![]() ![]() Almost every day I’ve learned about a new type of parasite that exists here – like the nose bot fly that lays its (live) larvae in the noses of caribou. One other interesting adaptation that keeps rearing its ugly head around here is parasitism. Hey, it’s cold out here in January…would YOU want to research soil animals then? Parasitism – A great adaptation to the Arctic? ![]() A lot of the soil invertebrates (refer to last week’s post) remain active under this blanket, but researchers are still investigating how their activity levels change during the winter months. The snow acts as an insulator for the organisms living in the soil, so they only have to protect themselves from near freezing temperatures. What is the adaptation that helps the fox survive life in the Arctic? Life under the BlanketĮven though the winters here are extremely cold (-20 C is common), some organisms never experience that cold, since they are trapped under a blanket of snow. Scientists are still not 100% sure of all the adaptations that exist in these invertebrates – there are so many different things these amazing animals do! Some go through diapause, which is just a fancy word for “developmental delay” – meaning that some of these invertebrates may stay in their pupal stage until conditions are better for them to emerge and be active. Other animals, like the wolf spider and some other invertebrates, have special chemicals in their bodies that are similar to the antifreeze you put in your car. Some animals, like moose, wolves and some birds have hollow hairs and double layers of fur to insulate them against the cold. ![]() So how do things live here when the ground is usually snow covered and temperatures are consistently below freezing? Some animals, like the arctic ground squirrel, hibernate during the cold winter months. Looking out the window at the lush, rolling green hills, you would have no idea that most of the year those same hills are covered in snow. I continue to be amazed at the diversity of life here in the tundra. Why might walking in a herd be an adaptation as well? Arctic Adaptations Caribou have many adaptations to help them in the tundra, such as long legs and wide hooves for walking in snow. Poor seals never see that giant bear coming until it’s too late…Ĭaribou grazing just off the Dalton Highway. The camouflage of the white polar bear allows it to be an almost invisible hunter in a nearly white landscape. Some arctic adaptations are easy – a polar bear’s white fur, for example. So just what is an adaptation you may ask? Well that’s an easy one – an adaptation is any trait that gives an organism a better chance of surviving in a particular environment. How? Well the arctic wolf spider, like other living things up here, possess special adaptations to help them survive. When most people heard that I was going to the Alaskan Arctic to study spiders, the common response was “spiders can live in that cold environment?” Well, yes. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |