Comment on Bird/Dinosaur Article

I thought this article was very interesting and logically laid out. I have always thought that birds and dinosaurs were brothers, but, after reading this article, I find myself convinced that dinosaurs and birds are quite different. As said in the article, "It's really strange that no one realized [how different they are] before."

The article explains that, for many years, birds were thought to have been the descendants of theropod dinosaurs. Recent studies and findings, however, debunk this theory. Birds have a fixed femur and walk exclusively with their knees, unlike any other animal. They have this unique bone structure so that their lungs, while flying, do not collapse under the strain that flying can cause. Dinosaurs had moveable femurs and walked using a combination of their femur and knees. Birds and dinosaurs have been linked for so long because of similarities perceived in their lung structure, but the structures surrounding dinosaur lungs and bird lungs are, in fact, entirely different. Furthermore, birds seem to appear earlier in the fossil record than dinosaurs, so birds couldn’t be descended from dinosaurs. It is more likely that birds and dinosaurs shared a common ancestor, as opposed to being directly related.

Bird Mania!!

Science is happening all around us, every day. Sometimes, however, the current science news doesn't make it into our textbooks for over 3 years or more! Read this article from June 2009 on the current thoughts of bird evolution. Quite contradictory to the theories we just learned and discussed in class isn't it? Be prepared to talk about this in class on Friday, and feel free to comment below on whether you agree, are skeptical, etc.

Discovery Raises New Doubts About Dinosaur-Bird Links

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609092055.htm

Zoology goes to the Indy Zoo!

Above, the zoology class is pictured with Tombi, one of the Indianapolis Zoo's African elephants. Aside from learning about Project Elephant and the training and research conducted on artificial insemination, students also explored the Oceans Biome with Project Dogshark and the Desert Biome with the Iguana Project.

Giant Squid

This giant squid's tentacles have crazy hooks to catch prey.

Mollusks!

Blue Ringed Octopus
Please comment on interesting traits unique to mollusks, or post other videos/pictures for your classmates to explore! What is your favorite type or species of mollusk?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oExwxkuT_c&feature=related

Carsten Smith: Coral Bleaching

Coral bleaching is a rising problem in today’s oceans, but I feel that the area where coral is most at risk is near the Gulf of Mexico, the coast of Florida, and the Caribbean, and in the waters surrounding East Asia. I think that the coral is most susceptible to coral bleaching around East Asia because of the high levels of pollution coming out of the industrial nations of that area of the world. I feel that the coral in the Caribbean are in danger because of rising water temperature because of global warming, and natural disasters, which can change the depth of water, and physically kill a lot of coral. I feel that although we cannot immediately stop any of these problems now, we can make steps towards the future with stable marine conditions, we can still do our part to replenish the worlds coral populations. I heard earlier this week on the radio that as a science project a man and his daughter tried to breed coral, and now the state of Florida is spending millions of dollars to expand this families “science project” into a major breeding center for the many endangered species of coral, and has proven to actually accelerate the expansion and development of coral to other areas other than the areas where they are planted and can definitely help replenish the falling number of coral, which can even keep future species of coral from going extinct.

Coral Bleaching

I think that coral bleaching would be more popular near the equator in the warm waters. I think this because corals become bleached when the zooanthellae can't protect the corals anymore from the UV rays. Also i think coral bleaching would be more common in the shallower waters since they would be near the surface which gets the most sunlight again causing the corals to die. A way humans could help with coral bleaching is not polluting the waters such as dumping oil in the water. Another thing would be to help stop global warming because this plays a big part in helping the corals survive. Without the corals, many organisms such as the zooanthellae would die out because they wouldn't have the corals to live off of.

Coral Bleaching

I think that the coral reefs around the equator and in tropical seas are most susceptible by coral bleaching. These tropical seas contain the corals that form a symbiotic relationship with the algae, and depend on this relationship to live. This area is most affected by coral bleaching due to the numerous problems that can occur that will ‘stress’ the coral and make them get rid of their algae partners, such as rising temperatures or changes in water make-up. Radiation can also greatly affect these corals, and events such as water levels dropping can cause radiation to hit corals that previously were submerged. There are several ways humans can help to prevent coral bleaching. Keeping the oceans and seas clean is one way that is most valuable. Chemical and oil spills damage corals and surrounding life, and can alter the temperature and chemical make-up of the ocean waters causing coral bleaching. Also monitoring and helping to combat global warming is another prevention for coral bleaching. Global warming increase the temperature at which corals live in, and will cause them to expel the algae living on them, opening them up to radiation and coral bleaching. Being a caretaker for the environment will help to prevent coral bleaching from continuing or happening in the seas.

