Let's Encourage Nature Field Trip

"There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more." Lord Byron

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog [ avrotor.blogspot.com ]

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. 

John Muir

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. 

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

. Robert Frost

Nature Field Trip, Mt Makiling Botanical Garden, UPLB Laguna 

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet 

and the winds long to play with your hair. Khalil Gibran

The butterfly counts not months but moments, 
and has time enough. Rabindranath Tagore

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand 

everything better. Albert Einstein

Teachers visit the  Museum of Natural History, UPLB 

Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, 

cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction. E. O. Wilson

 Biology teachers in MM visit Mt Makiling Botanical Garden, UPLB Laguna 

The world is a book, and those who do not travel 
read only a page. Saint Augustine

Giant Clam (Taklobo) - Threatened Marine Shellfish

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog [ avrotor.blogspot.com ]

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

On-site study. Author helps lift a taklobo specimen for study.

Seven-kilogram Tridacna is examined by students in Environmental Science from the UST Graduate School; bottom photo shows its natural habitat at 6 to 14 feet on coral reef of San Salvador Island, east of Masinloc, Zambales.

Facts about the giant clam, Tridacna gigas. 

1. In the Philippines it is called taklobo. It is the largest living bivalve mollusk and one of the most endangered clams.

2. It lives on shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, up to 20 meters deep.

3. It weighs more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds), and measures as much as 1.2 m (4 feet) across. It has an average lifespan in the wild of 100 years or more.

4. Although larval clams are planktonic, they become sessile in adulthood. Growth is enhanced by the clam's ability to grow algae in symbiosis. The creature's mantle tissues act as a habitat for the symbiotic single-celled dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae) from which it gets its nutrition. By day, the clam opens its shell and extends its mantle tissue so that the algae receive the sunlight they need to photosynthesize.

5. T. gigas reproduce sexually. They are hermaphrodites (producing both eggs and sperm), but self fertilization is not possible. Since giant clams can't move across the sea floor, the solution is broadcast spawning. This entails the release of sperm and eggs into the water where fertilization takes place.

Let's protect the giant clams. It's better to be assured they are alive on the seafloor than to have their fossils in our home.~

Tridacna in its natural habitat - lighted seafloor; Tridacna graveyard.

 Mrs Cecilia Rojas Rotor, author's wife. poses before a giant Tridacna 
shell as holy water receptacle. Mount Carmel Church, QC

References: Living with Nature by AVRotor; Marine Biology: An Ecological Approach by JW Nybakken; Wikipedia.

Seaweed Beauty

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog [ avrotor.blogspot.com ]

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Arusip or lato is the most common sea vegetable in the market.  It is high in folic and folinic acids.  Lato or Caulerpa is of two commercial species, C. racemosa which is cultured in estuaries and fishponds and and C. lentillifera which is usually found growing in the wild. It is the racemosa type that predominates the market. Because of frequent harvesting of this species by local residents lentillifera it is no longer popular in the market. Besides, the cultured Caulerpa is cleaner and more uniform. It has lesser damage and is less pungent than its wild counterpart. (Model: Miss Gelyn S Gabao, 19 Filipina)

 

Kulot or Gelidiella acerosa (Forsk) Feldmann and Hamel has tough and wiry thalli, greenish black to dull purple in color. They lie low and creeping on rocks and corals along the intertidal zone. It is very much branched when mature with secondary branches cylindrical at the base and flattened towards the tip and beset on both sides with irregular, pinnately short branches. The fertile branchlets have conspicuous swollen tips.

Too rich an imagination about a sea fairy  
        at the bottom of the sea;
if it were true, I would wonder less its bounty 
        than a maid's simple beauty;

Who farm the sea but a dainty, loving hand
        like that of Ceres on land;
in a world where mystery and enigma in bond
        shall forever astound man.~ 

"Pukpuklo" - Spooky Sea Vegetable

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog [ avrotor.blogspot.com ]

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Old folk along the Ilocos coast call it pukpuklo, this sponge-like green sea vegetable.
It is served fresh.  Add sliced tomato, onion and a dash of salt. Or simply wask and eat it with the fingers -  which we, kids in our time along Nagtupakan* estuary would relish. What with medium rare broiled (barbakua) fish and jumping salad (live small shrimps) we caught, in situ picnic style! 

Actually it is the ambiance that makes eating wonderfully exciting and memorable cum fresh air, clean water, above all, the freedom and adventure of boyhood. 

Years took us kids away for our studies, and later, careers and to jobs. We raised our families in the city. For whatever reason, I asked if there is any pukpuklo sold in the city market. 

