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Symbiosis in the Desert

Summer temperatures in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve may often exceed 100 degrees with only a 15 degree drop at night. This is not uncommon in this portion of the Mojave Desert. Over the millennia, amazing adaptations have been made by plants and animal alike to enhance their survival here. Anatomical, physiological and behavioral adaptations are on display every day. Some are quite obvious like cacti, whose leaves have been reduced to spines. What is not as obvious are the remarkable symbiotic relationships that have evolved to enhance survival in these extreme conditions

A symbiotic relationship is best defined as two organisms living together where one or both benefit from the relationship and neither is harmed

Lichen on Rock, Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Lichen on Rock
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Anyone who has hiked in the deserts of Utah has encountered rocks splashed with a dazzling display of every color in the rainbow. We call them Lichens, but you may not be aware that they are examples of a mutualistic symbiosis where two organisms live together and both benefits from the relationship. Lichens are actually a partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism, usually an alga or cyanobacterium. The fungus provides a protective structure and absorbs water and minerals from rain, dew, or dust. They also offer shelter from harsh desert conditions such as intense sunlight and temperature extremes. The alga or cyanobacterium are the source of color as they contain Chlorophyl, Carotenoids, Anthraquinones, Uric acid and Melanin’s. They produce food by photosynthesis, supplying life sustaining energy for both organisms

Desert Trumpet with Wasp Exit Holes, Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Desert Trumpet with Wasp Exit Holes
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Another symbiotic relationship known as commensalisms, where one organism is benefited and the other is neither harmed or benefited, can be found associated with Desert Trumpet plants. These tall slender plants have hollow and dynamic inflated stems. The inflated portions of the stems are penetrated by Cynipidae wasps as they lay their eggs inside the hollow cavity where their larvae develop in a protected environment. The resulting hole left when the larvae emerge as adults, allows access inside the chamber, sometimes for years. a student of mine cataloged over 20 species of insects, spiders and mites that were secondary inhabitants of the hollow stems.

Rabbit Brush Gall, Opened Below Showing Occupant, Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Rabbit Brush Gall
Opened Below Showing Occupant
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Creosote Gall, Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer Creosote Gall
Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer

Perhaps the most interesting of all symbiotic relationships found in the desert is the creation of insect galls. Galls are remarkable cancerous like plant growths, produced as a reaction to chemicals injected by insects. This is most commonly initiated by gall wasps, midges, and aphids. Galls come in all shapes, sizes and architectural design and serve as a protective capsule for insects eggs and developing larvae. Some look like cotton balls others resemble land mines or satellites or simple cupping protuberances on a leaf. These galls provide both food and shelter for the insect’s developing larvae. Despite the harshness of arid landscapes, deserts host a surprising diversity of galls. Each insect species typically induces a highly specific gall on a particular host plant. Chemicals secreted by the insect or its larvae manipulate the plant’s hormonal pathways, redirecting growth to form a unique structure that supports the insect’s life cycle. I am not averse to stopping and dissecting galls to examine the larva inside. I am occasionally surprised to find secondary inhabitants such as spiders, mites and the like. While insects benefit from the galls protection the host plants generally do not seem to Any significant harm.

I’m professor Marshall Topham and I’m Wild about Utah’s Mojave Desert.

Credits:

Images Courtesy & Copyright Marshall Topham, Photographer
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Bob Holmes, Composer, Hugh Jones, Producer, Rubber Rodeo-Before I Go Away, 1984, https://www.discogs.com/release/9698183-Rubber-Rodeo-Scenic-Views
Text: Marshall Topham, https://ees.utahtech.edu/faculty-staff/
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah pieces by Marshall Topham https://wildaboututah.org/author/marshall-topham/

Cane, Jim & Kervin, Linda, Gall Insects, Wild About Utah, January 13, 2011, https://wildaboututah.org/gall-insects/

“Sagebrush is an important member of an ecosystem that helps support many birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, as well as an abundance of insects and microbes. One study found nearly 300 arthropod species directly living on just a few plants including- 72 spider, 237 insect, 42 of which were gall-forming, amongst many other species.”
Greene, Jack, Sage Steppe, Wild About Utah, June 15, 2015, https://wildaboututah.org/sage-steppe/

