The colombian orchid from Telipogon genus, having many relatively big fruits - yes, it is a good démonstration of natural biodiversity of life forms.

I'm sorry to ask you what is the purpose of your question?

In other words, are you interested in flora or fauna, the aquatic environment or the terrestrial environment? In addition, which region of the earth globe is of interest to you? Or is your concern is art for art?

Frankly, I do not personally see the purpose of your question which is very vague to answer it.

Dear Barbara,

Your field of work seems to be chemistry and microbiology. How your question in correlated with your field of study or just for curiosity in the diverse form of life in different habitats?

Even if I would not conduct any specific resaerch in this area, can I not be just curious about results of other researchers? My interests spun from microorganisms (as small as actinomycetes) up to vascular plants (e.g. Heracleum). I did not want to restrict this thread to them, however, as I am curious of general picture of natural world and your opinions resuting from your observations in all possible habitats and environments. As I see that there are almost no places without invasive alien plants presence in my country. The pictures like above are becoming rarer and rarer.

I am also interested in chemistry of plants but the latter can be only hardly presented on photo. That is why I suggested presentation of diagrams also. You may take part in this thread in as specific (or general) way as you only want or... do not take part at all. In any case, I think, that we are free people, in general, and tht is why I am not trying to tell anybody what kind of questions he/she may ask at RG or not.

I also do not want to restrict this thread to plants only, due to mutual interdependences with animal kingdom.

@ Kenneth M Towe Sir

Thanks for sharing lovely pictures of 'endangered' polar bears.

Misleading....misleading would be showing a rare event, and attempting to suggest it is routine, normal or average. Polar bear densities are not widely reported. Current population studies indicate about 26,000 (the range estimate is 20,000-31,000); about 2,500 more than in 1995. Density estimates from 2013 and 1995 [in brackets] are available per 1,000 square kilometers (386.1 sq. miles) as follows by area, which show increasing density in some but not all locations, and would indicate that a gathering of hundreds of polar bears would be a rare event: Baffin Bay, 5.0 [1.1]; Davis Strait, 5.1 [2.3]; Hudson Bay, 3.4 [3.5]; Gulf of Boothia 18.3 [10.4]; M'Clintock Channel, 1.9 [4.7]; North Beaufort Sea, 6.5 [6.5]; South Beaufort Sea, 6.0 [7.0]; Viscount Melville, 3.4 [4.9].

The colombian orchid from Telipogon genus, having many relatively big fruits - yes, it is a good démonstration of natural biodiversity of life forms.

Hi Barbara, the attached photo is that of two butterfly copulating. They are both attached to a stem branch of a shrub with a background of grasses. The photo was taken in Nigeria in a farmland during the rainy season of 19.03.2017.

Herewith sending 3 photographs taken from Sri Lankan wet lands all are representing the Nature vs Biology

Aponogenton satarensis, endemic to Satara, Maharashtra, India.

Hello i send four photos of mexican sanakes, you can also find more photographs of the Hidalgo state Herpetofauna in our

facebook/herpetario.xplorareptilia

Dear Katarzyna Waniolka,

Thanks a lot for your so interesting comment on viruses. I congratulate You your discovery, a step of the kind of particular significance in the life of a young scientist. I will wait for promised photographs with great interest. I was in a similar way fascinated with actinomycetes. Many years ago I'd obtained sveral photographs of their variety with the use of electron microscopy. I will place some of them here also, just to present the biodiversity in their world. Once more thanks for sharing your enthusiastic opinion also on this my modest thread. After so many participants sharing their works, for which I would like to thank all of You, I am abolutely positive its photographical and thematic diversity may become true reflection of natural biodiversity in our world.

Best regards to all participants, Barbara M.

Droga Kasiu,

Serdecznie Cię pozdrawiam i jeszcze raz dziękuję, Basia M.

Dear @Leonardo Fernández-Badillo, Thanks for your absolutely amazing photos of snakes. I've met once or twice a black viper (I was wondering if it may be considered endemic variety there?) in Dolomites. I will try to find this photo. These danger snakes may be indicators of biodiversity of particular regions, also.

Dear Dr Rajendra D. Shinde

Dear Dr Marpha Telepova-Texier Thank You for your marvelous photos of unique examples of floral diversity of described by You regions.

My opening this thread photo was taken in Dolomites.

Dear @Mohamed Harris, Thanks for sharing so excellent photos of (not only) birds of Sri Lanka. I'd met flamingos also in Europe (near Ravenna), once. I should have some (however, not so good, as You've presented) photos of them, somewhere. I will look for them.

