All posts by BioGrounds

Observing the Robin on Grounds

April 17, 2014BirdsBioGrounds

The way we organized the blog posts in the Birds Group is that each member writes a post on a bird that specifically resonated with the individual around grounds. I was very intrigued by the American robin. Over the past few months, as the snow began to melt and the temperatures began to rise, I frequently sighted the robin at different locations on grounds. American robins tend to be some of the most typical “early-birds”, meaning that they come out right when winter starts to turn in to spring. Even though the robin is also around during the winter, they tend to remain in their nests, consequently attracting less attention than when they are hopping around under trees and on fields. The American robin has an orange chest and sings a very high-pitched, jovial song. While the American robin generally tends to reside in Virginia and the majority of the US all year long, some spend their summers in Canada and their winters in Mexico.

The Robin is the One

The robin is the one
That interrupts the morn
With hurried, few, express reports
When March is scarcely on.

The robin is the one
That overflows the noon
With her cherubic quantity,
An April but begun

The robin is the one
That speechless from her nest
Submits that home and certainty
And sanctity are best.

—Emily Dickinson

In this poem by Emily Dickinson, it is clear that the robin is the messenger of spring, since it begins to appear “when March is scarcely on”. This line by Emily Dickinson, confirms my observations, because I also only started noticing the presence of the robin in the past few months. Also, the robin seems to have a very delightful quality, or as Dickinson puts it, “cherubic.” I similarly noticed this quality about the robin, which is why I was so intrigued and always took a moment to observe and enjoy whenever encountering one.

During my sightings of the robin, I have seen it all alone and have also observed it in a group of over a hundred individuals. Therefore there does not seem to be any pattern as to any group size it likes to travel in. The robin feels comfortable in large groups, but also enjoys wandering off on its own.

Here is an American robin that I observed roaming the grounds alone:

Here are two pictures of American robins in large groups:

In conclusion I would like to encourage people to pay attention to and observe the robins on grounds. They spread an infectious feeling of joy, both with their quick playful movements and with their cheery song.

Post by Martin Howell, Third-Year, Environmental Thought and Practice

Sampling the Dynamic Soil Layer

April 16, 2014Life in SoilsBioGrounds

The interface between soil and the atmosphere is extremely dynamic as it represents the marriage of the physical and biological worlds contained within an ecosystem. The physical environment of the leaf litter and topsoil combined has a tremendous effect on the type and diversity of organisms able to survive there. Human interactions with the soil layer can vastly change the life present. Buildings, construction, pollution and many others have the power to change the landscape.

There are multiple ways to uncover this hidden world of smaller organisms through sampling of soil. Luckily for our group, the grounds of the University provide a plethora of diverse sites for soil sampling. From the natural settings of the Dell Pond and the trails of Observatory Hill to the heavily traveled areas of the Lawn and Nameless Field, the grounds present different habitats, each with varying degrees of human interaction. Having these numerous locations all in one place lends itself to increasing the amount of biodiversity present here.

When looking at the life in soils, it is important first to characterize the physical environment of the soil because it has such an impact of the type and diversity of species able to live there. Soil can be sandy, made of mostly clay, silty, or a any mix of these together. The make up of the soil can be tested using the ribbon finger test where a small amount of the soil in question is doused with a couple drops of water then rolled between fingers to form a ribbon (Figure 1). The length of the ribbon produced gives information about the type of soil. Another important factor is the depth of the organic matter layer. The O layer and the connection to plants were described in our first soil blog post but it is crucial for the habitat and livelihood of microorganisms living in the soil. Finally, another parameter commonly measured in soil testing is the bulk volume of the sample. This is a measure of the volume of dry soil in a total volume of soil, which provides information on the amount of pore space available for creatures to survive in and how easy it is for the roots of plants to penetrate the soil.

However varied the soil types are around the world, the diversity of organisms living in these habitats are even more diverse. Biota commonly found in soils can range from the microorganism scale such as bacteria and fungi to the macro organism scale represented by earthworms and small insects in the organic layer. The most common sampling method for looking at the biotic facet of the soil is by using Berlese funnels (Figure 2). This set up requires that a small amount of alcohol is set up in a graduated cylinder with a funnel full of a soil sample is placed at the top. A light is then shown directly on the soil sample for usually a day. As the arthropods are sensitive to light, they travel down into the funnel tube and eventually fall into the alcohol. Once there, they can be classified and recorded.

