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Biodiversity in Minnesota

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Title: Biodiversity in Minnesota


1
Biodiversity in Minnesota
  • By Hailey Oachs

2
American Coot (Fulica americana)
3
Description
  • Male and Female, the American coot is a dark,
    duck-like bird. You can recognize it by its
    chicken-like white bill, red eye, and small red
    spot at the top of its bill.

4
Size, Color and Sounds
  • Size Coots are about 15 inches long.
  • Color Black and dark grey, white edge on their
    wings, white under their tail. Legs and feet are
    green.
  • Sounds Coots make many different noises.
    Sometimes its a ku-ku-ku sound. They also grunt,
    cluck, and croak.

5
Reproduction
  • Coots build floating nests in marshes or shallow
    lakes. The female lays 9-12 eggs, light with
    brown spots. The eggs hatch after 21-25 days.
    Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the
    young. The young fledge at about 50-55 days.
    Coots raise only one brood per year.

6
Food
  • Coots eat a variety of food such as insects and
    plants, ducking down on the waters surface,
    diving to the bottom, even nibbling on land.

7
Predators
  • American Coots have a certain sound to warn other
    birds of predators. They will also splash around
    in the water to discourage predators. They are
    preyed upon osprey and bald eagles as adults.
    Eggs and nestlings are preyed upon by raccoons,
    skunks, coyotes, snapping turtles, and many other
    small predators.

8
Habitat
  • The American Coot is a popular resident of the
    semi- open water in marshes, lakes and ponds. As
    well as rivers with similar vegitation.

9
Population
10
Diseases
  • No know diseases.

11
Fun Facts
  • Coots are not very good at taking off in flight.
  • They migrate as far as Central America.
  • They only fly short distances at a time.

12
Hunting Regulations
  • You must be 16 years of age or older.
  • You must have a firearms license, permit to
    carry.
  • You also need a small game license.

13
Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis)
14
Description
  • The lynx is a medium sized cat with long legs,
    large, well-furred paws, long tufts on the ears,
    and a short black tipped tail. It has very thick
    light brown or grey fur with black spots.

15
Reproduction
  • During mating season, the male will follow the
    female. Lynx mate between February and March. Two
    months after mating, the female will give birth
    to 1-6 kittens. The kittens have soft streaked
    and spotted fur.

16
Food
  • About 75 of the lynxs diet is made up of the
    snowshoe hare. It also eats birds, meadow voles,
    carrion and sometimes larger animals like deer
    and caribou. Lynx often store leftover kill by
    covering it with snow.

17
Predators and Habitat
  • Predators The lynx is threated by loosing their
    natural habitat. The lack of guidance to conserve
    the species in current federal land management
    plans.
  • Habitat Lynx live deep in coniferous forests
    near rocky areas, bogs and swamps.

18
Population and Diseases
  • Population The range of the lynx include
    Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming,
    Colorado, Utah, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan,
    New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
  • Diseases Lynx are prone to pneumonia.

19
Fun Facts
  • Lynx are very territorial and solitary.
  • In the 1970s and 1980s the threat to lynx from
    trapping reached a new height when the price for
    hides rose to as much as 600.00 each.
  • The link between the lynx and the hare is so
    tight in the north that the two species
    populations fluctuate in almost perfect
    synchrony.

20
Hunting Regulations
  • The lynx cannot be hunted at the present time.
    They are on the verge of becoming endangered.

21
Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
22
Description
  • Trout have very small, fine scales on their
    torpedo-shaped body. They have silvery sides with
    a horizontal pinkish band that varies in
    intensity in different populations. The back is
    bluish to greenish with black spots on the back
    and sides. Rainbows have no teeth on the tongue.
    Rainbow trout belong to the family of fish known
    as salmon and are characterized by adipose fins
    and by an axillary process at the base of each
    pelvic fin. The caudal fin is not forked, and has
    radiating rows of black spots.

23
Reproduction
  • The trout of our mountain areas such as the
    Sierra Nevada are resident that is they do not
    make long migrations to spawning grounds as do
    salmon and trout of many coastal streams. An
    interesting thing to note is the fact that the
    salmon spawn once and die, while trout may spawn
    for several successive seasons.

