Flora and Fauna relationships

 26/08/20, Wednesday

 The New Zealand bush is full of fascinating creatures such as the friendly fantail,

the dimorphic tomtits, and the welcoming bellbird. Not only that but it also consists of

beautiful flowers and plants like the annoying supplejack vines, nutritional mistletoe flower,

and various fruits. 

 The supplejack vines are a common native vine in New Zealand.

They can be commonly found in the rainforests but can also be found in swamp areas.

Its hard but flexible stems cling to trees and climb until it can access sunlight.

Another interesting plant is the mistletoe flower. It is a semiparasitic plant,

which means that they rely on photosynthesis but it also requires nutrition from the host tree.

There are nine species of mistletoe flowers. It is a shrub that grows on trees with clusters of tiny

flowers, which come in a variety of colours. 

 The fantail is a well-known bird in New Zealand that can grow up to 16cm and weigh 8g.

They usually visit parks and gardens, which makes encountering one easy. Their body

consists of brown, white and black feathers. Some of the fantails can have white spots on

their ears. The bellbird, also known as korimako is famous for being a honeyeater in the

South Island. They have yellowish-green feathers with a short slightly curved black beak.

Females are commonly more brown than their male counterparts.

Their songs vary according to regions, it is ringing notes with a match of grunts and wheezes.

The New Zealand Pigeon or kererū is a common sight since they have a widespread distribution

throughout the country. They are present in rural, urban and native forests.

Their body consists of purple-blue colours and white stomach.

They are often silent except for their occasional ‘oos.’ 

 In the wild, relationships among the animals vary and can be beneficial for one side

or sometimes for both sides. The first relationship is beneficial for both the fantails and tomtits

because they use the supplejack as a sanctuary. Somewhere they can rest on, the supplejack

vines climb on the trees, which can provide the birds somewhere they can perch that is high

enough and is safe from predators. The second relationship is beneficial for both the flora and

fauna. The bellbird feeds on the nectar of the mistletoe flower using its long-slightly curved beak.

The bellbird gets to have the nutrition that the flower provides while the pollen of the flower

covers the head of the bird. The bellbird would search for the mistletoe flowers to feed on and

along the way pollinate the other flowers. The kererū helps various fruits in the bush.

Its beak is big enough to help swallow large fruit seeds. The droppings of the bellbird contain

the seed of the fruits, therefore, helping plants and new fruits to grow. 

In conclusion, the bush creates various relationships between animals.

It can be prey and predator, but sometimes it can be favourable for both parties:

The supplejack vines providing perches for tomtits and fantails, the bellbird helping pollinate

the mistletoe flowers and getting the food it needs at the same time and the bellbird helping

spread seeds of the fruits it ate.