tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-797943764255951682024-03-18T23:33:01.401-04:00Wandering in CanadaThings you might find if you wander in Canada's wild spacesObserverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-78063852152401946932018-07-10T17:10:00.003-04:002018-07-10T17:19:55.303-04:00It looks like a bee and sounds like a bee... but it's not a beeI've written about mimicry of bees by flies before, in context of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoverfly">syrphid flies</a>. Syrphid flies are generally considered<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batesian_mimicry"> Batesian mimics</a>, which means, broadly speaking, that they mimic a more harmful creature. In the case of syrphid flies, they are mimicking stinging insects like wasps and bees, and thereby get to piggyback on the anti-predator defenses of those species. This kind of mimicry can only work if the creature being mimicked signals its ability to harm a predator in some way that can be imitated.<br />
<br />
What I'm writing about today is a bit different. I managed to snap a picture of a bumble bee-imitating <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilidae">robber fly</a> last week in my local ravine park. Although it's possible that the bumble bee-imitation confers some anti-predation advantages to the robber fly through Batesian mimicry, something else is probably also going on here: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggressive_mimicry#Wicklerian-Eisnerian_or_mimicry_of_harmless_species">Wicklerian-Eisnarian mimicry</a>. The idea with this kind of mimicry is that an organism imitates a less harmful one in order to avoid detection by its prey. Robber flies prey on other insects, including bees; looking a lot like a bumble bee is probably a pretty good way to get close enough to their prey to kill them, since bees are nectar and pollen eaters rather than insect eaters. From the perspective of many insects, a bumble bee is no particular threat, while a robber fly is definitely worth avoiding.<br />
<br />
There are many other types of mimicry besides these two, as well. I was rather pleased to get a picture of a bee mimic that isn't a pollinator but rather a predator. Pretty neat! They also sound a lot like bumble bees, interestingly, so the mimicry goes beyond visual cues in the case of this robber fly, which I think is in the genus <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laphria_(fly)"><i>Laphria</i></a>, and which has caught an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_ash_borer">emerald ash borer (</a><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_ash_borer">Agrilus planipennis</a></i>)<i>. </i>Robber flies consume their prey by piercing their bodies with a hardened tube that serves as their mouth, through which they inject their prey with some digestive enzymes and then suck out the delicious bug juice that results.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROjJQYNE6H3_NsuGtcugX8M_ZCckZTG_wWEyknVh3Z4ehnYERxdyQJ7XrjTF-n8gcr08Oloy7yI3emmsH_7DR6QskU1bgeMjLDu2OxU6_Xt8JZj2A5H9z26_LnrodOWxlKgMqirbubtju/s1600/RobberFly4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1246" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROjJQYNE6H3_NsuGtcugX8M_ZCckZTG_wWEyknVh3Z4ehnYERxdyQJ7XrjTF-n8gcr08Oloy7yI3emmsH_7DR6QskU1bgeMjLDu2OxU6_Xt8JZj2A5H9z26_LnrodOWxlKgMqirbubtju/s400/RobberFly4.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Laphria</i> sp. consuming <i>Agrilus planipennis </i>(sorry for the crummy cell phone camera photo)<br />
<i></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mmm, bug juice.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-66413515268551042372017-10-24T18:24:00.000-04:002017-10-26T09:29:15.581-04:00There's (bee) love in the airA couple of weeks ago I came across a rather unconventional-seeming insect gathering on the sidewalk on my way home from the lab:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTStKJSJIYpZenoMRXJLLmIw1GuxFmQkV0PXN4BGmymVgSXuE2O0CWGnTB-ZckKmeJeDRnQeeiWfIwkbd2m3fqvf4QCl1-6lWrMBoCkrIzapIhlVaKUvYNlmxKNPsMg_vlN-nAhl4-I5D/s1600/BeeThreesome.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1509" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTStKJSJIYpZenoMRXJLLmIw1GuxFmQkV0PXN4BGmymVgSXuE2O0CWGnTB-ZckKmeJeDRnQeeiWfIwkbd2m3fqvf4QCl1-6lWrMBoCkrIzapIhlVaKUvYNlmxKNPsMg_vlN-nAhl4-I5D/s640/BeeThreesome.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bombus</i> sp. mating pair (below), and harassing male (on top)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For many bees, fall is the mating season. The<i> Bombus</i> (bumble bee) life cycle is rather intriguing, so here's the condensed version: in the springtime, queens emerge from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diapause">diapause</a> (hibernation/overwintering) and begin foraging on the first flowers of the season. Each queen seeks out a suitable nesting site, starts building her nest and stocking it with pollen and nectar, and begins laying her eggs. Once the first brood of hatched larvae mature into workers, these workers take over foraging for the hive and the queen no longer leaves the nest. Instead she focuses her energy on laying more eggs. As the hives grow, workers may specialize further in their roles in the hive, some becoming foragers, others working primarily as nurses of the young brood, etc. For most of the season, the queen will lay eggs fertilized with the sperm she obtained from mating in the previous fall, which she stores in a dedicated sperm storage organ inside her body until she needs it. In bumble bees, fertilized eggs become females. During most of the season, the queen can suppress the sexual development of the females in her hive, so they remain incapable of laying eggs, and they serve as workers. But, toward the end of the season her control over workers starts to fail and the workers start developing their ovaries. During this period the queen will also lay some unfertilized eggs, and these unfertilized eggs become males (referred to as drones), and these drones leave the colony in search of mates. The queen either dies naturally or is killed by her workers, and the colony disbands.<br />
<br />
Once the colony disbands, the new queens are looking for a mate and a place to hibernate; the males try to find queens to fertilize. When they do get together to mate, if the queen doesn't find the male distasteful (if she does, she will evade him and even sting him if he gets too pushy about trying to mate with her), then he will attach himself to her and transfer some sperm into her. This part of the process only takes a couple of minutes at most, but a male bumble bee will stay attached to the queen and then produce a mating plug, basically just a sticky sperm-free substance that, if effective, will block the path up to the organ she uses to store sperm, thereby preventing any subsequent males from providing sperm. The process of transferring the mating plug can take up to 80 minutes (average of just under 37 minutes in one species, [<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000334729991196X">Duvoisin et al. 1999</a>]), so for the majority of the time that the queen and male are copulating, really it's just the male hanging on transferring the mating plug to prevent other males from getting a chance to fertilize the queen's eggs.<br />
<br />
So I filmed some bee porn. I watched these three on the sidewalk for about 25 minutes before I left because I was getting cold (and because the residents of the houses started giving me pointed, stern looks from their porches, since I was loitering with my camera out on the sidewalk across from an elementary school...). I may have come across them just at the beginning of copulation, so in theory I could have caught the moment when sperm transfer was occurring on camera, but I think it's much more likely that what I have filmed is the period during which the male transfers the mating plug. Whether or not I did, I would have no way to tell whether the male is transferring sperm or a mating plug just from the video. It's pretty cool for a few minutes, but gets repetitive after a while, so here's a short clip to give you an idea of what it looked like:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZeWdoHzUwI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ZeWdoHzUwI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I was aware of the production of mating plugs in <i>Bombus</i>, so I was somewhat confused to see the bee threesome pictured above. If the mating plugs work in the usual way that they are expected to, as a mechanical blockage preventing subsequent males' sperm from entering the reproductive tract of the female, then there would presumably be no benefit in being that harassing male on top; even if he waits until the other male leaves and tries to mate with the female, unless he has some way of overcoming the mating plug, then mating with this female would just waste some of his limited sperm supply. So naturally, I had to wonder what might be going on here that would lead to this kind of behaviour. There were a number of possibilities to consider:<br />
<br />
(1) it may be that this is an extremely rare behaviour because it is maladaptive, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to witness it;<br />
<br />
(2) mating opportunities are so scarce for male <i>Bombus </i>spp. that even a really slim chance to father the next generation by being the second mate to a queen, would be better than trying to find another queen to mate with;<br />
<br />
(3) the odds of siring some of the queen's offspring, even as a second (or later) mate to a queen aren't actually as bad as I am presuming based on the presence of the mating plug;<br />
<br />
(4) the mating plug doesn't directly or entirely prevent other sperm from entering the running to sire the queen's eggs, but instead serves some other purpose;<br />
<br />
(5) some other process or force that hasn't occurred to me.<br />
<br />
I won't spend much time on (5) except to say that it's the thing that keeps scientists up at night ("What if the thing I found was actually the result of something else I totally haven't even imagined, that just happens to be associated with the thing I measured???"). This is the unknown unknown. We try to get around this with study designs that reduce the likelihood that this is occurring, but we can't be perfect.<br />
<br />
Anyway, witnessing this bee threesome gave me lots of questions and very few answers, so I have been reading up for a few weeks in preparation for this post. I was able to discount (1) as a possibility fairly quickly, as I found a bumble bee mating study which directly references the frequent presence of harasser males (in a laboratory setting) during copulation [<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000334729991196X">Duvoisin<i> et al.</i> 1999</a>], though they note that none of them successfully displaced the first male during mating in their observations. At any rate, this is a behaviour that has been documented previously, so it's very unlikely that I witnessed a one-off event.<br />
<br />
Some previous work suggests that (2) is a contributing factor to the observed phenomenon of bee threesomes: male bumble bees very rarely get a chance to reproduce. This alone wouldn't explain the behaviour, though, since the harassing male has to hang around harassing this mating pair, which, if he's got no chance of siring any of the queen's eggs, is a complete waste of time that might be better spent looking for another queen to mate with. When I moved this mating threesome off the sidewalk--I was worried they would get trampled--I did notice that the harassing male seemed to be trying to displace the first male, but he didn't succeed. He may have waited until the pair were done mating and then tried his luck with the queen afterward, but if so there has to have been a good reason to do so. I did get some footage of his attempt to disrupt the first male:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n6_gQArp4dw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n6_gQArp4dw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
(3) and (4) are related issues. If the mating plug is imperfect as a mechanical blockage, then a subsequent male partner still has some chance of siring her offspring; similarly, if the mating plug serves a different purpose, then subsequent males' sperm might still have a chance as well. One indirect but very telling question to examine (3) would be to ask whether all the offspring produced by one queen are half- or full-siblings. If they're all full siblings, then she must only have a single successful mate, who gets to sire all of her offspring. If they can be half siblings, then that means that multiple males can sire her offspring (i.e., that subsequent males definitely have a chance). Multiple patrilines (groups of offspring with the same father) have been documented in some bees, notably honeybees, but very little is currently known about how closely related individuals in bumble bee hives are. Certainly it is theoretically possible to find multiple patrilines within a bumblebee colony, and <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/265/1392/221">Lierch and Schmid-Hempel (1998)</a> created colonies with multiple patrilines and showed that<i> Bombus terrestris</i> colonies with multiple patrilines are more resistant to parasites; a related study by <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00164387?LI=true">Shykoff and Schmid-Hempel (1991)</a> showed that pathogen transmission between bumble bee workers is lower in hives with more patrilines; consequently, multiple mating could be beneficial for queens, whose likelihood of producing a strong enough hive to reach end of season and produce new queens and males is higher if their resistance to parasitism is greater, e.g., through the presence of multiple patrilines. So, from the female perspective it may be better to have more mates and thus a more genetically diverse group of workers in the hive. However, the relationship between colony success and number of patrilines is not linear: <a href="http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055%5B1639:UCOPFP%5D2.0.CO;2">Baer and Schmid-Hempel (2001)</a> found that colonies with either just one, or more than four, patrilines did better than those with 2 or 3, and they speculate that this may be due to problems with worker social structure (i.e., conflicts between workers of different patrilines) with 2-3 patrilines present in the colony. Some older research has shown that more related honeybee workers are more likely to undertake the same kinds of colony work (i.e., that the tasks that individual workers end up doing within the colony structure are partly determined by genetics and/or relatedness) <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00290908?LI=true">(Robinson and Page 1989)</a>, which raises the possibility that more patrilines can result in improved division of labour within the colony, but I don't think any such pattern has been shown in bumble bees.<br />
<br />
The Duvoisin <i>et al.</i> (1999) paper mentioned above for discusses possible alternative functions of the mating plug, though they reject many of them and do not make any firm commitment to any particular function. It may be a form of nuptial gift (nourishment to improve the female's reproductive success), as is found in some organisms (e.g., a male bringing a female food), but this is unlikely as they found no useful nutrients in the mating plugs in their study. Another possibility is that the mating plug might actually serve more to prevent backflow of sperm, and thereby its loss, than to prevent subsequent males from transferring sperm. These researchers did note that the duration of copulation, which greatly exceeds the time needed to transfer sperm into the female's genital tract, may be related to the time needed for the sperm to get to the sperm storing organ inside the queen; if so, then this might be a secondary function of the mating plug (it wouldn't be the primary function, as you don't need a mating plug to stay attached to the queen for a longer period so if this were the main important thing, we would expect no mating plug but long mating duration). Fortunately, there's a very interesting analysis that suggests a possible function of the mating plug that is not mechanical interference with subsequent males: chemical behaviour modification! <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/98/7/3926.full">Baer <i>et al. </i>(2001)</a> found a chemical in the mating plugs of one bumble bee species that reduced queens' willingness to accept other mates afterward. In other words, the mating plug may make the queen more likely to refuse other males and so allow a male to monopolize opportunities to fertilize her eggs through behavioural modification rather than through mechanical interference.<br />
<br />
There are so many more amazing things to talk about in bumble bee mating, but I'm going to leave off here in the interest of not overwhelming everybody (including myself). I would just like to end by saying that there are so many questions left to answer in biology. It's a fascinating field, and every day I am confronted with the vastness of scientific knowledge, and the even greater vastness of things we have yet to understand. It's a wonderful time to be a scientist!Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-39167376944357229372017-09-27T12:03:00.000-04:002017-10-25T14:18:08.700-04:00Cheating in mutualisms? Nectar-robbing and nectar-thievingAs a pollination ecologist, I study the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutualism_(biology)">mutualistic</a> relationship between plants and their pollinators. Mutualism is roughly defined as an interaction between organisms in which both partners benefit in some way. Pollination is often treated as a classic case: the pollinator gets nectar (i.e., food), and the plant gets pollination (i.e., reproduction).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, it's worth remembering that neither participant is engaging in the interaction for the benefit of the other: in broad terms, the plant doesn't offer nectar to help out the pollinators, it does it because offering nectar improves the plant's success; the pollinator doesn't pollinate in order to help out the plants, it does it because foraging for food in flowers improves the pollinator's success. I've talked about plants that are jerks a few times before (<a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/05/sometimes-flowers-are-jerks-part-1-pink.html">1</a>, <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/05/sometimes-flowers-are-jerks-part-2-jack.html">2</a>, <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2017/05/it-takes-special-kind-of-obsession-to.html">3</a>); today I'm going to talk about the flip-side of that, the 'pollinators' who are jerks. In this case, when I say that a plant or a pollinator is a "jerk", I mean that it has developed an adaptation that allows it to gain the benefits of the plant-insect interaction without offering the interaction partner any benefit -- in other words, it's a cheater. Deceptive plants fall under this umbrella, because they deceive pollinators by seeming to offer a reward, but without actually doing so and thus without incurring the cost of making the reward (usually nectar). There's some really cool research that has been done on the evolution of cheating in mutualistic relationships, which I may talk about another time. For today, I'm going to focus more narrowly on floral larceny.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So what is floral larceny? The general idea is that the putative pollinator is obtaining the reward without offering the service. So a floral visitor gets nectar without moving any pollen. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar_robbing">Nectar-robbing</a> is a frequently-studied form of floral larceny: the visitor, rather than trying to get in through the regular opening of the flower, just cuts a hole near the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar"> nectary</a> and sucks up the nectar, avoiding contact with the reproductive parts of the flower and consequently providing no pollination service. In principle, certain floral shapes are adaptations that exclude bad pollinators and improve the fit of good ones by orienting them in particular ways in the flowers, but at least some of these flowers, particularly with long, tubular flowers, and especially the more rewarding ones, are more likely to be the targets of nectar robbers (<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/oik.02685/full">Rojas-Nossa et al. 2016</a>), so the extent to which they're actually excluding bad pollinators, as opposed to converting them into nectar robbers (which might be worse? Or not, see below), is unknown. Actual measured consequences of floral larceny on floral fitness actually range from negative to positive, which further complicates interpretation of nectar-robbing behaviour (see <a href="http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.110308.120330">Irwin et al. 2010 Annual Reviews of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematic</a>s).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I managed to get some footage of a nectar robber on <i>Impatiens capensis </i>(jewel-weed). You can see that the robber bites a hole in the flower to get at the nectar; it's quite clear that the nectar-robbing wasp is bypassing the reproductive parts of this flower, but I witnessed several wasps engage both in nectar-robbing, and then in the more standard foraging that involved entering the flower and possibly transporting pollen. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nw0WKgXFvSo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nw0WKgXFvSo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Similarly, if you look at the <i>Xylocopa virginica </i>(carpenter bee, notably one of the largest insect pollinators in this region; there are several shown in the videos below) on the hostas in the video below, first you can really clearly see in the slow-motion video as she pushes her tongue through the flower into the nectary, but in the next video in real-time, you can see that in some instances she may be brushing her very large abdomen over the reproductive parts of the plants anyway, and you can actually see some pollen grains on her shiny abdomen as she engages in this nectar-robbing behaviour, so it's not really clear whether she's truly failing to provide pollination services here, even while she engages in fairly classic nectar-robbing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FtdrgeeXVNw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FtdrgeeXVNw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qSlKUOuiMTc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qSlKUOuiMTc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another form of floral larceny is nectar thievery: the visitor enters through the normal floral opening, but does not make contact with the reproductive parts of the flower and consequently transfers no pollen. