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. 

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.