any one extant (living) Caprinae species thus suggesting that it is basal within its group. This distinction makes the mountain goat truly unique member of its biological family.

Megalopyge (Puss) Caterpillar - Selva Verde, Costa Rica

Did You Know (38)?

February 16, 2015 in February 2015

Biodiversity is the scientific way of describing variety; it is a measure of the total number of distinct species in a defined area. Some biologists assess biodiversity by examining genes within a population, while others invoke the classical “species concept” as a way of defining the species richness of an ecosystem. Regardless of the measurement tool, high biodiversity is a good thing and is cited as a positive indicator for environmental health.

Costa Rica and its tropical forests are known for its high species richness. Some regard the entire country as an ecological hotspot. With the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Pacific to the west, two distinct weather systems collide where the mountains bisect the country. Traveling east to west, the elevation increases along the Caribbean slope. The cumulative affect of oceanic air and elevation changes result in the formation of distinct microclimates that define multiple ecosystems within small patches of land. Like the Caribbean, the Pacific Slope is geologically diverse. As the mountains sink towards the ocean, the structure and diversity of the forests change. Geographic diversity and climate stability contribute to the staggering biological variety found across the country.

Recent research suggest that scientists have underestimated the diversity of life on the planet. Specifically, Genoveva Rodriguez-Castaneda found that tropical insect diversity increases with increasing elevation1. Montane forests are defined by plant species that have adapted to narrow geographic and climactic conditions. Each valley or hill creates a microclimate that defines a distinct ecotone (ecotone: transition zone between habitats). As environmental characteristics become increasingly narrow, so do the characteristics of a given niche. These narrowly defined niches promote specialization and diversification. As a result of these observations, scientists now project that there may be six times more insect species than previously suggested.

The sloth-like Megalopygidae larvae pictured here is an embryonic crinkle or flannel moth species. Megalopygidae species can be found in North America and the Neotropics. The larva are often called Puss Caterpillars and have venomous spines that, when touched, can produce a variety of symptoms. In addition to pain and inflammation, a sting can cause headaches, nausea and shock2. This individual was found in a secondary tropical forest within Costa Rica’s Caribbean Slope.

Genoveva Rodríguez-Castañeda, Lee A. Dyer, Gunnar Brehm, Heidi Connahs, Rebecca E. Forkner, Thomas R. Walla. LETTER: Tropical forests are not flat: how mountains affect herbivore diversity. Ecology Letters, 2010
"Megalopygidae." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

Joshua Tree Sunset (Yucca brevifolia) - Joshua Tree National Park — Joshua Tree Sunset *(Yucca brevifolia)* - Joshua Tree National Park

Did You Know (37)?

February 15, 2015 in February 2015

When Mormon settlers crossed the Mojave in the mid-19th century they "saw" the hands of Joshua reaching towards the heavens... so goes the origin of this tree's colloquial name. Joshua Trees (Yucca brevifolia) are a tree-like monocot plant that belong to the family Agavaceae. Although they are not true trees that produce growth rings with a woody core, this top heavy plant stretches nearly eleven meters towards the desert sky. The asymmetric branching and long spiky leaves remind me of the lonely acacias that dot vast stretches of the African savanna. Restricted to an altitude of 400 to 1800 meters, Joshua trees are an icon of the high desert. Their survival is contingent on adapting to the arid environment, and the plant's morphology reflects its evolution. A long taproot that seeks deep pockets of water, waxy leaves that prevent desiccation, and reproduction timed to ephemeral rains are an adaptive response to life in the desert. Following a heavy precipitation event, large clusters of fragrant white flowers (panicles) emerge and await their pollination. The pollinator is an obligate symbiont known as the pronuda yucca moth. Female moths will deposit eggs into the panicle and, in doing so, cross pollinate the trees. Larval moths feed on developing seeds and will emerge following metamorphosis. The yucca moth and Joshua tree coexist in a mutualistic relationship in which both the moth and tree benefit from their codependency.

* Did You Know #37 is a modification of a blog that I first posted on April 9, 2011

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