The invisible life in soils is often times disregarded as unimportant and forgotten in the midst of conserving large mammals or keystone species. However, these mighty microbes contribute hugely to the biogeochemical cycling of the earth, recycling organic material for reuse, and convert nitrogen into the available form for plant growth. I think this section of the underground world would benefit greatly from increased research and appreciation.

soils2-1 — Figure 1. The Finger Ribbon method of soil texture sampling. As water is added to a sample, it is then rolled between fingers to form a ribbon of varying lengths. Photo from: http://onpasture.com/2013/05/13/smooshing-soil-like-an-expert/.

Untitled — Figure 2. Traditional set up of a Berlese funnel experiment with a strong light shining down on a soil sample leading to a pool of alcohol at the bottom. Photo from: http://ecoplexity.org/professional_developers.

Post by Emily Blanton, Third-Year, Environmental Science, Minor in Urban and Environmental Planning

Our Meeting with Facilities Management

April 15, 2014Green RooftopsBioGrounds

On March 21^st, our BioGrounds team met with Facilities Management to discuss our project and talk to them about the feasibility of actually accessing various green and non-green roofs around Grounds. Prior to the meeting, we put together a comprehensive project plan to give to the Facilities Management team so they could get a better idea of what we were planning to do. Professor Beatley also joined us and was extremely helpful facilitating our discussion.

As excited as we were about this Green Rooftops project, Facilities Management seemed to be even more so. After seeing our project plan, they were extremely interested in our project and willing to help us. They told us about the many current green roofs around Grounds as well as the plans they have in place for various future green rooftops. I think our team was under the impression that the only green rooftops were on Culbreth Theater, the Roberston/Rouss building, Newcomb Hall, and Garrett Hall. However, we soon discovered that there are green roofs on many more buildings. We were excited to learn there were so many more possible test sites for our research!

Facilities Management discussed each roof with us, warning us that access to all these roofs is not always easy. Some roofs, like on Nau/Gibson Hall, are complicated to access and require being “tied-off”, wearing safety gear, and/or being chaperoned by a Facilities Management roof expert. These roofs are considered to have fall risk and, therefore, would make the University liable in the event of a student injury or fall. These safety precautions may make our research more difficult, but they also seem to be found on roofs that would be the most effective study sites.

Our resources at Facilities Management listed the most available roofs for this kind of research: Special Collections, the annex to Garrett Hall, MR5, MR6, Thrust Theater, the Commerce School, South Lawn, and the UVa Hospital. They also recommended that we take a tour of these roofs, so that we can have a better idea of how each would fit into our project.

The UVa Hospital was an interesting suggestion, considering it is not a green roof. Facilities Management and Professor Beatley suggested we use this roof as a control so that we can compare green roofs against non-green roofs. What is even more interesting is that this roof is scheduled to be re-furbished as a green roof in the coming years. By studying this site, our team has the opportunity to set up a long-term study of the Hospital roof. We hope that future BioGrounds teams will continue our study and continue conducting research on the biophilia of the Hospital roof. It will be enlightening to see how biophilic elements change as the roof is converted from its current non-green state into its future green rooftop state.

It seems to me that UVa is making progress on becoming a more green University. Facilities Management made it clear that more green roofs were on the horizon and that their popularity is growing among University members. As the meeting closed, I asked if UVa would ever consider constructing green roofs that could remain completely accessible to students for leisure, recreational, and educational activities. While Facilities Management seemed interested in this concept, they had their doubts about it. However, they stated it could be a potential, especially in the Hospital area and on new buildings in the future. As we have learned in class, exposure to nature has healing power and I would be happy to see green roofs be utilized as a means for providing more natural environments for students to take advantage of.

Look out for our next blog post about our UVa green rooftop tour!

Post by Maddie Swartzwelder, Third-Year, Environmental Thought & Practice

Uncovering the Unseen

April 14, 2014Fungi/LichenBioGrounds

First, our team would like to apologize for the late update on the biodiversity of fungi and lichen here at UVa, the weather was our worst enemy during the past few months! The snow covered everything or it was too wet to observe on UVa grounds.

