Klampis (Vachellia tomentosa)

Klampis acacia (Vachellia tomentosa) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, a small tree, 5-10 meters high, cylindrical trunk up to 50 cm wide, bark light brown, leaf drop, umbrella-like crown, grows in dry areas.

V. tomentosa has dark red and shiny young branches. The spines are large and long, straight and dark red. The old branches are light brown. Compound leaves, pinnate and sitting alternately.

Compound flowers in the form of heads, stalks 2.5 cm long and gathered in the armpits of the leaves near the end of the twig. Flowers are white or yellowish white. Crown 2.8-3.5 mm and stamens 5 mm.

The pods are dark brown, flat thin, slightly bulging at the seed, straight or bent, 9-18 cm long, 0.8-1 cm wide, longitudinal veins and split on both sides. Seeds are flat, oblong or oval, 6.5-9 mm long and 4-5.5 mm wide.

Klampis usually grows in savanna, teak forest, scrub forest and areas near the coast at elevations up to 500 meters. The wood is used as firewood, hoe handles and sickle stalks. The bark is used as horse medicine. The fiber is very tough and is used to make rope. The sap is used to make ink.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Mimosoideae
Genus: Vachellia
Species: Vachellia tomentosa

A deep-sea isopod Bathyopsurus nybelini adapted to feed submerged Sargassum algae

NEWS - Incredible footage shows a marine species, Bathyopsurus nybelini , feeding on something that sinks from the ocean’s surface. Researchers using the submersible Alvin found the isopod swimming 3.7 miles down using its paddle-like legs to catch an unexpected food source: Sargassum. Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Montana, SUNY Geneseo, Willamette University and the University of Rhode Island found the algae sinking, while the isopod waited and adapted specifically to find and feed on the sinking nutrient source. The Sargassum lives on the surface for photosynthesis. The discovery of a deep-sea animal that relies on food that sinks from the waters miles above underscores the close relationship between the surface and the deep. “It’s fascinating to see this beautiful animal actively interacting with sargassum, so deep in the ocean. This isopod is extremely rare; only a handful of specimens were collected during the groundbreaking Swedis...

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