Resource Partitioning: Sergio Diaz & Edwin Romero

Resource Partitioning: Sergio Diaz & Edwin Romero
For the resource partitioning assignment, we decided to observe a tree that is located within Harrison Park, in the southwest side of the city. There were three pieces of evidence that would be considered resource partitioning. The first evidence was the great number of markings/scratches along the tree. At first, we thought that these markings were made by humans, but after observing the tree for some time, we realized that many squirrels kept going up and down the tree. The second evidence was a birds nest that was hidden, but after closer observation, we were sure that it was a birds nest. The nest was mostly composed of old leafs and didn't look to be in good condition. We were able to see a bird come within the nest, but we were unable to see the bird go inside. Lastly, we saw small insects at the base of the tree. These insects kept going inside the small cracks/holes that were located at the bottom of the tree. In conclusion, we saw three species: squirrels, birds, and insects. The evidence: markings/scratches, birds nest, and small cracks/holes.

Resource partitioning

The tree is near a park on the corner of Seminary and School. Its hard to tell exactly what happened, but there was a lot of evidence of high interaction with this tree. Near the bottom of the tree there was about a 3 foot tall area of no bark, it was kind of smooth. It was indented, so something purposely got rid of the bark, but I don't know what. I would guess some kind of squirrel, rat, or raccoon did it since it definitely does not look like the result of birds.
There were also a lot of knots in the outside of the wood, like those callous things you were talking in class about. These could be caused by birds digging into the wood to get at stuff inside the tree, or it could be insects crawling around inside.
At that time, there was no animals visible on the tree, but the whole area has a lot of birds and squirrels, so there are probably some of those living there. There were also little pieces of some kind of fruit that fell off a nearby tree, and showed evidence of animals eating them.

Resource Partitioning- Scott B, Alex Bishay & Gwen Eder

Our tree was located on Belden, in front of the parking lot. One of the first things that we noticed was that there was some human interaction with the tree. There were staples left in the tree from when a sign or poster had been there, and because of this the bark was starting to peel off. We also noticed that there were some holes in the tree, possibly from a termite or another animal that was using the tree for a parasitic relationship. Although we did not see any squirrels or other rodents, we did see evidence of their existence on the tree. We saw scrapings on the tree that looked they came from the claw of an animal. There was bark peeling off in a few places, which also could have come from the claw of an animal. While most of the relationships we saw with the tree showed evidence of the tree being harmed in the relationship, hopefully there were some interactions that are mutually beneficial for the tree and the other organism. We also noticed a layer of lichen, or moss, was growing on the tree. While we aren’t sure what exactly the lichen does for the tree and vice versa, one thing that we do know is that lichen always grows on the north side of the tree, which is beneficial to humans trying to find their way.

Trees

Allie Meyerson
Anna Diede
Mike Hansberry
For this resource partitioning example, I used a tree at my parents’ house in rural Minnesota. I found many different species, or evidence of different species on and around our tree. The tree that I focused on was a plum tree, and therefore, felt that I would be able to find more species because they would be attracted to the fruit. I saw molds, and algae’s, evidence of bark being stripped at the base, which I assumed was from deer and other small animals, many different insects, and all sorts of different vegetation at the base of the tree that will indubitably effect the soil that the tree grows from. I also could tell that there were insects or harmful bacteria on the tree because of the decay of the leaves.

Maggie Landon
I examined a tree outside of my apartment and found many signs of different species living in it or using it. I looked up in the tree and found some sort of nest in the branches. The nest looked disheveled and very old so I think it was created last spring. The nest was probably used by a bird. I also saw two squirrels running throughout the branches. Some of the leaves had started to change colors and a lot of them had tiny holes in them. It looked like some type of bug had been eating them. Some of the bark had been torn off, but I don't know what species could have done that. The birds, squirrels, and bugs all depended on that tree. They used it for a place to live and for food.

Trees by: Armita Ayrempour & Lisseth Loyo

During the resource partitioning activity Lisseth & I were looking at trees around DePaul's quad but we were unable to find much evidence of wildlife. Over the weekend i went to a trail in Lake forest and found a tree with a substantial amount of evidence with signs of different species all over it. The tree i looked at was a "Black Locust" ( i finally found the name after i recognized a picture of it online haha). There were tiny insects climbing the sides of the trees, they were mostly located in the grooves and ridges of the tree. Some of the leaves had holes in them which led me to believe that the insects were using the leaves as a food source. Towards the top of the tree there were two bird's nests that looked empty but there was one bird 5 feet away from it. There were squirrels running around and climbing the trees and the markings on the tree looked like they belonged to squirrels. Some people had carved their initials into the tree which served as a good example of how markings can show all the different species that are interacting with nature. 