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have some footage of visitors engaging in nectar thievery on the hostas in my back yard. The video shows a relatively classical case, where the nectar thievery arises because of a morphological mismatch (i.e., the shape of the insect and flower don't match up correctly);this nectar thief is just too small to contact the reproductive parts of the flower, but of course that doesn't prevent it from foraging for nectar on the flowers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EjTBaQwJuP8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EjTBaQwJuP8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are also forms of floral larceny relating to pollen-robbing (which causes damage in the course of pollen removal, and in which the pollen isn't transmitted elsewhere), and pollen-thieving (no damage, but pollen is not transferred). There is very little information on these phenomena, probably because they would probably be extremely hard to confirm. Unfortunately, I don't have any footage of these. Pollen-thieving in particular might actually be quite common, depending on how we define it: here's some footage of <i>X. virginica</i> (carpenter bee) grooming pollen off herself; grooming is a common bee behaviour. Bees collect pollen to stock their nest cells with it (i.e., it's food for developing larvae), so a large quantity of the pollen they collect ends up not on other flowers but instead in the bees' nests. This might be considered a form of pollen theft, depending on how you want to define it. Pollen thieving is a rather understudied area, but there's an interesting review for those interested (<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-185X.2008.00074.x/full">Hargreaves et al. 2009</a>).<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J-apsueXm3U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J-apsueXm3U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bonus, partial answer to one of the questions I raised in my first post about <i>I. capensis</i> (why are they shaped like this), here's <i>Apis mellifera</i> (honeybee) grooming herself after visiting <i>I. capensis</i>. Notice that the big patch of pollen between her wings isn't getting removed. Possibly, then, the shape of <i>I. capensis</i> helps to ensure that pollen is deposited on a part of the pollinator where it's less likely to get groomed off and therefore lost as food for bee larvae. The shape could also be at least partially driven by improved accuracy of pollen deposition onto stigmas; if the pollen ends up just anywhere on the pollinator, it might not be very accurately transmitted onto the stigmas of other flowers.</div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7z-4QgthNNc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7z-4QgthNNc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For fun, here's some footage of a <i>Bombus</i> sp. (bumblebee) worker who is definitely picking up pollen as she goes, though it's less obvious whether she's successfully depositing it on stigmas. Look at all that pollen on her abdomen! Pretty much whenever she enters and leaves the flower, she's brushing right up against the reproductive parts of the hosta:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d1ApZuIbm3E/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d1ApZuIbm3E?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-61137286648029564002017-09-24T10:53:00.000-04:002017-09-24T12:22:23.688-04:00Pop! goes the seed podEarlier this week, I <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2017/09/impatiens-capensis-pollination-bonus.html">posted</a> about the profusely blooming <i>Impatiens capensis</i> (jewel-weed), particularly a few visitors I managed to film visiting the flowers.<br />
<br />
Today, I want to share something rather different. It's not as much in my area, but it is a rather awesome feature of this and some other plants: explosive seed dispersal. Yes, that's a thing.<br />
<br />
The biological purpose of a flower, of course, is reproduction. Remember from the last post that <i>I. capensis </i>individual plants make male flowers, which donate pollen to fertilise ovules, and they also make female flowers, which produce ovules that, when fertilised with pollen, will develop into seeds.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0luGzq-YbtV66w1PsmEFKemIO7ifoFyYSHfMA5IklNM49bWNFPvlm8GhJH5SnpkDKhCvNvY6_sm-cq_ZPTdNle6iMU7LSJQ_bm_aH7EgX2ojTOYuN_jgTlpp2fV_9AgdQ6YSxcPvr-TD7/s1600/Impatiens_capensis_male_and_female_flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0luGzq-YbtV66w1PsmEFKemIO7ifoFyYSHfMA5IklNM49bWNFPvlm8GhJH5SnpkDKhCvNvY6_sm-cq_ZPTdNle6iMU7LSJQ_bm_aH7EgX2ojTOYuN_jgTlpp2fV_9AgdQ6YSxcPvr-TD7/s640/Impatiens_capensis_male_and_female_flowers.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impatiens capensis</i> male flower (middle) and female flower (right).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>Impatiens capensis </i>is an annual, so any given individual won't grow back in the spring; consequently, it won't compete directly with its offspring for suitable growing space. The seeds are all at least half-siblings, however, so it's in the interest of the genes not to have (half-)siblings too close together.<br />
<br />
Basically, there's good reason to suppose that a strategy that disperses seeds within a few meters of the plant (i.e., close to where suitable conditions for growth and reproduction were found, since the parent grew and successfully reproduced there, and because the plant is an annual there's no major incentive to disperse offspring further from the parent plant to avoid parent-offspring competition), but not all too close to one another (since they're at least half-siblings and share genes, so the genes would spread better through a population if they don't spend too much energy directly competing with each other), would be advantageous for this species.<br />
<br />
There are all sorts of seed dispersal mechanisms. Explosive seed dispersal (a.k.a. projectile dispersal) is one of my favourite, however, because it's very dramatic. Here's what a seed pod looks like in <i>I. capensis</i>:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmHrtPS_eKbbW-Qh8kmk5N_gENTfJXtEd8Q_mB0hrrgJTjKPNg4on34-jgz6sSQp7zdG0eYCv_gAjsLvx7nDxgtgBona19VVWxjXDygrxRBbrFlQTzK5aViAMoBQzRItHs1L6I_yYbfWH/s1600/IMG_20170916_1208377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmHrtPS_eKbbW-Qh8kmk5N_gENTfJXtEd8Q_mB0hrrgJTjKPNg4on34-jgz6sSQp7zdG0eYCv_gAjsLvx7nDxgtgBona19VVWxjXDygrxRBbrFlQTzK5aViAMoBQzRItHs1L6I_yYbfWH/s640/IMG_20170916_1208377.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impatiens capensis</i> seed pod</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Inside this elongated structure, there are a bunch of seeds (somewhere around 8-10, if I remember correctly). Each plant can produce quite a lot of these. So the explosive seed dispersal may be how <i>I. capensis</i> got one of its common names, "touch-me-not", but I think that's a misnomer because it's so fun to pop them that I highly recommend that anybody who gets a chance should definitely touch them.<br />
<br />
They pop quite audibly:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IRSk6ACnROg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IRSk6ACnROg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
So how does this even work? I tried to slow my videos down so that it's a bit easier to see what's happening, but it's so rapid that I have limited success. Watch for the seeds and pod flesh flying off:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8_sM2us8fEM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_sM2us8fEM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
In order for the seed pod to explode like this when touched, it has to be storing energy. Fortunately for me, I don't have to speculate too much in explaining what's happening here, because New Phytologist just<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.14541/full"> published an article</a> by Hugo Hofhuis and Angela Hay on the topic of explosive seed dispersal in <i>Cardamine hirsuta</i>, a species with extremely similarly shaped seed pods to <i>I. capensis</i> (though the two species are not closely related). I'm going to presume that the broad strokes, at least, are pretty similar in<i> I. capensis</i>. The article is really neat and I highly recommend that you read it, but here's my very brief summary of the findings from the article that may apply to <i>I. capensis</i> explosive seed dispersal.<br />
<br />
The TL;DR is that these seed pods (likely) have specially shaped cells and extra lignin in places; essentially they're shaped so that they're always just on the very edge of curling up together, and touching them disturbs the delicate balance that is holding the seed pod's shape. Notice what happens to the fleshy parts of the pods afterwards:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2T9akfXrBD9BQT12Ej6h3-XX4ZKZaP01_qtWUlyo2kcBlbr-2MtqknRSJA24TnbHkHgTjEpB4hCpnfXp3azVFUNiPoHD0drxCG5PhEPMKAzz7wYVbI-g1bMylSodSL1s8mKONq0I2JkG/s1600/IMG_20170916_1209510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2T9akfXrBD9BQT12Ej6h3-XX4ZKZaP01_qtWUlyo2kcBlbr-2MtqknRSJA24TnbHkHgTjEpB4hCpnfXp3azVFUNiPoHD0drxCG5PhEPMKAzz7wYVbI-g1bMylSodSL1s8mKONq0I2JkG/s640/IMG_20170916_1209510.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impatiens capensis</i> seed pod after explosion is triggered</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Neat, eh?Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-15231624115632416292017-09-19T18:24:00.000-04:002017-09-24T12:23:26.646-04:00Impatiens capensis pollination (Bonus: even bees can be clumsy)I know I haven't blogged in quite a while. Life got very hectic for a while. In the months my last post, I have finished my M.Sc., <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.12831/full">gotten published</a>, and moved to the University of Toronto to start my Ph.D.!<br />
<br />
Over the weekend I got a chance to take a long walk with my patient and long-suffering husband, who indulged my snagging his new blackberry to take a ton of footage of bees visiting the tens of thousands (at least!) of <i>Impatiens capensis</i> (common name jewel-weed) in the ravine park near our new home. I made all sorts of exciting videos, but today I'm going to share just a few simple ones, as the others will take quite a bit of research and time to write up. I will post these throughout the fall because they're very exciting.<br />
<br />
NOTE: I have been informed that my videos don't work on mobile. I'm working on it, but in the meantime they do run on desktop.<br />
UPDATE: try clicking the title of the video instead (treat as link) on mobile. Opens in youtube app. If you don't have youtube app, please report back telling me what it does when you click the video link!<br />
<br />
To start, here's a picture of the plant itself:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKegv6mxxfzqFI8ms72CaIBqk9OdIqU2L0g_eSgqJCzZp9hyPJOYjIu3g4R8a-ufhfhuF2vnpfujvjs7yczDYpjvjCEwjCzkaxMW8o3HiSSOId4jwaN_QtbTspszmITp7h1L2N5a43Grr0/s1600/Impatiens_capensis_whole_plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKegv6mxxfzqFI8ms72CaIBqk9OdIqU2L0g_eSgqJCzZp9hyPJOYjIu3g4R8a-ufhfhuF2vnpfujvjs7yczDYpjvjCEwjCzkaxMW8o3HiSSOId4jwaN_QtbTspszmITp7h1L2N5a43Grr0/s640/Impatiens_capensis_whole_plant.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impatiens capensis</i> whole plant view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Let's take a quick look at some general reproductive biology of <i>I. capensis</i>. The plant is monoecious, meaning that each plant reproduces through both male and female function; however, each individual flower is unisexual (i.e., any given flower is either male or female but not both). In the photo below, I show three flowers on the same individual. If you look at the top of the "mouth" of each of the lower two flowers in the picture, you will see that each has a different structure; the middle flower has a large, bulbous, whitish structure, while the rightmost flower has a slender green structure.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eiZn98hYyOy2ebq_0fS6K_aI95iyKlQ9c7hVUW9hHteWzDpdBktT0NHSo6HUC9zrV4qdG9OuYeCBtfuNgRLTZFeg_rzEkeA7_UKW0sGrtMMUNbyymjST3wdfOZhwE4kexh46ZX-cRJ0t/s1600/Impatiens_capensis_male_and_female_flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eiZn98hYyOy2ebq_0fS6K_aI95iyKlQ9c7hVUW9hHteWzDpdBktT0NHSo6HUC9zrV4qdG9OuYeCBtfuNgRLTZFeg_rzEkeA7_UKW0sGrtMMUNbyymjST3wdfOZhwE4kexh46ZX-cRJ0t/s640/Impatiens_capensis_male_and_female_flowers.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impatiens capensis </i>male (middle) and female (right) flower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The middle flower is a male flower; the whitish deposit on it is pollen, ready to be deposited on the back of a pollinator that climbs into the flower looking for nectar (the nectar is in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar_spur">nectar spur</a>, the little narrow tube curling off the back of the flower, visible on the middle flower). The rightmost flower is a female flower, with a stigma ready to pick up pollen from the back of a visiting insect.<br />
<br />
The flower has some rather complex floral anatomy I won't get into right now. There's a pretty good explanation of which parts are sepals and which parts are petals <a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/or_jewelweed.htm">here</a> for those interested. The important thing to note is the lower lip, made of two structures wrapping around the front of the flower, one on each side, that form a sort of landing area of pollinators. They also restrict the width of the flower opening (see photos below).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOsZ9uyi_ttPMGrQGdlu2lSuhHXwgZj33RBUMWNzNA7CT4sClk5ECgdMPQ46lESK90wPJTXdjHGGZLH99Cell9ACFzJ4p_bf5KL7Nc9GbT2So1ouA_cyaOJX2YyYyDT9sELOfHqcO8Q33/s1600/Impatiens_capensis_male_flower_F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOsZ9uyi_ttPMGrQGdlu2lSuhHXwgZj33RBUMWNzNA7CT4sClk5ECgdMPQ46lESK90wPJTXdjHGGZLH99Cell9ACFzJ4p_bf5KL7Nc9GbT2So1ouA_cyaOJX2YyYyDT9sELOfHqcO8Q33/s640/Impatiens_capensis_male_flower_F.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impatiens capensis </i>male flower front view. Note that the two sides of the "landing" petals on the front are not fused, just overlapping, and that their shape, because they come down from above around the opening of the cone, reduces the size of the entrance into the flower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VcftHOl7SmSek6wSjXTNWGNuRct0L2pVEkQaqq0Ss1EL9CIZz_OLdYAVz6GaWp6r7rdse5GhYaUTkGy0HyThbcO6dTBB-_3B6Wc5vw6jVd7X6Nfr41PWvmsgKm0mPUVTVvVOLjUXINSe/s1600/Impatiens_capensis_male_flower_L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VcftHOl7SmSek6wSjXTNWGNuRct0L2pVEkQaqq0Ss1EL9CIZz_OLdYAVz6GaWp6r7rdse5GhYaUTkGy0HyThbcO6dTBB-_3B6Wc5vw6jVd7X6Nfr41PWvmsgKm0mPUVTVvVOLjUXINSe/s640/Impatiens_capensis_male_flower_L.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impatiens capensis</i> male flower side view. Notice that the lower "landing" petals are not attached to the conical structure behind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So I'm going to skip over all sorts of exciting stuff about this plant (why does it have unisexual flowers? Why place pollen on a visitor's back? What's up with that super-complex floral shape?) in order to move straight to some awesome video of assorted Hymenopterans (bees, wasps, ants) visiting this awesome flower!<br />
<br />
So I noted above that the '"landing" petals form not just a place for a pollinator to land on the flower, but also a constriction around the opening of the conical part; remember that the nectar is all the way at the back of that cone, in the little nectar spur curling down under the flower. There are several strategies to get past the opening to access this nectar (and then leave again after): one is to simply be small enough to fit through the constriction made by the landing petals; that's how <i>Apis mellifera </i>(honeybee) is doing it (note at 10:00 that you can really see the pollen on this honey bee's back!):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z1QLvOXK6C8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z1QLvOXK6C8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Backing out of the flower can be quite tricky. I managed to get some footage of a visiting wasp finding an alternate method of exiting, which capitalises on the fact that the landing platform and the conical structure behind are not attached to each other:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NurFXXTdzpQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NurFXXTdzpQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The <i>Bombus</i> sp. (bumblebee) workers I saw visiting the plants, however, were too big to fit through the opening. But, have no fear! They worked it out anyway. Here's one worker diligently visiting lots of flowers. She's making more room for herself by using her strong back legs (2 pairs) to push the landing petals apart a bit, so that she can shove her head and thorax into the flower and get at the nectar. You'll notice that she doesn't have much difficulty leaving, either, since she's well placed with four legs outside the flower. As far as I can tell, she's just dropping right out of the flower and then flying away.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0YD1BZJVq5o/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0YD1BZJVq5o?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Here's a longer video of the same bee, diligently visiting a lot of flowers in a row. There's also a little bonus at the end of this video. If you've been clumsy and felt ridiculous for it recently, I have something to comfort you: even bees can be clumsy. If you watch closely at the end, you'll see her climb into a flower, and then she and the flower both fall off the plant to the ground!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NEmTyFA9bsM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NEmTyFA9bsM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-73350362501139754072017-05-29T10:44:00.004-04:002017-09-19T19:08:33.848-04:00It takes a special kind of obsession to do fieldwork<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2017/04/a-new-field-season-begins.html">I wrote a few weeks ago</a> about the start of the field season. I have been back up to the field site a couple of times since then mostly for basic surveying and laying out the plots that will stay in place for the next few years.<br />
<br />
This week things got serious, though. Our orchids of interest, <i>Cypripedium arietinum</i> (ram's head orchid, fr: Cypripède tête-de-bélier), are finally blooming! This year they're blooming rather later than usual, as I have informal records going back several years showing the orchid flowering by May 17th -- they didn't start this year until May 22nd.<br />
<br />
Here's what these little beauties look like:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQK1_Gw7GHf-O28Vde-k0zQaMxM-8QhllTTM_3lUrVeqAjJjoGDAXkKRhb21M4SQogo8mESnUZyxTz6I153D7LGfFLi9Jqmqvnn7wEQOxL76rx7TgIyuc2Vr4mmBPFtBL4x4fD4Qvrwju2/s1600/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Entire.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQK1_Gw7GHf-O28Vde-k0zQaMxM-8QhllTTM_3lUrVeqAjJjoGDAXkKRhb21M4SQogo8mESnUZyxTz6I153D7LGfFLi9Jqmqvnn7wEQOxL76rx7TgIyuc2Vr4mmBPFtBL4x4fD4Qvrwju2/s640/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Entire.2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These little guys are gorgeous up close, but actually not very showy (at least to the human eye) -- they are very small, generally somewhere between 10 and 25cm tall at the flower (around a handspan off the ground) and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labellum_(botany)">labellum </a>(white and purple-veined petal-looking portion of the flower) is only about 1-1.5cm tall from lip to point, around 1cm wide, and only 1-1.5cm from front to back -- similar in size to the tip of an index finger. Moreover, their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepal">sepals</a> (the brownish-red petal-like things sticking up, or out to the sides) are brownish and earlier in flowering development they lean down over the labellum, disguising it from view from above. This position of the sepal over the labellum can be seen in a photo in one of my previous blog posts, <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2014/05/orchidaceae-cypripedium-spp-orchids.html">here</a>. These factors come together to make <i>C. arietinum</i> a subtle, hard-to-spot little orchid.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcsG-8gDeUmAzLbJoMq_ssOH17Hgik5M7SniCYxSUDNAIQysQ1u_g_LdcNMZWlI_LbalPk2IojkJsv57IRMgXAH4dTVwDkYf38S0ZbtuHaTDC5hHxpkmd5XucfOKxC-Oi3D4hyphenhyphenfrEnSjJ/s1600/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Flower.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcsG-8gDeUmAzLbJoMq_ssOH17Hgik5M7SniCYxSUDNAIQysQ1u_g_LdcNMZWlI_LbalPk2IojkJsv57IRMgXAH4dTVwDkYf38S0ZbtuHaTDC5hHxpkmd5XucfOKxC-Oi3D4hyphenhyphenfrEnSjJ/s640/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Flower.2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum</i> flower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One rather interesting aspect of orchid pollination biology is the production of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollinium">pollinia</a>. Basically, instead of presenting pollen in loose grains that are removed and delivered in small numbers by pollinators, orchids (and a few other plants, e.g. milkweeds) produce their pollen in two big sticky masses called pollinia (singular pollinium) -- a pollinator either leaves with a big blob of sticky pollen, or without any pollen at all. Similarly, a flower receives pollen in big sticky masses. There are a couple of advantages to this kind of system: paternal success per pollinator visit is improved, because if a flower gets an opportunity to sire seed (i.e. its pollinium is transported to another flower), it gets to sire a lot of seed all at once because there are enough pollen grains in the pollinium to fertilize most/all of the available ovules; maternal success per pollinator visit is also improved, for similar reasons to the above. Of course, there's a loss of genetic diversity in offspring, as under these conditions all seeds from the same flower are full-siblings (same paternal and maternal parent), whereas if pollen grains were carried individually or in small numbers many of the resulting seeds would be half-siblings (same maternal parent, but different male parents).<br />
<br />