24
Food
  • Trout are predators with a varied diet, and will
    eat nearly anything they can grab. Their image as
    selective eaters is only a legend. Trout are not
    quite as aggressive as brown trout or lake trout.
    Young Trout survive on insects, fish eggs, and
    smaller fish (up to 1/3 of their length), along
    with crayfish and other crustaceans. As they
    grow, though, the proportion of fish increases in
    most all populations. Some lake-dwelling lines
    may become planktonic feeders. While in flowing
    waters populated with salmonids, trout eat varied
    fish eggs, including salmon and cutthroat trout,
    as well as the eggs of other trout, alevin, fry,
    smollt and even leftover carcasses.

25
Predators
  • Trout populations have declined due to human and
    natural causes.

26
Habitat
  • Many trout live in just a short stretch of
    streamwe call this home area a trouts habitat.
    Trout need just a few basic things to survive
    cold water, clean water, food to eat, places to
    hide from predators, and clean gravel to lay
    their eggs in.  All the land around a stream that
    drains into a stream is called that streams
    watershed. Trout are affected by what happens in
    their whole watershed, because something that
    happens on the land can change one of those
    things they need in their stream habitat.

27
Population
  • Improved soil conservation techniques and reduced
    erosion mean cleaner water and more trout with
    less stocking. It also means that there are more
    trout available now than at any time in the past
    30 years. According to more than 2,400 DNR fish
    population surveys, the trout population in
    southeastern Minnesota has tripled since 1970 and
    the average number of browns more than 12 inches
    long increased from 26 per stream mile in the
    1970s to 55 in the 1990s.
  • But a general population increase doesn't
    guarantee good fishing every time. Trout
    populations still tend to fluctuate from year to
    year as floods and other factors affect natural
    reproduction.
  • Three other factors growth, fishing pressure,
    and habitat also affect trout populations,
    especially the number of large trout. Good growth
    and suitable habitat are needed for streams to
    support larger fish. Also, heavy fishing pressure
    and harvest can have a negative effect on trout
    size and numbers.

28
Diseases
  • Sea lice is the common term used for one group of
    parasitic caligid copepods which occur naturally
    on fish world-wide. Most are planktonic, while
    others are found living in the sediments. Some
    species are specialized to live as parasites, on
    or in host organisms at some stage in the
    lifecycle, although one or more stages are
    free-living as plankton in the water, usually
    during the early stages of development.

29
Fun Facts
  • The trout is native only to the rivers and lakes
    of North America, west of the Rocky Mountains,
    but its value as a hard-fighting game fish and
    tasty meal has led to its introduction throughout
    the world.
  • They are members of the salmon family and, like
    their salmon cousins, can grow quite large.
  • They prefer cool, clear rivers, streams, and
    lakes, though some will leave their freshwater
    homes and follow a river out to the sea.

30
Fishing Regulations
  • Stream trout Fishing Opener (mid-May) to October
    31.
  • Lake trout Fishing opener (mid-May) to September
    30.

31
Range of Trout in MN
32
Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)
33
Description
  • Bullfrogs are usually green to greenish-brown.
    Sometimes, partoicularly when found in the South,
    they are spotted. Their eyes are gold or brown
    and they have a broad flat head and body. They
    grow on average to be about 3 and a half to 6
    inches (9-15 cm) long in bodylength (although
    there are records of some as big as 8 inches!!),
    legs add another 7-10 inches (17 - 25cm) to
    lenght!
  • Females have an eardrum the same size as their
    eye. Males eardrums are larger.

34
Reproduction
  • Fertilization is external in ranid frogs. In the
    mating grasp the male rides on top of the female,
    grasping her with his forelimbs posterior to her
    forelimbs. The female bullfrog deposits her eggs
    in the water and the male is constantly releasing
    sperm.
  • Breeding begins in late spring or early summer.
    Males defend and call from territories,
    attracting females into a territory to mate. The
    call is reminiscent of the roar of a bull, hence
    the frog's common name. A female may produce up
    to 20,000 eggs in one clutch.

35
Food
  • Stomach content studies going back to 1913
    suggest the bullfrog preys on any animal it can
    overpower and stuff down its throat. Bullfrog
    stomachs have been found to contain rodents,
    small turtles, snakes, frogs (including
    bullfrogs), birds, and a bat, as well as the many
    invertebrates, such as insects, which are the
    usual food of bullfrogs.