However, this past week has been mostly sunny and around 60-70 degrees fahrenheit so I decided to see if there were any fungi and lichen in the area near Alderman and Clemons library. Here are some of the photos I took in between classes!

At first, we don’t see anything unusual about this tree… but if we look closer…..

How about just a bit closer?….

Isn’t that beautiful? This appears to be a crustose lichen and sadly it was the only type of lichen I could find near this area.

Here we do not see anything but if we just zoom in closer then we see something interesting!

Ta da! These appear to be crustose lichen as well. I pass by this bench at least twice a day, and I did not realize this bench had lichens on it!

Biogrounds is all about increasing awareness of our neglected bioversity of on UVa grounds and hope to change the perception of what is considered as being nature. So next time you happen be sitting on a wooden bench or walk by a big tree, try to see if there are any of these crustose lichens!

Post by Sujin Hong, Third-Year, Environmental Science

Ants Team Update

April 11, 2014AntsBioGrounds

Our team had a meeting before spring break to figure out how to process the ant collecting. We decided to collect the ant samples from Spring Break to April 12^th. (Date has been extended due to the weather.) Bait can be set any time of the day that works best with team members schedules however the highest temperature peak (about 3-430pm) is preferable.

Based on the advice of Amy Savage, a Ph D. student at North Carolina State University, we decided to place the bait on the green space and paved space around the areas each one of us selected. Team members took four 3×5” notecards and Pecan Sandies Cookies on a warm sunny day, broke the cookies into pieces and put them on top of a card, and placed it on the site.

Screen Shot 2014-04-07 at 10.59.04 PM — Photos from: http://mamaofletters.com/category/kindergarten/.

Since we were collecting samples during the daytime, we needed to write a notice for people passing by so that they would not throw them away accidently. We observed the site about an hour. If we found ants, we took detailed pictures and gathered them to identify the species in our next meeting. The photo needed to be clear and close enough to count segments in antennae and note the shape of the bump at their waist. We also took a picture of places where the card was located along with detailed records about the surroundings. In case of inability to get detailed pictures, we picked up each card and quickly poured the crumbs, ants, and card into a zip‐lock bag. We needed to be careful since some ants can sting. We left a bit of air in the bag to preserve the ants from squashing, and we put it in the freezer to prevent from decomposing until our next team meeting.

Our team members struggled to find any ants however, due to the tremendous snowfall and cold weather. So far we have had no luck collecting samples. Ants do not hibernate, but they store food in their nest and also lower their metabolism when it is cold. Hence, one of our members asked Professor Beatley for advice and he gave us a few suggestions. As he suggested, we will also try to survey ants indoors without baiting them. We will keep our eyes wide open to find them. When we find them, we will take a detailed pictures as we planned. If it is necessary, we will use an insect collecting device called an aspirator that basically sucks air thorough one straw, ants go through another straw that connects to a glass tube.

Moving forward, we plan to continue collecting ants for now until the second weekend of April. If we are successful finding ants, we will set a meeting to identify them and analyze the collected data. In case of we do not see any ants by then, we will do extra research on ants to provide interesting knowledge that we will like to share with blog readers.

References

http://schoolofants.org/sites/default/files/soa-images/How%20to%20make%20your%20own%20ANT%20KIT_NC_FL.pdf

Post by Prisca Kim, Third-Year, Psychology

Where Are All the Mushrooms?

April 10, 2014Fungi/LichenBioGrounds

With the snow melting away and spring having arrived at the University of Virginia a couple weeks ago, it is becoming easier and easier to see the beautiful nature that surrounds us on Grounds. Whether it’s the blossoming trees or the playful squirrels, it is clear that our school is abundant with all forms of nature. However, one element that is sorely missing and much less visible is the presence of fungi. Throughout the semester, much of the fungi that our group has found and observed seem to be tucked away in discrete locations and away from the everyday view of the student population.

During the course of this semester, our group has written about the clear advantages that fungi can provide not only to the environment but also to our everyday lives. These organisms play a crucial role in breaking down rock and decomposing plant material. Fungi such as mycorrhizae enable the beautiful plants and trees that we see as we walk to classes or relax on the Lawn to absorb nutrients and grow. As decomposers, oyster mushrooms have been implemented in cleaning up sites contaminated by oil spills. Ingesting them also yields benefits, as regularly consuming mushrooms has been proven to help in managing weight, increasing vitamin D levels, and enhancing the immune system.