I actually took some photos that show the pollinia of <i>C. arietinum</i>, so let's take a look:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux5hWu6KPCU6IjAnaMBPHoIset0Aj0qHyEKZaE9mHmCwytt42jhyoEp-jAPfRYTRpSA12GdzIXH8keltfpkqqYKQAXTRnNhW3DBnMJ4TMS0qziAHzcqDgImleXPYapIWjwPG5YYIIC5YQ/s1600/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Flower.7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux5hWu6KPCU6IjAnaMBPHoIset0Aj0qHyEKZaE9mHmCwytt42jhyoEp-jAPfRYTRpSA12GdzIXH8keltfpkqqYKQAXTRnNhW3DBnMJ4TMS0qziAHzcqDgImleXPYapIWjwPG5YYIIC5YQ/s640/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Flower.7.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum</i> pollinium -- look at the top of the labellum, where we have a fleshy structure below the dorsal (top) sepal -- if you look closely, under that structure (which is composed of filaments and pistil, fused), we see a round yellow blob -- that's the pollinum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So why would it be better to increase reproductive success per pollinator visit at the expense of genetic diversity of the offspring? Current thought is that it's related to the plant being deceptive (or rather, to the plant receiving very few floral visitors because it's deceptive). <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/05/sometimes-flowers-are-jerks-part-1-pink.html">I've talked about floral deception before</a>, but in a nutshell the flower lures pollinators in by signalling that it offers a reward (nectar), but once the pollinator arrives it discovers that it's been had, that there's no nectar reward at all. Being food deceptive allows a flower to reduce its investment of energy in pollinator attraction (it doesn't have to make nectar, which is costly), but being food deceptive also means that the flower gets a lot fewer visits, because the pollinators learn that this flower is a liar and not worth visiting.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdDL6UYJXJRd_xcUYR17VmaPaE49ooeqCooNE2xG7Gmn8_VpMHw_8XIeSe-v07OFEMWrHl4lbjPNM6hP08WazcAg_xlVhyphenhyphen-t1XvGOIPXVHqOAlWXHIFrzDphMn4VFByqGfrIReNpKSHnh/s1600/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Flower.8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdDL6UYJXJRd_xcUYR17VmaPaE49ooeqCooNE2xG7Gmn8_VpMHw_8XIeSe-v07OFEMWrHl4lbjPNM6hP08WazcAg_xlVhyphenhyphen-t1XvGOIPXVHqOAlWXHIFrzDphMn4VFByqGfrIReNpKSHnh/s640/C.arietinum.1floweredTypeS.Flower.8.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a pretty liar, though, eh? <i>C. arietinum</i> looking into the labellum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Regardless of the delay in their flowering time this year, now that the orchids are blooming the intensive fieldwork starts. We set out several days this week to tag all of the flowering individuals (we're already up over 200 individual orchids), measure a suite of their characteristics, measure soil pH and moisture for each of them, take down canopy closure and other plot characteristics, and note the size of the flowering community around each individual. This is an enormous amount of work, as you might have guessed. And there are still at least 100 orchids left to go!<br />
<br />
One of the best things about fieldwork, <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2017/05/natural-history-and-ecology-go-together.html">which I touched on briefly in my last post</a>, is that making close observations out in the field can lead to new questions and new discoveries. For example, yesterday during my fieldwork I noticed something very odd and cool. It won't come as a complete surprise to my blog readers, as I have talked about mutations <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2017/05/natural-history-and-ecology-go-together.html">twice</a> <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2016/07/attack-of-mutant-thistle-homeotic-genes.html">before</a>. This time, no fasciation, but instead I found five two-flowered individuals in this species that generally only has one flower per stalk. Individuals producing more than one flower on the same stalk naturally have been documented in quite a few orchids, especially Cypripedium spp.; however, there are a number of possible reasons for the multiple flowers: stress-related growth malfunction? soil contamination growth malfunction? natural genetic mutation? natural morphological variation? When it comes right down to it, we don't currently know the cause.<br />
<br />
Of these two-flowered individuals, there seemed to be two broad 'types'. The first is a two-flowered individual wherein the upper flower is right-side-up and the lower flower is upside-down. There were three of this type in one of our study plots. Here are some pictures:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe_Md6CbvZTNFNWqv5qkD5dbZIE2wFnIDkT8MDuQ-q0mGIXJhSPItGkDkbkI4CPQX_aBLe6DxInOr8e3qTRhnGRs0N67v900rYrRgcyAeoOCBbbUY4vIkgRGmbJyOglxU5MU2fSAX4wNe/s1600/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeB.Flowers.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe_Md6CbvZTNFNWqv5qkD5dbZIE2wFnIDkT8MDuQ-q0mGIXJhSPItGkDkbkI4CPQX_aBLe6DxInOr8e3qTRhnGRs0N67v900rYrRgcyAeoOCBbbUY4vIkgRGmbJyOglxU5MU2fSAX4wNe/s640/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeB.Flowers.2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum</i> two-flowered individual. The upper flower is on the right, and the lower on the left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One visible consequence of the orientation of the second (lower) flower is that the bottoms of the labellums of the two flowers press together and result in some distortion of the shape of the labellum -- for all three of this type of two-flowered individual in the plot, the lower flower's labellum was compressed such that the point at the bottom (oriented upward in this flower) was folded back instead of deployed (flower on the left in the above photo), while the upper flower's labellum had its point deployed (flower on the left in the photo below).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAJml8A0_hV7UYMCEoPZVpPqDhG6KaYgHhpCTJKlQYc2Mn7j8cZY2ZNz4Phi-s2jAjkQ0_0Syx6jBY_OKBqDSxhLR0X_jK2huLDAuZ3w_zNvWLJcZDfnRzyN2pcSGsDinoLBdWYuebWsh/s1600/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeB.Flowers.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAJml8A0_hV7UYMCEoPZVpPqDhG6KaYgHhpCTJKlQYc2Mn7j8cZY2ZNz4Phi-s2jAjkQ0_0Syx6jBY_OKBqDSxhLR0X_jK2huLDAuZ3w_zNvWLJcZDfnRzyN2pcSGsDinoLBdWYuebWsh/s640/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeB.Flowers.3.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum </i>two-flowered individual, from the other side -- the upper flower is on the left and the lower on the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As you may have guessed, the second type of two-flowered individual I saw yesterday during my fieldwork was on in which both the first and second flowers were oriented correctly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaoJXmj93Hb_mZffCjzG4x4c5XDOjxf_3qqCfIGBS_773WXtb74kgDrf9YnLC2wiZMLialgqXOLB7I1BsYpqCJ9eGsGbuxmh3vu1z4oC2Nh46UWyO9L2yi0v4uKsaPJ8Jv2OPZgd1_ODf/s1600/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeA.Entire.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaoJXmj93Hb_mZffCjzG4x4c5XDOjxf_3qqCfIGBS_773WXtb74kgDrf9YnLC2wiZMLialgqXOLB7I1BsYpqCJ9eGsGbuxmh3vu1z4oC2Nh46UWyO9L2yi0v4uKsaPJ8Jv2OPZgd1_ODf/s640/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeA.Entire.3.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum</i> 2-flowered individual with both flowers correctly oriented</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Though there's no interference between the two flowers in their growth like with the two-flowered individual above, I did notice that this individual also had some weird sepals on the upper flower -- notably, the dorsal sepal is oddly tilted off to the side (you can't really see it in the photo below, for example), and on that side where the dorsal sepal is the lateral sepals are actually entirely missing, so it's short a pair of lateral sepals and the dorsal sepal is positioned oddly. Because of my low sample size (only two flowers), I have no idea if this weird sepal situation is related at all to the double flowers. The lower flower, though smaller than the upper, appears well-formed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YuhmPqwmVzucNFeO5zKAUbqtXnGZdGLXRdqne6axJsi2uPRandjbHX6jnCwXqyZgQtc0UWEJq3jR52E7Ac26bwbKAHpiHf4WDYPEHLYoMjM-l2QX2DR29QIwFXL7ZZw3TlIJnNePFiiQ/s1600/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeA.Flowers.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YuhmPqwmVzucNFeO5zKAUbqtXnGZdGLXRdqne6axJsi2uPRandjbHX6jnCwXqyZgQtc0UWEJq3jR52E7Ac26bwbKAHpiHf4WDYPEHLYoMjM-l2QX2DR29QIwFXL7ZZw3TlIJnNePFiiQ/s640/C.arietinum.2floweredTypeA.Flowers.2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum</i> two-flowered individual showing the flowers up close</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am still mulling over what kind of work we might be able to do with these unusual individuals. We will be limited by our very low sample size, but I live in hope -- maybe there will be more that we haven't spotted yet, as there are quite a few plots left to go! In the meantime, they're a curiosity worth documenting. Maybe this natural history find will turn into an ecological one in future!<br />
<br />
I suppose I've had a good ramble through the orchid patch now and will get back to the title of this post, which is ostensibly the main point here. These lovely pictures don't convey one aspect of the season: blackflies! It is peak blackfly season, so it's absolutely brutal out there. We are all wearing bug hats and tucking our pants into our socks, our shirts into our pants, binding our cuffs with rubber bands, wearing gloves, and just about bathing in DEET because the blackflies are ravenous and exceptionally numerous. It takes a special sort of obsession to put up with them for ten hours a day!<br />
<br />
I shared this video last year, but it's particularly apropos at the moment. Here's some delightful Canadiana about blackflies, sung by Wade Hemsworth and the McGarrigle Sisters and with animation by the national film board:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f389hIxZAOc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f389hIxZAOc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-94520263056014152017-05-24T15:34:00.004-04:002017-09-19T19:10:13.908-04:00Natural history and ecology go together like flowers and pollinatorsI've only very recently returned from Victoria, where I attended CSEE2017 and gave a talk. CSEE2017 was fantastic, but I will save my commentary thereupon for another post. I'm only mentioning my visit to Victoria now because I went to the <a href="http://www.butchartgardens.com/">Butchart Gardens</a> while there. To be perfectly honest, these days as a plant ecologist I often get grumpy visiting ornamental gardens, as they generally have few or no native plants, usually have virtually no pollinators to watch, and just lack ecological interest. Certainly I found the gardens beautiful, and if I were a horticulture aficionado I might have found more to interest my curiosity while there, but what actually caught my attention was this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-oN7KdTbweRdEpdB987PbslPmwUMi9OwMICJ9VbO6X7QXZWiHwqRDBgr4Yeym-PAT7BcEnOg97yvVo-9YH41Zgu5E1M7T54dbyDbveWjLt-hxED4X0nENJoNJ4L9ie0K8b_bS-g9NjCn/s1600/FasciatedTulipBSide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-oN7KdTbweRdEpdB987PbslPmwUMi9OwMICJ9VbO6X7QXZWiHwqRDBgr4Yeym-PAT7BcEnOg97yvVo-9YH41Zgu5E1M7T54dbyDbveWjLt-hxED4X0nENJoNJ4L9ie0K8b_bS-g9NjCn/s640/FasciatedTulipBSide.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulip showing stem fasciation and an abnormal number of flowers.<a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2016/07/attack-of-mutant-thistle-homeotic-genes.html"><br /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fasciation: an abnormal condition of growth tissues, wherein in the meristem (area of actively dividing, growing, and differentiating cells), rather than having its normal domed/round shape, is elongated in one dimension, resulting in thick, wide organs and distorted growth. For a more detailed discussion of fasciation, I invite you to read my previous blog post on the topic (linked below).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2016/07/attack-of-mutant-thistle-homeotic-genes.html">I have talked about fasciation before</a>, in context of a rather awesome monster thistle that displayed multiple levels of fasciation <i>plus</i> homeosis (substitution of one organ for another), so that was an individual with a lot of issues. But this fasciated tulip is rather intriguing to me because it exhibits only stem fasciation, with no other visible abnormalities. The photo below shows the fasciated stem clearly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79vQOfrZkW4KDjSRnneUMOJURqbeSTJDo2CdYvqGx3s7NNjMGr26_v0_MxliTTjeZK7M-PdxuyNwN0lrUTyjDS5GLEYlYhBpncQAiWPdfG66oOreEPG3PMZ8Vinj2uE5O0rNYc0m9ugck/s1600/FasciatedTulipBStem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79vQOfrZkW4KDjSRnneUMOJURqbeSTJDo2CdYvqGx3s7NNjMGr26_v0_MxliTTjeZK7M-PdxuyNwN0lrUTyjDS5GLEYlYhBpncQAiWPdfG66oOreEPG3PMZ8Vinj2uE5O0rNYc0m9ugck/s640/FasciatedTulipBStem.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fasciated tulip stem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, the fasciation of just the stem is interesting to me because it is specifically accompanied by a subsequent splitting of the fasciated stem and the production of multiple otherwise normal flowers, as seen in the first photo and even the one below, where there are two tulips rather too close to one another, but they are not fused (i.e. they grew on separate meristems) and they seem to be anatomically normal. You may have noticed that the photo below is a different plant -- at the gardens I saw three cases of this kind of stem fasciation in tulips with an abnormally large number of otherwise anatomically normal flowers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTIGa4lSt5x022PyxxgkyVEfik4-LVMhXyCxOdwkactcjcd-Ul-IFeCsUJrDGMq3X9MtMZ_pgruO0Y8B9JXdsdeb8kgxTyPEPuXU1d-X19fpnBoHHj9sjDzsU2yeBJE2Hb9Wx3N30TzMI/s1600/FasciatedTulipC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTIGa4lSt5x022PyxxgkyVEfik4-LVMhXyCxOdwkactcjcd-Ul-IFeCsUJrDGMq3X9MtMZ_pgruO0Y8B9JXdsdeb8kgxTyPEPuXU1d-X19fpnBoHHj9sjDzsU2yeBJE2Hb9Wx3N30TzMI/s640/FasciatedTulipC.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fasciated tulip again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since I saw it three times, it may well have been more common than that at the garden. Possibly this is a heritable fasciation (i.e. fasciation resulting from a genetic mutation); the probability of this option depends a bit on how the garden acquires and maintains their tulip population -- if they breed their own tulips, then it is possible that these fasciated individuals are actually related to each other, which increases the probability of this being a heritable genetic mutation.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-mlbZqAUo8gpbYSU3MQ92xD_UtCcbjbw5kEzcdbOyYhS-RCZfkOsN_MyUU5Vjr7-4sI-oWAuch1Pila0DJdPPC_fSjnNIuhkOviWld3WD83mQ-gvHpcXSfRK0sMlw6XpF9lByaFYOL6o/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-mlbZqAUo8gpbYSU3MQ92xD_UtCcbjbw5kEzcdbOyYhS-RCZfkOsN_MyUU5Vjr7-4sI-oWAuch1Pila0DJdPPC_fSjnNIuhkOviWld3WD83mQ-gvHpcXSfRK0sMlw6XpF9lByaFYOL6o/s640/IMG_0939.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fasciated tulip!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
However, as with the thistle, there are other reasonable possibilities, among them the possibility that the fasciation has an environmental cause (e.g. a pesticide or fertilizer applied to all the tulips), or that it results from a bacterial or fungal pathogen transmitted through the garden by gardening activities like watering and weeding.<br />
<br />
My friend and travelling companion, Kayleigh, also found a case of fasciation in <i>Bellis perennis</i> (english daisy) in Victoria. First, here's a normal one:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs384LssE8fs7aixaG4-yyREpJpJ37fyp__2ANs9TrYubHmIIN4VVfKfq4lL0WBh5X-C1VXO-5PlrrRFukzBzCL8-wz8qbzcLKa-eFC0_IMEPiNxKRmMBbI8twctLIfZd2yH0Uov-s5gRy/s1600/Bellisperennisnormal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs384LssE8fs7aixaG4-yyREpJpJ37fyp__2ANs9TrYubHmIIN4VVfKfq4lL0WBh5X-C1VXO-5PlrrRFukzBzCL8-wz8qbzcLKa-eFC0_IMEPiNxKRmMBbI8twctLIfZd2yH0Uov-s5gRy/s640/Bellisperennisnormal.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bellis perennis normal specimen -- photo taken by K.G. Nielson and used with permission</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And our weird mutant showing floral fasciation (this is what is not seen in the tulips above; with them, the stem is fasciated but the flowers normal; with this one, the stem is normal but the flower is fasciated):<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLcJR72kgqicsiUK0pCN59mwk26J-ZRrsrHrhDxKrMW-y5165baCEOTlK2sbtpsT_Ugb8_pHKcpkA9WXioZuTHKOiKRy2BA1QDwBOoncPzda7NTEClt8WjJlYocDpTr9tSYdPXczrh2kS/s1600/Bellisperennisfasciated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLcJR72kgqicsiUK0pCN59mwk26J-ZRrsrHrhDxKrMW-y5165baCEOTlK2sbtpsT_Ugb8_pHKcpkA9WXioZuTHKOiKRy2BA1QDwBOoncPzda7NTEClt8WjJlYocDpTr9tSYdPXczrh2kS/s640/Bellisperennisfasciated.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bellis perennis fasciated individual -- photo taken by K.G. Nielson and used with permission</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So you might be wondering when I'm going to get to the point. The point is this: an ecologist should also be a natural historian! There was <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/80-percent-of-young-environmental-scientists-could-use-more-natural-history-training/">an interesting opinion piece recently published</a> about the importance ecologists place on natural history (the largely observational study of organisms, particularly their traits, their interactions with their environment, and their history), and how ill-equipped many young ecologists feel to teach natural history.<br />
<br />
This story resonates with me, because I adore natural history but make no pretensions to having great skill or knowledge in the area; I am largely self-taught on this subject. I run this blog partly to share the beauty and wonder and amazing scientific appeal of nature, and partly to remind myself to root my ideas firmly in the reality (read: natural history) of the organisms and communities I study.<br />
<br />
I believe that natural history is where it all begins: a couple of ecologists on a walk notice a bunch of fasciated plants, and this spurs all sorts of wonderful lines of inquiry about how the fasciation comes about, how the condition might spread in a population, the particular mechanisms of function, the possible associations between assorted fasciation types, etc etc etc.<br />
<br />
Darwin is a particularly notable example of beginning ecology with natural history: his work starts with incisive observation and proceeds from there into testable hypotheses and experiments.<br />
<br />
When it comes down to it, everything we do as ecologists starts in with natural history.<br />
<br />
I don't have enough experience or expertise to weigh in on whether natural history training is lacking in many universities as suggested in the article I linked. I can't even say whether my own lack of extensive natural history training is due to my own neglect of my options, or due to an absence of options available to me. But at the personal heart of it, I'm an ecologist because it allows me to blend my deep and abiding love of natural history with the elegance, logic, and rigour of the scientific approach. I'm sure I'm not alone.<br />
<br />
The best ecological questions and hypotheses happen because ecologists are also natural historians.<br />
<br />
Besides, it's better for our health to get outside and wander around once in a while with our eyes wide open.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-42709454615309197692017-04-24T15:43:00.001-04:002017-04-24T15:45:24.183-04:00A new field season begins!I have been working away at my stats, analysis, and writing in the lab since <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2016/09/from-lab-to-field-to-lab-again.html">my last post in September</a> about the transition between fieldwork and data analysis. With the melting of the snow, I'm now heading back out into the summer portion of the ecology research cycle: field research!<br />
<br />
I will be collaborating with my labmate Cory and his old supervisor on long-term research with the population of <i>Cypripedium arietinum</i> (ram's head orchid) at the lake; I've written about this plant <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2014/05/orchidaceae-cypripedium-spp-orchids.html">before</a> -- there's a nice photo of the flower over on that post as well so go check it out!<br />
<br />
Orchids are interesting for lots of reasons. Here are just a few:<br />
<br />
(1) Many orchids are unrewarding, which means that they don't offer nectar to pollinators in exchange for pollen transport. With unrewarding orchids we can investigate questions about the evolutionary consequences and/or adaptive mechanisms for deceiving pollinators into moving pollen from plant to plant<br />
<br />
(2) Many orchids are spring ephemerals. This means that they flower in the brief window in the spring after the snow melts and before the trees put out their leaves. Synchronizing with their pollinators, which are just waking up from their winter hibernation, is particularly important for them to successfully reproduce. With these plants, then, we have opportunities to investigate how small- and large-scale variation in climatic conditions (e.g. timing of first snow melt, date of tree leaf bud bursting, quantity of canopy that's open throughout the blooming period, variation in temperatures, etc) can affect the emergence synchronization of flowers and their pollinator. <br />
<br />
(3) Orchids rely on fungi in the soil in order to germinate and grow, so we can ask questions about how such a system might evolve and how the orchids and fungi can affect each other over time and space.<br />
<br />
Cory and I went out yesterday to get some basic information about the areas where the plants are found, so that we can get a sense of what kind of designs are going to work best.<br />
<br />
At the start of the season we're often just exploring a bit, to get a sense of what we have to work with with respect to terrain and space. This kind of knowledge is invaluable for designing studies and making decisions about what kinds of tools and techniques we want to use.<br />
<br />
We were delighted to notice that we could pinpoint a few clumps of the plants because we found some old fruiting stalks (seed pods on old stalks) that survived over the winter. They aren't easy to spot because they're small and about the same colour as dead leaves and twigs on the ground, but with a bit of crawling around and some prior knowledge, they can be found.<br />
<br />
