Photos 21-25

21. #3 - Altruistic Behavior

I found this bird's nest in one of the water coolers at work. I did not know it was there, and as I took out the cooler from it's holder (the wooden box) a bird flew out and hit my hand. I was surprised, but then I saw the nest inside. The bird that hit my hand was the mother and this is an example of altruistic behavior. The mother bird was sacrificing her life in order for the continuation of her species, through her little bird children making it altruistic. (I couldn't get my finger in this picture because I didn't want to disturb the nest any more than I should)

22. #71 - Niche
Most days, I often see this bird sitting on top of this big shrub. It flutters down and picks at the seeds and small fruits present on the branches and the rest of the time sits on top. This is this bird's niche, or spot in the ecosystem where it flourishes and contributes to the flourishing of the ecosystem around it. This bird has it's unique niche, where it gains nutrition from the shrub, as it eats the small berries, and then transports the shrub's seeds elsewhere when it flies around, benefitting both it and the shrub, and this niche is different from any other organism's.

23. #37 - Exoskeleton
This dragonfly (an arthropod) has a body that is covered by an exoskeleton. An exoskeleton is an outer covering that serves as defined structure and protection to an arthropod. One main molecule that is found in exoskeletons to give it strength is chitin.

24. #84 - Seed dispersal (wind)
This is a seed I found blowing around in the wind. The white on this seed allow it to catch the wind and sail off the plant it came from in order to disperse itself to another location to grow. This is an effective tool for the plant to use, as, it does not need to rely on an animal to come and carry some of it's seeds away, and it does not have to rely on water, if in a case there is a drought.

25. #31 - Endotherm
This chipmunk is an endotherm. In contrast to an ectotherm, an endotherm keeps its body temperature at homeostatic levels internally. They control their body temperature by expending energy to cause heat, such as shivering to keep warm as an example. Mostly mammals and birds are the two most common endothermic divisions.