water
41. Capsules launch seeds: Namaqualand mesems
"Most of the Namaqualand mesems [Mesembryanthemums], as they are known for short, do not scatter their seeds after flowering but retain them in capsules. The structure of these devices is usually very intricate indeed. When the first rain falls, p...
Bookmark
Email42. Expanding barbules hold water.
Most birds develop multiple strategies to avoid saturation of their feathers. The sandgrouse is a notable exception; sandgrouse feathers are adapted to hold water. These birds live mostly in dry sandy deserts and scrubland. When breeding, the bird...
43. Nest sheds water: tropical hornet
"The conical shape of the [nest of the] tropical hornet Vespa affinis leads rain water efficiently away from the nest." (Pallasmaa 1995:12)
44. Wiry tangles capture fog: lichens
"The Namib close to the coast does, however, have one source of moisture that most deserts lack. Almost every day, a fog rolls in from the sea, billowing across the dunes. On slopes where little else can survive, a lichen grows in a great orange c...
45. Lizard runs on water.
“We find basilisks of intermediate size obtain little support for their body weight by slapping the water surface; most of the support comes from stroking the foot downwards while expanding an air cavity under water. The lizard minimizes downwar...
46. Water aids pollination: eelgrass
"Water celery has long narrow flat leaves that remain below the surface and absorb the oxygen and carbon dioxide they need from that dissolved in water around them. It also exploits water in its pollination techniques. Its flowers are either male ...
47. Tree accumulates, releases water.
"In the ancient histories of travellers in America. and also by Thevet in his Cosnographia, mention is made of a tree which attracted the clouds from the heavens, end converted them into rain in the dry deserts. These relations have been considere...
48. The Secret of Super-Fast Shark Swimming
Researchers have discovered what makes the shark almost impossible to outswim. By using an engineering imaging technique, researchers have discovered that as a shark’s tail swings from side to side, it creates twice as many jets of ...
49. Skin regulates water absorption: tree frog
"The ventral pelvic skin of the tree frog Hyla japonica expresses two kinds of arginine vasotocin (AVT)-stimulated aquaporins (AQP-h2 and AQP-h3), which affect the capacity of the frog's skin to absorb water. As such, it can be used as a mod...
50. Closeable gas exchange pores prevent water loss.
"Amazonian rainforest plants are isohydric. The drier the soil and the more effort it takes to pull water up the xylem from the soil to the leaves, the more stomata close in response to low soil moisture. This restricts plant water use in the dry ...
search tools
- If you would like to save this search, please login.
