In this video we take a look at the native terrarium built on the 20th of July 2020. The terrarium was home to a vast array of creatures and this video will be showcasing some of the life still present alongside newer organisms that have emerged. If you notice things aren't shown in the video that were present in earlier ones it's either because it's hiding during filming or it has perished.
The glass has created a new habitat where springtails, mites and tardigrades roam. I find it so fascinating that such a diverse community of species have carved out an existence on the glass. The humidity on the glass provides the moisture they need for egg laying. The glass also builds up with organic detritus over time which provides food lower down in the food chain. I imagine the species that live on the glass are also safer from predation than on the terrarium floor. I find the diversity in species astounding and I was so amazed to see a tardigrade!
The terrarium floor hosts a different community of organisms. Isopods, spiders, springtails, snails and slugs. This different habitat is dominated by two main predators. A Harvestman and a Black Clock Beetle. The Black Clock Beetle seems to have gorged itself on prey, which caused it to grow fat.
Organisms such as the rove beetle, millipede and earthworm were also present, however I struggled to get any good footage of them for the video because they live underground where visibility is poor.
31 авг 2020
