As I sit on my back deck on the outskirts of our rural seaside community, I hear a rich variety of birdsong. Squirrels find remnants of last year's black walnuts and pecans and look to this year's fresh crop of applies and pears. Rabbits nibble on tender grass and other new vegetation. Occasionally I might see a bald eagle or red tailed hawk in the sky above me. Later, as daylight fades into evening and then night, the sounds of songbirds are traded for owls, frogs, shrill Fowler's toads, and multiple other night creatures. A rich variety of native trees, shrubs, and grasses adds to this backdrop. As I focus on the sounds and sights that surround me, I ponder my upcoming Arctic expedition.
A large focus of the research will be on biodiversity in the Chukchi Borderlands. This area represents one of the most significant summer ice melts in the Arctic region, and the scientists coordinating this project aren't sure how this is affecting Arctic biodiversity. Food webs, whether in my own backyard, the Chesapeake Bay, coastal waters of the Atlantic, or the Chukchi Sea, represent complex connections between producers and consumers. Fragile relationships that have developed over thousands of years, or even millennia, can be forever changed. As more is learned about these relationships and the effects of a changing climate, we will be in a better position to preserve the rich variety of organisms that surround us.
Here are some photos of biodiversity in my community.
This decomposing ray will provide nutrients to other organisms in the food web.
Fruit trees attract pollinators and will later provide food for birds, squirrels, and insects.
This tiny crab converts energy from detritus.
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