These old seed pods are great not just to help us locate plants, but also because they allow us to glean a bit of information about last year, too; a rough count of how many old seed pods there were this spring gives us a minimum number of seed pods that were produced last year (we can't know what proportion were lost over the winter, so we can't say how many more than this count were produced).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC97-SvmKcxeujvIkiI-59I4Yf3fK-7T7Jf4I3AHE4P5_wEAKCSm1GQV85QEdLkOc_6jdPm_2f4CQ0kXP9xJH7umVC9B8STWTHuxp8hcSyLhlNUrCImQlvP6XgGxfz5ZL-yaDlVYyE1f3j/s1600/Location1.C.arietinum.OldSeedPod.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC97-SvmKcxeujvIkiI-59I4Yf3fK-7T7Jf4I3AHE4P5_wEAKCSm1GQV85QEdLkOc_6jdPm_2f4CQ0kXP9xJH7umVC9B8STWTHuxp8hcSyLhlNUrCImQlvP6XgGxfz5ZL-yaDlVYyE1f3j/s640/Location1.C.arietinum.OldSeedPod.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old seed pod of <i>C. arietinum</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Because these orchids are perennials, finding these old stalks allowed us to locate at least some of the clumps of <i>C. arietinum</i> at our sites. What's more, we even found some very young shoots already coming up!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZcOtQbHqJ76i4Vb5TMfCco7LIWQU_20z8oKLzn33yjJ8QZxrmCLs2JvMwnTYQFKjdc2zohIOb5cleCDFDZZYdS0hNbo3QRapHW_mIJQx__9VFknT2_qea36bGwglzCp33tQOjB9CHG7B/s1600/Location.1.NewShootsofC.arietinum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZcOtQbHqJ76i4Vb5TMfCco7LIWQU_20z8oKLzn33yjJ8QZxrmCLs2JvMwnTYQFKjdc2zohIOb5cleCDFDZZYdS0hNbo3QRapHW_mIJQx__9VFknT2_qea36bGwglzCp33tQOjB9CHG7B/s640/Location.1.NewShootsofC.arietinum.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the centre of this photo (look closely) there are several little <i>C. arietinum</i> shoots just starting to come up; the white thing is a tag that we put in to mark the location of this clump</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Cory and I put in some temporary tags and some flags to mark off the general areas where we know there are plants; this will make our work easier next week when we go back next weekend to install permanent tags for the clumps of <i>C. arietinum</i>, since we're going to want to be able to track them across years.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPIs0rF5-f6bVmipLZCoU0Znx-mkBGi1Gaor8cvJdmiZ2WH_-oMgIJK-Rk_jTBhV5Yje7OgNMp5nWYn3y29vKuXsAr1wLfsHIgTR1oQHhz8TIYSZhiyBT62kwFmxFQpGp5pQk8rsWYgzD/s1600/Location2Cory2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPIs0rF5-f6bVmipLZCoU0Znx-mkBGi1Gaor8cvJdmiZ2WH_-oMgIJK-Rk_jTBhV5Yje7OgNMp5nWYn3y29vKuXsAr1wLfsHIgTR1oQHhz8TIYSZhiyBT62kwFmxFQpGp5pQk8rsWYgzD/s640/Location2Cory2.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cory, next to a pole that he placed to mark one of the areas of the property where we found some <i>C. arietinum </i>clumps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At that point, we'll also start making a GPS map of the coordinates of our populations and clumps for good long-term data maintenance, and as insurance against long-term markers being lost or displaced accidentally.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU8jAJ-4LVcZdgQj6iSpnQerJ4D4Culdyf3tLMsz4rOpZhL8YEgUcid2UiUVoDdDh73hUEDY7FkrUQDk72dL3aQtTXwg1j91JuX9oOzCSEwDmWrkKYl4PjnWTnq6OTbomJAbW3oFIQMZC/s1600/Location2.Julia.Erik.FindShoots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU8jAJ-4LVcZdgQj6iSpnQerJ4D4Culdyf3tLMsz4rOpZhL8YEgUcid2UiUVoDdDh73hUEDY7FkrUQDk72dL3aQtTXwg1j91JuX9oOzCSEwDmWrkKYl4PjnWTnq6OTbomJAbW3oFIQMZC/s640/Location2.Julia.Erik.FindShoots.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband was recruited as an unpaid but dearly appreciated field assistant; here we are counting old stalks, fruit, and new shoots in a clump of <i>C. arietinum</i> that he found.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We'll be going back throughout the season to track these plants as they grow, bloom, and fruit. I will post some more updates as the season progresses.<br />
<br />
Purely out of curiosity, we spent a bit of time fiddling with the old seed pods; we noticed that most of them had opened and dispersed all their seeds, already, but that some still contained seeds and were in varying stages of openness. Those that were partially open were interesting because when shaken or nudged, they sent out clouds of thousands of miniscule seeds! We took a video that is unfortunately out of focus, but you can see the seeds as little blurry pale things in the video clip below:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyjxZ1qz_dV7xZ6vt40F7aSZZKZtmeZfwtMnenSPVDExQml4frP--vEzZhZdYFEUQI-RMhFnfExklxU0jkmLw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
We also collected a couple of old seed pods from last year that hadn't opened and released all their seeds and spent a few minutes today looking at the seeds under the microscope out of curiosity. We weren't using the fancy Zeiss research scope in the lab upstairs, so there's no camera mount on this microscope and it's not the most amazing scope ever, but I can at least give an idea of what the seeds look like:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNBr22JMyHvD5ReBA-0uQNFDYY44Fg3LRa24cklCGk5J1U4euuyEZaCThnzixjM_vBLfYjUF-M_Nv0QHYIAYq_kVi9gYU0qhQv2GaX21cHkHTnMLGc8fklOADZGeVWIwZxt-vvy6FYdxg/s1600/IMG_3327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNBr22JMyHvD5ReBA-0uQNFDYY44Fg3LRa24cklCGk5J1U4euuyEZaCThnzixjM_vBLfYjUF-M_Nv0QHYIAYq_kVi9gYU0qhQv2GaX21cHkHTnMLGc8fklOADZGeVWIwZxt-vvy6FYdxg/s640/IMG_3327.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. arietinum</i> seeds; the dark spot in the centre is the seed itself. The old cell walls are visible in this image as dark lines that seem to be outlining somewhat rectangular shapes. This image is at taken at 100X magnification, so the entire structure including coat is maybe 1mm long or a bit less, while the seed is less than that. Tiny!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am absolutely delighted that the field season has started up again. This is just one of a few projects I'm hoping to work on this year. I will make sure to post a bit more this year than last about what I'm up to and why over the field season.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-90387506168737216702016-09-11T18:32:00.000-04:002016-09-12T09:09:03.318-04:00From Lab to Field to Lab AgainI'm back from the field! Now that I'm not living in a tent, I may have a bit more time to share some photos and information about the things I saw over the summer.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FX53eM4TSas_tclADZTV0PeZGLbjkFChQigp2bzFzo3gy1ESmyehdL8C4AKYt_31ZXhvvS06tZl4a3H2NuTqUtmgTmHeOrzmcwkLFHfHToPQNdOkVwB3UY1052Jr0k9aYm_xxeJLNYzM/s1600/DSCF0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FX53eM4TSas_tclADZTV0PeZGLbjkFChQigp2bzFzo3gy1ESmyehdL8C4AKYt_31ZXhvvS06tZl4a3H2NuTqUtmgTmHeOrzmcwkLFHfHToPQNdOkVwB3UY1052Jr0k9aYm_xxeJLNYzM/s640/DSCF0021.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at my fieldwork site with my experimental plants about two weeks ago; this posed shot is rather relaxed for my fieldwork, but the real work is rather sweaty & prickly, and consequently makes a bad photo, so this is what you get</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have been thinking, in the few days since my return from a gruelling (and wonderful!) summer of fieldwork, about the nature of the scientific endeavour. I thought it would be fun today to write a bit about how science happens.<br />
<br />
......... <br />
<br />
We scientists would like to believe that the first impulse to science is in an observation or an idea. I disagree with this; I think science begins with obsession.<br />
<br />
Nerds like me, willing to accept ludicrously long work hours and an income well below the poverty
line, out of sheer obsession
with their area of research, are the beginning of the research process. <br />
<br />
When you expose such a personality to the body of human knowledge in their area of obsession, research is conceived. Through the eyes of the obsessive researcher, every piece of knowledge emphasizes the existence of gaps. And researchers feel compelled to fill them.<br />
<br />
("Obsession," declares my husband in a tone which carries an undercurrent of 'duh', "What else could drive somebody to create a fully mobile bull thistle garden, 350 strong, and take it for walkies all summer long?" He's right, of course; my obsession with my research <i>is</i> what inspired me to do it, and what kept me going through all the digging and hauling.)<br />
<br />
So about this time last year, I was just embarking on the amazing adventure that is an M.Sc. I read, I taught, I wrote, I drafted, I erased (I erased more than I have ever erased in my life!!!), I rewrote, I redrafted, and of course, I obsessed. Eventually, I produced a design that passed muster with my supervisor and thesis committee (a collection of more senior researchers, generally <i>bona fide</i> ones unlike we 'apprentice' M.Sc. students). <br />
<br />
This is the point at which field ecological research takes a turn for the practical. I called, drove, e-mailed, talked, and otherwise explored for the express purpose of getting together the field site, field equipment, and experimental plants that I needed to take my idea from the whiteboard into the field.<br />
<br />
Fieldwork itself, though dispassionately described in a few stark paragraphs in the methods section of a research paper, is a distinctly visceral affair. Clean lines on quadruled paper become muddy tracks through scrub brush, and neat numbers are toiled out in days sweating under a blazing sun.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdv4qrF6_QMr3dIB0WMzQHUI9XZzenQP_z3Aj4epZ89e20yQLjHHUmAfYSIBcZP-NreFEkZL-6MnaDuBjuNslYUMrXL9Tzi5L9MOJV2Hi7k_iMkQBI8o4fSJVcFDNSLrnhvHpuL_O5mvWZ/s1600/DSCF0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdv4qrF6_QMr3dIB0WMzQHUI9XZzenQP_z3Aj4epZ89e20yQLjHHUmAfYSIBcZP-NreFEkZL-6MnaDuBjuNslYUMrXL9Tzi5L9MOJV2Hi7k_iMkQBI8o4fSJVcFDNSLrnhvHpuL_O5mvWZ/s640/DSCF0028.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solitary bee eating salt off of my sweaty skin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The pollinators whose behaviour was my primary research interest, in my plans mere marks on a page, became companions and hitch hikers, inhabiting space not just in my mind but around and even on my body.<br />
<br />
And I, obsessive scientist that I am, stood there and let them crawl over me. I observed them, interfering as little as I could, and watching closely as they unfolded their mysterious existences before me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XYxwPmhbGCwiB2TP9gPvUOb_umWqSfW4Zz4qnBUolELurg5OTG11yno8AqpKt1W74nTIUzt7uleNsndLhxrr_p9LpleJLNG6gkr409VFXZzUY6qvC1spUwROpS_Gk7K4uxKY511DZboL/s1600/DSCF0122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XYxwPmhbGCwiB2TP9gPvUOb_umWqSfW4Zz4qnBUolELurg5OTG11yno8AqpKt1W74nTIUzt7uleNsndLhxrr_p9LpleJLNG6gkr409VFXZzUY6qvC1spUwROpS_Gk7K4uxKY511DZboL/s640/DSCF0122.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road at my field site, no longer a line on a page but a hot, dusty path</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I took these pollinators, real, physical creatures, and I transformed them once more into marks on a page. <i>Data</i>. The greatest treasure of the researcher.<br />
<br />
At the end of my field season, when all my precious experimental plants had ceased to flower and I had collected all of the data that I could, I packed the pollinators and the plants up into ink on paper in my bags with my field gear and I carted them back to the lab and the dusty road dissolved into pixels of data behind me. Over the coming months the data will take shape again, not as physical things but as beautiful ideas, as lines and curves and points filling theoretical spaces.<br />
<br />
Eventually, I will write this all up as a tidy, dispassionate research paper and I will be proud of it. And I will remember the depths, both mental and physical, that lurk beneath those few clean words on white paper.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-50655822266717519162016-07-20T19:20:00.001-04:002016-07-20T19:21:08.260-04:00Fieldwork fun: Eristalis tenax and pollinator diversityThe field season is on in earnest now. Yesterday I was surveying blooming plant species at my field site, taking photos of the blooming plants as informal vouchers for now (vouchers = samples to prove that I correctly ID'd the plant, often collected specimens deposited at an herbarium in my field), and I managed to snap this awesome shot:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7WrWzsrQFgxwZU5NXtSwIJl7e70lGF9V0vCGQpKexhnEhX1T1w_xiXY-BT89Lux165M8PEd2JiaeclJNnq-mEW55MIWsojLBZFAbcIY3IRkHUa6RrWfNwPh89Pn9z6-YBq90LNF9l-SH/s1600/Eristalis+tenax.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7WrWzsrQFgxwZU5NXtSwIJl7e70lGF9V0vCGQpKexhnEhX1T1w_xiXY-BT89Lux165M8PEd2JiaeclJNnq-mEW55MIWsojLBZFAbcIY3IRkHUa6RrWfNwPh89Pn9z6-YBq90LNF9l-SH/s640/Eristalis+tenax.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eristalis tenax</i> on <i>Achillea millefolium</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This guy is rather interesting, and not just because close-up shots of insects are cool by default.<br />
<br />
I am pretty sure this is <i>Eristalis tenax</i> (a.k.a drone fly), and positive that it is a syrphid fly (a.k.a. hoverflies or bee flies). Syrphid flies are a group of flies which are bee or wasp <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry">mimics</a>, meaning that they have characteristics resembling those of bees or wasps, which in theory is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-predator_adaptation">antipredator adaptation</a> conferring the advantages of the mimicked species against particular predators. <i>E. tenax</i>, our awesome, rather big (13-15mm wingspan [<a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/7183">1</a>]) syrphid fly is native to Eurasia [<a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/7183">1</a>] and was introduced to North America [<a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/7183">1</a>] before 1874 [<a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/7183">1</a>]. It is now widespread in North America [<a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/7183">1</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eristalis_tenax">2</a>].<br />
<br />
The larval stage of this species is rather unappealing (called a rat-tailed maggot) and can pose problems particularly at agricultural sites, where they can become overabundant in ponds and livestock areas [<a href="http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/rat-tailed_maggot.htm">3</a>]. There have been cases of accidental ingestion of the eggs/larvae and subsequent myiasis (infestation by flies) of humans, causing unpleasant illness etc., but apparently the myiasis is treatable [<a href="http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/rat-tailed_maggot.htm">3</a>].<br />
<br />
<i>E. tenax</i> is a pollinator, as adults feed on nectar [<a href="http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/rat-tailed_maggot.htm">3</a>] and so can be pollen vectors. indeed, although we tend to think of bees when we talk about pollinators, there are many other types of pollinator: flies, syrphid flies, butterflies, moths, skippers, wasps, birds, bats... There is even one documented case (<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/PL00008816">research article</a>) I am aware of where a lizard was demonstrated to be a pollinator!<br />
<br />
I went digging around in the literature about <i>E. tenax</i> and found a study which compared the efficiency (transfer of pollen per visit) and effectiveness (number of visits per unit time) of <i>E. tenax</i> (and several other non-managed species) at pollination of <i>Brassica rapa</i> var. <i>chinensis</i> (pak choi) [<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01700.x/full">link to open-access article</a>]. The researchers conclude that <i>E. tenax</i> is equally effective and efficient as <i>A. mellifera</i> (European honeybee, a managed pollinator of considerable economic importance which is used extensively globally as a crop pollinator) on an individual basis as a pollinator, but due to much lower numbers of individuals in the populations of this and other alternative pollinators, <i>A. mellifera</i> remained the most important effective pollinator.<br />
<br />
Just for fun, here's another syrphid fly I've photographed before. I think it's <a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/8221"><i>Toxomerus marginatus</i></a>, but I'm not positive on the I.D. I am fairly sure it's at least in the genus <i>Toxomerus</i>, but I may be wrong about the species.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfu1gX7lwcbOiHtWbpBO821698Uym_-w2bEkIPgyRfIycKzQeUqwzXEoBAXTlyUC23o6DL3sGH0z58ipkDgjsaMpLvyTgOxnk4w6iUSghX_wIYGyDLSIGbd6r045hL0o0pa1QYR2elZ4l/s1600/Rudbeckia+hirta+%252806%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfu1gX7lwcbOiHtWbpBO821698Uym_-w2bEkIPgyRfIycKzQeUqwzXEoBAXTlyUC23o6DL3sGH0z58ipkDgjsaMpLvyTgOxnk4w6iUSghX_wIYGyDLSIGbd6r045hL0o0pa1QYR2elZ4l/s640/Rudbeckia+hirta+%252806%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Toxomerus marginatus</i> (?) on <i>Rudbeckia hirta</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-41648446403487390092016-07-16T11:42:00.000-04:002016-09-12T09:15:09.618-04:00What's that structure: Iris versicolor and derived floral anatomyI was reminded today (by facebook) that three years ago <i>Iris versicolor</i> was blooming when I was visiting a friend's cottage and that I had taken a number of very nice photos and shared them. Seeing these photos brought to mind the particularly interesting anatomy of this flower, so I felt inspired to write a post about it today.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJuOPVba3RSMCZwXRbIkryDi365nheyYoeTwB9sGRO3XC82l_N4GSmfx36g59g6dWm1VrdpYfUl3nEDz16LO_sIcXIC8RRSz1kxPwfGadZXfdoqetvRx6tknvL-Fq5dOOxfppjdHdamNc/s1600/Iris+versicolor+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJuOPVba3RSMCZwXRbIkryDi365nheyYoeTwB9sGRO3XC82l_N4GSmfx36g59g6dWm1VrdpYfUl3nEDz16LO_sIcXIC8RRSz1kxPwfGadZXfdoqetvRx6tknvL-Fq5dOOxfppjdHdamNc/s640/Iris+versicolor+11.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iris versicolor</i> on the bank of a river</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have posted about this flower, and shared these particular photos on this blog <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2013/07/blue-flag-iris-iris-versicolor-clajeux.html">before</a>, but back when this blog was quite a bit lighter on the science. I briefly talk about the unusual floral anatomy of<i> Iris versicolor</i> (blue flag iris, fr: clajeux), but I did not go into much detail, nor did I put the information into any context about floral anatomy generally.<br />
<br />
Today's post is a sort of remedy to that previous post.<br />
<br />
Let us begin with a basic understanding of floral anatomy. All flowers develop along the same fundamental plan, with assorted modifications. The more a flower deviates from the basic or foundational plan, the more 'derived' it is considered to be. Generally, more derived traits indicate greater evolutionary change over time relative the ancestral condition or trait.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSNVZY-EpeUIf1qIfQftzAN_2cAnAwSfdXOuujfAfNtFWnSD6S7YP5IUQj-Ex2-ZdKksipQmg0ieUiUCkk_7oiyVBx_doacZv1QUA2QTEDaQit5LKVwZEd-fNXx_2JCJIIzqHgHBeqtG1/s1600/IMG_2575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSNVZY-EpeUIf1qIfQftzAN_2cAnAwSfdXOuujfAfNtFWnSD6S7YP5IUQj-Ex2-ZdKksipQmg0ieUiUCkk_7oiyVBx_doacZv1QUA2QTEDaQit5LKVwZEd-fNXx_2JCJIIzqHgHBeqtG1/s640/IMG_2575.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trillium erectum</i> (red trillium) - example of basic floral structure: the three green, pointed things on the outside are the sepals, the three red ones are the petals, then the six next ring are the stamens, and finally in the centre there is a visible stigma, which is attached to a style and ovary below. Note that these structures come in a specific order from bottom to top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is simplest to conceptualize floral anatomy as divided into a set of ordered rings, from outermost to innermost; these will be easier to understand if you follow along with the photo of <i>Trillium erectum</i> above. These layers are derived from leaves (i.e. they are modified leaves, if we go back far enough in the evolutionary history of flowers). The outermost ring contains the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepal">sepals</a>, which usually serve primarily as a layer to protect the developing flower in the bud stage, and sometimes also serving as structural support for petals. The next ring in contains the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petal">petals</a>, which are of course the primary visual attractant structure. Assorted derivations of the basic petal plan can also help manipulate the orientation of a pollinator approaching a flower, thereby increasing precision of pollen transfer, or to restrict access of pollinators to various parts of the flower, thereby reducing resource loss to robbers or ineffective pollinators. In some families of flowers (notably, <i>Lilaceae</i>, the lily family, and <i>Asparagaceae</i>, the asparagus family), sepals serve similar attractive and structural functions to petals and are not immediately distinguishable from them visually. In these cases, we refer to both sepals and petals as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepal">tepals</a>. Below, a photo of <i>Lilium philadelphicum</i> (wood lily) shows a great example of tepals. Notice the lack of any visible sepal, and also if you look closely where the tepals attach to the stem you can see that there are three attached lower and three attached higher; those attached lowers are derived from sepals and those attached higher are the 'original' petals.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvqlv2li9A90U9jYZNuYAfV35Jy0h6Xv8FsGWySm1Daj8ckn4TX5jQ7yjXQ33MITqUk9taEhUmQKFH9DGM7aHQWHY5-DlJQSkH-f5An9EHb1pOBsPFBTJpKeYIBK47nZtqCNhu2VzWIjM/s1600/Lilium+Philadelphicum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvqlv2li9A90U9jYZNuYAfV35Jy0h6Xv8FsGWySm1Daj8ckn4TX5jQ7yjXQ33MITqUk9taEhUmQKFH9DGM7aHQWHY5-DlJQSkH-f5An9EHb1pOBsPFBTJpKeYIBK47nZtqCNhu2VzWIjM/s640/Lilium+Philadelphicum.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lilium philadelphicum</i>, example of tepals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next layers are the ones which produce reproductive cells: first, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamen">stamens</a> (composed of filament, a structural element, basically a stalk to, and anther, the portion of the plant that contains cells that create male gametes, i.e. pollen). This layer is responsible for the generation and presentation (exception: secondary pollen presentation in some families, a matter for another post entirely) of male reproductive cells. The innermost ring of cells is the female reproductive portion of the flower, containing some form of ovary with ovules inside, style(s) (a raised portion to receive pollen), and stigma(s), the receptive surface on this style which receives and germinates pollen for fertilization of the ovules. Together, a stigma-style-ovary set is called a pistil, and one flower may have many of these. The particular anatomy of this portion of a flower has a lot of variation I won't get into here, as the general notion presented here is sufficient for the purpose of understanding what's so cool about <i>I. versicolor</i>.<br />
<br />
