Response of animals and plants to the solar eclipse on 22 July 2009: Observation on the Nara [Japan] Campus of Kinki University
2010
Hisamitsu, A., Kinki Univ., Nara (Japan). School of Agriculture | Sokabe, Y. | Terada, T | Osumi, Y. | Terada, S. | Hirano, A. | Sugita, M. | Matsuo, F. | Katayama, R. | Ogino, N. | Takami, S. | Sakuratani, Y.
On 22 July 2009, partial solar eclipse was observed in most regions in Japan and a total solar eclipse was observed in the Southwest Islands. At the Nara Campus of Kinki University, located in Nara Prefecture, central Japan, the sun fell into eclipse at 9:46, the maximum eclipse occurred at 11:05 (82% eclipse) and the eclipse finished at 12:25. The weather was cloudy and occasionally the sun peeped through the clouds. At the maximum eclipse, the following phenomena were observed: 1) The ratio of singing individuals of two species of cicada, Platypleura kaempferi, and Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, singing in daylight was reduced, whereas the higurashi cicada, Tanna japonensis, which sings at early morning and evening, began to sing actively. 2) The katydids, Gampsocleis buergeri, which sing in daylight, were silent 3) Two species of bird, Hypsipetes amaurotis and Cettia diphone were silent. 4) The activities of flight butterfly species, Zizeeria maha, declined. 5) The leaves of the silk tree, Albizia julibrrissin, which normally close at night, begun to close. 6) The amount of solar radiation decreased and the air temperature declined. The response of some animals and plants to the eclipse may be caused by these weather factors which caused by solar eclipse.
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