Resource Partitioning

Our group went to a park near my house to observe a tree. Immediately we found a squirrel climbing up the bark and into the branches. Upon further investigation, we noticed some loose bark and a nest of some sort. We were unable to determine what species lived in the nest but it did look to be in poor condition. This could mean it was a birds nest and it has been abandoned for the upcoming winter. When we pulled the bark back (carefully) we noticed some scratch marks just as we had discussed in class. Again we couldn’t be sure what species caused this damage to the tree, but it was most likely an insect. These three pieces of evidence point to the tree being used as a shelter by at least the three species we observed.

Mike Simmons, Jim Nolan, Justin Morris

BABOONS! (and other Lincoln Park nature)

Rhonda Le & Kaitlin Parella

For this assignment we decided to look a tree on Belden Ave. The first thing we noticed was that the leaves had changed color due to the recent cold weather. As we examined the leaves more closely, we found that there were tiny holes in the leaves. This is probably due to small insects feeding off of their nutrients. Up in the branches we saw a gathering of small sticks and dried grasses that were most likely one time a bird’s nest. Because the nest was abandoned, we assumed that maybe the bird’s that once inhabited it had flown south for the winter. Next we heard a giant “screech” sound, we looked up and saw a family of baboons! (just kidding). As we approached the tree we noticed a boy walking his dog, and his dog pulled the owner toward this tree, sniffed around, and lifted up it’s leg and peed right on the trunk! This is an example of dogs or pets using the tree, in this case marking their territory. On the trunk of the tree, we also found some old nails and holes from things being nailed into it. This was from people using this particular tree to hang flyers or advertisements. While we were studying the tree, a friend who we were with (Nick Pinto) walked right up to it and pulled some bark off of it. This is another example of how humans share the tree, in this case negatively. While walking, we also saw some squirrels roaming around the area, and we assume that squirrels share this tree habitat as well. 

Resource Partitioning- Cora Marquez

I walked outside of my apartment this weekend and into the middle of my street. I started walking up and down the sidewalk looking at all the trees lining the road. I found many pieces of evidence that showed other species presence. The tree I observed the most was a old tall tree, I am not sure exactly what kind of tree it was but it was gorgeous. One piece of evidence that I found on the tree were scratches which could have been made by a numerous amount of animals. I also found many bit marks and hole on some of the leaves that were made by insects. The leaves were starting to all so on the ground I was able to notice the marks much closer. There was no wildlife in the tree when I was observing it but I did notice higher in the branches a nest formation. I am not sure if there were still birds that inhabited it but there was at one point. I could account for 2-3 species on this particular tree I found.

Trees In The Quad- Jamie Kolcz, Rima Alsammarae

For this assignment we looked at the trees in the quad. While we were walking through the quad we noticed that there are many different physical characteristics of different species living in the trees. On some of the trees there were birds nests in the branches. On the trunk of the trees there were some scratches that looked like little bugs were inside the bark and trying to eat their way through the bark. On the trunk there was also some bark missing. That might be from the bugs eating their way through and the bark had fallen right off of the tree. Some of the leaves had little holes in them looking like little bugs or caterpillars were trying to eat them. When we looked up into the branches at one point we saw some birds. We can account for at least 2 or 3 species that were living in or on this tree.

Trees :)

For this assignment, we examined a tree outside the street of seminary avenue in Lincoln Park. The first thing we noticed was a squirrel frolicking and playing in the tree. There was most likely a squirrel in the tree as trees are apart of their habitat. We also noticed traces of a nest near the top of the tree. We assumed the nest would be a birds nest. There were holes in the tree that could have been from insects eating away at the tree. We had a hard time finding indicators of species. This could be from a numerous amount of things, for example the fact that the seasons are changing and there are not as many insects and wild life out as in the summer.

