Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Comparative Primate Blog Post


A. Environment
Lemurs: Lemurs are a type of primate that can only be found in Madagascar and the Comores Islands. Lemurs live in various habitats within these rainforest-like locations. Some lemurs prefer to live in the heart of the damp rainforest, while others prefer to reside in drier areas that resemble deserts.
Spider Monkey: Another primate that tends to live in the rain forests is the spider monkey. Spider monkeys live in tropical rainforests located in central and south America and can be found in far north as Mexico. Rain forests are ideal environments for these monkeys because of their vast number of tall trees, where spider monkeys create their habitats.  
Baboon: All five different species of Baboons can only be found in Arabia and Africa. These monkeys prefer to live in the Savanna, or other semi-arid habitats. Though, a few of them prefer the rainforest as well. 
Gibbon: These swinging monkeys reside in Southern Asia. They live in the trees and are rarely ever on the ground. 
Chimpanzee: The most common of all the primates are the Chimpanzees who range from living in communities in African rain forests, woodlands and grasslands. 

B. Diet
Lemurs: A lemur’s diet is made up of mostly leaves and fruits. Some occasionally eat insects, but they usually stick to a vegetarian diet.
Spider Monkey: Spider monkeys also eat fruits, but also enjoy various nuts. These monkeys prefer to swallow their fruit whole. Spider monkeys typically only eat from dawn until about 10 in the morning. They will eat bark and honey if they are still hungry throughout the day.  
Baboon: Baboons typically have large appetites. They tend to eat whatever they can get their hands on. They enjoy fruit, grass, seeds, roots and bark. Some Baboons even have cravings for meat. Therefore they can eat birds, rodents, and even younger animals such as sheep. 
GibbonGibbons thrive on fruit trees in the rain forest, and are particularly fond of figs. 
Chimpanzee: Like baboons, chimps also seem to have a diverse diet. On top of eating leaves, fruits and nuts, Chimps also eat several different types of food including ones that are widely known to humans. Because Chimps are often domesticated as well, they are fed human food along with their owners.

C. Adaptation
Lemurs: Lemurs’ dietary habits greatly influence their environment, and vice versa. Because lemurs eat whole fruits, which includes the seeds, then once dispersed, the seeds then turn into plants which ultimately contributes to their habitat. This means that lemurs and other wildlife play a crucial role in rebuilding the many rainforests that are being destroyed.
Spider Monkey: Since spider monkeys live in the rainforest, they eat fruits and nuts, as that is what is most available to them. In addition spider monkeys rely on the rain forests to build their habitats as they mostly live in the upper layers of trees know as canopies. Spider monkeys also utilize the trees as a mode of transportation as they swing across the branches.
BaboonBaboons are among the more common primates who eat everything ranging from leaves to the meat of small animals. These primates do not have long tails used for gripping trees, but nonetheless they build their habitats in trees and sleep in them.
Gibbon: Gibbons are perhaps the most adapted to their environment out of all the other primates. They only live in the trees and are rarely ever on the ground. Their bodies are essentially constructed for living in trees. They have hooked shaped hands which allow them to grip branches easier and also have extremely long arms in order to move from branch to branch.
Chimpanzee: Chimpanzees are what are known as the closest primates to humans. In fact humans and chimps share more than 98 percent of the same DNA. Their environments greatly vary because a lot of chimps are now being domesticated. This of course is out of nature for these primates, and is very dangerous because they are still wild creatures. If they are not domesticated, chimps live in the rain forest and are very used to their surroundings.

