Symbiotic Relationships Show Design

Symbiotic Relationships Show Design
European Red Wood Ant (Fomica polyctena)

A stable ecosystem needs all forms of life to benefit other life forms. When two living things mutually benefit each other, we call it symbiosis. A simple example I see from my window is squirrels gathering acorns that make up a large percentage of their diet. The squirrels bury acorns in various places around the neighborhood and either forget where they buried them or don’t need all the acorns they buried. The result is that oak trees are planted all over the neighborhood. If there were no acorns, the squirrels would starve. If squirrels didn’t plant the acorns over a wide area, the oak trees would be crowded and unable to grow successfully. Squirrels and oak trees are one example of symbiotic relationships.

In the insect world, there are many symbiotic relationships, and some insects have multiple such relationships. The red wood ant is an example. The ants have a symbiotic relationship with aphids, which excrete energy-rich honeydew, which supplies food for the ants. In return, the ants protect the aphids from their enemies.

Another symbiotic relationship is with Eurasian jays. The birds land on an ant mound and allow the ants to crawl on them, spraying their feathers with formic acid. The acid is low enough concentration that it doesn’t harm the birds but is strong enough to kill parasites, including mites, that hide in their feathers. In this way, the jays find protection from mites.

A third symbiotic relationship of red wood ants protects spruce forests by controlling the wood-boring beetles that destroy them. The ants bite the beetles and spray formic acid into their wounds. Killing the beetles protects the spruce trees and provides a home for the aphids that live in them. That takes us back to the ant-aphid symbiosis.

The multiple symbiotic relationships of red wood ants remind us that removing one species may affect many symbiotic relationships. Symbiotic relationships show design. Proverbs 6:6-8 tells us, “Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise. Without leader, administrator, or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest.”

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: The February 2025 issue of National Geographic magazine (pages 110-132) or nationalgeographic.com

Science Has Identified Only Ten Percent of Species

Science Has Identified Only Ten Percent of Living Species

Romans 1:20 tells us that we can know God exists by the evidence we see in the things He has made. That includes the universe and all it contains, most of which we will never see. The evidence most visible to us consists of the plants and animals we encounter in our daily lives. But even in that area, our experience is limited. Those who study living things say that science has identified only ten percent of species.

Evidence that science has much to learn comes from the fact that researchers discovered hundreds of new species in 2024. Scientists connected to the California Academy of Sciences described 138 new species, including fish. Those working with the Natural History Museum of London cataloged 190 new species last year. Other scientists working with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, UK, described 149 new species of plants and 23 species of fungi, including a toadstool with teeth.

The creatures discovered and described in 2024 include a vegetarian piranha in Brazil and a moth species in Madagascar that gets its nourishment by drinking the tears of sleeping birds. Four new snake species and four previously unknown rat species became known last year. Botanists working in Indonesia identified five new species of orchids.

How many more animal, plant, and fungus species will scientists identify this year? We don’t know, but since science has identified only ten percent of species, the job is far from complete. Knowing that we have seen only a small portion of God’s creation in space and even on Earth, the evidence for God in the things He has made is massive.

— Roland Earnst © 2025

Reference: cnn.com

Heart Cockle Fiber Optics

Heart Cockle Fiber Optics
Heart Cockle – Corculum cardissa

God has equipped all living things with some method of survival. Research on the heart cockle, a small clam that lives in shallow waters in the Indian and Pacific oceans, has shown that it uses fiber optics to get sunlight through its shell to supply the food it needs.

Heart cockles get their food from algae living within their shells in a symbiotic relationship, benefiting both parties. The algae get sunlight through a crystalline form of calcium carbonate called aragonite arranged in tiny tubes that function like fiber-optic cables. These tubes allow visible light to pass through the cockle’s shell while blocking infrared and ultraviolet light. The algae use the light to produce sugars and other nutrients that benefit the clam while the clam protects the algae within its shell.

According to Science News, the aragonite can channel light without the reflective coatings that telecommunications fiber optics require. While filtering out harmful ultraviolet light, the fiber optic-like structures are “finely tuned to balance the shell’s mechanical strength with its ability to efficiently transmit light.” The “finely tuned” heart cockle shell design had to have a designer, and trying to explain it by chance alone requires a vivid imagination. This is one more evidence that God has designed a vast number of ways for life to survive.

