In the past week, I was glued to my book ESSENTIALS OF ECOLOGY by Townsend, Begon and Harper (2008).
Oh before that!
I was almost frantic! I could not do my analysis confidently without a reference. I had two ecology courses waaaay back in college. (colorful chapter of my student life! we did transect line and quadrat analysis in a forest in Malagos [where Philippine Eagles are housed], beach [yukee!], lo
oked for Lemna sp. in Calinan). And I only taught environmental science, but that was 2 years ago! I NEED A BOOK - a book I can hold, I can scribble on. I had a mission - find BEGON at all costs!Attempt number 1: Find it in school library. I found three ecology books: (1) Elements of Ecology by Smith and Smith; (2) The Ecological World View by Krebs; and (3) Instant Notes in Ecology by Mackenzie, Ball and Virdee. But I beg of Begon... Begon who has conditions and resources!
Attempt number 2: Find it in my locker, where I store my college books. Achu! I found one ecology book: Ecology: Theories and Applications by Stiling. No "conditions" in the index.
Attempt number 3: Use my connections. Sent a text to my cousin Jepoy who studies in ADDU: Poy, I need a book by Begon, Townsend and Harper - desperate mode. Jepoy's reply: ate meron pero iba ang title. Me: Go! Hiramin mo! Jepoy: ay ate hiniram na. Me: Balikan mo ulit bukas! The following day, me: Jep, binalikan mo na? Jepoy: Te, out pa rin. my mind: I'll "printscreen", paste, crop, and print Begon's book from the website my teacher gave me - urgh!
Serendipity: I'm not in a good mood while in attendance to a meeting RE: Application for University Status. If the VPAA calls me to present my report on "commitment to high standard of education" I will literally CRY in front. Listening to the report about the library w
as a bit boring. And then she said "our OPAC website (online public access catalogue) could not be opened". Owwws? I tried to access it and I was able to use it. I keyed in B E G O N ... on the left side of the screen appeared copy:1. I scribbled the code (is it still the Dewey Decimal?) and waited for the meeting to be over (of course, I didn't present). I rushed to the school library and sweetly (oh so sweetly) asked the student assistant "tulungan mo naman ako o... ". In the end: I GOT MY BEGON (the left side of the picture is my hardbound)!!Back to the past week -- And so I was glued to my Begon (I had it photocopied) even in the office trying to finish reading two parts on conditions and resources. I began carrying a backpack to school with five important things inside: cellphone, laptop, my Begon, campbell's biology, and bio 260 module (I stopped bringing EDRE 331 - i'll attend to it next week). As I read parts that catches my amazement, I share it to my co-teachers who are busy checking test papers. Their usual reaction "kuyawa oi!", "atik, naa diay ingon ana"... Let me share it with you --
1. Downy birch (the birch tree) seeds need to be CHILLED before it starts growth.
why? being chilled is a signal of winter. after this, they note that cold is over. hence, they will not be killed by "harsh" temperature. (Critical thinking: Suppose we place a birch seed inside the freezer, do you think it will germinate?)
2. Lodgepole pine seeds need to be HEATED BY FOREST FIRE before they germinate.
why? heat indicates that the ground is cleared (forest fire has killed the plants). Hence, new seedlings have a chance of being established. (Critical thinking: If we subject a lodgepole pine seed to flame, will it begin to germinate afterwards?)3. When length of day shortens, cats develop thickened fur coat.
why? when length of day shortens, it means winter is approaching. Cats need their fur coat to keep them warm. (I want to observe a cat but I don't have one. Do you think it is still the same for cats in tropical countries? If I bring one from Korea, will it die of heat stroke here when December comes?)
4. Animals have evolved defenses against being attacked.
Adaptive colorati
on could be cryptic or aposematic. Cryptic coloration is when animals camouflage -- matching its background (image from: http://thefullwiki.org/Crypsis). Aposematic coloration is when animals ad
vertize the fact that they are noxious or dangerous by bright, conspicuous colors and patterns. There is also a deceptive coloration exemplified by the hindwing markings of the moth which resemble the eyes of a much larger animal (iamge from:http://www.dimijianimages.com/Crypsis-mimicry-page3/Oi-moth-adult.htm)Animals also exhibit mimicry such as that between the venomous coral snake and the non-venomous scarlet king snake (image from http://academic.reed.edu/biology/professors/srenn/pages/teaching/web_2008/mimics_MMMR/adaptation.html). Or that between a distasteful monarch butterfly and a delicious viceroy butterfly. KEY: the models (like venomous snake) should outnumber mimics (scarlet king snake) - why do you think so?
Given these amazing abilities of plants and animals, if all natural resources come to an end, who will bre greatly affected? I believe it will be the human race. Looking at the intricate relationship among conditions, resources, organisms and their interactions, other living organisms have developed ways to avoid and tolerate "extreme" environmental pressures. However, the human race is used to modifying nature rather than tolerating it. When nature's pressure becomes inevitable, we will be left with nothing to defend or secure ourselves with. Everything we do relies on nature's provisions - from food, clothin and shelter. Other organisms, given the "level of intelligence" they have, have obviously survived without thanks to technology and industries man has become dependent of.
If I could just speak my heart out, I'll ask the subject area coordinator to give me one ecology teaching load - :) And as to taking care of nature (in civil law: like a good father of a family), I believe in Martin Luther King's -- Our lives begin to end the day we become silend of the things that matter.
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