Diario de avalee

The observations made by Sam, Amelia and myself of species in and surrounding aquatic ecosystems brought some questions to light of why some species in/around this ecosystem may adapt or exist with their environment. For example, both birds observed (Mallard and Ring-billed Gull) have common adaptations found in aquatic birds. An adaptation may be the presence of webbed feet. This would enable them to swim at higher speeds, aid in flight (help gain momentum) or could even be protective/beneficial when walking on tough or unstable surfaces like marsh grounds.

Something I found to be a common trend throughout the plants in the surrounding area was their stems. These elongated stems could be an adaptation in result of different things. Mainly, the goal of the long stems would be so that the plant is not submerged in the water completely. Since the soil is most likely very wet and the roots cannot easily obtain oxygen, these stems may also be helpful in this area of plant life. Another possibility is that these long thick stems could be an adaptation to survive windy conditions by the water.

When looking into the placement and relationship of certain organisms, we find some very interesting observations. For example, Mallard ducks as expected are most closely related to other aquatic birds and non aquatic birds. However, they are surprisingly closely related to seemingly very different organisms, like different reptiles. It is crazy to think that birds and reptiles both fall into the same taxonomic clade as they seem so unrelated.