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: Science News December 14 & 28, 2024, page 10

Wildlife in Winter and Conifers

Wildlife in Winter survive because of conifer forests

Winter presents new challenges for all of us, but God has made unique provisions for wildlife in winter. One of the most interesting is the conifers and what they provide for birds.

Winter does not threaten northern birds because all the food and shelter they need is available in four conifers. Berries last through the winter on winterberry holly, Virginia creeper, and trumpet honeysuckle. Cedars have cones and attract insects like carpenter ants that birds eat. Cedar waxwings, golden-crowned kinglets, and pileated woodpeckers thrive on Cedars. Spruce trees have seeds that feed evening grosbeaks, fox sparrows, and juncos. Fir trees provide for nuthatches, chickadees, and spotted owls. Birds can open the cones of white pines to eat the seeds, with nutcrackers and crossbill finches being the most adept.

Conifers exist virtually everywhere on planet Earth, which means bird habitats are available everywhere. The survival of wildlife in winter is possible for birds, other animals, and the plants they depend on. While tropical areas might seem ideal for birds, winter offers freedom from most parasites and provides a host of food and shelter sources. Conifers grow at high elevations and high latitudes where other plants could not exist.

There is amazing diversity everywhere we look on our planet, providing a great testimony to the wisdom and design God has put into His creation. Genesis 8:22 indicates that summer and winter are built into the creation, and Psalms 74:17 tells us God is the creator of summer and winter. As we look outside here in Michigan, we see many birds thriving despite the snow and ice. The survival of wildlife in winter is based on the protection they have from the cold and the food that is readily available to birds in the conifers.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: Audubon magazine for winter, 2024 page 50. Also of interest is audubon.org/plantsforbirds.

The Animal Understanding of Death

The Animal Understanding of Death
This opossum is apparently really dead.

What do animals understand about death? That question has become such an area of interest that it has a name—comparative thanatology. Dr. Susana Monso has written a number of books and articles on the animal understanding of death, with special attention to opossums and chimpanzees. In her books, Monso provides information about the physiological changes in the opossum when it “plays dead.”

In a Time magazine article, Dr. Monso gave accounts of animals dealing with death. She told of a newborn albino chimp that other chimps were afraid of. When the dominant male killed the baby chimp, the behavior of the chimpanzee troop changed dramatically to a display of curiosity. Other cases cited are an orca who carried her dead baby over 1000 miles for 17 days and a gorilla who was weaned but attempted to suckle from its dead mother’s breast.

Dr. Monso argues that the animal understanding of death differs from human understanding. She says our human bias affects our view of comparative thanatology, but she believes animals understand death in their own way. Are the chimp, orca, and gorilla displaying grief, or are we interpreting them in light of what humans would feel and do? Do carnivores have empathy for the herbivores they eat? Those questions reflect what Dr. Monso calls an intellectual anthropocentrism bias.

That bias is reflected in some humans who refuse to eat meat because they feel empathy for the animal that died. To suggest that you won’t eat anything requiring death means you won’t eat anything. If you eat a plant or the seed of the plant, something has to die. Death is part of the design of life, and life would be impossible if nothing died. Either everything would die of starvation, and Earth would become devoid of life, or animal populations would overfill the planet.

The biblical understanding is that the Creator of life gave humans a special place in the creation. In Genesis 9:1-3, God tells Noah that all animal life would have the fear of humans and that humans would be responsible for managing all of life. Verse 3 also equates animal life with plant life. “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you just like the green plant – I have given you all things.”

God gave only humans the ability to comprehend life after death. Animals’ understanding of the death of one of their kind is rooted in survival. We see this in the biblical discussion of this subject and the evidence available to all of us.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “Animals Understand Death Too” in Time magazine for October 28, 2024

A System Benefiting Birds, Ants, and Trees

A System Benefiting Birds Ants and Trees
Yellow-olive Flycatcher in Costa Rica

Birds have an interesting method for keeping ants out of their nests and away from their eggs and chicks. Many ant species will eat everything in their path, and often, ants infect trees where birds build their nests. From a design standpoint, how can you build a system benefiting birds, ants, and trees?