Coral Bleaching

I think that regions closer to the equator are more susceptible to coral bleaching. These regions are hot, and the coral tends to be nearer to the surface of the water, allowing the coral to be exposed to UV rays. These UV rays can damage and destroy the algae that makes corals healthy. I think Australia would especially have problems with coral bleaching because it can get deathly hot there. Humans exacerbate coral bleaching by polluting the oceans and aiding global warming. In areas known to have issues with coral bleaching, boating and diving activities should be monitored and decreased. Conservations programs should be launched that tend to needy coral reefs.
After reading the article, I was surprised to find that the Caribbean was struggling with coral bleaching issues but this makes sense. The Caribbean is close to the equator and has a large coral population. I was especially shocked to read that 90% of the coral in some areas is bleached.

Coral Bleaching

Coral Bleaching is the result of algae not properly doing there job when interacting with the reef corals. This causes a problem because then the corals will not be able to photosynthesize or be protected from the UV rays without the algae. Because of this, I believe most of corals that are being affected by bleaching would be in warm climates, such as near the equator, and they would most likely be in shallower water. This is because the sun will make them much more vulnerable to the UV ways when they are in the warmer climate and when they do not have the water’s protection. This is a problem because bleaching will lead to the coral reefs dying, which will also lead to many organisms losing their habitat. Humans must find a way to solve this problem because of this. For instance, they could pass laws to not allow boats on the waters where coral reefs that are in danger. This will help the coral reefs because by boating, they will only be exposed to more problems, such as polluting. If a community does not allow boating, it will aid the coral reefs by not creating other problems for them as well as bleaching.

Coral Bleaching

Please comment DIRECTLY on this posting.

a. What oceanic region of the world do you think is currently susceptible to coral bleaching? Why so?

b. Is there anything that humans can do to prevent coral bleaching? Explain/describe.


After you respond, check out the following article and see how your thoughts match those of the current studies being conducted on corals!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090725120003.htm

Ever wonder how our Amoeba friends actually find their food?

So did other scientists. And here's what they discovered about amoeba's navigation ability. Even cooler, they've determined that it's the same mechanism by which immune cells locate the site of infection in your body!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081023144057.htm

TURTLES

I think that Veolia Indianapolis Water Company is so stupid. Their idea is not going to really have that big of an impact on the canal but it will have a huge impact for all its wild life that call it a home. They will be killing a mass amount of turtles and other animals such as muskrats. They came out and only told us about the muskrats because naturally the reaction you see on a persons face when they hear muskrat is not usually one of satisfaction, they think they are pests. However, people found out about all the turtles this process would be killing. People LOVE turtles, I love turtles. They are not doing any harm why would be want them to disappear. Many people were outraged by what would happen to the turtles, and how they would no longer be able to see them in their everyday life, which is fascinating, I love turtles, and what they are doing is just absolutely wrong. Zoology plays a big role in this because of how we can see what environment these animals are better suited for, and how they reproduce. If this were to occur then the population numbers in turtles would drop significantly until they are completely gone.

Reponse to the mistreatment of environment along the canal.

Firstly, I feel like this is stupidity and a total lack of planning and preparation on the part of Veolia. The most interesting part is the fact that the community was not getting involved. This situation as a whole seems surreal or typically seen in movies. But it also reminds me of a situation in the our Animal Diversity book with the peppered moths in England. Zoology is more than important but essential in this situation. This is because with zoology you can predict the fate of the turtles but most importantly understand help save the turtles. The term that relates to this situation the most is genetic drift or geographical barriers. The destruction of these turtles could cause a new type of turtles of to emerge. In the future the population of turtles would definitely decrease or not live there ever again. The traits the turtles might inherit may have something to do with making them immune to some of the effects the construction of Veolia might cause.

Tenacious Turtle Troubles.

I personally think that the water company is wrong. They should not be, in my opinion, justified to destroy natural habitat like that. I think in this situation that the turtles are right. I like turtles. They are just living their little turtle lives in the canal and then Veolia Water comes along and wants to destroy their baby making grounds. If I were the water company, I wouldn't mess with the turtles. If the canal gets clogged, thats only natural. Rivers have soil and silt in them, thats just the way it is. Zoology plays into this because the water company needs to think how their projects affect natural wildlife. They need to make sure that they don't destroy any habitat because one small change could completely jumble up the ecosystem. If this project does go through, the population could be devastated as this could drastically affect where they lay their eggs when Veolia takes away this part of the habitat. I don't think that certain traits would be selected as this project is just taking away grounds to lay turtle eggs, but possibly turtles who could climb better could survive and reproduce better.