So, back to <i>I. versicolor</i>. Now that we have a reasonable understanding of floral anatomy, something seems odd about this flower.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmz2_tnrxmW4NJOYpFAnwjJ0Civ57rNToolyXNLS3EX3BapdN0gcNA5AhlLIFJ2-h9FrufzFJ363VFYw8dQpBUF3P0fRBYeojRU5HXKtXqA8A2CcHqVruQZKqhgaEZ8dnbnwqgqaosmKW/s1600/Iris+versicolor+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmz2_tnrxmW4NJOYpFAnwjJ0Civ57rNToolyXNLS3EX3BapdN0gcNA5AhlLIFJ2-h9FrufzFJ363VFYw8dQpBUF3P0fRBYeojRU5HXKtXqA8A2CcHqVruQZKqhgaEZ8dnbnwqgqaosmKW/s640/Iris+versicolor+9.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iris versicolor</i>, top view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You may now be wondering -- where are the stamens, the pistils? I just spent a fair bit of time writing about all these rings of structures, but everything looks like a petal here.<br />
<br />
The flowers of <i>I. versicolor</i> are highly derived; irises are of sufficient anatomical interest that there are actually special names for all the structures for these irises, but they are all analogous to the layers described above. I'll take you guys through these layers again from top to bottom and point them out with photos.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjMMAWfXfjJIBJGwYFgYXqAnEjQMMHI73kmqlcNS4Q7_HgRyOgFfrjv5u8-v1T2sEbGe5VnHiUxKn69MNOWkHqafBxA-mOSlG6SRdNzIubUYy6TNcDANT1EC0ctFVhoVGgcFuZ8t0Mh3o/s1600/Iris+versicolor+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjMMAWfXfjJIBJGwYFgYXqAnEjQMMHI73kmqlcNS4Q7_HgRyOgFfrjv5u8-v1T2sEbGe5VnHiUxKn69MNOWkHqafBxA-mOSlG6SRdNzIubUYy6TNcDANT1EC0ctFVhoVGgcFuZ8t0Mh3o/s640/Iris+versicolor+10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iris versicolor</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The outermost layer is supposed to be the sepals. This remains true in the irises. The outermost layer in this case, the sepals of this iris, are the three largest structures, the ones that broaden out in a kind of spoon-like fashion at the tips. The spoon-like portions are referred to as "falls" and the yellow patch as a "signal".<br />
<br />
The petals are actually the three things sticking up in the middle, referred to as "standards" (somebody was <i>way</i> too enthusiastic about the quasi-military and flag-based metaphors in naming the parts of an iris).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODdV_0f2yGNsSXbiV98KjRzF3lMmGUuPubi8EmyxxIZWNHUUvY8FKPjjfhcCewOdhQPQZGrrNW7T6a7uzU9Cz8sqE0KFYLPkaajljxsbb6_iEi-7yKDwbbqFgHnN6Hb7XCHsymk0NY3OV/s1600/Iris+versicolor+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODdV_0f2yGNsSXbiV98KjRzF3lMmGUuPubi8EmyxxIZWNHUUvY8FKPjjfhcCewOdhQPQZGrrNW7T6a7uzU9Cz8sqE0KFYLPkaajljxsbb6_iEi-7yKDwbbqFgHnN6Hb7XCHsymk0NY3OV/s640/Iris+versicolor+4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iris versicolor</i> - style crest, falls, signal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is where things get interesting now. We're still trying to find the stamens and pistils, right? They're found above the sepals; the pistils are that smooth-looking structure that curves down over the top of the sepals, while the anthers are curved and tucked underneath. The arching portion of this fused structure is called the style arm, and the raised portion at the very end that curls upward is called the style crest. Under the style arm, the stamens are arching along the top of the tube-like constriction made by the sepal and pistil. Finally, the stigma, the receptive part of the pistil, is a ridge of hard tissue at the intersection between the style arm and style crest, where the structure seems to 'fold' upward.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLe_aoBMYRtLVLnvzpuhdCWAIL8eJVVPblfzEoTqxW-AlogwpcpgmgOdlxE3-2Di3lCr8QDmEhmMLLq02X5nzdO-uciXHHpPKVJq9yC59QicWYYY7kXdn62LyZeV9lYGAuLGa2Rr2T2c3/s1600/Iris+versicolor+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLe_aoBMYRtLVLnvzpuhdCWAIL8eJVVPblfzEoTqxW-AlogwpcpgmgOdlxE3-2Di3lCr8QDmEhmMLLq02X5nzdO-uciXHHpPKVJq9yC59QicWYYY7kXdn62LyZeV9lYGAuLGa2Rr2T2c3/s640/Iris+versicolor+13.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iris versicolor</i> - stigma, style crest, falls, signal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And that pretty much covers the awesome, highly derived anatomy of irises.<br />
<br />
This particular species of iris,<i> I. versicolor</i>, is native to eastern North America (range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=irve2">here</a>). It is an obligate wetland species <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=irve2">[1]</a>, found exclusively where there is sufficient water (lakesides, marshes, ponds, streams, etc). It is the provincial flower of Quebec.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-64335573221561465992016-07-15T11:29:00.000-04:002017-09-19T19:14:25.649-04:00Attack of the mutant thistle: homeotic genes and how a cell knows what organ to becomeOver the weekend, I was looking around for some populations of <i>Cirsium vulgare</i> (bull thistle) for my research, and while wandering, I noticed a rather remarkable individual that displays several physiological abnormalities.<br />
<br />
For context, here's a full-plant view of a reasonably normal (i.e., representative) individual, which was only about 2m away from our plant of interest.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wO0FNb5HwPzuT3LB8C8VA_YGIlxtG64K9qg2zNUDKDCryd4npzek87nZ2S9jamdZJJPq1Swy9ER1w0eCQ5GSlN-IutvYImCWJMCE_DquOYDYXXGTXUSbdkamcgSqV7koOZwZZZ5HrgdS/s1600/DSCF5171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wO0FNb5HwPzuT3LB8C8VA_YGIlxtG64K9qg2zNUDKDCryd4npzek87nZ2S9jamdZJJPq1Swy9ER1w0eCQ5GSlN-IutvYImCWJMCE_DquOYDYXXGTXUSbdkamcgSqV7koOZwZZZ5HrgdS/s640/DSCF5171.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cirsium vulgare</i>, structurally representative individual</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It clearly has a central stalk from which numerous branches emerge, each topped with one to three (ish) flower buds. Most individuals were not yet actively blooming this weekend.<br />
<br />
To understand what's going on here, some knowledge of plant development is required. This is not my area of expertise, so I apologize for any minor inaccuracies which may be found in the descriptions below. <br />
<br />
When a plant is developing normally, the cells can be broadly split into two categories: differentiated cells, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meristem">meristematic</a> cells. Meristematic cells are found in the areas of the plant experiencing active growth: root tips, stem tips, and flower buds. These cells have not yet become differentiated, that is to say that they are not yet assigned to a particular organ type (e.g. stem, leaf, petal, etc.). The areas where these cells are found are the places of active growth and development in a plant.<br />
<br />
There are a regulatory genes which are responsible for determining which cells become which types of organs (they tell the meristematic cells what to become), which are broadly referred to as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeotic_gene">homeotic genes</a>. The proper functioning of these genes is essential to the accurate physiological (anatomical) development of an organism. When homeotic genes are not functioning correctly, the consequence is usually a non-viable organism (i.e. an organism which cannot live). Sometimes, however, disruption of homeotic genes can be survivable. Generally, when something is seriously wrong with the physiology or anatomy of an organism, there's a good chance that a malfunctioning homeotic gene is responsible.<br />
<br />
Homeotic genes are not exclusively found in kindom Plantae; indeed, quite a lot of research has been conducted on the function of homeotic genes in kingdom Animalia, especially with flies. There's quite a lot of interesting research about homeotic gene mutations or gene knockouts resulting in abnormal physiological development in many organisms, such as <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0092867492904063">this study</a> in mice which found that the silencing of one homeotic gene resulted in a continuation of anterior (front-body) anatomy development further along the body of mice -- basically, extra ribs.<br />
<br />
A lot of studies have been conducted in this area for plants, as well, particularly using <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabidopsis_thaliana"><i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i></a>, the world's most popular plant research organism. Manipulations of homeotic genes of this plant have isolated the particular genes responsible for the development of assorted organs in plants.<br />
<br />
Now let's take a look at our unusual individual.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjybs-WUvmJWonkr2S8-npV-6NVtKKMRbgk6Z5JWTrW4JdCfD5DfhbC4eNCGAZlLBX-rp5Ja0paIAkdXhfAM_TtAyhiGIpwRK1R2VHne_y6yHBHrt3EnhClBxcRoUJtYA3VHQUZI1c62EN/s1600/DSCF5169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjybs-WUvmJWonkr2S8-npV-6NVtKKMRbgk6Z5JWTrW4JdCfD5DfhbC4eNCGAZlLBX-rp5Ja0paIAkdXhfAM_TtAyhiGIpwRK1R2VHne_y6yHBHrt3EnhClBxcRoUJtYA3VHQUZI1c62EN/s640/DSCF5169.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whaaaaa-? Abnormal<i> Cirsium vulgare</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The most obvious oddity about this particular individual, from a distance, is the exceptionally thick stalk and lack of branching. It looks rather like a small tree from a distance (my husband mistook it for one at first).<br />
<br />
If we get in closer, we can see that the stalk seems to be many fused stalks (note the vertical striations, and the strangely wide & flat shape). This is either because all the branching stalks have failed to separate from the trunk (possible), or because the apical meristem (developing portion of the vegetative part of the plant) is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation">fasciated</a> (misshapen, resulting in elongation along one plane). Hard to decide. I'm tempted to say fasciated, but the total lack of branching stems is throwing me off on that conclusion.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7kq2EB1jb3EcWRxYuzCxnfRhRXrLmK7hDZKirILl4LSnzSUO77gBWvHj1GMgO9pruJWkLg-01_nVTdr5_strYDIpFKPNRbVkh8jL3fmoF4LNWNcaP0eeYuAGS-bgh5VYhDKskDaPFPLe/s1600/DSCF5170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7kq2EB1jb3EcWRxYuzCxnfRhRXrLmK7hDZKirILl4LSnzSUO77gBWvHj1GMgO9pruJWkLg-01_nVTdr5_strYDIpFKPNRbVkh8jL3fmoF4LNWNcaP0eeYuAGS-bgh5VYhDKskDaPFPLe/s640/DSCF5170.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of the abnormal <i>C. vulgare</i>'s central stalk; note the vertical striations and odd shape</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next weird thing about this particular individual only becomes obvious once one gets in a bit closer to take a look at the top of the plant, where we expect to see flower buds. Instead of <a href="data:image/jpeg;base64,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">normal C. vulgare flower buds</a>, we see this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q8bmqwQEU4K8IF7NjNhtQTIrmqDgfGWKyYIztblQO3LmlO7jKdum-8lN3guartSqnDNxIiTbTUA5RMFElDWqibWSH6WJKXfpQckZkOICD8KvYysJYxnobVhY1F5muztCAe_xmhvDCgz_/s1600/DSCF5167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q8bmqwQEU4K8IF7NjNhtQTIrmqDgfGWKyYIztblQO3LmlO7jKdum-8lN3guartSqnDNxIiTbTUA5RMFElDWqibWSH6WJKXfpQckZkOICD8KvYysJYxnobVhY1F5muztCAe_xmhvDCgz_/s640/DSCF5167.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huh? Flower buds of abnormal <i>C. vulgare</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>Cirsium vulgare</i> flowers normally have a rather large <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receptacle_(botany)">receptacle</a> (the lowest part of the flower, essentially a swelling of the stalk, which is often seen as a bulbous portion below the organs we more readily recognize as 'flower'), covered with spikes. In place of this spiky receptacle, this abnormal individual has an abundance of leaves. When cells which should have developed into one organ instead become another, we call this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeosis">homeosis</a>.<br />
<br />
Finally, if you look closely at the flower bud in the lower right of the above picture, you can see that it is not classically round, instead looking strangely comma-shaped. This is called floral <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation">fasciation</a>, where the floral apical meristem (portion of the plant actively developing into floral organs) becomes misshapen, so instead of round it gets stretched out like this.<br />
<br />
You might be wondering at this point -- is this common? Well, no, such abnormalities are quite rare in natural populations, although it may be more accurate to say that such they are rarely found in living, viable individuals in natural populations (most of the time such abnormalities mean that the organism is nonviable and so never grows/develops, or dies extremely young).<br />
<br />
You may also be wondering -- how did this happen? Well, that's a bigger question. I can't establish from observation of the plant, for example, whether the problem is that the homeotic genes themselves are altered (i.e. the genetic code is wrong; this is what we call "mutation"), or whether the homeotic genes are simply malfunctioning. The anatomical oddness of the individual could be the consequence of viral infection, fungal infection, parasitism, hormonal abnormalities, or genetic changes. Unfortunately, I don't have the tools necessary to determine how the mutant individual pictured above came about.<br />
<br />
Given the sheer number of obvious abnormalities on this individual, I suspect that there is an external cause (i.e. that the mutations are induced), because this would be the simplest explanation. All the abnormalities being the product of a fungal, viral, or parasitic infection is a simpler scenario than the idea that each abnormality has a separate cause (which would be the case if this were a product of actual genetic changes). Of course, they may also be a product of a hormonal abnormality resulting from a single genetic mutation. I have no means of determining the cause, so unfortunately my speculation will remain speculation and I shall have to leave my curiosity unsatisfied on this score.<br />
<br />
Of course, this individual will not be used in my research. It is entirely too non-representative. Despite being unsuitable for my work, at least it was an interesting specimen! <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-19700226958794158832016-06-04T20:30:00.000-04:002016-06-04T21:58:25.101-04:00Bluebead lily - Clintonia borealis - Poison à couleuvreI have been at the lake for a few days, organizing myself for the upcoming field season and helping my parents set up the gardens. Today, I was working a bit less and so took the opportunity to take a walk and enjoy the weather.<br />
<br />
I took quite a few photos, but the real surprise for me was discovering <i>Claytonia borealis</i> (common name: bluebead lily). While I'm familiar with the plant, this is the first time I've seen it blooming in person (probably because it blooms right in the middle of the bug season and I usually make it my business to have business elsewhere than the woods at this time of year). It's more familiar to me as a plant with metallic blue berries toward the end of July or the beginning of August.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMLmWaZQXN9ZZ0UgJRaVy1ep6Fhyphenhyphent5vT0V2ne-242gZ9T3px20Nuhsla6JlLxsGrKQGXbIxeTgw2qMnsLnSWBgV44ru2MNL7XzeMlJgK_IcGNgi3MfuEZv6ANWwDTamgqTp54KyT-2_OR/s1600/Clintonia+boralis+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMLmWaZQXN9ZZ0UgJRaVy1ep6Fhyphenhyphent5vT0V2ne-242gZ9T3px20Nuhsla6JlLxsGrKQGXbIxeTgw2qMnsLnSWBgV44ru2MNL7XzeMlJgK_IcGNgi3MfuEZv6ANWwDTamgqTp54KyT-2_OR/s400/Clintonia+boralis+1.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Clintonia borealis</i> whole view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This lovely little plant is at least 12 years old, as it takes at least a dozen years for an individual to establish itself sufficiently to bloom <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clintonia_borealis">[1]</a>. This plant was actually here alone, though this species is commonly colonial <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/clintonia_borealis.shtml">[2]</a> , as it can reproduce through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizome">rhizomes</a> (spreading root stalks) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clintonia_borealis">[1]</a>. Once it flowers, it can either self-pollinate or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outcrossing">outcross</a> (receive pollen from other individuals) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clintonia_borealis">[1]</a>. Because it is so slow to reproduce, this species is particularly vulnerable to disturbance such as excessive deer herbivory <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clintonia_borealis">[1]</a>. If you have this species on your property, please do not cut the flowers or disturb the plants, if at all possible; despite their small stature, flowering individuals are quite old and the next generation will only replace them very slowly.<br />
<br />
<i>C. borealis</i> is found in boreal forests in eastern North America (range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CLBO3">here</a>) and is exclusively found in wooded/shaded areas <a href="http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=153">[1,3]</a> . In the more southern parts of its range, it is restricted to mountainous areas with appropriately cool, shaded habitat. This lovely little plant is endangered in Indiana and Ohio, threatened in Maryland, and of special concern in Tennessee <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CLBO3">[4]</a>. Unfortunately, the Plants of Canada database is currently down so I can't easily access information about its legal status up here. One Ontario source lists the plant as common, however, suggesting that at least in this province the plant isn't at any particular risk <a href="http://northernontarioflora.ca/description.cfm?speciesid=1005232">[5]</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>C. borealis </i>is a member of the <i>Lilaceae</i> (lily family), and displays the 6-partite character of that family in the flowers, as shown in the picture below. The flower has 6 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepal">tepals</a> (not <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petal">petals</a>, which only occur when there are also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepal">sepals</a>).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAD1raDU7RbCmZpmDZCQYEfveq1DkSxBiymOLKASFpIHWBbbxXfxyM9I-ccgJI08Cq-WqsHdApUkZkAHqhk5vFSTMH2TXxEqiCGbAeVBkoUBfpLJbBKjbwOjvJ1gLSK1JxNdV2CwkcT9c/s1600/Clintonia+borealis+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAD1raDU7RbCmZpmDZCQYEfveq1DkSxBiymOLKASFpIHWBbbxXfxyM9I-ccgJI08Cq-WqsHdApUkZkAHqhk5vFSTMH2TXxEqiCGbAeVBkoUBfpLJbBKjbwOjvJ1gLSK1JxNdV2CwkcT9c/s400/Clintonia+borealis+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. borealis</i> flower, close view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There appears to be some disagreement between sources about whether or not the berries are safe to eat. One source lists them as poisonous and posing a potentially fatal risk to children who cannot reliably distinguish between these berries and blueberries <a href="http://northernontarioflora.ca/description.cfm?speciesid=1005232">[5]</a>. In my experience, <i>C. borealis </i>can grow in the shade of blueberry bushes and it does take some care to make sure to only collect blueberries when out foraging. That said, I've never accidentally consumed one of these and I was actively foraging for berries quite young. Another source, however, asserts that the berries are not toxic, merely extremely unpalatable <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/clintonia_borealis.shtml">[6]</a>. I have always known it as a poisonous plant, but not through direct experience or any particularly definitive source. That said, I would recommend against ingestion of the fruit and that some care be taken to ensure that the berries aren't accidentally collected and consumed with blueberries.<br />
<br />
I was only able to go out and truly enjoy the weather because the bugs were less severe today. We're just hitting the tail end of bug season; even yesterday, things were bad enough that my mother was frequently singing The Blackfly, sometimes cheerfully and sometimes more resignedly. Since it's a hilarious and delightful song, I've embedded the video below; the animation is a real treat, too, done by the National Film Board (of Canada). Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qjLBXb1kgMo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qjLBXb1kgMo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-3140931044006312702016-04-01T12:02:00.002-04:002016-04-24T23:16:20.715-04:00The Spring Thaw Begins! Leptoglossus occidentalis, the western conifer seed bugEarlier this week my labmate came in with a hitchhiker. Being as we are an ecology laboratory, we gathered 'round and identify our new lab pet (who has since been released outside again). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQFOqy7Ii8QtB3pETF-dAsF5Fe7RJzQT-8x4AZO476erPbwy3iQHihOrk5g-NtOPYAfPNFvMQHwRD3OJIMHxmROsdstzura_eLGzIFeJ_6OFivsOVvqSqAxEnOC3f2ua_1gDJlnKYH8eO/s1600/Leptoglossus_occidentalis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQFOqy7Ii8QtB3pETF-dAsF5Fe7RJzQT-8x4AZO476erPbwy3iQHihOrk5g-NtOPYAfPNFvMQHwRD3OJIMHxmROsdstzura_eLGzIFeJ_6OFivsOVvqSqAxEnOC3f2ua_1gDJlnKYH8eO/s640/Leptoglossus_occidentalis.JPG" width="402" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Leptoglossus occidentalis</i> - I rather like this bug's funky patterns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This individual is likely an adult just emerging from its overwinter hibernation, as the weather has been quite warm for the last few days and very rainy. It is missing one hind leg, unfortunately.<br />
<br />
We've identified it as <i>Leptoglossus occidentalis</i>, the western conifer seed bug [1]. Despite the implication of its common name, this insect has actually been found as far East as Nova Scotia [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_conifer_seed_bug">2</a>], though it has been suggested that this might represent a fairly recent <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonisation_%28biology%29">range expansion</a>. <i>L. occidentalis</i> has also been recently introduced to Europe, where it is considered invasive [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_conifer_seed_bug">2</a>].<br />
<br />
The common name is slightly misleading in that it implies that <i>L. occidentalis</i> eats the seeds of conifers. Actually, it eats the sap of conifers, collecting it at the base of developing cones; as a consequence of <i>L. occidentalis</i> sucking sap from the base of cones, the cones can end up being malformed or failing to develop (and thus end up with reduced seed production).<br />
<br />
Since the weather is starting to turn and I have started to see flowers emerging on the trees and from the ground, the season has returned for me to blog a bit! I may not blog with the same frequency as last year, but I will make an effort to update regularly.<br />
<br />
[1] Kaufman, Kenn, and Eaton, Eric R. 2006. Field Guide to Insects of North America. Hillstar Editions LC, Rocky Ridge.<br />
<br />