There it was proudly rising like hill on a bila-o (circular bamboo basket) sold among local vegetables in a talipapa (flea market) in Novaliches, QC.  To me it was turning back the hands of time. On the dining table I gave a "lecture" about the pukpuklo.  It was a rare, hearty meal for the whole family.  

Say, "Pukpuklo,"  Marchus.  My two-year old grandson uttered. "...lo." ~

A country lass gleefully demonstrates how to eat pukpuklo. 

 Close-up of pukpuklo (Ilk), Codium edule, Order Codiales, Division Chlorophyta. Edule in Latin means edible. Note watery sponge-like dichotomous branching structure. It is this species that is now grown commercially, like lato (Caulepa racemosa), a more popular green seaweed.    

Commonly called dead man's fingers, Codium fragile, known commonly as green sea fingers, dead man's fingers, felty fingers, forked felt-alga, stag seaweed, sponge seaweed, green sponge, green fleece, and oyster thief, is a species of seaweed in the family Codiaceae. It originates in the Pacific Ocean near Japan and has become an invasive species on the coasts of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. 

So far Codium fragilis and any of its subspecies do not pose any problem in the Philippines. (Author's note.)  

Spooky dead man's fingers gave the name of some Codium species  (Wikipedia)

This siphonous green alga is dark green in color. It appears as a fuzzy patch of tubular fingers. These formations hang down from rocks during low tide, hence the nickname "dead man's fingers" The "fingers" are branches up to a centimeter wide and sometimes over 30 centimeters long. (photo)

Codium fragile occurs in the low intertidal zone, and subtidal on high-energy beaches. It has no asexual (sporophyte) stage, and male and female gametes are both produced on separate plants. Codium fragile, through the years, underwent speciation leading to the formation of three subspecies, namely Codium fragile subsp. atlanticum, Codium fragile subsp. tomentosoides and Codium fragile subsp. scandinavicum.  

-----------------------------------

Seaweeds as a Human Diet:

An Emerging Trend in the New Millennium

P.V. ~66a RUO; vaibbav A. Mantri, K. Ganesan an6 K SHT~S~ KHW~ Marine Algae and Marine Environment Discipline, Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institu te (CSIR), Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar - 364 002, Gujarat, INDIA (Internet) 

ABSTRACT

In the Far East and Pacific, there has been a long tradition of consuming seaweeds as sea vegetables, while in Western countries the principaI use of seaweeds has been as source of phycocolloids having their applications, some times in food preparations. Edible seaweeds have played a significant role in economy of some Nations such as Japan, Korea and China. In world market, there are 13 algae authorized as vegetable and condiments, although 152 seaweed species have been utilized for food preparations. The nutritive value of the seaweeds is mainly due to the presence of rich protein, amino acids, minerals, dietary fibers and antioxidants. The protein content in seaweeds varies from 3 to 47 per cent of dry wt. Aspartic and glutamic acid constitute large part of the amino acid fraction in the seaweed. Mineral content (including macro and micro nutrients) recorded in seaweeds is found in the range of 8 to 40 per cent. In addition, seaweeds constitute an interesting source of dietary fibers and antioxidant compounds with health protective effects. This paper is an overview of edible seaweeds and their nutritional values. ~

 ----------------------------

* Nagtupakan is the estuarine of Bantaoay River in San Vicente, west of Vigan City, province of Ilocos Sur, site of the infamous Basi Revilt of 1808 

"Pukpuklo" - Spooky Sea Vegetable

Dr Abe V Rotor

Old folk along the Ilocos coast call it pukpuklo, this sponge-like green sea vegetable.
It is served fresh.  Add sliced tomato, onion and a dash of salt. Or simply wash and eat it with the fingers -  which we, kids in our time along Nagtupakan* estuary would relish. What with medium rare broiled (barbakua) fish and jumping salad (live small shrimps) we caught, in situ picnic style! 

A country lass gleefully demonstrates how to eat pukpuklo. 

Actually it is the ambiance that makes eating wonderfully exciting and memorable cum fresh air, clean water, above all, the freedom and adventure of boyhood. 

Years took us kids away for our studies, and later, careers and jobs, and to raise our own families. For whatever reason, I asked if there is any pukpuklo being sold in the city market. 

There it was proudly rising like hill on a bila-o (circular bamboo basket) among local vegetables in a talipapa (flea market) in Novaliches, QC.  

To me it was turning back the hands of time. On the dining table that weekend I gave a "lecture" about the pukpuklo.  It was a rare, hearty meal for the whole family.  

Say, "Pukpuklo,"  Marchus.  My two-year old grandson uttered. "...lo." ~

 Close-up of pukpuklo (Ilk), Codium edule, Order Codiales, Division Chlorophyta. Edule in Latin means edible. Note watery sponge-like dichotomous branching structure. It is this species that is now sold commercially, like lato (Caulepa racemosa), a more popular green seaweed.    