36
Predators
  • Predators of young bullfrogs include snakes,
    turtles, fish and birds. Older bullfrogs can be
    taken by water birds such as herons, and even
    raccoons. However, there are far fewer predators
    of the mature bullfrog, which is why their
    population is so strong.

37
Habitat
  • Bullfrogs tend to live in freshwater ponds, lakes
    and swampy areas.
  • Breeding habitat Breeding occurs in permanent
    bodies of water.
  • Summer habitat This highly aquatic frog prefers
    large bodies of water such as lakes, ponds,
    sluggish streams, and backwaters of rivers.
    Although introduced local populations occur in
    several counties in central and southern
    Minnesota, this species is only native to the
    southeastern corner of the state.
  • Winter habitat Aquatic.

38
Population
  • Formerly bullfrogs were found only in the
    southeastern corner of Minnesota. In the past,
    people have tried to establish bullfrog
    populations in other parts of the state.

39
Diseases
  • Bullfrogs, often shipped live between continents
    to be eaten, are spreading the deadly chytrid
    fungus that is threatening amphibians worldwide,
    new research indicates.
  • A team of researchers collected bullfrogs on sale
    at Asian food stores in seven cities in the
    United States and found 41 percent of the frogs
    were infected with the fungus.
  • The chytrid fungus is harmless to people, but it
    has caused species declines and even extinctions
    among amphibians.

40
Fun Facts
  • The bullfrog provides the majority of the frog
    legs for gourmet restaurants.
  • While under water, bullfrogs close their nostrils
    and continue to "breathe" through their skin.
  • The bullfrog is named for its deep call, which
    sounds like a bull roaring.

41
Hunting
  • Bullfrogs do not have a season where they are
    hunted in Minnesota. Sometimes people catch them
    and grill up the legs. I guess if you spice them
    up right they taste just like chicken!

42
Range of Bullfrogs in MN
43
Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)
44
Description
  • Balsam Fir is a small to medium-size evergreen
    tree typically 1420 meters (4666 ft) tall,
    rarely to 27 meters (89 ft) tall, with a narrow
    conic crown. The bark on young trees is smooth,
    grey, and with resin blisters, becoming rough and
    fissured or scaly on old trees. The leaves are
    flat needle-like, 15 to 30 millimetres (½1 in)
    long, dark green above often with a small patch
    of stomata near the tip, and two white stomata
    bands below, and a slightly notched tip. They are
    arranged spirally on the shoot, but with the leaf
    bases twisted to appear in two more-or-less
    horizontal rows. The cones are erect, 40 to 80
    millimeters (1½3 in) long, dark purple and ripe.

45
Bark
  • Smooth, grayish, prominently marked by blisters
    filled with resin or balsam pitch.

46
Leaves
  • Needle-like, but flat length 1/2" to 1" with
    rounded point dark green and lustrous above and
    silvery-white beneath arranged on twig
    apparently in two ranks resinous and fragrant

47
Fruit
  • Cones upright on branches, purple, oblong length
    2" to 4" become ripe in the autumn of the first
    year cone scale wider than long seeds have very
    wide wings, and when ripe, fall together with
    scales of cone, leaving hard central axis
    standing upright on twig like a spike.

48
Seeds
  • Regular seed production probably begins after 20
    to 30 years. Cone development has been reported
    for trees 15 years of age and younger and only 2
    m tall. Good seed crops occur at intervals of 2
    to 4 years, with some seed production usually
    occurring during intervening years. On the
    average, 35 L (bushel) containing 1,000 to 2,000
    cones weighs approximately 16 kg (35 lb) and
    yields 1000 to 1200 g of cleaned seeds. The
    number of cleaned seeds per kilogram ranges from
    66,000 to 208,000 and averages 131,000. These are
    about 134 seeds per cone.

49
Seed Disbursement
  • Balsam are found in Himalayan regions, mainly.
    The seeds are basically disperes by wind. Balsam
    seeds are provided with special structures that
    help balsam seeds to fly away far from the
    original place, so that they would not grow at
    the same place in groups.

50
Diseases
  • Needlecast diseases are common in balsam fir
    stands and Christmas tree plantations in the
    northeastern and north central United States and
    in southern Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick.
    Three different needlecast fungi, Lirula nervata,
    Lirula mirabilis and Isthmiella faullii, cause
    similar disease symptoms on balsam fir. These
    diseases may affect other firs planted in the
    same stand, but will not affect Douglas-fir or
    other conifer species.

