EXTRA CREDIT- DUE NO LATER THAN FRIDAY November 6th, 2015
Read each excerpt and complete the chart and questions for an additional 3 points on the next summative test!!
Comparing Habitats
and Niches
Read the information below then complete the table and
answer the questions that follow.
Creosote (Larrea tridentata), also known as
greasewood, is the most common shrub in three of the four north American
deserts. It is too cold in the Great Basin Desert of Nevada, but it thrives in
the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts. Creosote is an evergreen shrub,
commonly up to six feet tall or taller, that has tiny green leaves, yellow
flowers, and grey-fuzzy fruit. It flowers several times a year depending on
rainfall.
There is a legend that
creosotes inhibit growth of any other plants around them. Not exactly. The
roots will excrete a substance which inhibits growth of bursage, its main
competitor, and it will also inhibit germination of its own seeds so competing
new creosote bushes will not grow nearby. But, the creosote is an important
nurse plant for small cacti and many other plants
The leaves of the plant
apparently taste bad. Only the Jackrabbit is known to eat the leaves, and then,
only when there is nothing else available. However, “More than 60 species of
insects are associated with this plant, including 22 species of bees that feed
only on its flowers. Many are specific to it, such as the creosote katydid
(Insara covillei) and creosote grasshopper (Bootettix argentatus), which are so
camouflaged that they are very difficult to find. Lac insects (Tachardiella
larreae, a scale insect) can occasionally be found on its stems. Desert peoples
used its sticky secretions as a multipurpose sealant and glue. Ball-shaped
leafy galls are common on stems. They are produced by the creosote gall midge
(Asphondylia); larvae of these small flies live in the protective mass of
tissue.
Red Knot
The Red Knot is the largest of the "peeps" in North America,
and one of the most colorful. It makes one of the longest yearly migrations of
any bird, traveling 15,000 km (9,300 mi) from its Arctic breeding grounds to
Tierra del Fuego in southern South America.
·
Breeds in drier tundra areas, such as sparsely vegetated hillsides
·
Nest is a cup-shaped depression on ground, lined with dried leaves,
grasses, and lichens.
·
Outside of breeding season, it is found primarily in intertidal, marine
habitats, especially near coastal inlets, estuaries, and bays
·
Despite their gregariousness during the winter, pairs maintain breeding
territories and generally nest about 1 km (0.7 mi) apart from each other
·
Feeds on Invertebrates, especially bivalves, small snails, and
crustaceans. During breeding season, also eats terrestrial invertebrates
·
Pecks at surface for prey or probes for buried prey. Swallows small
mollusks whole
·
One of the many shorebirds that feed on horseshoe crab eggs along the
coast of the Delaware Bay.
Excerpts
from http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Turnstone/id
Ruddy Turnstone
A stocky, brightly patterned shorebird, the Ruddy Turnstone can be seen
actively pecking, probing, and flipping over stones along rocky shores. Migrate
between the Arctic coast and tundra in the summer and as far south as the South
American coast in the winter.
· On
migration and in winter, found mostly along rocky shores, but also sand beaches
and mudflats
· Breeds
on rocky arctic coasts and tundra
· Nest
is a depression in ground or in vegetation and is lined with some vegetation.
· As
their name suggests, turnstones often forage by turning over stones and other
objects
· Eat aquatic
invertebrates and insects, even carrion, garbage, and bird's eggs
· One of
the many shorebirds that feed on horseshoe crab eggs along the coast of the
Delaware Bay.
Populations
|
Habitat
|
Niche
|
Creosote
|
||
Red
Knot
|
||
Ruddy
Turnstone
|
1.
Is it likely that creosote
and red knots will share the same habitat?
Support with evidence.
2.
Can red knots and ruddy turnstones coexist? Support with evidence.