If fungi contribute so much to our society and environment, why are they not prominently featured in public places like cities, parks, and universities? The most common reason is aesthetics. Many people assume that fungi aren’t the most attractive and “crowd-pleasing” to look at, and therefore they are generally excluded from urban design. However, this may not be the case for long. Cities are beginning to understand the benefits and beauty of fungi and are incorporating them into the design of their cities. One such example is the Landscape Institution’s “A High Line for London” competition, which the company Fletcher Priest Architects won with its proposed development of an underground mushroom park that would line the Mail Rail tunnel under Oxford Street in London, as seen below. Such efforts would ensure that in the future, fungi are able to get the credit they deserve and become a more visible part of our everyday society.

Post by Anthony La, Fourth-Year, McIntire School of Commerce

The Sound of Silence, but Not for Long

April 9, 2014Night Flight CallsBioGrounds

I began the Bird Night Flight Calls’ first recording at approximately 12:00 AM on Friday, April 4^th on Observatory Hill and it stopped at 3:00 AM on Friday, April 4^th. However, upon listening to the three hour recording, I was disheartened to discover that no bird sounds had been recorded, just the shuffling of nocturnal creatures and the leaves blowing in the wind.

After further research into the Monticello Bird Club’s Guide of Charlottesville, I learned that most birds that migrate through Observatory Hill do so between April 15^th and May 15^th, and of those birds, as many as 15 different species of warblers can be identified.[1] They usually “descend at night and actively feed in the early mornings”.[2] On the contrast, birds that are currently residing in Charlottesville, are diurnal and thus, do not make night calls. Below is a picture of a Blackburnian Warbler and a website which you can hear the recording of the bird.[3] This is a common migratory species found at Observatory Hill in late April:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blackburnian_Warbler/sounds

Warblers, among other migratory species at Observatory Hill, use high frequency calls, which can be heard optimally until five hours after sunset, after which the number of calls heard decreases.[4] Other species of birds commonly found on Observatory Hill that are not migratory, such as Thrushes, are usually found during the summer. Thrushes, for example, project mid-frequency calls that are best heard a couple hours before sunrise.[5] Therefore, it is best to listen to either migratory birds or birds just after sunset and before sunrise which is when our group now plans to record.

[1]Ken Klotz, “Observatory Mountain,” in A Birder’s Guide to Charlottesville, Virginia and Vicinity, May 2003, accessed April 5^th, 2014, http://www.monticellobirdclub.org/A%20Birder’s%20Gude%20to%20Charlottesvile%20&%20Vicinity_rev%20June%202009.pdf

[2] Ken Klotz, “Observatory Mountain”

[3] “Blackburnian Warbler,” The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, accessed April 5th, 2014 http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blackburnian_Warbler/sounds

[4] “Nocturnal Flight Calls and Bird Migration,” Last modified 2013, accessed April 5^th, 2014, http://naturebits.org/migration_flight_calls.php

[5] “Nocturnal Flight Calls and Bird Migration”

Post by Emily Votroubek, First-Year

A New Direction: Week Three Results of Camera Trap Hunting

April 8, 2014Nocturnal LifeBioGrounds

Over the last few weeks, we have been setting up cameras around grounds, hoping to catch nocturnal life. Unfortunately, aside from a few people walking dogs and a lot of foot traffic, we have only captured a deer and an opossum. We have come up with a few possible reasons regarding why we have not gotten photos of as many animals as we had hoped, and also possible solutions to these problems. First, our goal to find nocturnal life around grounds is difficult to accomplish because streets surround much of the green areas. With so many streets, it may be unlikely that wildlife would go in these areas, especially when cars are frequently driving by. Because of this, we decided that it would be more beneficial to focus on putting the cameras near wooded areas instead. Hopefully this will help us catch images of more animals.

Another issue that may be preventing us from catching images of animals is the positioning of the cameras. It is possible that there are more animals that pass by the areas where we’ve set up the cameras but the cameras just don’t catch them. To fix this, we decided to place two cameras in the same area in different positions and at different angles in the hope of catching an animal that only one camera may have missed.