“Pests and Potential Problems Some ecotypes of rubber rabbitbrush are infected by stem galls, which are caused by two species of tephritid flies (Aciurina species) (McArthur 1979). There are no reports of negative effects caused by the galls. ”
Rubber Rabbitbrush, NRCS, USDA, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/mtpmcpg9696.pdf

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Bug World Athletes

Dragonfly Courtesy Pixabay, DerWeg, Contributor
Dragonfly
Courtesy Pixabay, DerWeg, Contributor
As the Winter Olympics were getting into full swing , I was glued to the TV. I was dazzled by the super speed and skills of the athletes. Then I heard the Natural History Museum of Utah had just opened its traveling exhibit Bug World, which could teach me about the small super athletes of the insect world.

I turned off the TV and took a trip to Bug World.

When I walked in the door of the exhibit, I found myself face to face with an Orchid Mantis. This insect has the unique ability to blend into a patch of orchid flowers, so when another insect comes looking for nectar, the mantis snags it out of the air at dazzling speed. I watched this drama play out on the museum’s video screen. It looked very fast.

Just how fast? The exhibit invited everyone to find the answer using the nearby light board. I stepped up to the board and hit the start button. A light came on in one of the 12 dots on the board. When I tapped the lighted dot, it would go out and another dot would light up. I had 30 seconds to see how many dots I could put out. I got 12. That put me in the range of Slug. That stung. I took a deep breath and hit the start button again. This time I got 25, moving me up to Butterfly speed. So, I took off my jacket and handed my purse to my husband. I gave it all I had. I hit 33, almost getting me up to Spider speed. The mantis can do 50. They are the undisputed champions of attack speed.

I moved on to Japanese Bees. Bees are the champions of wing speed. They can hum along at 200 beats per second. The unique Japanese bees have figured out a way of use this wing speed to protect their hive. When a dangerous wasp enters their hive, they swarm around it, beating their wings fast enough to whip up the temperature to117 degrees centigrade. That’s enough to kill the wasp.

Once again, the museum invited people to test how hard it was to raise the temperature by sliding their hands over 6 lighted dots. Two small kids were already rubbing 4 of the dots and getting nowhere. I stepped up and started working on the last two dots. The temperature went up a little. “Harder!” cried the onlookers. All three of us were rubbing the lights like crazy. I started to sweat. Suddenly a light flashed. We’d hit 117 and killed the wasp. I now know just how hard the bees need to work to defend their hive.

Next up was the Dragonfly. The dragonfly can only flap its wings at 60 beats per second. But each wing operates independently, giving it the ability to fly with pinpoint accuracy. Combine this with its bulging eyes that can see in all directions, and you have the insect predator champion of deadly accuracy. The lion, pointed out the exhibit poster, will bring down its prey 20 times out of 100. The Dragonfly hits its moving target midair 95 out of 100 times.

Every time I turned around I learned something interesting. But this Bugworld traveling exhibit was also interactive and fun.

It’s going to be in Salt Lake at the Natural History Museum until September.
I heartily recommend it.

This is Mary Heers and I’m Wild About Utah

Credits:

Photos: Courtesy Pixabay, DerWeg, Contributor, https://pixabay.com/photos/dragon-fly-insect-leaf-lotus-8105990/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman Utah Public Radio upr.org
Text: Mary Heers, https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah, Mary Heers’ Wild About Utah Postings

Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, http://nhmu.utah.edu
301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Bug World Exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Utah through September 7, 2026, https://nhmu.utah.edu/exhibitions/bug-world

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Life is Like a Box of Wood Ducks

Leap Out Like a Wood Duck Duckling: Wood Duck Hen & Ducklings, Courtesy US FWS, Jim Hudgins, Photographer
Wood Duck Hen & Ducklings
Courtesy US FWS,
Jim Hudgins, Photographer
Sweet aromas of Indian Ricegrass are lifted by the breeze, whirled into a miniature maelstrom within the watery globes of morning dew. The dewdrops quiver and are dislodged from their positions on wisps of down. Tender webbed feet – ornamented with streaks of yellow so reminiscent of the sunlight now greeting them – grip a ledge of fracturing wood. A chick peers out, out away from everything it has known in its near 24 hours of life. The canopy, the spring, the cacophony of bird calls – The world is reflected in the wonderment of its eye. Does the beat of its heart accelerate? Does its breath catch or its muscles seize in this moment? In the second, right before… it jumps?