Dear Dr Abubakar Bashir Yusuf, Butterflies are most impressive bioindicators of regional biodiversity, I think. I also hope a bit that more of them occur in this thread with time. Thanks for sharing the first with us.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barbara_Motyka/post/What_species_of_butterfly_or_moth_may_be_this_caterpillar/attachment/59d6574379197b80779adae2/AS%3A533501124542464%401504207988672/download/znamion%C3%B3wka+starka.mp4

Above I've tried my mp4 film link of caterpillar recognized as Orgyia antiqua by researchers from RG:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_species_of_butterfly_or_moth_may_be_this_caterpillar

It was taken on... my balcony in Katowice, Poland, on the leaf of basil, in June 2017.

Dear Barbara,

Thank you in advance for your description about mexician snakes. It was so big fantastic. I was conducted experiment about non target organisms (NTO) in the GM-rice and non GM-rice paddy field. Insecticices usage for non GM-rice killed all NTO especially snakes.

These attached photographs are of 'endangered' medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina (Apocynaceae) spotted growing wild on the Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U.) main campus (India) near Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development. The roots of this plant are used to produce antihypertensive drugs worldwide. Rauvolfia serpentina is listed on the CITES Appendix II.

Please see the link for the compiled nature pictures from Ethiopia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgie9dWoa1w

Dallol depression-Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Dear Dr Beemnet Mengesha Kassahun, Thank You for interesting photos and movie showing (also) biodiversity of Etiopia. Here is similar one from Poland, 'Biebrza' by Paolo Volponi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pByw7j-Tn0

and these ones on Beskidy Mountains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i3wfOs8_mk&index=1&list=PL_KGWwIXQ1-pJJXtTwIKpliAvEjFkmisK&t=0s

Dear Salman, Actually it was @Leonardo Fernández-Badillo, who presented amazing photos of Mexican snakes.

Dear Katarzyna, I envy You the apparatus and methods which are available now, and I am proud of your advances and results.

Today, I would like to present some photos illustrating the biodiversity of Alpian region.

Dolomites, the Cortina d'Ampezzo valley.

Lily from this valley.

Two beautiful examples of Alpine flora biodiversity.

Dear Kenneth, I am admiring so much Your involvement in Polar Bears protection. They are especialy suffering now because of accelerating rapidly shortage of ice, where they used to hunt seals during summertime. Now, both them and the seals are in trouble, as the latter is too much and Canada government decided to kill 1 million young seals each 3 years. It seems to be not the best possible solution, however. I think that the question of seal hunting would be better to left to native Innuits. Also population of Polar Bears is getting still older, as the part of young ones is lowering rapidly. It could mean that they can not survive the difficulties of new conditions, or even that the older ones survive on the part of increasing rate of... cannibalism, I am afraid. I wonder for how long may they survive in this manner? Is this really their last generation?

Ethiopia

Giant Water Lily leaves

Double Coconut [Taken from a website] - The largest seed in the world

@ Subir Bandyopadhyay Sir

Thanks for sharing beautiful picture of the leaves of Victoria amazonica (giant water lily).

Dear Barbara Motyka,

I'm sorry, I still do not understand the objectives of your asked question !!!!!

Curiosity for a researcher is a good thing. But if your goal is curiosity, you have, to satisfy it, encyclopedias with very beautiful pictures of plants and animals from all regions of the globe and which are available in all languages.

Knowing the results of researchers' work through photos of their observations of nature is also commendable. But this knowledge is possible through the consultation their contributions on RG platform.

With my best regards

Uromastyx aegyptia - photographed near Ras Mohammed National Park - Sinai desert, Egypt

Dear Oum Kalthoum Ben Hassine,

The same may be said about most (if not all) other questions on RG:

A. I mean not only that "curiosity for a researcher is a good thing", but also that it is absolutely key point of our motivations and much, much latter our resulting of that knowledge and... wisdom.

B. For all these reasons the curiosity is not goal by itself, only, but rather it has to be seen as a propeller of our efforts toward better understanding of nature. We call these effors scientific researches, usually.

C. Most of information we are looking for through our questions (which all you do not questioning, I hope) can be found (often in satisfactorily dimension) within encyclopedias (often "with very beautiful pictures of plants and animals from all regions of the globe and which are available in all languages." But were they exhausting enough to you anytime?)

D. The more specific (detailed) knowledge is also "possible through the consultation" of other researchers "contributions on RG platform." And you have their papers on your mind, I suppose. You are right. All this (or almost all this) is contained there. And that is that "almost" what exactly is not available in filtered scientific information.

E. That is why we used to organise conferences just to exchange in most vivid form our experiences.

F. It is also reason why RG encourages us to present our working papers, not verified yet data and results (hypothesis), and in general to interact in most possible multilateral ways with others.