Finally, to encourage more animals to come into the area, we have decided to add bait, such as peanut butter, near the camera. While this won’t be a completely natural sighting of nocturnal life, it will give us a better idea of what animals are living in the area. We have decided that we will only put bait near a few of the cameras so that we can compare how effective it is.

Due to the lack of images, we have decided to move the cameras to new areas. The first new area will be near Hereford and Runk where we have been told many students see foxes during the day. We will be placing two cameras in this area, in the hope of catching images of these foxes at night. Another area we will be placing the camera is the community garden near Hereford because we have been told that they often have problems with rabbits eating the plants in the garden. Hopefully we will be able to catch images of these rabbits or possibly something else. The camera that was placed by the Dell Pond did not catch images other than a few ducks and a lot of foot traffic, so we decided to move the camera near the stream behind the pond. This will hopefully reduce the amount of foot traffic which could increase the chances of catching images of nocturnal life.

Post by Kelsey Grant, Second-Year, Media Studies

Venturing into the Aquatic Systems around Charlottesville: The Rivanna River

April 8, 2014Aquatic LifeBioGrounds

Hello. My name is Henry Peltz and I a second year at the University of Virginia studying Environmental Thought and Practice, and Economics. Recently, in the last month, there were a multitude of obstacles blocking our ability to study the wildlife in aquatic settings: heavy snowfall, spring break, and lots of rain. Now, with the spring finally here, we plan to heavily watch and research the biodiversity around Charlottesville’s aquatic life.

I went to the Rivanna River to start observations of biodiversity and population surrounding the river. I was unable to take pH, nitrate, phosphorus and acidity of the river as we are awaiting our field-testing kit. After watching and observing the various parts of nature surrounding me, I discovered at least 10 different types of bushes and plant species. There was also a multitude of different types of trees (maple, tuliptree, black walnut, small white oak, etc.). What interested me was that a spider (or so I assumed) made a nest for its larva in the concaves of branches, resting in trees. There was very little, even none in some areas, garbage around and surrounding the banks of the river. The sound of birds was all around me, in various chirps and hums, indicating a strong biodiversity level of the river.

Across the water there was a tree that was barely hanging on the ground. It seemed like it could fall anytime soon, and potentially could cause a problem with the power line near it. It seems that in a few years the tree will join the other trees that have collapsed and fallen into the river to form either: a natural riverbank or a formation in the middle of the river.

What was very interesting about the river was a pipe I found feeding water into the river. There was no indication of where the water was coming from or if it was storm-water drainage. I can assume though that it wasn’t from a company population or sewage, and more likely to be storm-water drainage, as the water was clean and seemed to be relatively natural. I was surprised though that water was being fed into the river.

The area seemed to be full of biodiversity and it was easy to hear many different types of birds, see many different species of birds and smell various sprouting flowers. At the very end of the walkable trail, there was a rabbit hole in the ground that showed different types of species that exist around the river. The good health of the river is probably due to the Rivanna Conservation Society working to fix and increase the health of the river. There work includes lots of steam bank renovation and native tree planting occurring alongside the entire river. I don’t expect there to be much acidity or high ion levels in the river. It seemed, from an observation standpoint, to be generally healthy.

Post by Henry Peltz, Second-Year, Environmental Thought and Practice and Economics

Lack of Results Possibly Attributed to Patterns of Bird Migration

April 7, 2014Bird MortalityBioGrounds

Our research team has been frequenting the perimeters of both Nau/Gibson and Campbell Hall. Although our team has yet to find any sign of bird mortality in these areas, we do believe that the buildings raise a cause for concern. Both structures are relatively tall in comparison to other buildings across Grounds and have numerous reflective surfaces that pose a danger to birds.

Our team believes that our lack of findings can be attributed to several factors. First and foremost, we believe that groundskeepers and maintenance staff may be picking the dead birds up before we have a chance to observe them. Next, we also hypothesize that the number of birds in the area may be lower than in warmer months and that many birds may not have migrated back due to the weather. According to our research on predicted migratory patterns, the arrival date of certain species within Charlottesville occurs later in April. Finally, our research on bird mortality has suggested that bird mortality occurs most commonly with buildings that are much taller than Nau and Campbell Hall.

Works Cited

http://www.birdnature.com/spvi.html