Perfect storm

Spreading fungal scourge

salamanders succumbing

perfect storm draws near.

 

Many of the world’s amphibians are under threat from a chytrid fungus (Bd), particularly in the tropics where it is driving many amphibian species towards extinction. More recently a sister species (Bs) has been observed in Western-European salamanders. Observations of a salamander population across two years following initial detection of Bs suggest a rapid population collapse with little recovery. Bs also has an increased transmission strategy over Bd and may behave as a “perfect storm” as it spreads through European populations of salamanders. Stegen et al, 2017.

When courting

When courting with song

do take turns with your neighbour –

Gentlemen hermits!

 

Male long-billed hermits (a sub-group of humming birds) form leks to attract mates by singing, but competing birds close together could overlap singing and confuse each other’s song. To counter this, males close together coordinate to alternate singing bouts whilst males further away from each other (and not at danger from vocal obscuration) overlap their songs. Araya-Salas et al, 2017.

Blossoms

Cherry blossoms dance

across the road like heat haze

on a summer day.

 

Ok, this is not technically a sciku but since haiku have traditionally had a strong association with cherry blossoms it felt right for The Sciku Project to feature a cherry blossom based haiku.