G. "Knowing the results of researchers" work through photos of their observations of nature is also commendable." - I thank you a lot for that "also", as I think that it is much more important than you are ready to admit in front of yourself. As you forgot that all these photo material is being collecting here on free will, and with best spirits of involved here multilateral, experienced, not only researchers, but at first instance true men and women of blood and body, at second and third instance being researchers, from research following next resaerch, only. Here, we can exchange our impressions associated with our photographic works, for which there are not usually place in more formal scienticic publications. We can exchange our opinions on them and in a current, live manner check our impressions, thoughts and ideas connected with them, as they both are evaluated by others.(As it is usual among... humans, we all are.)

H. As I already said before, such a collage, may form a reflection of biodiversity of whole our world, also, as it is not restricted to any specific volume of thoroughly filtered (also photographic) information.

I. It also does not need any index, and the best references are the names of participants, which support it with their background, for which we can reach every moment of time, if only we wish. Even if some informations are repeated many times, it is not damaging to the final result. As we are used to meet again and again in conferences and repeat our theseis again and again, often in less or more slightly modified form, only.

J. As you likely noticed, already there were initiated more detailed discussions within it. And they reflect, other ones, experienced at other dedicated threads, often achieving hundreds of comments. This forms an essence of them, as most of us met already there, in these fierce, more extensive discussions.

All of that may be done or achieved by other (maybe indeed more specific, of more clearly defined targets, and more restricted methodology) traditional means. However, what for this RG forum would be needed, then, if we could not express and formulate freely our questions? Remember that there are no useless/pointless questions (especially for reserchers who are considering very fundamental questions of our knowledge). There might be only persons who would like to impose their own imagined as only righteously ideas about such the meteodology of scientific work upon the rest of society, wasting their efforts by devoting them for best effective censoring of everything and everyone. Similar to those, with which we have to do trying to publish our more formal, more specific and much more finite results. However, I highly appreciate this your inquiry, as it made me response to it in such an extended manner, allowing (simultaneously) better understand (order and rank) my own motivations.

With kindest regards,

Barbara

@ Kenneth M Towe , You are right. Inuits are best prepared to preserve in balance this population.

A. Inuits may, e.g., hunt the most powerful older individuals preserving then restricted resources for next generation, and lessening this way preying on cubs (?).

B.The polar bears have still opportunity to hunt on ice in spring. However, what will happen when no ice occur for one year only there?

Today I would like to present two photos illustrating seemingly insignificant and inconsequential examples of mutual interdependences of plants and animal kingdoms.

Butterfly.

We can also cultivate biodiversity in our gardens. There is at least one 'but' here, however...

One of most beautiful example of diversified garden, I'd ever seen.

Bryophytes of southern Illinois

See images by team member, John Amato, RN: www.pbase.com/jamato8

My team is finding new ways to use this useful mosquito, Toxorhynchites rutilus . The Tox is refered as the canibal mosquito, because it only gets protein from eating mosquito larvae. We have been able to find them in tires, tree holes and the vaccum pit sewer system. These areas normally won't have predators of mosquito larvae so it is always exciting to find these predators there. Florida Mosquito Control tried to raise them.

ETHIOPIA

Dear Barbara Motyka,

I will answer to some points of your long dissertation:

1 - I asked you only about the objectives and motivations of your query through your asked question to provide the answer corresponding to these objectives and motivations because you know, as a researcher, that all research work includes important and essential first steps:definition of the research problem, the statement of research objectives and the choice of an appropriate methodology to meet these objectives.

2 - you said "any specific volume of well filtered (also photographic) information": what do you mean by "thoroughly filtered",

- if it is in the sense of "specialized", I answer you that we are obliged to present the elements in an order that could be the habitat, the region, the taxon, the interrelations (predators / preys, Parasites / hosts, ..), etc.

- if it is in the sense of "censored", I answer you that science, which is generating progress, can not and should not be censored. Personnaly, after more than 40 years as a researcher with collaborations with many researchers from other countries, I have never heard any censorship practice in scientific research.

3 - You wrote "However, what for this forum would be needed, then, if we could not express and formulate freely our questions?": Frankly I am surprised. Why this victimization when I did not blame you for asking your question but I simply asked you to specify the objectives of your question that remain unknown to me even after your long response to my comments. Of course everyone is free to ask the question he wants but the reader is also allowed to ask for clarification.

4 - You said "Remember that there are no useless / pointless questions":

I agree with you in absolute terms, but in the field of scientific research (including fundamental), each question must have an objective and a purpose.