I Like Turtles

First off, I’m very disappointed in Veolia Indianapolis Water. They are handling this situation very poorly, immaturely, and selfishly. They aren’t looking at it in an environmentalist point of view, and it is important to look at all sides of something before you make a decision about it. Veolia Indianapolis Water is looking at their plan as strictly a business plan, but there are way too many factors that they need to consider. If I was in charge of the water company, I would make my decision based on appropriate research, planning, and by conserving the environment.
By putting up another wall or adding material to help with erosion is going to harm thousands of baby turtles. The environment of the turtles should not be manipulated, because it could really hurt them and put their species in danger. I believe that the water company is in the wrong.
I don’t think that there should be any more investigation to prove that it will harm the population of turtles, because I know it will. I think there should be more investigation and researching for an alternative method. One quote was that they should try to find a more environmental friendly way to go about this, and that is absolutely correct. I feel as if they just thought of the best idea to benefit their company, rather than look at it from a point of view of the environment.
The section about the DNR was very interesting too. Veolia Indianapolis Water is concerned about letting the DNR know about muskrats, but what they are doing won’t kill the muskrats. I feel like they are just trying to put the fact that they will be killing hundreds of turtles under the rug. It’s stupid if they thought that no one would notice.
This population of turtles has been living in the canal for several years, and Veolia Indianapolis Water has no right to get rid of them.
It is important to study zoology because in an example like this, people always make decisions based on what they want, or what can better them. Humans are always thinking about humans. It is important to think about other things, like these turtles. It’s important to think of the environment around us and what inhabits it before we make a decision to change it. If this project is permitted, it would cause the turtle population to go down by a lot, because none of the baby turtles would be able to survive or join the rest of the population.

Canal Project

I personally feel that the turtles should come first in this situation. I understand that water is extremely important, but there are other ways to get water and there are only so many places where turtles can live. I honestly don’t know what I would do if I had to make a decision about this. I would probably find a way to fix what I needed without making a huge change to the turtle population.

The zoology from this situation plays a large role. The water people need to understand the life of a turtle and how important they are to our environment. It would be helpful for them to know more about the history of turtles, so they would have an understanding of why people are so passionate about having them in the canal.

The population of turtles would go down if this project were put through. I don’t think that there would be specific traits that would be passed on because in this case it is luck of the draw. It is not targeting any specific type of turtle; the project would simply hurt that turtles that interfere with the project. The turtles that are not affected are a random bunch of turtles, so there is not one specific trait that would save them because it all depends on the location of the nests.

Turtles in the Canal

I think that the Veolia is out of line in what they currently plan on doing. Destroying thousands of turtles for the sake of saving a little money does not seem like the right thing to do. I think that the community should petition the DNR about what else could be done, and also have Veolia think of some more environmentally friendly alternatives. Without the study of zoology and the work that Travis Ryan has done, I don't think that this issue would have been brought up in such an important manner. Without his study of how these turtles lay their eggs no one might have been the wiser about the company killing so many babies. In this case the study of zoology might save thousands of turtles lives. If the project is permitted the immediate impact on the turtle population in the canal would be of an entire generation lost. However, I think that the turtle population would be fine overall, they just might change their habits of laying their nests in the canal to going into more people's backyards. I hope the water company realizes the huge mistake they are making before its too late, but when it comes to a big company and saving some money, let's just say I'm not getting my hopes up.

Turtles

This is very upsetting. I understand why Veolia wants to do this project but surely there must be a way to protect the banks of the canal while also protecting the White River’s turtle population. In this situation, the turtles are right and should be protected. If I were the head of Veolia, I would slow the pace of the construction project or halt it all together. I would reevaluate the plans and see how they could be altered or bettered so that they respect and preserve the turtles. If Veolia considered zoology, they would realize how many turtles could be harmed and killed. Should Veolia execute their current plan, I expect many turtles to die. A few turtles might be able to survive the impossible conditions, how I don’t know, and continue the race. But the project’s results will continue to destroy this race until it goes extinct or adapts.

Canal Conflict

First off I feel that a compromise needs to be made, because the canal does sever over half a million Indiana Residents, but also holds a large number of Turtles that make their home in the canal. If the company doesn’t dredge that portion of the canal, it will most definitely hurt their ability to filter and clean the water, so it is able to be used by humans, and if they don’t it would most likely lead to an increase in the price of water, which will also hurt the everyday families that use the water. On the other side, turtles and other organisms have made their home in the canal ever since it was completed, and the new project would definitely lower the number of turtles in not eradicate them. I feel that to make a honest conclusion to this problem, more investigation needs to be done, to find a better way for the water company and the turtles to live and subside together. I feel that Zoology would be very useful in this situation, because it could help find ways that would either not, or minimally affect both parties. If the project is permitted in its current state, I feel that the turtle population will be decimated, and that would create an imbalance in the ecosystem, which could cause further damage to the surrounding area. I think that if there was a trait that could help the turtles in this situation, it would be that if there eggs did not need to be embedded in the ground and could float on the surface instead. Although this would solve one problem, it would create another problem for the Turtle eggs, predators. If the eggs floated, they present an irresistibly easy meal, that none of their predators would pass up, it would effectively make them sitting ducks. To legitimately answer this question, more investigation into alternative methods would need to be completed.

