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.

Mehul Chaudhari - Naturalist Essay

It was in the afternoon, a vibrant sunny afternoon heading down this quite, friendly but busy street I was enriched by all the surroundings of nature. The temperature must have been low 70s, as I saw many residents of Lincoln Park outside walking around as I was. I started my journey at Halsted and Armitage were I reside. From there I went down Armitage past Seminary, make a right up on to Fullerton. I knew my walk in Lincoln Park would be filled with nature, because of the effort many residents put in their landscaping, and environment around the town. I was able to encounter nature as I stepped outside and tightly closed the knob. The air that I breathe, the sunlight that I exposed, and everything I see is nature in a general statement. Also a mosquito that landed right my right leg is unfortunately also nature . When looking at the ground I saw, beautiful flowers planted with varies assortments. I saw many residents walking their golden retrieves, and poodles. I did take more detail into what I was observing today than usual, I don’t usually get to take an hour and really examine what I’ve learned, and things you may see but overlook in your head. I believe when the sun is out, shining bright, the skis look clear, the wind is mellow, and the grass is green, I feel as this is a great start to my day, and I am more upbeat in a sense to start my day early in the morning. If the day was pour raining like today, my mood wouldn’t be as happy, as it can be until I got inside, were nature was limited. Talking about our interactions with nature, I believe personally my interaction with nature is happening every second of our life. We are nature, to a point. Without nature we couldn’t survive on this planet, or universe. We need the air to breathe, we need food to survive, and we need water, these are all interrelated with nature. In both writing Kuo’s and Murir’s they both had good points of view on nature, and their interactions and relationships with nature. How they felt we can work better with nature, and how it really has a social impact on us. I think I was able to connect with Kuo’s writing this time, because he provided a closer to home piece of writing. He mentions how public aid housing is effected trees outside of their building, how family’s feel safer because they are easily able to communicate outdoors with each other. He tends to talk more about urban environments which was the one I made my walk through. I feel as everyone’s mood was better because, the nature surrounding us in Lincoln Park is beautiful. The differences in both writing were mostly the point of view they were trying to represent. Murir’s writing showed his personal interactions with nature, and his trip through Yosemite. He was showing more detail of nature, and the wonderful features of nature. Kuo’s was more informational then anything. He provided us with in-depth research showing social interactions with nature. He showed the difference between crime in areas with greener settings then crime in areas with little nature. It helped us figure out what’s best for us, and how to efficiently utilize nature to help out our everyday life.

Mehul chaudhari

Naturalist Essay

Due to very cheap airfare, I decided to take a trip to my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama this weekend. While I have been told in the past that I do not look or sound like I am from the South, I think that many people assume everyone that is from Alabama has a thick southern drawl and does not know what shoes are. Another assumption is that Alabama is home of all farms. Where I live, this is not the case. There are no farms for at least an hour and a half out of Birmingham. Since my family recently just moved into a new neighborhood in a suburb of Birmingham while I was away at college, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to see what I could encounter with nature.
There were many things that I noticed that were completely different from my usual walks down the streets of Chicago compared to my walk I was currently taking in my very wooded and damp atmospheric neighborhood. It had just stopped raining, and the mosquitos were swarming. There are hardly ever insects in Chicago, but in the south, they are everywhere. When I am home in Alabama, I am always amazed about how green and lively everything looks compared to when I am in Chicago. Just by taking a 45-minute walk in my neighborhood, I am astonished by how hilly the land is. I can literally see hills and mountains, where in Chicago everything is very flat and there are hardly any trees. One of the main things I noticed on my walk was this patch of mushrooms growing behind one of the bushes of my neighbor’s yard. It was like nothing I have seen before. These mushrooms were very vibrant, large, and exquisite. I couldn’t help but take a picture for my personal keeping, because it was not something I can easily see walking down the sidewalks of Lincoln Park.
I feel that whenever I am home I appreciate nature more because I can actually hear the trees sway, and the birds chirping instead of those noises being drowned out by the sounds of cars and ambulances on Fullerton. Even though I interact with nature every day in Lincoln Park, I feel as if the “nature” part is very artificial. Almost every tree has been strategically placed to make room for people to walk. Humans force nature to adapt to us, and in someway we make it so we have to adapt to nature. For example, because we cannot change how the weather is in the winter, we do what we can to adapt to nature.
My walk resembled Kuo’s more than Muir’s due to the fact that Kuo explains how arboriculture limits the crime in neighborhoods and encourages neighborhood interaction. Because my neighborhood does have a lot of well-kept lawns and trees, I feel as if this encourages interactions between neighbors and does limit crime to a certain extent. I think Kuo’s and Muir’s writings differ in that Kuo was describing ways in which one could improve their neighborhood and how arboriculture could benefit those in residential neighborhoods while Muir’s writing was depicting vivid scenes of nature in different areas. It also did not talk much, if any, about arboriculture. Muir also wrote in a way that made his ideas sound like poetry. Both Kuo’s and Muir’s writings greatly differ such as the nature in Birmingham and that of Chicago.