Scientists have discovered that in tropical and subtropical areas, birds use fungal organs known as rhizomorphs to build their nests. Rhizomorphs are cord-like filaments that fungi use to capture nutrients, and they grow web-like in the canopy of tropical forests. These filaments repel ants to keep them out of the birds’ nests. Researchers have found that over 176 bird species use fungal rhizomorphs in their nests. Two bird species in Costa Rica build their nests almost entirely using rhizomorphs of horse hair fungus (Marasmius).

Researchers in Costa Rica found a symbiotic relationship between thorn acacia trees and ants. The ants collect nectar from the acacia, repel any invaders, and even trim back encroaching plants. The thorns of the acacia protect the ants from predation, and the rhizomorphs protect the birds. This complex system benefiting birds, ants, and trees is very difficult to explain by any chance process. The concept of God building a system that protects all three participants is simply an argument for His existence.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “Fungus-laced bird nests repel ants” in Science News for November 2, 2024, and Animal Behaviour October 2024.

Thoughts About Dandelions

Thoughts About Dandelions

You may not have kind thoughts about dandelions, but they are actually useful plants for animals and humans. The name “dandelion” comes from the French “dent de lion,” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves. Until the 1800s, people would pull grass from their lawns to make room for dandelions and other beneficial “weeds” like chickweed, Malva, and chamomile.

Here are some reasons for saying that dandelions are useful:

#1. Birds, insects, and butterflies consume nectar or the seeds of dandelion.
#2. Honey from bees pollinating dandelions is quite delicious.
#3. Dandelion root can be used as a substitute for coffee.
#4. Dandelion is used in folk medicine to treat infections and liver disorders.
#5. Dandelion tea is a diuretic.
#6. Dandelions can be used to make dye.
#7. Every part of a dandelion, including roots, leaves, and flowers, can be used for food.


Dandelions remind us of three celestial bodies—the Sun, Moon, and stars. The yellow flower resembles the Sun, the puff ball resembles the Moon, and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars. A gust of wind often transports away dandelion seeds, which travel like tiny parachutes as far as five miles from their origin!

Whatever your thoughts about dandelions, whether you like them in your lawn or not, they are, quite possibly, the most successful plants, masters of worldwide survival, and part of God’s design of living things.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Our thanks to Joe Kramarz for this data.

The Design of Cacti

The Design of Cacti
Saguaro Cacti in Saguaro National Park

There are 1,500 known species of cacti on our planet, and many live in places so dry and hot that it is hard to imagine any life surviving. Cacti can branch out as massive trees or be small enough to fit on a penny. Scientists are studying the design of cacti to find ways to apply their ability to survive heat and conserve water.

The saguaro cactus, which grows in the Sonoran desert of Arizona, California, and Mexico, can retain hundreds of gallons of water. These plants have pleats that expand to hold the water when rain comes. Saguaro cactus flowers bloom from mid-April to mid-June. They boom only once at night and close the next day, protecting them from the Sun’s intense heat. The flower buds are on the crown of the cactus and bloom in a counterclockwise migrating pattern from the east to the north, giving them more shade as the season becomes hotter.

Saguaros have a unique way of photosynthesis. Most plants lose water as they open their pores to absorb carbon dioxide. Saguaros do not open their pores until after sundown. Then, they absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into malic acid, which they store in their cells for the next day. The design of cacti shows great wisdom and efficiency in the use of resources.

Copiapoa cacti thrive in the Atacama desert of northern Chile, the driest nonpolar desert on Earth. Most copiapoa cacti are 5 to 6 inches in diameter and covered with spines. Every morning, as fog sweeps in from the sea, water condenses on the spines and skin of these plants. The spines have a series of tiny grooves that broaden at the base, enabling the cactus to channel moisture into itself. Scientists are looking at the possible use of this design for dew-collecting in areas with water shortages.

