Oak leaf galls
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Oak leaf galls
Spangled and silk-button galls on an oak leaf. Created by two different species of Cynipids (gall wasps). I think. First is a 200-image stack using a 5x Mitty. Second is a single shot with MP-E 65mm at 1x. Last is a snap taken 'in the field' with a 35mm lens on a Sony A9.
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Interesting subject and nice pics.
Best,
- Macrero
Best,
- Macrero
https://500px.com/macrero - Amateurs worry about equipment, Pros worry about money, Masters worry about Light
- JohnKoerner
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Galls
What a lot of gall!
Nice series. It is amazing how an insect can affect the DNA of a plant to produce these galls.
What a planet!
Mike
Nice series. It is amazing how an insect can affect the DNA of a plant to produce these galls.
What a planet!
Mike
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
Capital images, Beatsie!
Just read a short, interesting piece on Oak cynipid galls: http://www.ufei.org/ForesTree/files/col ... dGalls.pdf
It's well worth a read for information, though most members here will be unimpressed by the photos.
--Chris S.
Just read a short, interesting piece on Oak cynipid galls: http://www.ufei.org/ForesTree/files/col ... dGalls.pdf
It's well worth a read for information, though most members here will be unimpressed by the photos.
--Chris S.
- rjlittlefield
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Agreed on all counts!
From http://www.ufei.org/ForesTree/files/col ... dGalls.pdf , here is a snippet that I found particularly interesting:
--Rik
From http://www.ufei.org/ForesTree/files/col ... dGalls.pdf , here is a snippet that I found particularly interesting:
"The Insects: Structure and Function", by Reginald Frederick Chapman, page 358, adds the information that the first generation is entirely females, which reproduce parthenogenetically without mating. These wasps, and aphids, are the only two examples that Chapman gives of alternation of generations in insects.Many species have alternating generations, each of which may last from several weeks to three or four years. Wasps from the same species but from alternate generations are morphologically distinct and produce different galls. In spring and early summer, tiny adult female wasps emerge from woody galls on twigs or branches. These females then deposit eggs in the midribs on the underside of oak leaves. The eggs hatch, and larvae cause small, oblong, blister-like galls to develop in the leaf veins. Inside the galls, the larvae mature, pupate, and then emerge as male or female adult wasps. These second-generation adults then mate and deposit eggs in young oak twigs. The woody galls from this generation of wasps will not appear on the twigs until the next spring or early summer. It may take from one to three years for the larvae living in the woody twig galls to mature.
--Rik
Very nice and interesting
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
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