5 - You wrote "There may be only those who would like to impose their own ideas on the subject of scientific analysis of the work of the society, wasting their efforts by devoting them to the best effective censoring of everything and everyone": First, I tell you that these types of reasoning is usually used when the persons are running short of arguments. Then it's important to remember you that my comments focused only on the clarification of the objectives of your asked question and not on your right to ask any question or on your method of scientific analysis of work that I do not know anyway. Then your accusation, barely camouflaged, to me does not affect me because only by consulting my profile and some of my publications, the researchers of this platform will realize that I am a defender of expression freedom, academic freedom, Deontology and ethics, women's rights, etc.

The discussion must stop when the insults replace the arguments. So, I definitely stop this discussion

ETHIOPIA

Hi.

I add a very recent image of Asteriscus smithii (Asteraceae), obtained during a trip of 10 days to the Cape Verde Islands. This species is endemic to Sao Nicolau Island, and only grows in the higher parts of the Monte Gordo Natural Park, a protected area which holds a good number of interesting plants from this Atlantic archipelago.

Best regards.

@ Rubén Barone, @ Anthony Sabella and @ Amy Eisenberg,

Thanks a lot for your excellent photos of examples of biodiversified nature.

Dear Dr. Oum Kalthoum Ben Hassine, I am astonished as I did not slightest doubts concerning you as "a defender of expression freedom, academic freedom, Deontology and ethics, women's rights, etc." On contrary, I had highly appreciated this your initial inquiry, as it made me not only response to it in such an extended manner, but allow better understand order and rank of my own motivations:

Such a collage, which may arise as an effect of this modest question, may form a reflection of biodiversity of whole our world.

I was only referring generally to the place of RG still admissible questions within (or rather in opposition) to strict scientific methodology. However, if you are feeling personally touched because of that, I am ready to apologize. It was not my aim nor ambition. Thanks you once more for your efforts toward clarification of this (I agree with you) more special than specific (from the positions of traditional scientific methodology) question. With my kindest regards, still.

Dear Elizabeth Hodson, Thank you for turning to account for simingly unuseful species and their significance for biodiversity, and at least some of their many kinds that do not consume blood ;) I most likely would not learn about them for all my life, if not this your kind response for this my modest question. Thanks a lot, and I am waiting impatiently on your works concerning this or similar interesting topics.

@ Kenneth M Towe, Thanks a lot for paying our attention to time dimension of biodiversity. I suppose that this your reference does not concern strictly speking increasing of the biodiversity itself (as it seems settled in historical period of time (?)), but new discovery of formerly undiscovered species, rather?

@ Sayed Abubkr, Thanks a lot for your photo of Uromastyx aegyptia. It is as from some other than Earth planet.

Dear Barbara,

Mimicry in itself is an exciting branch of biology.

The example I want to show here fascinates me especially. Several moth species have independently (not directly related to each other) developed the imitation of a cracked branch. The two species, Axylia putris and Phalera bucephala, turn the head and chest into a three-dimensional fracture of a branch, with astounding accuracy. Both species round off their wings at rest to optimally imitate the bark of the branch.

The species Phalera bucephala also manages to "paint" a second fracture in two dimensions at the other end of the branch. So the same idea of evolution is realized twice in different ways not only in different species, but even in the same species. Fascinating!

Best wishes

Rudolf Ritt

Dear Dr Rudolf Ritt, Thanks so much for your simply stunning photos illustrating mimicry of presented by You moth species. Its really fascinating world.

You likely wonder what I had on my mind presenting above so trivial examples of mutual interdependencies in context of biodiversity? Butterflies and flowers. The answer is in above attached photo by Kevin Frayer. http://mlynwiedzy.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/sad24.com_zapylanie-Chiny_Kevin-Frayer.jpg

I've also found such a shocking comment of #waldus, recently: "And what do I care about when the bees are gone. It is important that China is growing at a rate of around 20% and not like Poland 1% or pro ecologic Germany -2%." http://www.old.sadownictwo.com.pl/19660__Chiny--Sadownicy-recznie-zapylaja-drzewa

Bees are much more advanced forms of insects in all respects (their larvae do not destroy plants which feed them), as it is mostly the case of so beautiful butterflies. And the bees are presently most endangered species of particularly special significance for biodiversity. "Would a world without bees be a world without us?" considers Maja Lunde in her novel "The history of bees". Is not she right? https://www.amazon.com/History-Bees-Novel-Maja-Lunde/dp/1501161377#reader_1501161377

Are we condemned for RoboBees? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6PpCTMEAVM

And what for? Could we rather not try to save these perfect ones? Could we really not be able to save bees?