Duckling, Courtesy Pixabay, Terbe Rezso, Contributor
Duckling
Courtesy Pixabay, Terbe Rezso, Contributor

Duck Nesting Box Courtesy Pixabay, Ray Shrewsberry, Contributor Duck Nesting Box
Courtesy Pixabay, Ray Shrewsberry, Contributor

Wood Duck Pair Courtesy US FWS, Larry Pace, Photographer Wood Duck Pair
Courtesy US FWS, Larry Pace, Photographer

I’m Sally Smith, an intern with the Bridgerland Audubon Society. And the fellow I just introduced you to, is a Wood Duck. Wood Ducks nest in man-made boxes or tree cavities ranging from 2 to 50 feet above the ground or water. Just one day after they hatch, the chicks are called by their mother to take a daring leap. Necks straining, wing buds flailing, they plummet an astonishing distance before splashing into water or ground cover from whence they bounce, uninjured. This ‘bouncing’ is made possible by the lightness of the chicks as well as the malleable nature of their bones. One might relate this malleability to the desirable characteristic of perseverance – being able to bounce back when the trials of life come at us. This would be a good lesson indeed, but as I pondered on these things, my mind came to rest on a slightly different topic.

I suspect there are people listening to this podcast who are similar to me. Who from the windows of their school building or work office, observe a universe of curiosities, hear the enticing meadowlark calls, feel the playful Utah wind beckoning. People who ache to be embraced by that universe, immersed in an expanse of discoveries, a life worth living. I was, and perhaps you are, very well acquainted with the word “wait”. Wait for the right time, wait for the opportunities to come to you, wait for your heart to stop beating so vigorously…. Could it be that that word is only an excuse… we tell ourselves because we are afraid that if we leap, we will fall?

I recently received admissions results from a university I had applied for. I had set my ambitions high, I expected to be like most other birds, to leap from the nest and fly! However, my wings weren’t quite as developed as I’d thought, and rather than soaring through the magnificent clouds – I plummeted into the foliage. But, turns out the foliage is pretty amazing, something I never would have known. And it was there, I discovered this internship in ornithology. We tend to dread failure, fear the possibility of things not going the way that we expect them to. And guess what, we do fail. But so what? Failure is only the route to a more comprehensive success.

Ecology and conservation is rewarding work. Work that is ever in need of more hands. The web of resources and opportunities to get involved is larger than you realize! So, my friends, we might take courage from the Wood Duck, ruffle our feathers, and leap! Not expecting to fly right away, but realizing that the fall can be every bit as majestic.

I’m Sally Smith and I’m wild about Utah!

Credits:
Photos: Courtesy US FWS, Jim Hudgins, Photographer
Duckling Courtesy Pixabay, Terbe Rezso, Contributor, https://pixabay.com/photos/duckling-nature-pen-feather-cute-9660597/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © J. Chase and K.W. Baldwin as well as Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman Utah Public Radio upr.org
Text & Voice: Sally Smith, Student Intern, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Listen to archived pieces by Sally Smith on Wild About Utah

Wood Duck, All About Birds, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
Overview: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/
Life History: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory

Wood Duck, Audubon Field Guide, https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wood-duck

Curtis, Paige, 10 Fun Facts About the Wood Duck, 10 Fun Facts About the Wood Duck, Audubon Magazine, December 13, 2023, https://www.audubon.org/magazine/10-fun-facts-about-wood-duck

Watch a clutch of ducklings leap in the ‘Baby Wood Ducks’ video, in the Duck Stamp article below:
“In late summer, Wood Duck nestlings fledge by the dozens from their nest cavities, hurling themselves to the ground or water far below when prompted by a special contact call from their mother. –more–”
Freeman, Alexandra Class, How Hunters and Artists Helped Save North America’s Waterfowl, Bird Academy, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015, https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/duck-stamps/

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Citizen Scientists

Black-capped Chickadee with Leg Band Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
Black-capped Chickadee with Leg Band
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
“Get more! Snap another one! Keep shooting, Dr. Koz!”