<br />Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-67161036109662975942015-08-16T09:27:00.001-04:002015-08-16T09:27:11.974-04:00Wild Blackberry PreservesI suppose you may be wondering why I haven't posted in a while. I have been a bit busy with a number of things.<br />
<br />
On Friday we went out and collected blackberries (mostly <i>Rubus allegheniensis</i>, a small amount of <i>Rubus flagellaris</i>) and a few incidental handsful of raspberries (<i>Rubus idaeus</i>) and flowering raspberries (<i>Rubus odoratus</i>).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKSuCs0SVgGRafG_OMoCz2qyaz-P3GEAk_eWddS3kiQmjKEdDiO6HalYF2f9AVy3S8X4un1Y6qYN7i_YIQePwhmzqPFvBR7e_p2994hcQeq9I1x5zJ3ksk8FzXMulfOUbhEuJkFBOvdHX/s1600/DSCF5010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKSuCs0SVgGRafG_OMoCz2qyaz-P3GEAk_eWddS3kiQmjKEdDiO6HalYF2f9AVy3S8X4un1Y6qYN7i_YIQePwhmzqPFvBR7e_p2994hcQeq9I1x5zJ3ksk8FzXMulfOUbhEuJkFBOvdHX/s640/DSCF5010.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our haul for the day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My brother also collected <i>Laetiporus sulphureus</i> (chicken of the woods), which he had seen emerge earlier this week and watching for ideal collection time. So that big orange thing is a delicious edible wild shelf mushroom.<br />
<br />
Friday night, naturally, we feasted; we ate the <i>Laetiporus sulphureus</i> sauteed in butter and white wine, along with fresh corn (bought from the back of a farm truck, the freshest you can get without growing it yourself) and a bean salad made with the green and yellow wax beans from my father's garden. Then, of course, blackberries for desert.<br />
<br />
But of course, that's about 12-13L in that photo, so quite a lot of blackberries. There were, therefore, enough for me to do what I really wanted: canning.<br />
<br />
I decided to make wild blackberry jelly and wild blackberry jam. I took about 6.5L of the fruit and started by heating it up, and using a potato masher to squish the fruit:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JtT8N7NJw8yuN9EYfH-phu6u4YZ5q5uD4BfeNUlZw1G-DeOA_ngR_fNoi5nQs_i-RulVVEySN0P0RPb2giI0NZz5uFC5bwsCSqU0znL06cvK7iCxe-0dcPFKPXcHWBNO9KAl-HM5E1Jh/s1600/01.+Heat+Berries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JtT8N7NJw8yuN9EYfH-phu6u4YZ5q5uD4BfeNUlZw1G-DeOA_ngR_fNoi5nQs_i-RulVVEySN0P0RPb2giI0NZz5uFC5bwsCSqU0znL06cvK7iCxe-0dcPFKPXcHWBNO9KAl-HM5E1Jh/s640/01.+Heat+Berries.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackberries heating to extract juice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then I mashed the fruit in a sieve to extract the juice. I don't care if my jelly is cloudy/opaque, I just don't want the seeds in it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjda1LbBNEwsXVdo6eWgZZaYMnDauEbGD4PuCFGX46h3kslmaq5Gebp5Vs451Qn6Gbr1YLnz4zk8RoE49piScWz9n14m8eVCoS_r1AbKCqeCN7ihaVyGMWPpSllmRP3z6gPJJbAAXs56tQb/s1600/02.+Extract+Juice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjda1LbBNEwsXVdo6eWgZZaYMnDauEbGD4PuCFGX46h3kslmaq5Gebp5Vs451Qn6Gbr1YLnz4zk8RoE49piScWz9n14m8eVCoS_r1AbKCqeCN7ihaVyGMWPpSllmRP3z6gPJJbAAXs56tQb/s640/02.+Extract+Juice.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extracting the juice from the fruit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY_DJAJH6HFq5n4uMUVeSqYeo7ac3MhUSt3_HVxlrROuEcncN_sagpipDyJRAE41VzcaRT_PdE2RGJxdhFc_Vi7vu-yxOFnFXKGIYcHW8KpXW5-XOR4rpuh53Sd7c1q4LAKqkYFkNx06_/s1600/03.+Get+Juice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY_DJAJH6HFq5n4uMUVeSqYeo7ac3MhUSt3_HVxlrROuEcncN_sagpipDyJRAE41VzcaRT_PdE2RGJxdhFc_Vi7vu-yxOFnFXKGIYcHW8KpXW5-XOR4rpuh53Sd7c1q4LAKqkYFkNx06_/s640/03.+Get+Juice.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extracted blackberry juice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course, the problem with making jelly is that you get this perfectly good seed and pulp mixture that is often discarded. I decided that I wouldn't do that; instead, I used it to make jam.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTs6y7wDR4aAIJnBY-mTZNttcTBgEVbVOJjJk4bx-j7ILjg0euNwetl4tnuKno0M1HOADJT_KE7j6XnNl9YiFA7BoAfi7STIHgWIL1Bx7VzEzsPqcoZXkkpQ72sqsYSxrwQ0GqitTdI4DY/s1600/04.+Berry+Pulp+Left+Over.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTs6y7wDR4aAIJnBY-mTZNttcTBgEVbVOJjJk4bx-j7ILjg0euNwetl4tnuKno0M1HOADJT_KE7j6XnNl9YiFA7BoAfi7STIHgWIL1Bx7VzEzsPqcoZXkkpQ72sqsYSxrwQ0GqitTdI4DY/s640/04.+Berry+Pulp+Left+Over.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leftover pulp & seeds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I got about 7 cups of juice from the extraction process. I cooked the juice with the sugar, lemon juice, and pectin:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzuBm38nkAEH9o1NWQyeLX3WFo4rFQVx2BuC2JVRj60ll2myIpX5-l-sn2zna7v0D-jJU83uxXgoZWMNO9O-2XYJQCP6CjMGkq-SwAJDP4IfnHXeuiHYn4sCtNPEZT85PAkBzEmWFqcZv/s1600/05.+Cook+Jelly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzuBm38nkAEH9o1NWQyeLX3WFo4rFQVx2BuC2JVRj60ll2myIpX5-l-sn2zna7v0D-jJU83uxXgoZWMNO9O-2XYJQCP6CjMGkq-SwAJDP4IfnHXeuiHYn4sCtNPEZT85PAkBzEmWFqcZv/s640/05.+Cook+Jelly.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the jelly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then I put the stuff in the sterilized jars and canned it for the requisite 10 minutes in the hot water canner:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbinncikx5lKvXS5viosgxVFSUSN9T1baDwoaA3865QFOA_-dvYbmz-7uQ8EVGEUyEnbFRk-3CXsK5EPBRq7Xoq7RwHO8je0JFeDMcjk-0UPDwZTs6JlzwZvhqToqYQvxGoRQ1zn93znb/s1600/06.+Use+Hot+Water+Canner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbinncikx5lKvXS5viosgxVFSUSN9T1baDwoaA3865QFOA_-dvYbmz-7uQ8EVGEUyEnbFRk-3CXsK5EPBRq7Xoq7RwHO8je0JFeDMcjk-0UPDwZTs6JlzwZvhqToqYQvxGoRQ1zn93znb/s640/06.+Use+Hot+Water+Canner.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade canning rack in hot water bath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Side note: I love this home canning rack. I have actually been puzzled for a long time about most canning racks, because most government (ie research-based) sources recommend that the top of jars in the hot water bath be covered by at least 1 inch of water, but the standard canning rack you can buy will be suspended too high (especially for 1/2L or 1L jars), where the top of the jar will actually extend above the rim of the canner. So I don't understand how these racks can be advertized for pickling, because they don't fit! So I got a cooling rack and asked my father to rig something up; the wooden stand underneath keeps the jars about 2" above the bottom of the pot (reasonably elevated), and because it's a cooling rack, I can put whatever dimension of jar I like in there, rather than the wire frame canning racks which tend to only accommodate certain sizes of jars. There's plenty of clearance for me to cover the jars suitably. Long story short, I do not generally recommend hanging canning racks unless the only preserves you ever make are in 250mL jars or smaller. And even then, water will tend to boil out of the canner with enough headspace above the jar.<br />
<br />
I then took the leftover pulp and revitalized it by replacing the removed juice with fruit juice (I had pomegranate & blueberry on hand so that's what I used), then adding sugar, lemon, and pectin. I cooked the lot as with the jelly, and canned the same way.<br />
<br />
The result? 19 jars of wild blackberry jelly, and 17 jars of wild blackberry jam (36 jars total) with a large quantity of leftover jam that I turned into fridge jam which has, hilariously, mostly disappeared already even though it has only been ready for about 12 hours. It would appear that it is popular.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYfVyy7TjodWM9Hu3uTmzwda_nwcxHLIiqzWog20wrzN1MALzHhPH8dpLP1RYBS4mMG6hnMRDX6gpDqUDLfFU7-ld3hK3uqkObLSN8HZM7ezf-RqIYEXaKlnq7mAH0v2lSGNbfJ3NfuVY/s1600/07.+Profit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYfVyy7TjodWM9Hu3uTmzwda_nwcxHLIiqzWog20wrzN1MALzHhPH8dpLP1RYBS4mMG6hnMRDX6gpDqUDLfFU7-ld3hK3uqkObLSN8HZM7ezf-RqIYEXaKlnq7mAH0v2lSGNbfJ3NfuVY/s640/07.+Profit.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of my jars of jam and jelly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My recipes are pretty simple. I won't bother noting the sterilization and sanitation procedures here, if you use this recipe make sure to follow proper canning safety for your elevation etc. Ingredients-wise:<br />
<br />
<b>Wild Blackberry Jelly</b><br />
<br />
-7 c. wild blackberry juice<br />
-12 c. sugar<br />
-2 c. lemon juice (NOTE: this is to taste -- add more lemon juice if your blackberry juice is sweeter; I like a good tart jelly, but if you like it sweeter you can also reduce the lemon or increase the sugar)<br />
-3 pouches of pectin<br />
<br />
Yield: 19 jars<br />
<br />
<b>Wild Blackberry Jam</b><br />
<br />
-Leftover blackberry pulp from previous stage (approx 6 c.)<br />
-10 c. sugar<br />
-6 c. juice (dark fruit juice is good)<br />
-3 c. lemon juice (as above, this is to taste)<br />
-2 pouches of pectin<br />
<br />
Yield: 21 jars (I ran out of jars, that's why I only have 17; total volume would've filled 21)Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-52507034673575441612015-08-06T16:08:00.002-04:002015-08-06T16:08:42.573-04:00The Root of Invasives: Burdock - Arctium lappa - BardaneOne visually arresting plant that you will be more likely to find in disturbed environments (eg parks, cities, agricultural areas, roadsides) is burdock. This plant is an introduced invasive plant originally native to Europe and Asia [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa">1</a>], and has been introduced, likely as a garden plant.<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoGoMkt6cgzHO4PPtlEFUS0jXVU2NNmQ4jee_l2ppa1PWhxQDgZ2Wq4hYoohCQm99VGnnunKVvYrzgPHtfnvIsoFCfQbNyj-1WlnH0NzMYPdKjUJ2vUY1j7ZqyznhKiClu8o9LMk5trU3/s1600/Arctium+lappa+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoGoMkt6cgzHO4PPtlEFUS0jXVU2NNmQ4jee_l2ppa1PWhxQDgZ2Wq4hYoohCQm99VGnnunKVvYrzgPHtfnvIsoFCfQbNyj-1WlnH0NzMYPdKjUJ2vUY1j7ZqyznhKiClu8o9LMk5trU3/s640/Arctium+lappa+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Arctium lappa </i>whole plant view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
<i>Arctium lappa</i> (greater burdock) is a particularly striking plant, rising to an impressive top height of 2.7m or even 3m [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa">1</a>,<a href="http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm13910">2</a>]; its lower leaves can grow to enormous sizes, and its large purple flowerheads on tall stalks make the plant almost impossible to miss.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2LCYhqkOfaV3FMUR6HSwsP8gppkDSRUmNMYraXS9W8UQFjOpupaEJGv8gknXhmWRGX5dR4S6dE_mt-RBiUcpkbuIARY1rR5z6OrrLD37Diaq51xs1E-xAoabbzFMgZcawmWpvF7F3kYx/s1600/Arctium+lappa+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2LCYhqkOfaV3FMUR6HSwsP8gppkDSRUmNMYraXS9W8UQFjOpupaEJGv8gknXhmWRGX5dR4S6dE_mt-RBiUcpkbuIARY1rR5z6OrrLD37Diaq51xs1E-xAoabbzFMgZcawmWpvF7F3kYx/s640/Arctium+lappa+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Arctium lappa </i>inflorescence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<i>A. lappa</i> is broadly distributed in the US and Canada (US range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ARLA3">here</a>, Canada range map <a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1005833&lang=e">here</a>). Though introduced, it has no special status in the US [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ARLA3">3</a>], but is listed as a noxious weed in several provinces [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1005833&lang=e">4</a>], including Alberta [<a href="http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2010_019.pdf">5</a>], British Columbia [<a href="http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/ID/freeside/10_66_85">6</a>], and Manitoba [<a href="http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/regs/current/_pdf-regs.php?reg=35/96">7</a>]. This is likely because it can spread very aggressively in nitrogen-rich soils (eg agricultural areas) [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa">1</a>], because it can cause skin irritation and rash on contact [<a href="http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Arctium+lappa">8</a>], and the fine hairs on the seeds can be dangerous if inhaled [<a href="http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Arctium+lappa">8</a>], and because there is some evidence that the plant may be toxic to some mammals [<a href="http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?3857">9</a>].</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW1ae1_wpkQZGfGvP42xuM44xlO4CM5dMjs_gJxITtAnmpNaGwMlFofw4snlu-XYqBxgdMZwWpphTHNvKym6cDNx0Twuvj8UWO8uRwZqgE2DO9VmyiwCw8zGXmnLqxPuHJt9qEaZHKd0V/s1600/Arctium+lappa+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW1ae1_wpkQZGfGvP42xuM44xlO4CM5dMjs_gJxITtAnmpNaGwMlFofw4snlu-XYqBxgdMZwWpphTHNvKym6cDNx0Twuvj8UWO8uRwZqgE2DO9VmyiwCw8zGXmnLqxPuHJt9qEaZHKd0V/s640/Arctium+lappa+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Arctium lappa</i> inflorescence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This plant is very well known for its edible root. The root of <i>A. lappa</i> used to be fairly commonly consumed by humans from Europe to Asia but currently is only common in Asian cooking (especially Japanese) [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa">1</a>]. The root is edible, best harvested in the fall of the first year of growth (burdock is biennial) [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa">1</a>]. It is mild and crisp. The young leaves and shoots are also edible, generally cooked as a pot herb or in salads [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa">1</a>,<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Edible-Medicinal-Plants-Canada-MacKinnon/dp/1551055724">10</a>].</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>A. lappa</i> is a frequent staple of traditional Chinese medicine [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium_lappa">1</a>], but there is currently insufficient evidence for its use to treat a broad assortment of ailments [<a href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-111-burdock.aspx?activeingredientid=111&activeingredientname=burdock">11</a>]. Its use is specifically contraindicated for diabetics and pregnant women [<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Edible-Medicinal-Plants-Canada-MacKinnon/dp/1551055724">10</a>].</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdV6FdR2asuCH2brs4mqr9G4vNCLTSFqUu5UxaIqcBgrD-5ZbUPf_emTnpcjF8IdmmpJfwZMkrYt509EKaXid-HjcQVWI0e9f6M58Wj9KDHXfzST7dmy5UpZcCrrQTMTAau-FOEPxISBd/s1600/Arctium+lappa+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdV6FdR2asuCH2brs4mqr9G4vNCLTSFqUu5UxaIqcBgrD-5ZbUPf_emTnpcjF8IdmmpJfwZMkrYt509EKaXid-HjcQVWI0e9f6M58Wj9KDHXfzST7dmy5UpZcCrrQTMTAau-FOEPxISBd/s640/Arctium+lappa+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Arctium lappa</i> inflorescence covered with bees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<i>A. lappa</i> seems to be quite popular with <i>Bombus spp</i> (various bumblebee species), as it was actually a challenge to get photos of it without bees.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-14779254124966937352015-08-05T11:15:00.002-04:002015-08-05T11:15:18.896-04:00Let the Feasting Begin: Blackberry - Rubus allegheniensis - MûreSo for those wondering about the general dearth of posts from me in the last week or so, a quick recapitulation: I was working full-time while packing up to move. Then I was moving. Then I was getting settled and unpacked.<br />
<br />
I have relocated from Montreal in preparation for beginning an MSc Biology (pollination ecology) in September. I am now residing in Ottawa, but for the month of August I will be staying at the lake in the Upper Gatineau (I challenge anyone, when given the choice to either hang out in Ottawa or at a lake, to choose differently).<br />
<br />
I will still post about things found in Montreal, with photos already taken or new photos when I go to visit my husband, but for the month of August at least you can anticipate that my photos will be primarily from this region.<br />
<br />
Such as the ones for today. One of the first things I did upon settling in was to evaluate the state of the various wild fruits in the area. A quick reconnaissance along the road to a few known blackberry areas yielded a few fruits just starting to turn. Blackberry season is starting, and they are absolutely magnificent this year.<br />
<br />
Most of the plants around here are <i>Rubus allegheniensis</i> (alleghany blackberry, common blackberry), with a couple of <i>Rubus flagellaris</i> (Northern dewberry, Northern blackberry) thrown in here and there -- it looks a bit different in the leaves and fruit but the most obvious difference at least around here is its low growth habit (<i>R. flagellaris</i> seems to keep a very low profile, often below knee height, but long and creeping). <i>R. allegheniensis</i> is native to Ontario and Quebec, introduced to BC, and it has an unknown status in Newfoundland & Labrador [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?lang=e&gid=1003126">1</a>]. It is native to much of the Eastern US and one Western US state [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=rual">2</a>] (US range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=rual">here</a>, Canada range map <a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?lang=e&gid=1003130">here</a>). The species is secure in all of its Canadian range [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?lang=e&gid=1003126">1</a>], is unlisted in the US [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=rual">2</a>], and is globally a species of least concern [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_allegheniensis">3</a>].<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1goF6WZYhhMRHKK-mLMYAIDDkbwUTBPWh6CXlh_tK9OcMWgf_XAwcyzp_CtEo0fLhQYBj7SnMP8BKdGi_5UweMIbr4_q3_ZrD3V0kqiPPnt0RgruPhVmosgYLLrXWMDtMqvdDGdaUOti/s1600/Rubus+allegheniensis+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1goF6WZYhhMRHKK-mLMYAIDDkbwUTBPWh6CXlh_tK9OcMWgf_XAwcyzp_CtEo0fLhQYBj7SnMP8BKdGi_5UweMIbr4_q3_ZrD3V0kqiPPnt0RgruPhVmosgYLLrXWMDtMqvdDGdaUOti/s640/Rubus+allegheniensis+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rubus allegheniensis </i>flower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>R. allegheniensis</i> is a member of the <i>Rosaceae</i> (rose family), a group of plants I have <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/05/ornamentals-bonanza.html">mentioned</a> <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/05/prickly-rose-rosa-acicularis-rosier.html">quite</a> <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/06/native-edibles-flowering-raspberry.html">a few times</a> <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/07/whats-in-name-wild-strawberries-and.html">before</a>. The flower above shows the distinctive 5-petaled flower common in this family. In fact, the cane berries, as well as a few others, are all members not just of this family but of the genus <i>Rubus</i>, which is a group of plants which produce <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregate_fruit">aggregate fruit</a> which are composed of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drupe">drupelets</a>. An aggregate fruit is a fruit which is formed by the fusion of multiple ovaries (as opposed to each ovary developing into a single fruit), and a drupelet is a small fruit with a 'stone' (a seed surrounded by a hard shell). So plants of the genus <i>Rubus</i> produce fruits that look like a collection of bubbles stuck together.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSttTqFPHKvagpMeX59XCJnssvcCIJ2-sxMdALGKvIK_BF2OLc4JlbgJNGIWXjf74bhDdQ9ghH4f7diy_z9LPmzofR8EbEwivfrndBApYGyPbenPk-BAwIKxh_CViEABlnmFbfRM_Jq6cg/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSttTqFPHKvagpMeX59XCJnssvcCIJ2-sxMdALGKvIK_BF2OLc4JlbgJNGIWXjf74bhDdQ9ghH4f7diy_z9LPmzofR8EbEwivfrndBApYGyPbenPk-BAwIKxh_CViEABlnmFbfRM_Jq6cg/s640/IMG_0041.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rubus allegheniensis </i>- aggregate fruit composed of drupelets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These fruit are absolutely delicious. They are certainly my favourite of the cane berries and they compete very hard with strawberries to be my favourite fruit.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNdb1veIRn93SyMttvBD8rd56QQuAAmfUwNX6YLwcqGyf7sn6vAVwSkspMAJIa1FtWx7Q5eKKNZlv415RuWLgcpa8bVu0q4HPifdR7i3nH2ZOMe3UGZCSxrOX6zoXODc82eHOrKJUYfNb/s1600/IMG_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNdb1veIRn93SyMttvBD8rd56QQuAAmfUwNX6YLwcqGyf7sn6vAVwSkspMAJIa1FtWx7Q5eKKNZlv415RuWLgcpa8bVu0q4HPifdR7i3nH2ZOMe3UGZCSxrOX6zoXODc82eHOrKJUYfNb/s640/IMG_0037.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rubus allegheniensis</i> - typical bush this year, absolutely laden with ripening fruit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
They are coming into season now in the Upper Gatineau. I have many plans for them, which I may post about again in the next few days.<br />
<br />
