Evolutionary Processes

First off, I had no idea what phylogenetics was, so I looked it up. Phylogenetics is "the study of evolutionary relatedness among various groups of organisms, which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylogenetics)
Like Caleb said, one of the professors said they were going to take on the perspectives of earlier naturalists. In class the other day, we talked about the classical approach and the modern approach. The classical approach involved studying an animal's morphology. The modern approach involved a more encompassing view of evolutionary relationships.
This was interesting because the article talked about combining ecological and evolutionary findings using how evolution has affected a species. Also, they would be able to discover things about certain communities that caused them to be how they are now.
I really like what Erin Bortz pointed out. At the end of the article it said that this would help save many habitats from being completely destroyed.This was a good point about the new research because it is important to help and preserve the environment because we are all connected.

Evolutionary Processes

What I found most interesting about this article was that one of the professors said that they were going back to the perspectives of early naturalists. After so many years of getting more and more specialized in different fields and being able to understand different species better, scientists are now starting to go back and look at the broader picture and how all animals interact with each other and how this could have effected evolution, or vice versa. Also, I think that the idea that this could help us start to fix some of the damage we have done to this world and its habitats is a reason to keep pursuing this.

Evolutionary Process

What struck me the most about this article was one of the very last lines where the author said that this study in evolutionary processes will lead to helping scientist being able to save many habitats that are being destroyed right now. It is crucial that we do that research to save those species and habitats or they will soon die out because of it. I thought it was interesting that scientists have not studied evolutionary process in the past, but have all of the sudden found it important. I believe this ties in with Zoology because the study deals with the animal's surroundings and how it affects the animals.

Evolutionary Processes

After reading this article, i was very confused on what was going on...but after reading it a few times i started to understand what it was talking about..or at least i hope so. This article ties in with zoology, because scientists are being to understand the roles evolution plays in a species' society. They are using ecology and evolution to get a better understanding of the relationships between species and the diversity between them.

Evolutionary Process

Since zoology is the study of animals, it is necessary that they have a proper environment to live in. Ecology and evolutionary process play a large role in how animals live. In order for animals to survive, they need plants and then evolution allows a species to adapt to their environment. Animals would not be able to survive without ecology and evolution and it is very interesting that there are so many studies taking place discussing these topics together.

Article: Evolutionary Processes

After reading the article Critical Role of Evolutionary Processes In Species Coexistence and Diversity Revealed, I found the study that the scientists were conducting with phylogenetics very interesting. By beginning to understand and combine both ecological and evolutionary findings, scientists are now able to understand the complexities of exactly how evolution has effected the development of community organization, how species interact, and the role of diversity maintenance in these populations. As the article states, the new combination of experimentation using DNA and phylogenetics, many new findings are being sifted connecting these two fields. In relation to zoology, this is also a significant impact. Not only are the scientists going to be able to interpret all these different findings; they will also be able to understand how, for example, animal communities developed and maintained due to causes in evolution. I thought it was interesting that this evidence has shown that community structure can influence the diversification of a species. So at a zoological aspect, it would be exciting to discover exactly how certain animals evolved into the way they are based on how their community systems, like meerkats, ants, or bees, became organized. I also thought it was interesting that in the article, it stated that this research would help to manage and restore the flora and fauna species of the Earth. We as humans have caused many species to go into endangerment or near extinction; if this finding is true, it would be wonderful to reverse the actions we have caused over our own role on our planet.

Carsten Smith: Evolutionary Process

Critical Role Of Evolutionary Processes In Species Coexistence And Diversity Revealed

At the start of reading the article I was a little confused by what the article was saying. I interpreted it, as being that this group of scientists was starting to study how multiple species of organisms can co-exist while maintaining their independence from other species. It said that this research could help with managing and restoring the earths “flora and fauna”, because so much of it has been destroyed by foresting, expanding cities, and many other things

Welcome!

Welcome to the UHS Animal Diversity blog!

This blog is a tool utilized by our class to help keep us connected with current events in animal science...and to have a little fun viewing photos, videos, or articles on the fun and wacky animals we may discover along the way. I encourage you all to post at any time, as long as material is in some way relevant to zoology. In this way, not only will you be responding to articles I assign, but you'll also be taking charge of your zoology education!

For Friday, please read the following article and write a short response on how the combination of ecological and evolutionary perspectives is strengthening our views of zoology.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075422.htm