Shapes in Nature

Hello all, I am finally getting around to writing the post I originally planned for Sunday. Taiwan is getting hit by another typhoon today and tomorrow, so I'm hiding out inside for now. I cannot promise there won't be another romp in the rain soon though. Anyway, while I was on my tide pool adventure over the weekend I kept picking up shells, rocks, creatures that all had these amazing shapes to them. All of them wonderfully distinct, I cannot help but think what has happened over time to create the shapes I held. I could go into a long diatribe over the power of evolution, but I will refrain. However I will give you a little summary then leave you with pretty pictures for you to observe the wonder as well.

Within in ecosystems there is an interplay between the species present, environmental conditions (such as temperature, weather patterns, etc.), as well as chemical conditions (such as nutrients, acidity, metals, etc.). Importantly, species adapt to local conditions so that their structure best suits the conditions they experience. But when you look at a system not all organisms look the same despite being exposed to the same conditions. This is because the other species play a roll in adaptation. If all the species adapted the same survival skills, they would compete with each other. So instead a balanced ecosystem will have a bunch of species adapted to different lifestyles and microhabitats (also known as niches). Sorry to all my scientist friends for this grossly simplified explanation. Okay enough of the science lessons, time to appreciate the results. Please forgive my poor photography skills, I would blame it on using my phone to take the pictures, but really it is just me.

 (Tiny hermit crab that would not come out of his shell)

 (Notice the ridges along the edge of this shell)

 (The stripes on the back of this crab's shell were so vibrant)

(Crab exoskeleton sitting on the rocks)

 (I love the color and shape of this one, so unique)

 (Piece of dead coral skeleton)

(Hey there crabby crab)

 (Ancient coral now making up the rocky shoreline)

Have you noticed any cool colors and shapes in unique places this week? I try to appreciate and leave everything I find but some are just too neat and made their way home with me.

Love to all,

-Jules