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| Loch Lomond |
Since 1948, a Field Research Station
had been established on the shores of Loch Lomond by the Zoology Department of
the University of Glasgow. The loch is the largest body of freshwater in
Britain. The fertility of any body of natural water – whether salt or fresh –
depends on the interaction of certain factors; the amount of energy gained by
the body of water from solar radiation; the physical and chemical
characteristics of the water itself, notably its content in solution of certain
nutrient salts; and the nature of the substratum on which the body of water
lies, and its configuration. All these factors are affected by the
topographical setting, not only by the landforms which surround the waters but
also by the underwater continuations of these forms. There are certain
characteristics of the numerous sea locks and freshwater lochs which surround
Glasgow making them the particular environment they are for plants and animals.
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| Clyde Sea Area |
The body of sea water which has long
been known as the Clyde Sea Area is separated from the Atlantic on the west by
the long protecting arm of the Kintyre peninsula and on the south by the
shallower waters of the submarine plateau which stretches from the Mull of
Kintyre to south Ayrshire. The northern landward part of the Clyde Sea Area
consists, beside the Clyde estuary itself, of long narrow fiords, cutting deep
into a land mass which is largely highland in character. These fiords, the sea
lochs, run northwards from the Firth of Clyde and are generally regarded as
submerged land valleys, over deepened by ice erosion. As a result of the
glacial origin, these sea lochs share certain features. They are usually
U-shaped in cross-section, having the greatest depth where the valley is
narrowest. There may be several distinct deep basins in each loch separated by
bars of shallow water and similar shallow bars occur at the mouths of the
lochs. This typical depth restriction of the mouths is of significance in
relation to the valleys not submerged to form sea lochs but where the great
freshwater lochs of the region have formed - Loch Eck, Loch Lomond and Loch
Awe. A rise of sea-level by thirty feet would covert Loch Eck and Loch Lomond
to sea lochs. It is estimated that if the ice covering Antarctica were to melt,
sea levels would rise by 230 feet. But, if that ever happens, we’ll have a lot
more on our minds than losing our lochs. The deep lock basins of Loch Lomond
and Loch Eck lie far below present Mean Sea Level. Much of the northern part of
Loch Lomond has water depths of over 525 feet and one extensive depression
which reaches 620 feet. The tallest of the Red Road flats was 292 feet. The
tallest structure in Glasgow, and Scotland, is the Glasgow Tower on the south
side of the Clyde at the Science Museum which, including its antenna, is 417
feet. The sea lochs share the same characteristic of a deep basin contained
within a shoaling bar making them, in a sense, a natural harbour.
The greatest part of the basic
pasturage in the sea lochs is one species of planktonic diatom – Skeletonema
costatum. Like all green plants, to live, grow and multiply, it requires
light, water, carbon dioxide and certain mineral salts in solution, such as phosphates,
nitrates and silicates. The numbers of diatoms vary greatly through the season.
In the sea lochs surrounding Glasgow the greatest numbers occur in late March
or early April. The pasturage provided by the planktonic diatoms is primarily
grazed by the animals of the plankton of which the most important are only a
few millimetres in length. The most important of these is Calanus
finmarchicus. These provide the main food for Herring and Mackerel, and for
the young of many other fishes, such as the largest true fish in European
waters, the Basking Shark, one of only three plankton eating shark species.
Not only fish which feed directly on
the Calanus benefit from the plankton production of the surface waters
of the sea, all fish and other animals living on the sea bed are provided with
food by the dead or dying planktonic organisms sinking down to them. The factors
affecting plankton production in the sea lochs are essentially similar to those
of the fresh water locks like Loch Lomond, but the productivity of fresh water
lochs vary enormously due to physical
and chemical factors. For instance, the fresh water lochs, because of their
shape, receive less sunlight for the plants of the plankton. Also, the depths
of the lochs in the deeper areas results in lower temperatures while the water,
flowing as it does into Loch Lomond through metamorphic rocks largely covered
with peat, has a different chemical nature low in nutrient salts. The fishes
which are found in Loch Lomond include Sea and Brown Trout, Pike, Perch, Loach,
Roach and Flounder. If you are interested in fish, perhaps the most interesting
fish in Lock Lomond is the Powan, sometimes called the Freshwater Herring. The
Powan is found elsewhere only in Loch Eck. Incidentally, the Loch Lomond
Angling Improvement Association has been in existence since 1860.
The
animals found around the Clyde area reflect the topographical divisions into
highland and lowland zones. Larger mammals such as Red Deer and Roe Deer are
more common in the highland region, although Roe Deer are often seen around
Glasgow, even at such a central location as the City Necropolis. Fallow Deer
are an introduced species which occur in the Loch Lomond area, as are Japanese
Sika Deer which can be found in Kintyre and elsewhere. Herds of feral goats can
be found in the Loch Ard-Ben Lomond area and the Brown Hare is common
all-around Glasgow. Also found are Otters, Stoat, Weasel and, of course, Fox. The
Grey Squirrel has taken over from the Red and the closest area to Glasgow where
you might see a Red Squirrel is Loch Katrine. Recordings of Pine Martin are
rare but other mammals are common – Hedgehog, Mole, Common Shrew, Pipistrelle,
Daubenton’s and Long-eared Bats, House Mouse, Short-tailed Vole, Bank Vole,
Water Vole, Long-tailed Field Mouse and… rats, of both types, Rattus rattus and
Rattus norvegicus. The bird varieties are too numerous to mention, as
are the insects but three species of reptile occur in and around Glasgow – the
Adder, the Common Lizard and the Slow-worm. Frogs and toads occur everywhere
and all three species of newts occur and snails are abundant.
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| Head to head.... |
Biologists
have, in recent decades, indulged in heated debated as to whether a new sub-species
of nocturnal-hominoid has evolved in Glagow:
Kingdom:
Animalia
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Primates
Family:
Hominidae
Tribe:
Hominini
Genus:
Hom
Species:
Homo Sapiens
Subspecies:
Homo Sapiens Nocturnum
After
detailed study, this sub-species has been found to sleep generally around six
in the morning, awaking sometime around two in the afternoon, only to become
fully active at twilight. They have large night-seeing eyes that blink at the
harshness of daylight but see far and wide as the sun sets. Their natural habit
would appear to be the pub where they frequent regularly with others of their
kind and have developed a separate language. It is said they exist mostly on
crisps, chips, pizza and kebab. They are generally lethargic but can become
violent under stress. Their mating habits are not yet fully understood. I have
requested funds for participant observation but none so far has been
forthcoming.
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| Nocturnal sub-species shocked by daylight and close relative found in United States. |
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