Aerial image of the Salt Plains region (from Mapquest.com)
| SPNWR Location | Misc. Field Photos | Salt Plains Algae | Matt Kane's August 2007 visit | |
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| More specifically, the SPNWR is located at a major
crossroads:
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| As you can see, the location demands the highest levels of
security!
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| SPNWR Location | Misc. Field Photos | Salt Plains Algae | Matt Kane's August 2007 visit | |
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Algae mat at edge of Clay Creek: Do insects such as these beetles eat algae, or are they just getting water? Are they there by "choice" or are they stranded?
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Snowy plover chick:
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| Although the flats are often dry and salty, occasional
storms flood the surfaceH.
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| SPNWR Location | Misc. Field Photos | Salt Plains Algae | Matt Kane's August 2007 visit | |
| Such flooding may result in conspicuous (to the
trained eye!) but temporary algae mats in pools and on the soil surface. Presumably preexisting algae came to the surface and/or
grew rapidly in the fresh water H.
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The harsh physical conditions on the flats (intermittent flooding and salt crust formation) can be hazardous to higher life forms. Initially puzzled by this fish carcass about one mile (1.6 km) from the nearest water, it made more sense when a subsequent flood allowed large fish over much of the flats (see "Activities"). There is an amazing diversity of spiders and insects on the flats, leading us to wonder what they are doing out there! H
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Coyotes frequent the flats at night, and we have found scat containing grasshoppers G. |
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| SPNWR Location | Misc. Field Photos | Salt Plains Algae | Matt Kane's August 2007 visit |
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Dunaliella sp. (size ~5 µm) note red eyespot and two flagella for swimming
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Picochlorum oklahomensis
(size ~2-3
µm)
nonmotile cells; note cup-shaped chloroplast
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| We previously isolated the chlorophytes (green eukaryotic algae) Dunaliella sp. and Picochlorum oklahomensis (new genus and species!); P. oklahomensis tolerates from 0 to at least 15% salt, and Dunaliella survives in saturated brine and even inside salt crystals (see photo on SPMO homepage)! |
A variety of diatoms and cyanobacteria grow on agar plates (2.5 or 5% salt) streaked with soil or water samples from the SPNWR in July 2002. We have determined the halotolerance (salt) range of many algae similar to those shown below. Some of these might be undescribed species. (Nikon Eclipse E400 phase microscope and Nikon Coolpix 5000 camera. Photos below were made directly on the agar plates.)
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| SPNWR Location | Misc. Field Photos | Salt Plains Algae | Matt Kane's August 2007 visit |
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| Refuge Manager Jon Brock leads group onto flats | Matt Kane in exile on flats! | At the Whitlaw Ranch for bat viewing | ~2 min. bat video (AVI file for Windows Media Player; WARNINIG: 200 MB file - expect long download!) The background (non-human) buzzing is cicadas, not the bats, which make a faint fluttering sound as they swarm overhead. Sorry for the focus problems - bats move fast and light was low! |