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Could_we_not_save_bees

Regards

Regards

1. Rare for the steppe zone of Ukraine species Utricularia vulgaris L. in the Orel River (Red list of Dnepropetrovsk region).

2. Rare for the steppe zone of Ukraine species Ceratophyllum pentacanthum Haynald in the Orel River (Red list of Dnepropetrovsk region).

The ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocelaris) - Thanks Zbyszek.

Dear Dr. Irina Ivanko, Thanks for Orel River rare water plant species photos.

Dear Dr. Mario Mairal, I would be happy if You could decide to deciphere all the pupils in separate photos of their full dimensional representants.

Dear all, please not hesitate and present separate photos. Such are simply better visible. Just like goldfish of dr Amina El-Mansy.

I almost did not notice our bison (which we brought back from the rim of extinction, here in Białowieża, Poland) presented by Dr. Asit Kumar Batabyal. Thank you a lot, Dr. Asit Kumar Batabyal. (I will try find some similar photos from there, also.)

The goldfish made me remember that whole the water, and especially marine life is endangered as once the european bison was. The coral reefs are dying all over the world. And soon such photos as the following series made by my husband may occur only history. I will present them now one by one. I even do not know the names of most these exotic beautiful fish, which may vanish without trace very soon.

Another exotic fish - I will find its name latter. (Or sbdy can help me?)

And another one

And another

There are hundreds of them - all of unique beauty

They evolved for eons - we most likely destroy them all in a single century

Together with their habitats

Like that

Only seashells may be left

LIke these

or... that

Dear Dr. Kenneth M Towe, When we are talking about marine life, it must be said that such

idyllic pictures like the one above, also may be only memory very soon :-(

I remember now the name of fish from fish4ZM.jpg

In Polish it is : Skrzydlica, in English lionfish (Pterois volitans), a true butterfly fish for me.

There are 3 photos of butterflies by Zbyszek I want to present now.

The one we met in Beskidy Mountains.

And this one also there.

And this one in Bieszczady Mountains many, many years ago. We are going there late Spring. I suppose we get there much more new photos of unique nature.

Hi again.

I attach a photo of Isoplexis sceptrum (Scrophulariaceae), an endemic speies to Madeira Island (Portugal), which I photographed about 8 years ago in the gardens of Ribeiro Frio, mostly dedicated to the native flora of this island. It is a rare and local plant, quite impressive and atractive, related to other species of the same genus living in the Canary Islands. Isoplexis species are a good example of ornithophily or bird pollination, as they flowers are frequently visited by different passerine birds.

Best regards.

Cherry Blossom in Japan

Cherry Blossom in Japan

Cherry Blossom in Japan

Hi again.

I add now two photos of Convolvulus caput-medusae (Convolvulaceae), endemic to the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria). It is a plant morphologically related to C. trabutianus from North Africa, which grows in arid and semiarid sites (both sandy and stony habitats). It is one of the many endemic plants we have in the Canary Islands, the richest archipelago in terms of endemicity in the context of the Macaronesian or Mid-Atlantic islands (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canaries and Cape Verdes).

Best regards.

Dear @ Rubén Barone, Thanks a lot for sharing your next photos of examples of unique endemic plants, together with professional description of them.

Thanks Dr.Hom Nath Chalise and Dr.Kenneth M Towe for interesting photos from the country of a blooming cherry trees, Japan. The cities can really be even ca.1 degree wormer then surrounding. However, in Katowice the spring is seen only in supermarkets and at florists. Moreover, up to Christmas time daisies were flowering on our lawns. True winter lasted few weeks, only, however up to middle of March. It is typical now. And quite different than mere few decades ago. So, the apple and cherry tree will blossom soon in their due time, to which these trees are accustomed here. There is no traces of daisies also, yet.

Do you have any picture to share with us? collection of any types of picture can be seen here.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_you_have_any_picture-Photo_to_share_with_us

So much beautiful pictures shared here, especially those of Fisheries which is my area of expertise. All contributions are appreciated.

Dear @Victor Okomoda, Thank You so much for so kind comment.

Would You mind to share with us with a specificity of Nigeria Fishery?

Dear Dr. Hom Nath Chalise , Thank You for this link to your interesting question. I think I will consider it when I will plan my next holidays. Would You mind to share with us some more of your photos relating to biological diversity of Japanese nature.

An example of enriching our urban environment: A pond in Tapolca, Hungary.

@ Kenneth M Towe,

It turns out that it was the temperature higher than usual in March by more than 4 degrees Celsius and amounting to 19 degrees, which made the cherries bloomed in Tokyo earlier than expected.