Silent whisper-yells bombard, as if I’m a paparazzi capturing exclusive, behind the scenes footage of Taylor Swift or some other super star. However, these are kid whispers, and I’m just a 2nd-grade teacher leaning out my exterior classroom door, taking pictures of a curious little Black-Capped Chickadee happily pecking seeds from our class millet feeder which dangles just outside our window.

I happily comply with the entourage’s request and snap picture after picture of the little black and white songbird.

Black-capped Chickadee Leg Band Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
Black-capped Chickadee Leg Band
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

Cracking the Code, Leg Band Analytic Cyphers Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer “Cracking the Code”
Leg Band Analytic Cyphers
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

Bird Banding Certificate of Appreciation USGS, Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Contributor & Photographer Bird Banding Certificate of Appreciation USGS
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Contributor & Photographer

Eventually it flies away and I return to class and connect the camera to our large screen so students can see the close-up pictures of our little friend. I display the images and voices erupt from the students “Look at its leg! There is something shiny stuck on it!”

Sure enough, a metallic band encircled its right tarsometatarsus (fancy word for lower leg).

We zoomed into the picture and students noticed faint numbers and letters. They asked to see the various other pictures I had captured. The band was visible in each picture. Additionally, a different perspective of the band was visible in each picture based on the way the bird had adjusted its body between shots.

The students had an idea. Zoom into the band of each picture and print them. Each picture would have the band from a different angle, which may allow them to ‘crack the code’ of the specific 9-digit identification number that was encrypted upon it.

I did as the kids suggested. Soon kids were madly puzzling around the room, moving pictures from here to there, trying to see what clue from one angle of the band might inform a clue from a different angle of the band. It was a complex puzzle, but they wouldn’t give up.

A kid yells out, “We got it!” and everyone rushes over to their large whiteboard, which by this time, looks like a rocket scientist has been planning the next launch.

[287035209] was inscribed on their whiteboard

We accessed the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website for reporting banded birds and entered the number along with associated data.

Up popped a corresponding specimen:
Species: Black-Capped Chickadee
Banded: 2019

Scientist: Dr. Clark Rushing
Location: Cache County, USA

Students cheered and shouted when they read the information, and were most excited to learn how old our little friend was. They quickly decided looking up Dr. Rushing (now a professor at University of Georgia) and emailing him was necessary and formulated a message sharing their experience.

To our surprise, Dr. Rushing responded to the students sharing his memory of the banding project and how a 7-year-old Black-Capped Chickadee was a very rare scientific discovery.

The students sat with amazement, feeling like real scientists. Leaving the classroom that day for carpool, I hear a little girl giggle, pull her friend over, and whisper in her ear, “One day, I’m going to be a bird scientist just like Dr. Clark Rushing!”

This is Dr. Joseph Kozlowski, and I am wild about outdoor education in Utah!

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer, Used by Permission
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver and including contributions from Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman.
Text:     Joseph Kozlowski, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University https://edithbowen.usu.edu/
Additional Reading Links: Joseph Kozlowski & Lyle Bingham

Additional Reading:

Joseph (Joey) Kozlowski’s pieces on Wild About Utah:

Reporting a bird with a federal band or auxiliary marker, U.S. Geological Survey(USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.usgs.gov/labs/bird-banding-laboratory/science/report-a-band

The USGS serves as the primary science bureau for the DOI, integrating geological, hydrological, and biological research to support decision-making on public lands. Who We Are: https://www.usgs.gov/about/about-us/who-we-are#:~:text=What%20We%20Do,features%20available%20to%20the%20public.