51
Economic Uses
  • Owners of large tracts sometimes suppress the
    growth of broad-leaf trees in favor of softwood
    stands, increasing the amount of fir available
    for saw timber and pulpwood.  Besides being an
    important source of wood products, the balsam fir
    is a versatile tree with numerous craft,
    utilitarian and medicinal uses.   Historically,
    fir resin was applauded for its medicinal
    properties among Acadian residents of the St.
    John River watershed and was ingested to treat
    kidney ailments. Resin blisters would be
    carefully harvested and placed on sheets of wax
    paper that could be refrigerated until they were
    needed.  Loggers would also use fir resin
    topically to treat gonorrhea.  Although not as
    big of a business as in Washington County
    (Downeast Maine), wreathmaking is an important
    small-scale industry in the St. John River
    watershed.  For the two months leading up to
    Christmas, business owners hire seasonal
    employees to harvest and process fir boughs into
    wreaths that will be shipped all across the
    country. 

52
Fun Fact!!
  • Balsam fir is an important conifer of the
    northernmost parts of eastern and central U.S.
    and Canada. It is both commercially useful and
    integral to the survival many species of northern
    wildlife.

53
Swamp Milkweed(Asclepias incarnata)
54
Description
  • Plant species native to North America. It is
    found growing in damp to wet soils and also is
    cultivated as a garden plant for its attractive
    flowers, which are visited by butterflies and
    other pollinators due to its copious production
    of nectar. Like most other milkweeds, it has sap
    containing toxic chemicals , a characteristic
    that repels insects and herbivorous animals.

55
When it Flowers
  • Flowers attract butterflies and often conceal
    crab spiders lying in wait for the pollinators.
    Pointed 3 inches, seed pods open up late summer
    with downy airborne seeds. Milkweed does not
    produce individual grains of pollen like most
    plants do.  Instead, the pollen is fused into
    waxy packets called pollinia.  Each stamen
    produces two pollinia connected by a thread.  The
    flowers are generally very fragrant and produce
    copious amounts of nectar.  This makes them very
    attractive to bees and butterflies which visit
    the flowers in droves.  The fused stamens have
    narrow slits between them into which a careless
    insect might accidentally insert a leg.  If it
    does, the leg will likely catch on the sticky
    thread connecting the pollinia.  When the insect
    withdraws its leg it will usually have the two
    packets of pollen attached, ready to be carried
    to another flower to pollinate the flower and
    fertilize its eggs.  Sometimes, however, an
    unfortunate insect will be unable to extricate
    its leg and will die trapped in the milkweed
    flower.  When you see a milkweed plant, look for
    these unfortunate insects.

56
Uses
  • The Chippewa and Iroquois have used an infusion
    of the roots externally to strengthen the body
    and heal babies navels. The Iroquois and
    Meskwaki have also used a decoction of the roots
    and/or aerial portions of the plant as a
    de-worming agent. The common name, Pleurisy Root,
    comes from its once common use to treat lung
    problems. Swamp milkweed is toxic when taken in
    large doses. The tough stringy stem fibers have
    been used to make twine, rope and rough textiles.

57
Fun Fact
  • Like all milkweeds, swamp milkweed is an
    important food source for Monarch caterpillars.

58
  • Resources, Department Of. "Minnesota Department
    of Natural Resources Minnesota DNR." Minnesota
    Department of Natural Resources Minnesota DNR.
    Minnesota Department of Public Safety, 12 Aug.
    2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. lthttp//www.dnr.state.mn.
    us/index.htmlgt.
  • Wikipedia. "Bullfrog." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
    Foundation, 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.
    lthttp//www.wikipedia.org/gt.
  • "Swamp Milkweed." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
    Foundation, 06 Dec. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.
    lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_milkweedgt.
  • "Trout." Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct.
    2012. lthttp//www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/trout/index
    .htmlgt.
  • "Balsam Fir (Abies Balsamea)." Balsam Fir
    Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.
    lthttp//www.dnr.state.mn.us/trees_shrubs/conifers/
    balsamfir.htmlgt.
  • "Mammals of Minnesota Canada Lynx Minnesota
    DNR." Mammals of Minnesota Canada Lynx
    Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.
    lthttp//www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/canadalynx.htm
    lgt.
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