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.