xoxo

cc and ss

Courtney Carlstrom and Sarah Stokke

Resource Partitioning by Grant J. Chun

For the resource partitioning assignment, I went to observe a tree right in front of the Belden Apartment in DePaul's Lincoln Park campus. On this tree, I found 3 different evidences of resource partitioning. First evidence is the birds nest that I saw above the tree. It was a small nest made out of little tree branches. I was fortunate to see a bird actually flying toward the nest and landing on it. Judging by how big the bird was, I speculated that the bird was a mother bird who came back after a long day to take care of her baby birds. The bird was part of resource partitioning because it used the tree as a source of shelter. Second evidence I saw was multiple scratch marks around the bottom trunk area of the tree. The size of the marks were small so I assume that small animals like a squirrel went up and down the tree multiple times. Trees have different resources that sometimes have food for squirrels. Because of this, my reasoning tells me that the squirrel went up the tree for food most likely. The third and final evidence of resource partitioning that I saw from the tree was clipped and broken tree branches on top part of the trees. This shows that it did not occur due to natural means. It was more of a work by people who went up via machinery to chop down unnecessary branches. In conclusion, the 3 evidences I saw were the birds nest, scratched claw marks on the tree, and broken/clipped branches on several parts of the upper branch. For the species, the 3 major species that I believe to have influenced the resource partitioning process are the bird, squirrel/small rodent-like animal, and damage done by humans with the aid of the machine.

Resource Partitioning: Lindsay Bishop and Andrew Chae

The tree we chose to investigate is on Kenmore and Dickens. They are very large trees and we chose them because we thought they might be used by many different animals. Altogether we found four pieces of evidence on the tree of resource partitioning.
The first piece of evidence we saw was a few dark holes or creveses in the trunk that looked like some insecst had been eating away at the tree in those spots.The next piece of evidence we found we both found very interesting. The particular tree we were examining split in to very early creating two large branches. In the middle or the fork of these two huge branches was a what appeared to be another plant growing out of it. However we both thought that this could be a part of the same tree and just a new growth. Weather or not it is the same organism or not we assumed that it was using the bigger tree of some nutrients.
The third piece of evidence we found were some sort of scratch or discoloration on the bark of the tree. It looked as if something was peeling the bark of the tree. We thought the might have been caused by squirrels scurrying up the tree while they collected nuts. We had noticed a lot of squirrel out recently and this seemed like a good explanation.
The last piece of evidence we found was a nail in the tree. We saw this a humans using resource partitioning. Altogether i think we could account for four or five different species using the tree as a resource, insects, birds, squirrels and humans.

Resource Partitioning Jaclyn St. Clair & Melissa Kamali

Our tree was located on Belden in front of the DePaul Student Center. On this tree we found three pieces of evidence. We noticed that the bark on the tree was chipped and peeling off in certain spots. From the evidence of the missing bark we could possibly conclude that a bird or squirrel was climbing or clawing at the trees bark. It also could be inferred that the bark is missing because of insect infestation in the tree. Insects could be making a habitat in the tree therefore causing the tree to lose bark. We also noticed that the leaves on the tree were discolored with holes in certain spots. These discoloration and holes could be caused from insect bites which in turn cause the leaves to die and change colors. There were certain branches on the tree that had broken limbs or very bent limbs. This evidence could be attributed to wildlife such as birds or squirrels trying to climb on the branches and breaking the limbs. There were probably four to five species inhabiting the tree. The evidence we saw on the tree from certain species looked damaging to the tree. We were not able to see certain species inhabiting the tree that were not causing harm, however many species that do not cause harm use this tree for their habitat.

Resource Partitioning- Katie Fraser and Meaghan Dries

The tree my partner and I observed was one that is right outside my apartment in Wrigleyville. The tree is located directly in front of my apartment which is behind the field near Clark street. Although it is in an area that is sparsely populated, as far as trees go, there was still evidence of resource partitioning.
One of the most obvious aspects of resource partitioning was a bird next that was in one of the higher branches. It was rather small and looked as though the birds weren’t using it anymore, but that it had once housed a family. The nest was made from feathers, twigs, and bark from the tree.
This explains a bit of the loss of bark on the tree. However, it also looked as though the bark had been touched my insects. There were a few trails down the backside of the tree, and bumps on the back of some of the leaves as though insects had laid eggs there. Only the leaves on the lower most branch, as those were the ones we could see the best, had these bumps. They have been growths, but some looked as though the edges had been nibbled on.
There was a squirrel nearby in the street, not directly in front of the tree, but could have been in street because we were invading its home. I have also seen squirrels around the tree before as it is right outside my front window.
At the base of the tree there was some moss. This could have developed at the base because the base of the tree is often damp. I know this because the tree is surrounded by dirt, which our upstairs neighbor uses to let her dog relieve herself. There was only a little trace of moss though, so it could have been something else but my partner and I believed it looked like moss and felt soft and spongy like moss.
The last species, if it counts, is the dog. My neighbor lets the dog use the tree as her bathroom area. Although the tree is not the dogs direct environment, the dog uses the tree and alters the environment with its excrement.
Those are a few of the species we saw partaking in resource partitioning at the tree in Wrigelyville.

