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Magpies, cockatiels, and doves have different morphologies and flight styles, which affect their respective power curves. Magpies have a relatively small aspect ratio (5) and long tails, while the aspect ratio of cockatiels and doves is higher (7.0 and 5.7), and they have shorter tails. The morphology of a magpie restricts their maximum flight speed, because they have more profile drag and a smaller thrust/drag ratio. Meanwhile, cockatiels and doves have more optimal thrust/drag ratios and their maximum flight speed is limited by the power output of their pectoralis muscles. Regarding the effect of flight style on power curves, magpies follow an intermittent pattern, while cockatiels and doves are capable of constant flight for hours.

The amount of power produced by the pectoralis muscles varied depending on flight speed. In the case of the cockatiels, the minimum output was 1.3 W at 5 m s^-1, while at maximum output it was 3.7 W at 14 m s^-1. Meanwhile, doves had a minimum output of 4.3 W at 7 m s -1, and a maximum output of 7.5 W at 17 m s^-1. Regarding wing-beat frequency data, cockatiels reached their minimum at 9 m s^-1, while doves had a wider minimum range from 7 to 13 m s^-1. The power curve for the magpies remained relatively flat between 4 and 12 m s^-1, while cockatiels produced acutely concave curves, and doves produced an intermediate shape.

The family of Gadidae contains fish such as the cod and haddock. There are 24 species of fish in this family, all of which are marine with the exception of one, the Lota lota.Gadidae are united by several characteristics. These fish have a single chin barble, three dorsal fins, two anal fins, and a diphycercal tail. Their pelvic fin is anterior to their pectoral fin, located along the same axis and close to their rostral end. The Atlantic cod specifically is very R-Selected and females of about 5kg will lay 9 million eggs. As a fish gets larger, they produce more eggs of course. Cod are relatively long lived and live to be about 25 years of age. They are predators and will eat both other fish and invertebrates. Due to their low red muscle and high white muscle conent, Cod are the perfect food fish. Their high presence in the north eastern united states have made them an economic staple. Unfortunately commercial fishing has dimminished their populations.

The goal of this study was to determine how cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and ringed turtle-doves (Streptopelia risoria) perform during flight in regard to their mechanical power curves. According to aerodynamic theory such curve should be U-shaped, but the only test up to date was performed with black-billed magpies (Pica pica) and produced a relatively flat power curve.

Animal locomotion requires mechanical power exerted by the muscles, and chemical energy in the form of ATP. In the case of a flying bird, wing shape and flight style can influence its power curve, which represents the relation between mechanical power and forward velocity. The aspect ratio of a wing is determined by its width and length. Short and broad wings such as those of a magpie, provide great maneuverability for navigating in dense environments like a forest. Meanwhile, long and narrow wings have a higher aspect ratio and are useful for speed and soaring like the wings of albatrosses, which spend most of the time soaring over the ocean in search of fish.

Studying the behavior of Misumena vatia when offered the choice between different backgrounds will broaden our knowledge and understanding of some aspects of the life history of a key player in the ecology of New England fields. Due to its relative abundance and easy rearing in a lab setting, Misumena vatia is an optimal subject for investigating the mechanisms of crypsis and color change in spiders. This set of experiments is directed towards the spider's ability of distinguishing different colors and responding to them in order to blend in with the environment. It is important to approach the behavioral choices of this spider towards different backgrounds based on variations of the three primary colors, because we need to establish a set of parameters of color recognition before introducing new variables. Once the experiments are concluded, we will investigate if such behavioral responses have a broader implication by being correlated to flowers that its prey visits with more frequence.

Due to a new retrovirus that is killing domestic dogs at rapid speeds, only one vaccine can be made to save one breed. The Labrador Retriever, one of the most popular and beloved dog breeds, makes the most sense to save for many reasons. The Labrador Retriever does well in a variety of environments and  is known for being an overall good dog. They have a loyal, loveable, and happy personality that any family would be happy to have in their home. They make for good companions and are happiest when they are with you. It is not difficult to please Labrador Retrievers and it is easy to form a meaningful bond with this beautiful breed. Whether it is playing fetch outside or laying next to you on the couch, these dogs love being with you.

9 cellar spiders will be obtained and used for this project to see how different temperatures affect web production. 3 spiders will be used for the cooler temperature, 3 will be used for room temperature, and 3 will be used for the warmer temperature. Room temperature is roughly 20°C, so we will use 10°C for the cool temperature condition and 30°C for the warmer temperature condition. For this experiment, 9 plastic cups with covers and straws will be used for each spider to live in and produce webs. Holes will be poked on the top of the container for air access. 3 plastic straws will be put in each cup and be used as points for spiders to make their webs. Each plastic cup and its 3 straws will be weighed before a spider is placed in it. Label each container with temperature condition and spider number and place one spider in each container.

The 9 spiders will then be put in their respective temperature environment. 3 containers with spiders will be placed inside in a space with room temperature. For the room temperature environment, the spiders will be in a styrofoam box in a room kept at roughly 20°C for insulation.

 In order to test if the precocene inhibitor worked, four separate test vials were filled about 2.5 inches with a food substance. One test tube was our control in which  10 mL of distilled water was mixed with roughly 2 grams of dry media. Each of the three other test vials were made with roughly 2 grams of media and 10 ml of a varying concentration of precocene. The concentrations of precocene increased from .01M to .1M and finally 1.0M. We then put four adult flies into each test tube, two of them were male and two were female. The flies were placed into an incubator, where they were allowed to mate and lay eggs over a week-long period. After one week, we removed the adult flies and observed the healthy larvae within the media. Next, after another week, the vials were observed again. This time, we counted the number of larvae, pupae, and adults present in each of the four vials and recorded the data shown below. The data collected was used to formulate a proper conclusion and aided us in answering the question at hand.

 

Individually we each watched 2 videos of domestic Morgan horses, Equus caballus, at the UMass Hadley Farm. Both videos had two mares and two foals of about 6 months old. We watched and observed the behaviors of the four horses for 48 minutes and 35 seconds, created a list of behaviors, and recorded the time each behavior occurred. We compared our lists and compiled all the behaviors into six tables categorized by each type of behavior: grooming, locomotion, playing, feeding, comfort, and body positioning. We determined the categories by grouping like behaviors together and establishing certain characteristics of each category. Grooming was categorized by the horse gnawing at himself or licking. Locomotion was categorized by moving locations. Playing included interaction with other horses by nudging, jumping, or gnawing. Feeding was categorized by behaviors that included the horse’s head touching the grass and the ground. Comfort included behaviors that involve just the horse, such as tail waving, that increased the comfort of the horse or interactions between the foal and the mare. We categorized body positioning as movements to the horse’s posture while they remained stationary. We rewatched the videos and took a screenshot of the behaviors at the time that we observed each behavior. The screenshots were placed into the tables and a description of each behavior was formulated. We organized the table by the category and within each category, the behaviors appear chronologically.