D. Photographs

Lemurs: 



Spider Monkey: 




Baboon: 




Gibbon: 




Chimpanzee: 



Thursday, February 21, 2013

Analogy/Homology Blog Post



1.For your homologous traits provide the following information (25 pts):
a.                  Briefly describe the two different species that possess the homologous trait. (5 pts)
Two different species that possess homologous traits are whales and Homo sapiens. Whales are a species that have two fins and a tail, which allows them to live in the ocean. Homo sapiens are a species with two arms and two legs, which allows them to live on land.
b.                  Describe the homologous trait of each species, focusing on the differences in structure and function of the trait. Why do these homologous traits exhibit differences between the two species? Make sure your explanation is clear and complete. (10 pts)
A common homologous feature among whales and Homo sapiens is the whale’s fin and a person’s arm. They both possess a skeletal structure that includes an ulna, radius, carpal bones, metacarpal bones, and phalanges. Although the configuration is not quite the same, as a fin is somewhat round shaped and an arm is long with a wrist and five fingers at the end of it.
c.                  Who was (generally, not specifically) the common ancestor of these two species and how do you know that ancestor possessed this homologous trait? (5 pts)
Whales and Homo sapiens are both classified as mammals, which all possess a similar limb structure. Therefore, this particular trait was inherited form a common ancestor, which most likely differentiated over time as a result of environmental change. It is possible that whales once possessed legs as well, but eventually lost them and gained fins. People still need their legs to survive, which is why we still have them.
d.                  Provide an image of each species in this comparison. (5 pts)

 






2. For your analogous traits provide the following information (25 pts):
a.                  Briefly describe the two different species that possess the analogous trait.  (5 pts)
Two different species that have an analogous trait are turtles and snails. Snails and turtles both have an outer shell which they use as protection from their predators.
b.                  Describe the analogous trait of each species, focusing on the similarities in structure and function of the trait.  Clearly explain why these analogous traits exhibit similarities between the two species.  (10 pts)
Turtles and snails both possess protective shells. Both species are very slow, so they utilize their shells as a type of defense against predators. Typically turtle shells are very durable, as they are made of bone, similar to a vertebra. Meanwhile, snail shells are less durable and act as the species’ only bone in the form of an exoskeleton.  
c.                  All pairs of organisms share some common ancestor if you go back far enough in time.  Did the common ancestor of these two species possess this analogous trait?  Why or whynot?  (5 pts)
Ancestors of neither turtles nor snails had a protective outer shell. Turtles are classified as reptiles and ancestral reptiles did not have shells like this. Snails came from slugs and other species without shells. Therefore, there was no shelled common ancestor that passed this trait onto either organism.
d.                     Provide an image of each species in this comparison.  (5 pts)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Protein Synthesis: DNA Code

Here is my DNA strand. Best of luck on decoding this one! :)

ATTGGCCGATTGTACCAAGTCACATCTAATCAAGTGAGCTGACCATGCATCATTGGCCGATTG

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Historical Influences on Darwin


In 1798, Thomas Malthus published “Essay on the Principle of Population”, a piece that would later be highly commended and utilized by Charles Darwin.

  • Despite his role as a minster of the Church of England, Malthus suggested numerous theories that strayed from the optimistic social philosophies of his day.
  •  Malthus’ most popular theories were those on population, which he wrote about in six editions of “Essay on the Principle of Population”.
  •   Malthus suggested that all populations grow at an exponential rate, while food rations grow at an arithmetic rate.
  •   Malthus believed that starvation and illnesses were natural consequences of population growth.


Thomas Malthus believed that the human population would inevitably decrease over the years because there are not enough food rations to support the ever-growing population. Malthus suggested this would result to competition and the fittest would get the food, reproduce, and spread their genes. This is the basis of Darwin's theory, natural selection, which suggests that scarcity of resources leads to “survival of the fittest”. Therefore only the survivors will have the ability to reproduce, sending their genes to the next generation, which in turn creates more of the species with the modified genes.

I don’t believe that Darwin would have been able to develop his theory of “natural selection” without Thomas Malthus’ influence and ideals on population. Malthus came very close to discovering “natural selection” on his own. He understood that exponential growth was challenged by limited resources and that there was competition within populations for those limited resources. The only things that he failed to recognize was that his theories could be applied to all species and that variation existed amongst the species.  

For centuries, scientist feared the impending doom that would surround them if they challenged the church on an issue. For much of Darwin’s career, he too was scared to publish his findings. However, Darwin realized that if he waited too long, he may not be recognized for his discoveries. Therefore, Darwin decided to rise above the churches’ influence and publish his first book, On the Origin of Species.

External Sources: http://www.allaboutscience.org/malthus-faq.htm