Ecosystem, Week 3

Here's a quick summary: it rained in Africa, and the lions are slowly recovering.
The trees have grown back in Siberia, but the caribou have left Alaska, so the wolves will have to find other food sources.
The Ankylosaurs were hit by a sickness, but this isn't doing any damage to the ecosystem.
It rained again in the field.

Finally, a new species appeared in the tide pool: kelp, which brings with it another kind of snail called an abalone.

Oops! My Bad!

Turns out we were actually in week 3 of the project. It's actually week 2 of summer (isn't it?).

Also, I forgot the field. So this week it rained. So we get more flowers!

I crave your indulgence for this mistake.

Week 2 of the Ecosystem Project

It is week 2 isn't it?

Anyways, our invertebrates way back in the tide pool are being attacked by a few newcomers: the penpoint gunnel.

In Africa, the lion prides have been hit by a disease. It will take some time for them to recover.

In the Arctic, a dead whale has washed up in Baffin Bay, so our wolverines will be feasting for months.
Meanwhile, some trees are growing back in Siberia.

And finally, our last ecosystem: the dinosaurs!

A lot of these are actually from different time periods. So no complaining!

They are:

• Tyrannosaurus
• Stegosaurus
• Parasaurolphus
• Ornithomimus
• Quetzalcoatlus
• Utahraptor
• Sauroposeidon
• Alamosaurus
• Acrocanthosaurus
• Deinonychus
• Ankylosaurus
• Triceratops

Above the Arctic Circle

This is probably my biggest picture ever. This covers the whole arctic, from plankton to whales to wolves to lemmings. By the way, there are five mini-ecosystems, and clockwise they are the North Pole, Svalbard, Baffin Bay, Alaska, and Siberia.

So. What's the number today?

Surprise! It's a 4. That stands for human interference in the Arctic. So down come all the trees in Siberia.

This is bad, because the lemmings, hares, and foxes hide under the trees, and the owls rest in them.

The foxes are getting more numerous, as there are less hiding places for their prey and less competition from the owls.

Out Standing, In a Field

Recently I started work on the field. It's pretty simple, voles feed on bugs, which feed on flowers, and the hawks eat the voles.

Of course, I rolled a 3, so that means bushes start growing, displacing the flowers. This is very common, and in ecology it is called succession.

We can also see how the tide pool is doing. The sea anemones are back, but the algea and mussels have moved in slightly.

Next I'm thinking Africa.

An Ecosystem for Everyone

So I recently came up with this idea. I do that a lot.

I am going to create a picture of an ecosystem. I already made one for the tide pools.

The top layer are barnacles, then mussels, then sea urchins, and the bottom is a mix of sponges and algea. The mussels and barnacles are fed on by sea stars, the urchins by sea spiders, the algea by limpets (a snail), and the sponges by nudibranchs (sea slugs).

I figure to make things interesting, every once in a while I would roll a die, then use a table to find out what happens to the ecosystem. Today I rolled a 5. That's disease, and the sea urchins seemed the unlucky ones.

To see what happens, tune in late this week!