Commonly called dead man's fingers, Codium fragile, known commonly as green sea fingers, dead man's fingers, felty fingers, forked felt-alga, stag seaweed, sponge seaweed, green sponge, green fleece, and oyster thief, is a species of seaweed in the family Codiaceae. It originates in the Pacific Ocean near Japan and has become an invasive species on the coasts of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. 

So far Codium fragilis and any of its subspecies do not pose any problem in the Philippines. (Author's note.)  

Spooky dead man's fingers gave the name of some Codium species  (Wikipedia)

This siphonous green alga is dark green in color. It appears as a fuzzy patch of tubular fingers. These formations hang down from rocks during low tide, hence the nickname "dead man's fingers" The "fingers" are branches up to a centimeter wide and sometimes over 30 centimeters long.

Codium fragile occurs in the low intertidal zone, and subtidal on high-energy beaches. It has no asexual (sporophyte) stage, and male and female gametes are both produced on separate plants. Codium fragile, through the years, underwent speciation leading to the formation of three subspecies, namely Codium fragile subsp. atlanticum, Codium fragile subsp. tomentosoides and Codium fragile subsp. scandinavicum.  

-----------------------------------

Seaweeds as a Human Diet:

An Emerging Trend in the New Millennium

P.V. ~66a RUO; vaibbav A. Mantri, K. Ganesan an6 K SHT~S~ KHW~ Marine Algae and Marine Environment Discipline, Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institu te (CSIR), Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar - 364 002, Gujarat, INDIA (Internet) 

ABSTRACT

In the Far East and Pacific, there has been a long tradition of consuming seaweeds as sea vegetables, while in Western countries the principaI use of seaweeds has been as source of phycocolloids having their applications, some times in food preparations. Edible seaweeds have played a significant role in economy of some Nations such as Japan, Korea and China. In world market, there are 13 algae authorized as vegetable and condiments, although 152 seaweed species have been utilized for food preparations. The nutritive value of the seaweeds is mainly due to the presence of rich protein, amino acids, minerals, dietary fibers and antioxidants. The protein content in seaweeds varies from 3 to 47 per cent of dry wt. Aspartic and glutamic acid constitute large part of the amino acid fraction in the seaweed. Mineral content (including macro and micro nutrients) recorded in seaweeds is found in the range of 8 to 40 per cent. In addition, seaweeds constitute an interesting source of dietary fibers and antioxidant compounds with health protective effects. This paper is an overview of edible seaweeds and their nutritional values. ~

   

  

 Top, clockwise: Pophyra (gamet), Gracillaria (guraman Ilk), ar-arusip Ilk 

or lato (Caulerpa), and  Eucheuma cottonii, 

 ----------------------------

* Nagtupakan is the estuarine of Bantaoay River in San Vicente, west of Vigan City, province of Ilocos Sur, site of the infamous Basi Revilt of 1808 

United Nations International Celebrations for October 2016

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog [ avrotor.blogspot.com ]

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

1 October
International Day of Older Persons (A/RES/45/106)
2 October
International Day of Non-Violence (A/RES/61/271)
3 October (first Monday in October)

World Habitat Day (A/RES/40/202 A)




5 October



World Teachers’ Day [UNESCO] (27 C/INF.7)
9 October

World Post Day (UPU/1969/Res.C.11)
10 October

World Mental Health Day [WHO]
11 October


International Day of the Girl Child (A/RES/66/170)
13 October

International Day for Disaster Reduction (A/RES/64/200)

15 October
International Day of Rural Women (A/RES/62/136)

16 October
World Food Day [FAO] (A/RES/35/70)



17 October
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (A/RES/47/196)



20 October
World Statistics Day (A/RES/69/282)

24 October
United Nations Day (A/RES/168 (II); A/RES/2782 (XXVI))
24 October
World Development Information Day (A/RES/3038 (XXVII))
27 October

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (UNESCO 33/C/Resolution 53)
31 October

World Cities Day (A/RES/68/239)



October 24
United Nations Day!
Syrian Children Refugees among millions displaced in the 5-year long Syrian Crisis

Unity of Life

Dr Abe V Rotor 
Living with Nature School on Blog [ avrotor.blogspot.com ]

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

 

Unity of life, mural by the author ca 2006 

Our world is one and we're not apart,
      a fact primordial to all;
the essence of life is but a spark,
      the start of creatures all.

From that divine spark grew a beacon,
      into a living eternal flame
far and wide its torch is carried on and on -
      that life is one and same. ~