Welcome to livingearthscape!

Earthscape – as the name imply, a combination of the term ‘earth’ and ‘scape’ defined as the global earth system that can be seen in a single view. A complex of the living system within the ‘earth-scape’ defined the humble blog created.

The aim of the blog creation is not to add to another millions of blogsite in the world wide web, it is hope to show and spark the awareness of the importance of the ecological system that can be seen as near as just at the monsoon drain next door.

The complexity is vast and the importance of the biodiversity is indescribable, the authors are running out of words on how important and crucial it is to look, see and appreciate (as well as conserve with action taken) of the poor neglected stream.

The blog is arranged in a way that the first blog post listed the last, and the final blog post/conclusion as the first. It is just the way how the free blog engine works.

However, it bring little damage to the content of the blog. The main topic such as listed below can be easily accessible through the upper header link:

About – Introduction & objectives to the topic

Habitat – Introduction to the site

Flora & fauna – Introduction to species found on site & it’s scientific classification

Complex relationship – Discussion on the relationship between species

Discussion – Another discussion on Saving the earth, saving ourselves

Species Inventory – Inventory of the species found on site

Species Zone Map – A map showing the species found on site & it’s interaction

Sit back, and happy reading.

Species Zone Map

The map below shows the location of the species found at the site. Zone A shows the area where burung kunyit/Baltimore oriole found flying around, and resting at the tree branches. Zone B shows the burung gembala kerbau’s playing area at the dawn of the day. Bigger tree such as Delonix regia (3) and Samanea saman (1) can be found nearby to the zone B where the birds able to rest at the branches and at the same time finding food at Zone B.

The enumenid wasp is found at zone C particularly at stones below the trees. The area is shaded by the tree and the geometrical shade provided by the PHS2 building at certain time of the day, depending on the sun orientation.

(Click on the above map for clearer view)

Zone D is the moth and cricket’s playing area/territory as the area is wholly covered with grasses that is considered a place for them to get food, shelter and so on.

Zone E shows the small bird’s playing area, the birds found playing and flying around the area. Zone E is demarcated near to the water body, the area is quite shady at some period of the day makes it ideal of the birds to play around and resting/transit before flying to another place.

Pipit, kedidi and layang-layang can be found in the Zone F, H and I respectively. These birds prefer to be flying around and resting/transit at an open space as such of Zone F, H and I.

On the other note, a water loving animalia mollusc is found along the riverbank of the small stream. The mollusc is symbiotically in relationship with the algae grown along the riverbank. The mollusc is a herbivore that feed on the algae grown on the concreted riverbank.

Saving the earth, saving ourselves

The biodiversity – species flora and fauna found on site should be retain as their territorial area where as the uniqueness of natural environment embarked such a pleasant ambient to the surrounding. The sound of birds chirping singing in the morning, the calmness of crystal clear water of Sg. Dua small stream flowing yet greenery scenic – attract people to become a part of natural habitat.

However, when development came by, the cycle of actual biodiversity was affected. The habitat territorial has been threatened due to current circumstances – stream changed to a drain with concrete embankment, vehicles are everywhere terrified volume from the USM bus engine and the atmosphere lost its freshness yet corrupted with fume – trees tend to extinct cause of too much direct sun light and chemistry in the airspace. Certain species might be gone and others might stay but frightened.

Nowadays, those species left seem to be drowsy to the busy and noisy environment which is obviously unhealthy to the habitat. They used to provide us; human being with better oxygen and sound of nature but look how we appreciated them? We pay back with carbon monoxide, etc.

What a shame.

We may seem great when choosing to be greedy developers as a preparation to enter a modern era and still, we need a turning back. As a reminder to us not forget the earth’s good deed. Man made versus natural resources? Who’s going to win? Well, it’s a vice versa. We may rich with development but we poor in conserving our natural biodiversity as our generation’s resources.

“The Earth is dying, let’s handle with care. . . “

The relationship

We often disregard the relationship between species and it’s importance to each other in order to make living in harmony, or in a more technical term, in equilibrium. An ecological relationship is the relationship between organisms in an ecosystem with each other, the ecosystem and the ecosystem itself with other ecosystems.

No organism is an autonomous entity isolated from its surroundings.

It is part of its environment, rich in living and non-living elements all of which interact with each other in some fashion. An organism’s interactions with its environment are fundamental to the survival of that organism and the functioning of the ecosystem as a whole.

The figure above shows the simple relationship and yet, quite crucial and important in keeping the living balance intact. Little imbalance will cause some unexpected and unfortunate events. However, nature has it’s way to bring back the equilibrium.

The figure also shows the typical food web and energy balance of the small ecological system such as the small stream between the PHS2 and Eureka building. The relationship can be observed by identifying the species involved and it’s behavior throughout the period.

Ground covers such as grasses and invasive species is covering 70% of the area. There are few notable big trees i.e. Samanea saman as well as typical landscape plants i.e Bucida molineti. Most of these plants will produce nectar or flower that will attract the insects and other organisms for it’s juice. The grass or the plants is the autotroph, the primary producer of the foodweb. Animals can not produce food as compared to the plants.

The small invertebrates such as moth, ants, molluscs craze for the the primary producer for the energy. The energy is fully obtained by the primary consumer with only minimal 10% energy loss as heat. Most larvae of butterflies and moths eat plants. Many species are very selective about what they will eat and may feed on only one species of plant in their lifetime. Adults usually feed on the nectar of flowers, but some do not feed at all. Some larvae feed on the fabric or stored grains. Birds and some of the insects eat lepidopteran larvae. Birds will eat the adults. Some flies and wasps are parasites eat on lepidopteran species. The insects or crickets feed on cutworms, gypsy moth larvae, snails and slugs.

