At first glance, the velvety grey that trims the gnarled branches of this Monterey cypress tree might look like snow. But the otherworldly scene is the result of algae and lichen, created by natural conditions that occur at only one place in the world: a protected coastal zone in the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in the US.
The image, taken by Zorica Kovacevic, is a 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner in the Plants and Fungi category, announced on 15 October. Run by the Natural History Museum in London, the competition showcases the world鈥檚 best nature photography each year.
The Monterey cypress is native to only two groves, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and the Del Monte Forest, both on the central Californian coast. Summers there are cool and moist, with abundant sea fog. It is also widely planted in Europe and New Zealand, and is valued for its hardiness. The Monterey cypress can withstand wind, salt and drought, and can grow to 40 metres in height.
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The spongy orange growths on this tree鈥檚 branches are green algae that have been coloured by carotenoid pigments. They are abundant in nature but found on Monterey cypresses only at Point Lobos, where clean air and moisture create ideal conditions for growth. The algae are able to photosynthesise their own food and are harmless to the trees.
The grey snow-like deposits are a similarly harmless lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii). This grows with a distinctive net-like pattern that gives it its name, and is most commonly found on damp, coastal facing slopes in California.
Lichens, of which there are 20,000 known species, form when algae or cyanobacteria grow in combination with fungi. The two coexist symbiotically: the algae or cyanobacteria produce carbohydrates via photosynthesis, which the fungi benefit from; in turn, fungi filaments gather moisture and nutrients from the environment and provide a structural anchor.
Yongqing Bao captured the moment a Tibetan fox ambushed a terrified marmot in China鈥檚 Qilian Mountains National Nature Reserve. The marmot had ventured out of its burrow to search for food. It was early spring, and it would have only recently finished its winter hibernation, which lasts at least six months. The image is a joint winner in the mammalian behaviour category. Bao was also named the Wildlife Photographer of the Year grand title winner for this shot.
This image of a gelada and her week-old infant, taken at first light in Ethiopia鈥檚 Simien Mountains National Park, won Riccardo Marchegiani the prize for photographers aged 15 to 17.
Photographer Manuel Plaickner captured this image of European common frogs spawning in a large pond in South Tyrol, Italy, which won in the amphibians and reptiles category. Each spring, stirred by rising temperatures, the frogs emerge from their winter shelters to mate. Females lay up to 2000 eggs in a clear jelly capsule.
Photographer Daniel Kronauer tracked this colony of nomadic army ants nearly half a kilometre through the rainforest near La聽Selva聽Biological聽Station in northeastern聽Costa Rica. The ants formed vertical chains and networks of chambers and tunnels to transport larvae and their queen. This photograph won the prize in the invertebrate behaviour category.
This aerial shot of one of the world鈥檚 most聽active volcanos, called K墨lauea and located on Hawaii鈥檚 Big Island, is the winning image in the Earth鈥檚 environments category. In May 2018, K墨lauea started spewing out lava through fissures on its lower east rift. Photographer Luis Vilari帽o Lopez captured the image from a helicopter as noxious clouds of acid vapour filled the sky.
This photograph of brown rats was captured in Lower Manhattan in New York. Urban populations are rising fast 鈥� rats are social animals, powerful swimmers and jumpers, and capable of navigating complex networks such as sewers. Taken by Charlie Hamilton James, the image won in the urban wildlife category.
It may look like a romantic embrace, but these two male Dall鈥檚 sheep are pictured at the end of a fierce clash, in the Yukon, Canada. The two rams attempted to duel but were forced into a truce by strong winds, a heavy blizzard and brutal cold. This image is among several that won photographer J茅r茅mie Villet the rising star portfolio award.
More than 5000 male emperor penguins huddle against the wind and cold in a photograph taken by Stefan Christmann in late winter on the sea ice of Antarctica鈥檚 Atka Bay. Each male holds an egg on his feet, incubating it under a fold of skin. This was one of several images that won Christmann the Wildlife Photographer of the Year portfolio award.
