Tidy datasets have a specific structure
Data Semantics
To compile my three pictures into one figure, I used the inkscape software. I imported all three images (spider web with water bottle, full image of the ISB wall and openstreet map of ISB) and resized them to fit each other better. To avoid stretching, I used the “lock” feature (as explained in Dr. Brewer’s video about compositing), and changed the height and width of pictures instead of using the arrows to drag the corners. The picture which displayed a close-up of the spider web with a water bottle for scale had the width x height dimensions of 200 x 357 mm. The openstreet map illustrating the location of ISB was 400 x 314 mm, and the photograph showing the setting (brick wall of ISB where the web was perched) was 200 x 357 mm.
To make my figure, I needed to get a high quality map illustrating the location. Thus, I went to openstreetmap.org and typed “Amherst, MA” into the search bar. Next, I zoomed till Integrated Sciences Building came to focus. I zoomed until the right side of ISB only showed Life Sciences Laboratory and the left only showed till the Campus Bookstore. The upper perimeter cut off at the East Experiment Station and the lower perimeter showed till Peet’s Coffee. When I had a zoomed-in version of the map that I wanted, I clicked on the link to share and downloaded the image in PNG format.
Observation and inference are two terms that are closely associated but should not be confused as synonyms. Whereas an observation is the direct relaying of what happened, inferences are possible explanations behind those observations. Observation is the direct information we have gathered, and inferences are what we can extrapolate from those information using prior knowledge. For example, if we see smoke wafting through the chimney, we can predict that someone has lit the fireplace. The smoke in the chimney is our observation. We don’t directly see the lit fireplace, so this is not our observation, merely an inference stemming from the fact that normally chimney smoke results from a fire.
For easy replicability, it was important that the camera position was something that anyone could achieve. The web picture was taken from between the break in the bushes. This area was used because it was the closest you could get to the web without disturbing it. To include the whole web and the gift card that was used for scale, the phone was held about 1.5 feet above the web. At 1.5 feet above, the gift card that was placed on the bottom right side of the photograph was easily seen. The phone was placed completely horizontal as the web was also flat against the bush. The photograph includes the whole web, but there is also a little bit of space around the edges where there is no web and only needles from the bushes. When it came to taking the picture of the environment, the camera position was at a 90-degree angle. The position it was taken from was about 4 feet right, and 3 feet backward from the web. From this position, the image was able to include the web, all the corner bushes, some of French Hall, a wooden structure that held saplings, and the Permaculture Garden shed in the background. This angle was chosen because it allowed for a lot of nature in the picture, and not only man-made structures such as buildings.
The picture of the spider web was taken on an overcast day. The time of day was 11:55am so the sun was overhead, but not shining bright due to clouds. Although clouds filled the sky, no precipitation had fallen. The air was still as there was no wind. It was chosen to take the picture during this weather because in the fall this weather is present a lot during the Fall.
When categorizing animal behavior to make an ethogram, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, if a behavior happens only once or for a short duration of time it would be classified as an event. For example, if I were to do a single push up or throw a ball one time, these would be called events. However, if a behavior were to happen multiple times it would be known as a state. Let’s say I were to do 10 pushup or throw a ball five times, these would be sates since they are prolonged, repeated behaviors. The next important concept is that groups of behaviors can be brought together and called bouts. A bout is a series of movements or behaviors that ultimately reach the same goal. For example, a lion would stalk its prey, chase it down, attack it and eat it. All these behaviors are distinct and separate events, but when looking at the broad spectrum, they are all joined together to reach the goal of feeding and can therefore be classified as a bout. Lastly, it is empirical to make accurate observations and record the data thoroughly so that you can have as accurate an ethogram as possible. Programs like JWatcher allow you to enter behaviors as key codes so that the data collection process is fast and accurate.
Before starting the exploration for a spider web, I brainstormed some locations that spiders may be present on campus. Initially, I thought to look in the old academic buildings on campus, such as Bartlett, Herter, or the Morrill Science Buildings. It was easiest for me to search in the Morrill Science Buildings first due to my class schedule, specifically Morrill II. When looking for a spider web in Morrill II, I knew to look in areas that were undisturbed. This was because undisturbed areas, such as corners and closets, would give a spider the opportunity to build a web without any complications. I slowly examined each hallway, looking in corners and stairwells. Finally, on the third floor, in the hallway connecting the Morrill II building and the Morrill III building, I came across a concaved rectangle in the wall. The groove in the wall looked untouched for a decent amount of time. I approached the bottom left corner of the groove and found a small spider sitting in the middle of a faint web. I took several pictures of the spider and its web with the flash on. Some pictures were facing down toward the web and some were taken against the left wall to display the definition of the web. The flash seemed to scare the spider further back into the corner, therefore I tried not to take excess pictures. In addition, I took a picture of the hallway the wall indentation was located to orient my reader as to where I found the spider web.
I needed labels on each of my pictures to enable me to easily identify them when referencing my figure. I used the text feature on Inkscape and typed the letter “A” off to the side of the figure. The letter would be hard to see on top of my pictures, therefore I used the rectangle and square feature to create a box around the letter. I edited the box to obtain a white background allowing the black font letter to be easily visible. I selected the letter “A”, raised it to the top of the box and centered the letter using the alignment settings on Inkscape. To move the letter in the box as a full unit, I selected both and grouped them. This label is now completed, yet I needed four additional labels for the rest of my pictures. I selected the “A” label and duplicated it four times. The text feature was used to edit the duplicates to display letters “B-E”. The labels were then positioned in the top left corner of each picture. Lastly, I believed an arrow pointing to the corner of the groove in the wall that the spider was found would be necessary to the readers understanding of the location. The straight line feature was used to make a diagonal line that was around one inch in length. I thickened the line and added an arrow marker to the end. The arrow was positioned pointing down, from the top right side, to the bottom left corner in the hallway that the spider was found.
My figure was finished and ready to be saved and exported. First, I selected document properties to resize page to content. This allowed my image to be the same size as a piece of paper. I set the background color to be white by selecting the bottom “A” column and moving the curser to the right. This ensured that my figure was not transparent. I saved my figure with the title of my username, followed by “-original.svg”. Lastly, I exported my figure as a PNG and set my image width to 1200 pixels. My multi-panel figure of my spider web and its location was complete and exported.
Across all species, there are three categories in which a fetus develops in utero. While each are different on their own accord, they can all be traced back to the original embryonic egg called microlecithal development. To be classified as microlecithal the eggs must have very little yolk, divide uniformly (2,4,8,16, etc.), be of similar size, and go through a complete division before the next stage of development can begin. Organisms that practice this mode of development belong to the amphioxi and lampreys. Mesolectihal development arose next in amphibians like frogs and salamanders. This development is characterized by the formation of two poles in an egg, one being an animal pole and the other being a vegetal pole. The animal pole is the sight of active equatorial division whereas the vegetal pole seldomly divides. Amniotes gave rise to the third and final category of development. Macrolectihal development is categorized by a very large yolk sac on which the embryo develops. The top of the egg has a very small disc of rapidly dividing cells which gives rise to the embryo. Once the embryo forms, it envelops the yolk sac and draws nutrients from it so that it can later form surrounding materials and organelles for waste and gas exchange. This process is very similar to that of placental organisms. The only difference is that placental mammals secondarily derived a microlecithal process from the macrolecithal mode of development.
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