As scientists study cacti, they look for ways to use their hot and dry climate adaptations to solve some of the problems agriculture faces with extreme heat. Biomimicry is a process in which we study the plants and animals God created and use what we learn to improve our lives. Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” The principle is clear. We can learn by studying the design God built into all living things, including the design of cacti.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: National Geographic November 2024, pages 88-99.

Leaves Must Die to Save the Tree

Leaves Must Die to Save the Tree

As I write this, we are at the peak of the beautiful fall colors. This week’s forecast calls for strong winds and rain, which will probably take down most of the leaves. I hate to see the beauty fade, leaving the naked branches pointing to the sky all winter, but I know it’s God’s design that the leaves must die to save the tree.

Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn. “Deciduous” refers to something falling away after it completes its purpose. In our area of southwestern Michigan, some of the most colorful trees are maples and oaks that get their nourishment from the photosynthesis taking place in the green leaves. The trees supply the leaves with moisture and minerals from the ground. The leaves need moisture, in the form of sap, to carry on the complex photosynthesis process, which nourishes the tree for growth.

The sap is mostly water, so it can freeze when the temperature drops below 32 degrees F (0 degrees C). Because water expands when it freezes, it could burst the tree’s cell walls, causing it to die. So, to save the tree, the sap travels down into the roots for the winter, where the ground insulates it from the cold. Without the sap to nourish the leaves, they die and fall to the ground.

It’s God’s design that the leaves must die to save the tree. Jesus told His disciples multiple times that He would have to die, but they could not understand it and even chose to ignore what He was saying. When the time came for it to happen, the disciples were shocked and fled in despair and fear. They could not see that it was God’s plan. It was God’s design to save the world.

The leaves must die to save the tree, even though we may not fully understand it. Jesus’ disciples did not understand why He had to die, but it was to save them and all who would choose to accept His sacrifice on their behalf. As the leaves die, we have the promise of new leaves and new life in the spring. Today, we have the offer of new life in this world and eternal life hereafter. Fortunately, we don’t have to fully understand it, deserve it, or earn it. We merely have to accept it as a free gift.

— Roland Earnst © 2024

The Beauty of Fall Colors

The Beauty of Fall Colors

Fall is my favorite time of year. It is fascinating to watch the wildlife preparing for winter while the biting and stinging insects are suppressed and the night sky is delightfully clear. Here in Michigan, the coming of fall is heralded by a constant flow of colors. We begin with brilliant red sumac followed by crimson poison ivy wrapping itself around the still-green oaks and maples. As fall progresses, the maples and other species gradually change their colors, then the leaves begin to fall, and frost starts showing up. The beauty of fall colors in Michigan is astounding.

From a scientific perspective, we know how this system works. The chemical that gives green color to plants in the summer is chlorophyll-A. Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy mainly in the red and blue parts of the spectrum but very little in the green. Green is the highest energy of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface, and the leaves reflect green, preventing them from being burned by the summer sunlight. As the Sun’s angle becomes less, the green wavelengths are refracted away from Earth’s surface, reducing the chloroplasts in plant cells. In short, that means the chlorophyll is gone, and the green color goes away. We see the beauty of fall colors in the true colors of the leaves. Since each plant has a different chemical makeup in its leaves, each has its own color.

The chemistry of chlorophyll is highly complex, but the bottom line is that in the fall, chlorophyll no longer gives leaves their green color. Why is the system designed like this? Why is sumac different from hard maples, which are different from sugar maples, which are different from oaks? It seems that one chemical formula would work for all plants, making such a complex system unnecessary.

As I sit here writing this and admiring the beauty of fall colors, it seems that in spite of my science background, I feel I am looking at a wonderful painting by an artist applying a palette of colors with an eye for beauty. “Survival of the fittest” does not explain beauty and color, especially when other alternatives are available. It is also essential to understand that seeing the beautiful color of fall is something our eyes are designed to do.

Most animals do not see color and those that do use color as a survival device. Human eyes are designed to perceive color, and we are designed to appreciate and enjoy beauty. Take time to look for the colors around you, and know that they speak of God’s handiwork to bring something good into our lives.

— John N. Clayton © 2024