The primary consumer is then will be eaten by the secondary, tertiary consumer and so on. The relationship is called food chain, or rather the term is renewed as human realize its importance and complexities in drawing the world of diversity.

Calidris canutus – Kedidi

Scientific Name: Calidris canutus

Common Name: Red Knot / Kedidi

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Species: C. canutus

The Red Knot, Calidris canutus (just Knot in Europe), is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot. Six subspecies are recognised.

Their diet varies according to season; arthropods and larvae are the preferred food items at the breeding grounds, while various hard-shelled molluscs are consumed at other feeding sites at other times.

On the breeding grounds, Knots eat mostly spiders, arthropods, and larvae obtained by surface pecking, and on the wintering and migratory grounds they eat a variety of hard-shelled prey such as bivalves, gastropods and small crabs that are ingested whole and crushed by a muscular stomach.

The Red Knot is territorial and seasonally monogamous; it is unknown if pairs remain together from season to season. Males and females breeding in Russia have been shown to exhibit site fidelity towards their breeding locales from year to year, but there is no evidence as to whether they exhibit territorial fidelity. Males arrive before females after migration and begin defending territories. As soon as males arrive, they begin displaying, and aggressively defending their territory from other males.

Aerodramus fuciphagus – Swiftlet

Scientific Name: Aerodramus fuciphagus

Common Name: Edible-nest Swiftlet / Layang-Layang

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Apodidae

The Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) is a small bird of the swift family which is found in South-east Asia. Its nest is made of solidified saliva and is used to make bird’s nest soup.

It is 11 to 12 cm long and weighs 15 to 18 grams. The plumage is blackish-brown above, paler on the underparts. The rump is slightly paler than the rest of the upperparts. The tail is slightly forked and the wings are long and narrow. The bill and feet are black.

It feeds over a range of habitats from coastal areas to the mountains, occurring up to 2,800 metres above sea-level on Sumatra and Borneo. Its diet consists of flying insects which are caught on the wing. It often feeds in large flocks with other species of swift and swallow.

It breeds in colonies in caves, in a cleft in a cliff or sometimes on a building. The bracket-shaped nest is white and translucent and is made of layers of hardened saliva attached to the rock. It measures about 6 cm across with a depth of 1.5 cm and a weight of about 14 grams. Two white, oval, non-glossy eggs are laid.

Alcedo meninting – Pekaka

Scientific Name: Alcedo meninting

Common Name: Blue-eared Kingfisher / Pekaka

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae

Genus: Alcedo

The Blue-eared Kingfisher, Alcedo meninting, is found in South and South-east Asia. This is a small kingfisher almost identical to the Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis. The Blue-eared Kingfisher is distinguished from the Common Kingfisher by blue ear coverts, darker and more intense cobalt-blue upperparts with richer rufous under parts.

The juvenile Blue-eared Kingfisher has similar rufous ear-coverts like the Common Kingfisher; but it usually shows some mottling on the throat and upper breast which disappears when the bird reaches adulthood.

The average length of this kingfisher is 16cm. It is found near pools and streams in dense evergreen forest, situated under 1000m of altitude.

Corvus sp – Crow

Scientific Name: Corvus sp.

Common Name: Crow / Gagak

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus

The true crows are large passerine birds that form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-sized jackdaws (Eurasian and Daurian) to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents (except South America) and several offshore and oceanic islands (including Hawaii).

In the United States and Canada, the word “crow” is used to refer to the American Crow. The crow is a year round species. The crow genus makes up a third of the species in the Corvidae family. Other corvids include rooks and jays. Crows appear to have evolved in Asia from the corvid stock, which had evolved in Australia. A group of crows is called a flock or a murder.

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Common Name: Eagle

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes ( or Accipitriformes, q.v.)
Family: Accipitridae

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species (the Bald and Golden Eagles) can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in Central and South America, and 37 in Australia.

Eagles are different from many other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and beak. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle (which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard or Red-tailed Hawk), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from the vultures. Species named as eagles range in size from the South Nicobar Serpent-eagle, at 500 g (1.1 lb) and 40 cm (16 in), to the 6.7 kg (14.7 lbs) Steller’s Sea Eagle and the 100 cm (39 in) Philippine Eagle.

Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong muscular legs, and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light.

Eagles build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. The dominant chick tends to be the female, as they are bigger than the male. The parents take no action to stop the killing.

Cyanophyta

Green Algae

One of the ground covers that can be observed attached along the stream concreted-bank is the green algae.  Although the most prevalent occurrences of the algae are in fresh-water, terrestrial, and aerial habitats, these plants are ubiquitous and widely adapted to diverse brackish and strictly marine environments.

The methods of reproduction in green algae are generally simple and very largely vegetative, although endospores and akinetes occur in a number of genera.  In addition to simple cell division, a more specialized kind of vegetative multiplication occurs in some of the filamentous groups in which hormogonia are formed.  These are short lengths of trichomes with rounder ends and without cellular differentiation.  They characteristically show a gliding motion which may be as fast as 2 to 5 u per second.  The hormogonium, upon coming to rest, grows directly into anew trichome. Hormogonia are formed in some genera by fragmentation of the trichomes between intercalary heterocysts. In other instances, occasional cells become modified and moribund to form points of separation, or the hormogonia may break off terminally.

Another method of spore reproduction in cyanophyte groups is by nonresistant endospores.  These usually arise within a somewhat enlarged or differentiated cell by successive division of the protoplast in three planes. The endospores serve for direct propagation, are usually spherical and naked at time of liberation, and do not undergo a resting period.