We went up Mont Cayamant yesterday, and I got a great shot of Lac Cayamant from the top which I think people may enjoy:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lsw1ldrE7lZX4yrNjbiKkCD-Hci33hnAq76TDOFZKnzkCCVVgDtFW0PyKGhjWQ09gGjQrQK12LYUCztmnqPehPMkQKHW5AHiX80PGBfzOZhFcnhYR1uNhJJQaMoVTFW6KuEL5SaFXD8C/s1600/IMG_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lsw1ldrE7lZX4yrNjbiKkCD-Hci33hnAq76TDOFZKnzkCCVVgDtFW0PyKGhjWQ09gGjQrQK12LYUCztmnqPehPMkQKHW5AHiX80PGBfzOZhFcnhYR1uNhJJQaMoVTFW6KuEL5SaFXD8C/s640/IMG_0025.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Lac Cayamant from the Mont Cayamant lookout tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The weather has been very changeable in the last week. This shot really shows it; it is sunny, but there are many areas obviously shaded, and it's even raining on the right-hand side. A very mixed sky indeed. It was a lovely walk punctuated with delicious blackberries!Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-20550124975838796982015-07-21T19:49:00.001-04:002015-07-21T19:49:04.286-04:00The Hairy Problem of Defining Species, with Hoary Vervain -- Verbena stricta -- Verveine veloutéeYesterday, I posted about <i>Verbena hastata</i>, which is native to this region (Montreal area). Today, I post about <i>Verbena stricta</i>, which is native in Ontario but actually introduced here in Quebec. US range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VEST">here</a>, Canada range map <a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?searchstring=verbena+stricta&search.x=0&search.y=0&lang=en">here</a>. Now, it is possible that Verbena stricta is native to parts of Quebec and introduced to others. Unfortunately, I can't find any resources about it so I only know that it is listed as introduced in Quebec [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?searchstring=verbena+stricta&search.x=0&search.y=0&lang=en">1</a>]. It is native to much of North America [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VEST">2</a>], and is considered as weedy/invasive in parts of the US. As with <i>Verbena hastata</i>, this designation within the native range of a species indicates that it is a strong competitor (eg an aggressive spreader) and under some circumstances can end up squeezing out other native plants. And, as demonstrated by its presence in Quebec where it was not originally native, the weedy classification does indicate a capacity for invading new habitats as well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbBqMqEtMSqoPvGleAxiMwXtlh3yL9Fe06fMve8fDTTWAbimwXlelVZoMnMNxCh2QrpOBP_rvuJOrBxNmBOUUDaCw9s642DNwpL9RHoqwQ27S8aWsWgJ0pxvMPqx-3mNq6px0fAkTZ__0/s1600/Verbena+stricta+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbBqMqEtMSqoPvGleAxiMwXtlh3yL9Fe06fMve8fDTTWAbimwXlelVZoMnMNxCh2QrpOBP_rvuJOrBxNmBOUUDaCw9s642DNwpL9RHoqwQ27S8aWsWgJ0pxvMPqx-3mNq6px0fAkTZ__0/s640/Verbena+stricta+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Verbena stricta</i> inflorescences</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Though this and yesterday's plant are both vervains, they are not the same. <i>Verbena stricta</i> has considerably larger flowers and inflorescences, and has a lot of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichome">trichomes</a> [<a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/hry_vervainx.htm">3</a>,<a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEST">4</a>,<a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/hoary-vervain">5</a>] (fine hairs on the surface of the plant).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIDevYg1rSAIPX25pn6ovFX5RFVXctMNfJeaNE_kS7C1ty5MY_gRHGnLh3CYK686GeqWct3P_1yhbKF2zzY8y0n79n64buK1JpTGhCOij-X1CdRTpyfS0hyzHuE2V4G_MFSL7AGB2JDtb/s1600/Verbena+stricta+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIDevYg1rSAIPX25pn6ovFX5RFVXctMNfJeaNE_kS7C1ty5MY_gRHGnLh3CYK686GeqWct3P_1yhbKF2zzY8y0n79n64buK1JpTGhCOij-X1CdRTpyfS0hyzHuE2V4G_MFSL7AGB2JDtb/s640/Verbena+stricta+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Verbena stricta</i> full plant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Trichomes are an interesting anatomical feature of many plants. They can serve many different functions: they can deter herbivory (trichomes of this variety will often be sharp and stiff, or will deliver a painful irritant to the unwary brusher-by); they can protect against frost; they can reflect excessive sunlight; they can reduce evaboration; and they can even enhance <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_drip">fog drip</a> in order to improve water collection.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqflVhXdPf7P9JwFTy63EcMHYt1vd9UgOJ5LVKkamPnM2L8TpSVfKY3LRKmqlFWplKbPdgYqVGiAn2ZTrIBxWEYPw6hH_V2ddelu5_32nNvfnqxRXUfIrmHk6iKxKwjXs7EeVkw8O0W-O/s1600/Verbena+stricta+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqflVhXdPf7P9JwFTy63EcMHYt1vd9UgOJ5LVKkamPnM2L8TpSVfKY3LRKmqlFWplKbPdgYqVGiAn2ZTrIBxWEYPw6hH_V2ddelu5_32nNvfnqxRXUfIrmHk6iKxKwjXs7EeVkw8O0W-O/s640/Verbena+stricta+%25287%2529.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Verbena stricta</i> inflorescence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One issue which complicates matters a bit when trying to distinguish species of <i>Verbena</i> is that many members of this genus can readily hybridize [<a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/hry_vervainx.htm">3</a>,<a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/2418676?seq=1##page_scan_tab_contents">6</a>].<br />
<br />
This statement may immediately twig some concern in the minds in those who have taken an intro to biology course. After all, aren't species largely defined by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproductive_isolation">reproductive isolation</a> (the inability to produce offspring by crossing two populations)? Well, sort of. Defining species is a complex issue.<br />
<br />
To an extent, the definition of species (by which I mean the point of genetic relatedness beyond which we identify groups of organisms as "same"), is a matter of pragmatism and judgement. This doesn't mean that we lack any standards for determining whether populations are members of a single species, but it does mean that exactly what judgement we make will be influenced by context. Depending on the purpose, we might make it a bit more stringent in some way, eg produce viable offspring and be morphologically/genetically similar to a given degree (a common standard with plants).<br />
<br />
So where some might see a single species [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VEST">eg</a>], others might see a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species_complex">species complex</a> [<a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/2418676?seq=1##page_scan_tab_contents">eg</a>] (a group of closely interrelated species which are so similar as to sometimes make it difficult to distinguish between them). Depending on the purposes and interests of the individuals involved, both of these interpretations can be valid.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm9Hv6uPiNVFJi4ICbGubDIAjSMBbfVrc87IlWCPQsUdU7y4HBRPljHQ87gOm7Z9F379GIeDHHZ52ME6-q157ZmZi5Dwrwz1fvfoUiACGjWgK3_u8eZyhp1Y72OoyIujIuwWbLkmLbJn2/s1600/Verbena+stricta+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm9Hv6uPiNVFJi4ICbGubDIAjSMBbfVrc87IlWCPQsUdU7y4HBRPljHQ87gOm7Z9F379GIeDHHZ52ME6-q157ZmZi5Dwrwz1fvfoUiACGjWgK3_u8eZyhp1Y72OoyIujIuwWbLkmLbJn2/s640/Verbena+stricta+%25289%2529.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Verbena stricta</i> inflorescence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So am I actually saying that depending on the context, <i>Verbena stricta </i>could be either a single species or a species complex (or even part of the broader group "<i>Verbena</i>")? Yes, I am. This kind of fuzzy imperfection of definition stems from our practical need to categorize the inter-relatedness of life, which is functionally much more continuous than categorical. People don't like it because it's messy, but that messiness is a product of the attempt to categorize a continuum. The lines we draw will always be in some sense arbitrary. That doesn't mean there's no value in categorizing, as long as we're clear about what we're doing and how we're making the call.<br />
<br />
In many aspects of biology, we use the standard of intercompatibility (the ability to produce viable offspring) to define the species because reproduction is central to relatedness (genetic/functional relatedness is a pillar of many avenues of scientific inquiry), so it is a place to draw the line which has a lot of practical applications. But there are also other places to draw the line that are useful or informative in a variety of applications.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-83606694134914427392015-07-20T10:27:00.001-04:002015-07-20T11:19:25.146-04:00Native Plants for the Pollinator-Conscious Gardener, Part 1: Blue vervain - Verbena hastata - Verveine hastée<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 10.8000001907349px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 670px;">
The vervains (<i>Verbena</i> spp.) have started bloo<span style="line-height: 1.4;">ming in the wooded part of the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery. They are quite beautiful and where I was, they were absolutely teeming with a wide assortment of pollinators including bees, syrphid flies, skippers, and butterflies. Most of the shots I took actually were photobombed by a variety of pollinators!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 670px;">
<br />
Today, I would like to talk about <i>Verbena hastata</i> (blue vervain, fr verveine hastée). This beautiful flower is native to North America (US range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=veha2">here</a>, Canada range map <a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1002630&lang=en" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">here</a>). It is listed as potentially weedy/invasive in the US [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=veha2" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">1</a>], which, within its native range, means that it is a strong competitor and may squeeze out other plants under some conditions. This plant is secure in most of its native range [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=veha2" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">1</a>,<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1002630&lang=en" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">2</a>], with the exception of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, where it may be at risk [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1002630&lang=en" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">2</a>].</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6867477646936052491" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 670px;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qftl_sML7GLaUNq7hPq1VqjvWEGIWG1zwixK9T-9Kp9oT1g2auusZjdeixkYkJ5AWTm15OUgcUQsmPvo3WyFmGXq27m1SPi29UETwmgOdFKyTkW0kKvS6-Ct3AnUw8Q8b6glHas9qVZz/s1600/Verbena+hastata+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qftl_sML7GLaUNq7hPq1VqjvWEGIWG1zwixK9T-9Kp9oT1g2auusZjdeixkYkJ5AWTm15OUgcUQsmPvo3WyFmGXq27m1SPi29UETwmgOdFKyTkW0kKvS6-Ct3AnUw8Q8b6glHas9qVZz/s640/Verbena+hastata+%25283%2529.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Verbena hastata</i> inflorescence</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6867477646936052491" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 670px;">
This gorgeous flower can get pretty tall, anywhere from 2 to 5 feet [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_veha2.pdf" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">3</a>,<a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=z370" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">4</a>,<a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/bl_vervain.htm" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">5</a>,<a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA2" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">6</a>]. It prefers moist soils [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_veha2.pdf" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">3</a>,<a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=z370" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">4</a>,<a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/bl_vervain.htm" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">5</a>,<a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA2" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">6</a>] but there were lots of them growing at the top of the mountain, on the slope, and that is hardly a moist location so I would say it can prosper elsewhere. <i>Verbena hastata</i> has a solid upright form, as seen here:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdqxzAkXYOKOKM5QvRAVTNudXVDsIo8NoTOjd7sMoPmBWxd-BXT4GhB-hocQMpAwLJi5C_XUDmRtGPxN6cLN6jGzdhYr6i9TBa8S5Us3HpFpmYQHvvKWQEi5dgam0BKLfstJo7T9XadJo/s1600/Verbena+hastata+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdqxzAkXYOKOKM5QvRAVTNudXVDsIo8NoTOjd7sMoPmBWxd-BXT4GhB-hocQMpAwLJi5C_XUDmRtGPxN6cLN6jGzdhYr6i9TBa8S5Us3HpFpmYQHvvKWQEi5dgam0BKLfstJo7T9XadJo/s640/Verbena+hastata+%25281%2529.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="359" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Verbena hastata </i>- full plant view</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Verbena hastata</i> is a member of the genus <i>Verbena </i>(vervains), a family with a long history of medicinal use. <i>Verbena officinalis</i>, the common vervain, is a popular garden plant possibly for its particular history in Europe as a medicinal plant [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">7</a>], but <i>Verbena officinalis</i> is not native to North America [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_officinalis" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">8</a>]. The vervains are used medicinally to treat a number of ailments. <i>Verbena hastata</i> specifically, has been used to treat depression, fever, coughs, cramps, headaches, and jaundice [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_veha2.pdf" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">3</a>,<a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA2" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">6</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">7</a>]. There is, however, currently insufficient scientific evidence to back up the use of vervains to treat most of the ailments associated with them [<a href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-88-verbena.aspx?activeingredientid=88&activeingredientname=verbena" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">9</a>]. <b>Please note that <i>Verbena hastata</i> is known to interfere with blood pressure medication and hormone therapy, and that in large doses can cause vomiting and diarrhea</b> [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_veha2.pdf" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">3</a>,<a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA2" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">6</a>]. Do not consume this plant in any form if you are taking medications it could interfere with, and do not consume it in large doses.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnpNdnUFRrswxqs1kQ8zwmtPsQarcwU0htey0dLS4YTu0lc2N4hVIoWXmEe1JQgBnBZHF3PTYIr0AC-EGz3wnW1-XLPCAIIOfGJduIxiFyJsyGYWPclGaqNQEFknkwD7yArnasKrFQV9V/s1600/Verbena+hastata+%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnpNdnUFRrswxqs1kQ8zwmtPsQarcwU0htey0dLS4YTu0lc2N4hVIoWXmEe1JQgBnBZHF3PTYIr0AC-EGz3wnW1-XLPCAIIOfGJduIxiFyJsyGYWPclGaqNQEFknkwD7yArnasKrFQV9V/s640/Verbena+hastata+%25288%2529.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Verbena hastata </i>inflorescence</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">Verbena hastata</i><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">is very attractive to a wide range of pollinators, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, cuckoo bees, miner bees, halictid bees, and the verbena bee (specialized to</span><i style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;"> Verbena </i><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">spp.), as well as wasps, syrphid flies, true flies, beetles, butterflies, skippers, and moths [</span><a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_veha2.pdf" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">3</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">,</span><a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=z370" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">4</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">,</span><a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/bl_vervain.htm" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">5</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">,</span><a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA2" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">6</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">]. At this point you may have noticed that I have listed essentially the entire range of insect pollinators. The plant also serves as a larval host for the common buckeye butterfly and feeds the caterpillars of verbena moth [</span><a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_veha2.pdf" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">3</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">,</span><a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/bl_vervain.htm" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">5</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">,</span><a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA2" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">6</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">]. As a bonus,</span><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;"> </span><i style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">Verbena hastata</i><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">is also attractive to some birds, for its seeds: cardinal, swamp sparrow, field sparrow, song sparrow, and the slate-coloured junco [</span><a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_veha2.pdf" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">3</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">,</span><a href="http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/bl_vervain.htm" style="color: #888888; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">5</a><span style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">].</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6867477646936052491" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 670px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6867477646936052491" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 670px;">
So if you are considering planting vervain in your garden, please consider taking this lovely native alternative to the more commonly selected <i>Verbena officinalis</i>. After all, the native <i>Verbena hastata</i> is beautiful, makes a decent tea (with the caveat about dose size and medical contraindications firmly in mind), and is great for the pollinators!</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-66505002952765239532015-07-16T19:52:00.000-04:002015-07-16T21:57:41.678-04:00A Few Fun Finds Outside of My Area of ExpertiseSo I decided to make a quick post today just showing a few of the unusual things I've seen on my wanderings that I don't have much to say about.<br />
<br />
First up, we have <i>Hylatomus pileatus</i> (pileated woodpecker), a normally shy bird which appeared to consider it a worthwhile trade to be closer to humans than regular comfort in order to get at the bugs in this dead log.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyb5t-OYdqxB9JS_3L6n5LuTi61MgvcTZ_bQeNb3I3WT-GjekzZ5Hz-EHkTPlG3NPeT5A-g44Fdat8Sdy-QfVuzriV3ZBZuQqdLsDo8UV_08xsjNd-xNVc35Yk9D7b6nlGoF4-f0xY8fX/s1600/Hylatomus+pileatus+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyb5t-OYdqxB9JS_3L6n5LuTi61MgvcTZ_bQeNb3I3WT-GjekzZ5Hz-EHkTPlG3NPeT5A-g44Fdat8Sdy-QfVuzriV3ZBZuQqdLsDo8UV_08xsjNd-xNVc35Yk9D7b6nlGoF4-f0xY8fX/s640/Hylatomus+pileatus+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hylatomus pileatus</i> -- photographed in the Mont-Royal Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
This also happens to be the only time I've ever seen <i>Hylatomus pileatus</i> eating on the ground. This probably has more to do with the fact that most of its food is in standing tree trunks, rather than a particular habit or preference.<br />
<br />
We also have<i> Anaxyrus americanus</i>, an american toad, which is very common in the area. I see toads all the time at the lake but rarely ones of this size (presumably the ones that manage to get this big, get this big because they're good at going unnoticed). I love the gold eyes of this species.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4SouSbmYd_xAfuM1_RPJNcyKUU9_OxTVman8Y8x-5bjQ1WYssnR3YuXbCnY3FXcDIsZaRSjq0gBKiTv6sfPtNZSZ33Ni4jAMzfz3rDFHOnQjsLPqr3_rh1sEwfNaj3P-2ej0_gBNZ9ZE/s1600/Bufo+americanus+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4SouSbmYd_xAfuM1_RPJNcyKUU9_OxTVman8Y8x-5bjQ1WYssnR3YuXbCnY3FXcDIsZaRSjq0gBKiTv6sfPtNZSZ33Ni4jAMzfz3rDFHOnQjsLPqr3_rh1sEwfNaj3P-2ej0_gBNZ9ZE/s640/Bufo+americanus+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anaxyrus americanus</i>, photographed in the Upper Gatineau region</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, I would like to make an addendum to my <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/07/calico-pennant-celithemis-elisa.html">post</a> about <i>Celithemis elisa </i>(the calico pennant). At the time of posting, I had only gotten a picture of the male. I can now add a picture of the yellowy-beige female.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hpScLzxSeyPNjTu63048HZc76wNtmYx_8HYVUfj01dSIjVD4sxW3nfwDCZOg6cy3AYpeOnkD8o2vFCxVrTWkk_4cc7xFCdwm9Z-j6w4pTUFNPARnSXtnopwQa0GnfGdbK3Wqo6SJ_zza/s1600/Celithemis+elisa+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hpScLzxSeyPNjTu63048HZc76wNtmYx_8HYVUfj01dSIjVD4sxW3nfwDCZOg6cy3AYpeOnkD8o2vFCxVrTWkk_4cc7xFCdwm9Z-j6w4pTUFNPARnSXtnopwQa0GnfGdbK3Wqo6SJ_zza/s640/Celithemis+elisa+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celithemis elisa - male (image previously posted <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/07/calico-pennant-celithemis-elisa.html">here</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And here is the female. She sports all the same markings, but in a different colour palette:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzgxBdQUALCol99rxViPX-hBgH2jJ8JUC0mLQhqzEVyIv3h_DzscDzu9x2JYJPeHbjxcvHXwOqJK96KGMmokZs7ekdWN6_wk-29-UMiGRjPkB0j9tvD7cVrQ5zcuR6W_tBBD0FC4-Dot3/s1600/IMG_5099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzgxBdQUALCol99rxViPX-hBgH2jJ8JUC0mLQhqzEVyIv3h_DzscDzu9x2JYJPeHbjxcvHXwOqJK96KGMmokZs7ekdWN6_wk-29-UMiGRjPkB0j9tvD7cVrQ5zcuR6W_tBBD0FC4-Dot3/s640/IMG_5099.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Celithemis elisa</i> - female</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-10768056298933094272015-07-15T20:36:00.004-04:002015-07-15T20:36:36.493-04:00How Does a Plant Qualify for Noxious Weed Classification? Hoary Alyssum, Berteroa incanaOur star of the day is <i>Berteroa incana</i> (hoary alyssum, berteroa blanche), an introduced invasive species here in North America which is originally native to Eurasia [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berteroa_incana">1</a>]; it is a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassicaceae"><i>Brassicaceae</i></a> (mustard family). US range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=BEIN2">here</a>, Canada range map <a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1004659&lang=e">here</a>. This plant is marked as weedy/invasive in the US [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=BEIN2">2</a>], but is not listed federally as a weed in Canada [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1004659&lang=e">3</a>]. <i>Berteroa incana</i> has noxious weed status in Michigan [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=BEIN2">2</a>], and in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1004659&lang=e">3</a>].<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGKJqZEdi9E8bkRyVgHBiw4V8ACD_vXXVDepWpnVVHv-vGgsd2_4CRXpLDrQbtW1K3LaVdmXKalKoqBb_e8X34UAp5MajIHg8okemaTruHcJphFJMDpGpkl_1D2l-IdfbPvX4wIoSZhKw/s1600/Berteroa+incana+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGKJqZEdi9E8bkRyVgHBiw4V8ACD_vXXVDepWpnVVHv-vGgsd2_4CRXpLDrQbtW1K3LaVdmXKalKoqBb_e8X34UAp5MajIHg8okemaTruHcJphFJMDpGpkl_1D2l-IdfbPvX4wIoSZhKw/s640/Berteroa+incana+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Berteroa incana</i> inflorescence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