Resource Partitioning by Aaron Agustin, Mehul Chaudhari, Colin Thomas

For our resource partitioning activity we weren’t able to find much outside of McGowan hall. We decided to go out on our own and each find a tree with resource partitioning. Between the three of us, we found the best tree to be at Oz Park. It had evidence of at least four obvious signs of different species using the tree, and some other signs that suggest the presence of other species. The first sign were several crows. The crows were using the tree as a perch at the moment, but interestingly enough, the birds were taking bits of leaves away from the tree. Though not their permanent shelter, the crows found the tree to be a way to create shelter. The second sign were scratch marks running up the side of the tree, some of which left raw bark exposed. At first, these marks were thought to have been left by insects, but after a few moments, it became evident that these were marks left by squirrels. We can account for this because after a few moments of standing next to the tree, a squirrel crawled down the tree. It seemed to expect some kind of food judging by its proximity to us. The tree actually had several squirrels in the tree. The third sign of partitioning was moss growing along the tree, and the last sign was a spider web which was going along the trunk of the tree. This spider web actually suggests two forms of partitioning. The obvious one would be the spider, but since it wrapped its web along the tree trunk, it also suggests that the spider was hunting the insects which ran along the tree. Another suggestion of insects present in the tree was a series of holes located along the tree trunk. This could have been created by insects or birds trying to get at the insects inside the bark. The insects that could have been eating at the tree may have been termites. The tree itself was rather old so it could have been supporting termites for awhile. The birds that may have created the holes could have been a wood pecker or even the crows.

Autumn Evidence of Resource Partioning By: Amy Barracca and Lucy Molina

The tree that we observed was found in Lucy's backyard. Lucy's pear tree is in Northlake which is near O'hare Airport. The tree has evidence of being a home to insects. One can notice this from the insect trail on the bark, and also a hole in the middle of the truck. Woodpeckers have chewed at the bark as a means to eat insects inside the trunk. A layer of moss has attached to the trunks of the tree. In addition, there are fruit buds beginning to form on some of the branches. Daily, the tree is home to squirrels. The location of the tree is ideal for animals because there isn't much traffic in the backyard and, isn't surrounded by sidewalks. Autumn hasn't taken a toll on the tree yet. It still has it's green leaves. On our tree we found 5 pieces of evidence of resource partioning: insects, moss, a woodpecker, leaves, and squirrels.

Resource Partitioning

My group journeyed to a nearby sidewalk between Munroe Hall and the McGowan science buildings. There, we found a tree with thorny little twigs among a group of bushes. We only noticed a few signs of resource partitioning on this tree. We observed that the bark on the tree was partially stripped off in some places. This could have been done by a climbing squirrel or an insect eating away at the bark. In addition, we noticed that many of the leaves were torn and tattered, which could have been done by a caterpillar or other herbivorous insects. There were probably many different species exploiting this tree, but our evidence can only account for 2-4 species. My group noticed very little signs of life on this tree. We suspected this was due to a variety of factors, including the location, height, and care of the tree, as well as the current weather. Firstly, the tree was planted directly in between the intersection of two sidewalks--this isn't a very ideal place for animals to make a home. In addition, the small height of the tree could have also prevented wildlife from utilizing it's resources--squirrels and birds may find more security in a tall tree, where they are out of reach from prey. This tree is located in the middle of the DePaul campus, and thus must be maintained by the gardening employees hired by the university. Signs of life are not easily visible on this tree because these gardeners are interfering with the system of resource partitioning. For example, they may be clearing off any ivy or growing lichen, or discouraging birds to nest in the branches. Lastly, the weather has recently dramatically changed from warms and sunny to cold and rainy. Perhaps insects, animals and plants were living on this tree prior to the temperature change, but as of now, they have migrated to a warmer climate or found a more suitable place to live. These were just a few things that my group brainstormed on our brief nature walk.

