Species Blog

The organism I chose to focus on from last week's blog entry is the starfish.

                 "Asterias Rubens from the Family of Asteriidae" 

 Some examples of other organisms in its family are Adelasterias, Anasterias, Aphelasterias, Asterias, Astrometis, Astrostole, Taranuiaster, Tarsaster, Tarsastrocles, Uniphora, Urasterias, etc.

      The Asterias Rubens (Starfish) did not have to come to the CNMI, only because they are originally found here.  They didn't have to migrate because they were here already and is from the CNMI/Pacific.

References:
http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/92632
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Asterias_rubens/
http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/choose-a-species/invertebrates/star-fishes-sea-urchins-and-relatives-echinodermata/asterias-rubens

Adaptions

              The three different organisms I picked for this assignment                      are ghost crab, starfish, and of course fishes.
All these organisms have their own different adaptations that help them survive in their environment. With the organisms on my site such as the ghost crab, their adaptation is that they stay in cool protection of their burrow at day time and appears down to the water at twilight to hunt. These burrows can be up to four feet deep. For the starfish, their adaptation is calcified skin, bright colors, and the ability to regenerate limbs. The bright shade they have and the bony skin of a star fish helps discourage predators and protects them in case they are attacked. And for the fishes, they have adapted to their environment through the evolution of gills, swim bladders, and their fins. Their gills helps them absorb oxygen from the water. Their swim bladders allows them to maintain an appropriate level of buoyancy and of course their fins to help them move in the water.


The ghost crab interacts with other organisms by eating them. These ghost crabs eat smaller animals, such as clams, turtle hatchlings, and other crabs and the same goes to the star fish. The star fish interacts with other organisms by eating them. Their source of food are clams, oysters, and mussels. This creature also eats snails and injured fishes. But aside from eating other organisms, the star fish are also being eaten by manta rays and some sharks. As for the fishes, this organism usually eats each other and also eats kelp, algae, squid, octopus, etc. 

Site Description Blog

 Interesting Features at my site:







Coconut Trees Everywhere

Hut

Old ship wreckage from a long time ago.


















       
             2.  The site I picked for this assignment is the Rota Chamorro Village. It is the area that is near what we call the "Round House". This site is a very beautiful and peaceful place. In this site, they have built huts and the benches to sit on so you could get a beautiful view of the ocean. This place is a very relaxing place and is a good place to just think or if you just want to simply feel the fresh breeze of the wind. The Chamorro Village also has a lot of coconut trees around that makes it even more beautiful and provides shades if you just want to sit near the sand. This area is a fairly huge area too where you could do a lot of things and where events could be held.

3. Some abiotic features in my site are the sand, rocks, of course the beautiful clear water. The sand by the water, is very smooth and feels really good if you step foot on it.The sand has so many unique shells that we love to pick up or take pictures of. The sand here has a beige color tone to it. The rocks around this area have different textures. There is some that are rough when you hold it, and some that are very smooth too. They come in dark shades of gray, light shades of gray, and some that are the same color as our sand. And of course, our beautiful ocean water. The beach in the Chamorro village is clear. Almost as if there are no rocks. Sometimes the water is warm and sometimes the water is really cold. The people of Rota really loves taking pictures of the beaches here, and this is one the places they go. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is rough, but that's of course depending on the weather.

4. Some biotic features in my site are the fishes, coconut trees, and sea crab. The fishes in the ocean, have different sizes, and color. The also have different types of fishes here. The Chamorro Village is one of the places people go to when they go fishing. The coconut trees as mentioned, are found almost everywhere in my site. Some are small, and are really tall. The sea crab can be found everywhere as well. They are typically found in sandy beaches. These crabs make so much holes in our sand, which I'm assuming is their homes. They are small crabs that some of the people of Rota catch at night or could also be caught at the day time.