I've mentioned a couple of other plants with noxious weed status on this blog: <i><a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/06/oxeye-daisy-leucanthemum-vulgare.html">Leucanthemum vulgare</a></i>, and <i><a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/05/kill-it-with-fire-and-other-methods-of.html">Alliaria petiolata</a></i>. So at this point you may be wondering what a plant has to do/be in order to obtain the noxious weed classification.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The answer to this question isn't always entirely straightforward, because there are a number of potential reasons for governments to confer noxious weed status on a plant, and because sometimes plants which exhibit similar traits to legally recognized noxious weeds aren't on the list for a variety of reasons (eg lack of resources, petition for review hasn't been tabled before the assessing body, insufficient scientific data, management concerns, political reasons, economic reasons).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHML6MjIQ0CC3r9CV3xJthi83WKEtty7DWlCpVszwJGTrtaCUkhkagfYJ-emvaL-A0qHwGdAm6FTpWWpK8xnhxVYN7ZGsMs1gVPRVRRhPLUzMV7BtrIiIwSpbztk1Ng93kOAC4lfQlkvmD/s1600/Berteroa+incana+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHML6MjIQ0CC3r9CV3xJthi83WKEtty7DWlCpVszwJGTrtaCUkhkagfYJ-emvaL-A0qHwGdAm6FTpWWpK8xnhxVYN7ZGsMs1gVPRVRRhPLUzMV7BtrIiIwSpbztk1Ng93kOAC4lfQlkvmD/s640/Berteroa+incana+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Berteroa incana</i> whole-plant view (in among a rambling pile of other plants)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The nice thing about <i>Berteroa incana</i> for the purposes of this discussion is that it exhibits more than one of the common traits that will lead a plant to be classified as a noxious weed. For example, it used to hold the noxious weed classification in Michigan [<a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/hoary-alyssum">4</a>], because it had been implicated in loss of pollinator diversity and therefore constituted a presence disruptive and deleterious to native ecosystem function [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_bein2.pdf">5</a>]. It is unclear from my research whether this hypothesis has been disproved or if the plant has since been removed from Minnesota's noxious weed list for other reasons.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This plant's noxious weed status in Michigan must be attributable to agricultural or environmental undesirability, as these are the criteria listed by the state for plants to qualify for the noxious weed list [<a href="http://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125-1569_16993-11250--,00.html">6</a>]. It is possible that <i>Berteroa incana </i>was assessed as both; the list provides no further detail.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXUbUeyG6Evm1CgjbasTSCuz_YBXij3LAQu3zIEk73-8NTcyUJ_rYYdNlXF_KUwlsGn0ngkGXoPVPTM8KXW1gljp4qPLd6ejLnJdAG_KMcYwIcNcBXRnItsgG46Vc7JqrNO8Mj8p1KIMX/s1600/Berteroa+incana+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXUbUeyG6Evm1CgjbasTSCuz_YBXij3LAQu3zIEk73-8NTcyUJ_rYYdNlXF_KUwlsGn0ngkGXoPVPTM8KXW1gljp4qPLd6ejLnJdAG_KMcYwIcNcBXRnItsgG46Vc7JqrNO8Mj8p1KIMX/s640/Berteroa+incana+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Berteroa incana</i> inflorescence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<i>Berteroa incana</i>'s noxious weed status in Alberta and British Columbia is explicitly outlined as being due to its toxicity to horses [<a href="http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm13961/$file/hoary_alyssum.pdf?OpenElement">7</a>,<a href="http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/weedsbc/pdf/hoary_alyssum.pdf">8</a>], and in British Columbia also because it interferes with alfalfa crop quality [<a href="http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/weedsbc/pdf/hoary_alyssum.pdf">8</a>], by invading alfalfa fields and competing with the forage plant; it also ends up in the hay and is considerably less nutrient-rich than alfalfa, thereby reducing the nutritious value of the fodder produced.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5nL01zhJOoQ7Ldw1iUFuQ3LIPC5lJ30ZcfIFj9HE9sHRHcrZ42SzRxVa9Zzi8kXD_StN-5GW2PdujYsXZTzOjnH4LMAghms7BF4Ruvx9JZz1frjIv7E68bH6z8JNaBarJ5xY7TRsCss5/s1600/Phycioides+sp+%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5nL01zhJOoQ7Ldw1iUFuQ3LIPC5lJ30ZcfIFj9HE9sHRHcrZ42SzRxVa9Zzi8kXD_StN-5GW2PdujYsXZTzOjnH4LMAghms7BF4Ruvx9JZz1frjIv7E68bH6z8JNaBarJ5xY7TRsCss5/s640/Phycioides+sp+%252812%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Phyciodes cocyta</i> collecting nectar from <i>Berteroa incana </i>(photo posted before on <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2015/07/butterflies-in-upper-gatineau.html">this post</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
So a plant can end up on a noxious weed registry because it is particularly deleterious to ecosystem function, or because it is undesirable from an agricultural or environmental standpoint. If I have a reliable source on the matter, I will generally indicate why a particular plant is listed as a noxious weed. But if I don't, it is one of these reasons (and I couldn't find out which).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As for what to do about this plant... well, small populations can simply be pulled by hand [<a href="http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/weedsbc/pdf/hoary_alyssum.pdf">8</a>], or in some places and contexts it may be appropriate to treat with an herbicide (2,4-D, dicamba, or glyphosate) [<a href="https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/hoary-alyssum">4</a>,<a href="http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/weedsbc/pdf/hoary_alyssum.pdf">8</a>].</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am remembering a visit I made to Toronto a few years back in August where I lost my voice because of the smog. The same thing is happening now with all this heat and traffic in Montreal, only it's not a visit; I'm stuck here until the end of the month and I'm losing my voice fast (I'm already at the stage where I can no longer hum). I had forgotten how hard it can be to breathe in a large city in summer...</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-25229810023775614892015-07-14T19:27:00.000-04:002015-07-14T19:27:16.881-04:00You Don't Have to See It to Notice It: Wood Nymph, Moneses uniflora, Pyrole à une fleurIn my meanderings at the lake (my parents's property in the Upper Gatineau), I came across some <i>Moneses uniflora</i> (aka wood nymph, oneflower wintergreen, single delight, & many other names) that was well-placed for some photos.<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0U9sGNbyahhmcMFC9sOTvMpfoNtR9eGoo5d2SKXH7p5CdCABh46j0x5vyG1SQmKwGS9j1Wux7nebZVdwjNYu_PQB-2DJjtC2-krPtOya5cjs3qJLx42rSBGSKFkKgX3eAtUdAOu8yNwJx/s1600/Moneses+uniflora+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0U9sGNbyahhmcMFC9sOTvMpfoNtR9eGoo5d2SKXH7p5CdCABh46j0x5vyG1SQmKwGS9j1Wux7nebZVdwjNYu_PQB-2DJjtC2-krPtOya5cjs3qJLx42rSBGSKFkKgX3eAtUdAOu8yNwJx/s640/Moneses+uniflora+%25281%2529.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Moneses uniflora</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
For those familiar with the property, it grows fairly abundantly in the cedar bush. Today's shots were taken by the metre-deep pond.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For those unfamiliar with the property, this plant is native to and found in temperate, moist coniferous forests in the Northern hemisphere [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moneses">1</a>] and was thus quite predictably found in an area where the water table is quite high (we know of at least one spring letting out in the area; the place is crisscrossed with little streams and puddles and is always very damp; it is not a place you walk if you plan to keep your feet dry), and which is populated primarily by <i>Thuja occidentalis</i> (white cedar). This is its native and natural habitat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The pictures were taken quite close up (I had to lie down on the ground to take it and rose predictably quite damp as a result), so the size of the plant is not immediately obvious. In spite of its reasonable stature in the photos, <i>Moneses uniflora</i> is actually a very small, unpreposessing flower; the one I photographed here appeared to be quite typical of the population and was no more than 3 or 4cm high, though some sources seem to indicate that it can grow as big as 6 inches tall [<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/moneses_uniflora.shtml">2</a>] (this may be more likely in warmer climates with longer growing seasons).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiymMHhrBiM4xQtzvlG2AzxpH8rMYHPsII9Es4OhL2CRd80Wg1OKwnmJjpCJglH9NYZzjfGidl-8K6uV9283kBSFH54SLTxN3fAjqoDtFIi5he9z6oVD-y7PXmruMCdeTStOUDm4cOsea/s1600/Moneses+uniflora+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiymMHhrBiM4xQtzvlG2AzxpH8rMYHPsII9Es4OhL2CRd80Wg1OKwnmJjpCJglH9NYZzjfGidl-8K6uV9283kBSFH54SLTxN3fAjqoDtFIi5he9z6oVD-y7PXmruMCdeTStOUDm4cOsea/s640/Moneses+uniflora+%25282%2529.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Moneses uniflora</i> side view ; note the prominent pistil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
It is very likely that people have walked by this plant many times without ever noticing it, small and plain as it is. But though people may walk by without taking note of it, it is possible that they still perceive its presence. It isn't visually dramatic, but it produces a strong and very pleasant fragrance [<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/moneses_uniflora.shtml">2</a>] that, where it grows abundantly, sweetens the air. The scent of this flower is part of the sweet, moist, earthy smell I associate with the cedar bush.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The strong fragrance of the flower is attractive to bees, but the plant is in this respect deceptive; they will find no nectar in these flowers [<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/moneses_uniflora.shtml">2</a>]. Nevertheless, the bees are able to collect pollen, which rather than being borne on the surface of the anther, is actually inside it. There is a pore at the tip of the anther through which pollen will fall when a bee shakes the anthers by vibrating its wings [<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/moneses_uniflora.shtml">2</a>], thereby shaking the pollen loose -- this is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_pollination">buzz pollination</a> (which is a fascinating topic for another post).</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HnRB8h7hgOQ41Ps1qOs80M3y2Wo-7QNG6kB0LQ36K2UnhSz6aahduAeF5LjkvUmDJDFgxbv8a50QqErc6UpDlQBD860D11Zzj7MC5r_4Nn-tH81X6nID-DYbwaWvoOaWk_wNaWsHrD5Y/s1600/Moneses+uniflora+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HnRB8h7hgOQ41Ps1qOs80M3y2Wo-7QNG6kB0LQ36K2UnhSz6aahduAeF5LjkvUmDJDFgxbv8a50QqErc6UpDlQBD860D11Zzj7MC5r_4Nn-tH81X6nID-DYbwaWvoOaWk_wNaWsHrD5Y/s640/Moneses+uniflora+%25285%2529.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Moneses uniflora</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
From a North American perspective, <i>Moneses uniflora</i> is native to much of the continent (US range map <a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=moun2">here</a>, Canada range map <a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1004780&lang=e">here</a>). It is endangered in Connecticut and Ohio, and threatened in Rhode Island [<a href="http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=moun2">3</a>]. It is secure in most of its native Canadian range, except Nunavut where it may be at risk and Newfoundland & Labrador, where its status has not been assessed [<a href="http://www.plantsofcanada.info.gc.ca/taxa.php?gid=1004780&lang=e">4</a>].</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A few sources suggest the <i>Moneses uniflora</i>'s potential medicinal use against colds [<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/moneses_uniflora.shtml">2</a>,<a href="http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Moneses+uniflora">5</a>] and as an antibacterial agent [<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/moneses_uniflora.shtml">2</a>].</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Because of my mother's musical predilections, I associate all this summer heat with the Tragically Hip, whose music my mother frequently played when we were driving up to the lake. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fbGFO1EaAE">Here</a>'s to the beauty of a Canadian summer. I hope you all are able to make the most of it.</div>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-31220177501470460372015-07-13T19:20:00.002-04:002015-07-14T10:01:43.292-04:00Wasps: Not Just Flying Agents of PainOne of the things I encounter a lot when I talk to people about pollination is an intense fear of bees, and most especially of wasps. But wasps don't just sting you (and most won't sting without provocation); they also are pollinators. While on holiday at the lake, I captured a great series of a wasp worker hanging out on <i>Achillea millefolium.</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGnNUzP_P4i6K5WKftkiyrXyaOulMRd6qpY8ATrw7ynKPAcQ59estFCpTUPsRboAXabYh-_mpcet4efk0F_TGhshdcxjWzhefMoYDoj5dMycR1armXbNjj-9xIDzVAuRgrvEms5XMLUVm/s1600/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGnNUzP_P4i6K5WKftkiyrXyaOulMRd6qpY8ATrw7ynKPAcQ59estFCpTUPsRboAXabYh-_mpcet4efk0F_TGhshdcxjWzhefMoYDoj5dMycR1armXbNjj-9xIDzVAuRgrvEms5XMLUVm/s640/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown species of wasp on <i>Achillea millefolium</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Wasps are generally less hairy/fuzzy than bees, so they don't carry pollen as efficiently. But less efficient pollination != no pollination. Indeed, wasps are important pollinators in many ecosystems.<br />
<br />
Another possible reason that wasps aren't such efficient pollinators of bees is that they don't (for the most part) rely solely on flowers for food. This individual actually may have inadvertently provided pollination services to the flower, but wasn't there collecting either nectar or pollen. She was dining on something else entirely:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCoBnWK4Y0qtLAGBCKzL4LwRVEpHpVfN3Do6r4rf1RUaP8HJwasJOrrxRo85KhvaXjWE_Sat_GY2IBRItebrSzSm4525Hs_1s8DpbW9s6Dzwu1pO0iT96V68qm6vEdDEfqyY7gZLpUdjY/s1600/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCoBnWK4Y0qtLAGBCKzL4LwRVEpHpVfN3Do6r4rf1RUaP8HJwasJOrrxRo85KhvaXjWE_Sat_GY2IBRItebrSzSm4525Hs_1s8DpbW9s6Dzwu1pO0iT96V68qm6vEdDEfqyY7gZLpUdjY/s640/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wasp eating something - note the ball of wax-yellow stuff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So I wondered what in the world she was eating. I looked from the front angle, hoping another angle might illuminate the matter:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_preHOiM_L_qisCAY0Z3rY6uMYgi8meoww9QB6VybYg7F_uzcMZGVXpTJZOJUSXp9rV0KK5SaRvlOYLrRnZ3zFaQpEIDnUQv6daIVKv9x0-otR-0z3IWpp6aDRzMzsCJeBOY3uY4UipB/s1600/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_preHOiM_L_qisCAY0Z3rY6uMYgi8meoww9QB6VybYg7F_uzcMZGVXpTJZOJUSXp9rV0KK5SaRvlOYLrRnZ3zFaQpEIDnUQv6daIVKv9x0-otR-0z3IWpp6aDRzMzsCJeBOY3uY4UipB/s640/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasp eating something -- ball of stuff still unidentifiable</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Nope, that was no help. Still a generally formless lump of gunk.<br />
<br />
A quick glance around the environs, however, provided the answer:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx1F56x1oLUMHOsWbSwJDu-8RDiBXAgjIEk6eg6_dv2rTSS0sqsghPcg3pJocBivXCPKteUH-tHOmoABuw4kMYt1-XubpDE665Nb2oYuQpcBgcfJ16UiLUNYdtkwpavhvia6rFwrUHjjF/s1600/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx1F56x1oLUMHOsWbSwJDu-8RDiBXAgjIEk6eg6_dv2rTSS0sqsghPcg3pJocBivXCPKteUH-tHOmoABuw4kMYt1-XubpDE665Nb2oYuQpcBgcfJ16UiLUNYdtkwpavhvia6rFwrUHjjF/s640/Wasp+Having+a+Nosh+%25285%2529.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems like a colour match for that wasp's meal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This dead grasshopper was on the stem of the flower where I found the wasp, and judging by the colour match and the big old hole in the dead grasshopper's abdomen, I suspect that the wasp found herself a rich source of protein and was taking advantage.<br />
<br />
I suppose one animal's rather grisly find is another's feast.<br />
<br />
Anyway, wasps will seek out other sources of protein (often to feed their young), including other insects, whereas bees generally don't. This reduced reliance on flowers may make them less likely to do the systematic flower-by-flower collection that also makes bees such suitable pollinators for flowers.<br />
<br />
Wasps are actually an excellent biological control agent, as many of them have preferred prey which are pest insects on crops. I encourage them in my own garden because they're so efficient at getting rid of unwanted insects.<br />
<br />
These oft-maligned insects are actually pretty awesome -- as long as you don't swat them or approach their nests late in the season.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-52522269876124022472015-07-12T13:07:00.001-04:002015-07-12T13:07:18.679-04:00What Do These Images Have in Common?There are quite a lot of deer at the lake. So many that it wasn't hard to get a few photos while I was visiting with my family. This is the best of the bunch:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujDOnafS1SBiI4BeV1BW6shZ3ShU1DfTOnFHqBXFI1PoZr2Fd9sYZE2o5GegTYpXUCGE74FN2d8TmbFlT5Pyyuzxhnhz-NeqR6_NRCUP2NAVBWK29Xczwv6Y77YjK0884ETilrRG_YfZ6/s1600/Odocoileus+virginianus+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujDOnafS1SBiI4BeV1BW6shZ3ShU1DfTOnFHqBXFI1PoZr2Fd9sYZE2o5GegTYpXUCGE74FN2d8TmbFlT5Pyyuzxhnhz-NeqR6_NRCUP2NAVBWK29Xczwv6Y77YjK0884ETilrRG_YfZ6/s640/Odocoileus+virginianus+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Odocoileus virginianus</i> - white-tailed deer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course, when I say "deer", I mean <i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>, the white-tailed deer. This species is extremely abundant in many places and this excessive abundance (in response to the elimination of its natural predators, eg cougars, wolves) has had large impacts on plant populations. <i>Odocoileus virginianus</i> browse extensively on plant matter, especially low branches, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Their presence seems to assist invasive species spread, by weakening native species (which they prefer to eat compared to invasives) and thus reducing their competitiveness.<br />
<br />
People who visit at the lake will frequently ask me about this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PlqCq23b9Ia4sdrLSvuvnJTcYM-b2bTYR7LGpXOqC27sx2C74U4ikq2OUFkAM7tTdLz_90K3RhF5KUfubW1C17esuIuA4lAdTt-ptw3T8FF7Mccg6mTw083E6cvWKgkD7MSysRPGxBKC/s1600/Lake+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PlqCq23b9Ia4sdrLSvuvnJTcYM-b2bTYR7LGpXOqC27sx2C74U4ikq2OUFkAM7tTdLz_90K3RhF5KUfubW1C17esuIuA4lAdTt-ptw3T8FF7Mccg6mTw083E6cvWKgkD7MSysRPGxBKC/s640/Lake+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoreline of the lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What's up with the straight, level trimmed line of the branches on the shore? A number of amusing theories have been proposed, from snow-reflection microclimates to the lake association hiring professional landscapers to trim.<br />
<br />
But there is a connection between the deer, and this straight line.<br />
<br />
The lake's shore primarily composed of <i>Thuja occidentalis </i>(northern white cedar), which is one the local <i>Odocoileus virginianus</i> population's primary winter food sources. In the winter the lake freezes, and the deer go out on the ice and have a chomp. So this straight line actually shows the reach limit of the deer for browsing.<br />
<br />
In ecology terms, this is called a <a href="http://www.upenn.edu/paflora/id13.htm">browse line</a>. Overbrowsing certainly seems to be an issue at the lake; the forest understory is in many places quite bare, and there are virtually no new cedar, maple, or oaks growing in recent years because when they reach intermediate height (tall enough to poke over the snow in winter, not tall enough to exceed the reach of deer), they are browsed to death and that's that. This is a documented problem in many places which have overpopulations of <i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>.<br />
<br />
It was just gorgeous at the lake last week, so I will sign off with a picture:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0UnvyJEKL81TDdakdQ8BUKMuFdgtwuJO37YTOHs3ua3ToUguhcbDc5tqHjzrXs6w8VH8O8R46Xuusqh-MHby_qcCowdpn5d0U3YlpD1_P8WsI01fc8aFsYp8mktmdg1Of2egkInbCbEg/s1600/Lake+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0UnvyJEKL81TDdakdQ8BUKMuFdgtwuJO37YTOHs3ua3ToUguhcbDc5tqHjzrXs6w8VH8O8R46Xuusqh-MHby_qcCowdpn5d0U3YlpD1_P8WsI01fc8aFsYp8mktmdg1Of2egkInbCbEg/s640/Lake+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Island on the lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79794376425595168.post-9373283314663409492015-07-08T08:58:00.003-04:002015-07-08T08:58:43.346-04:00Calico Pennant - Celithemis elisaSo a few years ago I spent a frustrating afternoon trying to photograph <i>Celithemis elisa</i> (calico pennant) dragonflies at my friend's cottage, from a kayak -- which is quite challenging. The best images I got of this species are in <a href="http://canadianecology.blogspot.ca/2013/07/dragonflies-odonata-libellules.html">this post</a>.<br />
<br />
My husband and I went for a long walk yesterday along the trans Canada trail. The local portion of this trail is called le véloroute des draveurs in this region. Part of this trail goes along Lac du Castor Blanc, where I was lucky enough to come across a male <i>Celithemis elisa</i> and finally, finally get the photo I've wanted:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-2zQi_EvCXx9gEQgSXXB1OTXXxesOvMAa1eJo4DRZ2Yf3tE1uXbs0EOx_32llsIC5jrUOVn8Lc17OlR4RTP3GPFGnhSm0su9l79hFDPs_d1DkA3_7kO9wDdTkTGm1I-PEB6E1gt_qrWG/s1600/Celithemis+elisa+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-2zQi_EvCXx9gEQgSXXB1OTXXxesOvMAa1eJo4DRZ2Yf3tE1uXbs0EOx_32llsIC5jrUOVn8Lc17OlR4RTP3GPFGnhSm0su9l79hFDPs_d1DkA3_7kO9wDdTkTGm1I-PEB6E1gt_qrWG/s640/Celithemis+elisa+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Celithemis elisa</i> male</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This species is distributed fairly broadly across North America (records map <a href="http://eol.org/pages/131379/maps">here</a>) and is ranked as a species of least concern under the IUCN (which means there is no current evidence of threats against the populations) [<a href="http://eol.org/pages/131379/overview">1</a>].<br />
<br />
The short stretch of the trail that we enjoyed yesterday was lined with huge and delicious wild strawberries. It is a pleasant section of the trail for walking and cycling. We stopped by the gazebo on the Lac du Castor Blanc for a while and just watched the water for a while. I would definitely recommend this trail to others.<br />
<br />
My husband and I will be travelling back to Montreal today so I'm not going to spend a lot of time writing up a blog post. We'll be back to the regular programming once I get settled back in Montreal.Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00529228881123740394noreply@blogger.com0