By: Emily Leidenfrost, Anna Papuga and Tom Elliott

Autumn Evidence of Resource Partitioning as Observed by Beth Anton and Ewelina Labanowski

My partner and I found only three pieces of evidence on our tree. The first piece of evidence we found on the tree was a tumor-like growth located on the trunk of the tree, we found out that this growth is called a gall and is caused by either insects that nest in the ball or when the tree is hurt and grows this so as to cover its wound. I guess it seems as a self-help process for the tree; putting a band-aid on a wound so to speak. The second piece of evidence we found was moss on the tree or fungi, it was green and covered the lower portion of the trunk closer to the base of the tree. The third and final piece of evidence that we found were deep gashes in the trunk of the tree which we learned were due to insects eating up or through the trees trunk.

We can account for at least two live species using the tree as a resource, the insects that use the tree as a nest and the insects that use the tree for food. The other form of life we can account for on the tree is the moss, which uses the tree for its nutrients. It was interesting to see all the organisms that use trees for resources, it's something that you do not notice on an everyday basis because although we pass by trees all the time we hardly ever stop to examine the tree and think about all this evidence of resource partitioning.

I think that the most interesting or rather shocking piece of evidence that we found were the deep gashes in the trees trunk. My partner and I had figured that it was caused by humans hurting the tree in some way, possibly axing it for some reason but never even came close to the thought that it was insects eating through the trunk. It was fascinating to learn why and who had left behind all the evidence in these trees.

Resource Partitioning

After taking a few moments to observe evidence of resource partitioning in trees, I was fascinated to discover that it's a home to many different species. In just the few moments that I spent watching the activity on the tree, I was able to identify many different species of bugs. For example, I saw ants, spiders, and a centipede. It is also possible that if I were able to reach high enough to grab a leaf, I might notice bits of the leaf gone, which would offer greater evidence of insect species. Also, I saw two squirrels chasing one another up the trunk and into the branches of the tree. I also noticed that there were birds in and around the tree, though I could hear them much better than I could see them. I could also identify evidence of different plant species that surrounding the tree. Overall, I could account for many varying types of insect, animal, and plant species.

Autumn Evidence of Resource Partitioning

DUE BY MONDAY 8am, OCT. 12.

In lecture on Wednesday October 7, we discussed the concept of resource partitioning from chapter 5. Groups of 2-3 were given time to go outside and find a tree to investigate for evidence of resource partitioning.

As your chapter 5 assignment, each group* is asked to make a new post that gives a description (and photos if you have them!) of all the different signs that indicate the tree is used as a resource for different species. Be sure to address all the criteria below:

• How many pieces of evidence did you find on your tree?
• Describe the individual pieces of evidence that you observed (post photos where you can!)
• How many species can you account for?
• Can you infer what kind of organism left the evidence you saw? If you don't know the exact species try to make a more general guess (e.g. birds, butterfly/moth/insect).

*Only one person from each group needs to create a post, but all group members names should be included in order to allot credit to the entire group!

Nature Walk

Rachel Ross

Nature Walk Assignment

Today I was taking a walk in the rain and I noticed the rain dripping from the leaves. It made me think wish that I had an umbrella to protect me like the leaves that I saw, but then I realized that I did have umbrella of a sort. I noticed that the leaves of the tree I was walking under along the street acted as a natural umbrella. I couldn’t help but notice that I was still getting wet. This was because there weren’t as many trees as there could be along the sidewalk if it weren’t paved over in cement. This thought made me realize how scarce nature can be when living in the city. I hadn’t really noticed the lack of greenery before completing this assignment. T

The trees and how scarce they were made me think of Kuo’s writing and discussion on how greenery in a neighborhood is related to social issues like crime. There has been increasing levels of crime in my neighborhood, although I would have thought our area had a lot of nature. There are trees and shrubs along the sidewalks, but there is also a loud and very visual train running overhead. The area under the train tracks is mostly greenery and acts as miniature parks. But the quality of these parks is reduced due to the large, metal raised train track. I began to wonder how this related to the increased crime in the area. Did the presence of the train tracks diminish the impact the natural environment of the area? Even though the train tracks brought more green patches to the neighborhood, these patches of greenery were ineffective because they housed large metal support beams for the train tracks.

I hadn’t really noticed this combination of urban development and many signs of the wilderness that once was here. I think my walk was more like the writings of Kuo than Muir because Kua noticed how nature affected the neighborhoods and people around it, while Muir was more attuned to how nature affects his own feelings and his own enjoyment of his walk. Upon reflection on this, I notice that Muir was pointing out in his writings the power nature can have on a single person and how important it was to notice and enjoy the nature around you. But Kuo’s work was much more scientific and looked at how nature can affect the greater population as well as the individual. During my walk, I reflected more on the impact the nature, or lack thereof, in the area affected the quality of my neighborhood, rather than myself.