Canal Conflict

After reading the first line of the article, which reads, " Veolia Indianapolis Water is pushing a plan to in a layer of material along the canal, which could trap eggs of turtles that nest in the banks", I knew that I would not be in agreement with the Veolia Water company. For them to think that they can destroy a wildlife population that has been inhabiting the canal for over seven years is absolutely ridiculous. This water company may think that they will be improving the canal by ripping out dead trees and laying a layer of material over the canal, but they are honestly harming the canal more than helping it. This is because they are not viewing the wildlife around it, but only looking at the microscopic picture of just the canal itself. If they were looking at the macroscopic picture, the company would realize that an entire generation of turtles, about 5000, would die this year because of their plan.

One of the problems that I have with this plan is that the tone I got from this article was they were only going forward with this plan was because they now had the money to do so, not because they truly wanted to. THey even had a quote of someone saying that because they had the money to start it, they were finally going to put the money to use. I feel like the Water company is utilizing the money just because it is available but not realizing the harms their program might bring to the nature around the project.

Veolia Indianapolis Water Construction

After reading this article I was disgusted with the Veolia Indianapolis Water Company’s actions in terms of ‘restoring’ the canal downtown. By taking such careless actions as to not take into account the repercussions their construction on the canal would bring onto the natural wildlife and environment that has developed in and around the canal, the company reflects its self-interest and purely financial reasons for this hasty construction. That, and the fact that the company has not even applied for a DNR permit for construction in the canal. Careful maintenance and construction can be done in an environmentally efficient and green manner, but apparently the company has no regard for this. More investigation is needed, and more care and attention needs to be placed on the turtles and other wildlife and botanical life along the canal. If I were handling this project, I would make sure to not move ahead with the project until all effects and possibilities in relation to the wildlife and ecology in the canal would be analyzed. And, once I understood the effects, I would make sure that the project would only restore the parts of the canal that needed restoration or construction; I would also outline and input a plan that fits with the construction codes of a green, environmentally safe project. The preservation of life and ecology would be my priority. The study of zoology is very important in this situation as it would allow the understanding of what the effects of this project could have on population such as the turtles, muskrats, etc. in the canal, as well as how they would adjust in terms of this situation. If this project is permitted, which I hope not, then the effects upon many of the populations of animals living in the canal would be dire. The company plans to remove large stretches of bushes and trees growing along the canal; by doing so would eliminate the environment around the canal. Construction would also change the habitat that many of the turtle species have developed to, and the population would have to adapt to the new changes in their environment in order to survive as before. They would have to develop new nest behaviors as well, as the locations as to where they were able to lay their eggs will be completely covered y the new construction.

Canal Conflict

The water company is STUPID! they should not do this to the thousands of turtles that have done nothing to them. They are innocent and should not be messed with especially since the babies are suppose to hatch sometime this winter, and this is when they want to do this stupid project. So of course, the turtles are CORRECT. There should not be any more investigation because this project shouldn't have been thought of in the first place. If i was the water company in charge of this project, which i would never be, i would think of another reason to stop the erosion..but not by killing innocent animals. The study of zoology is important in this situation, because we get a better understanding of how the turtles reproduce and how they adapt to their environment. If this project is permitted, which i hope its not, the future impact of the turtle population would die out and the population of the turtles will end.

In Our Own Backyards...Conflict along the Indy Canal: Human drinking water or Turtle nesting site, who wins?

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009908310347

Read the following article. Please write a short response that includes the following points:

1.) Your personal feelings on the issue. Is the water company right? Turtles right? More investigation needed? How would you handle it if you were the water company in charge of the project?
2.) Identify how the study of zoology is important in this real-life situation.
3.) If the project is permitted, would could be the future impact on the turtle population along the canal? Do you think that the population would be selected for specific traits due to changes in the environment? If so, what types of traits might these be?

Natural Selection at work...even today!

An article released in Science Daily last week describes the work of two Harvard scientists who studied the effect natural selection has had on the coloration of deer mice living in the Nebraska Sand Dunes. Check it out and make sure that you can use the tenants of natural selection to explain how this change in coloration occurred in this particular population...apply your knowledge! Natural selection is occurring even today on organisms. :)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827141342.htm

Darwin vs. Mendel--what didn't Darwin just get it?

Hey all,

Here is a quick article from ScienceDaily in regard to why Darwin couldn't decipher inheritance, yet Mendel did. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090227072739.htm

Enjoy!

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