mtracy's blog

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.

Mimosa pudica seeds are to be purchased and grown in 5 different environments including a control. Once adequately grown the plants in each environment are to be brushed against the lateral edge of their flower with a q-tip. The time it takes for a plant to complete its closure will be timed. In the event of partial closing, the timer will be stopped when the nastic movement has completely halted.

    There will be a total of 5 different environments that each group of M. pudica will be grown in. All environments are to be on an # hour day night cycle. The control environment will be designated as Environment 1. Plants under these conditions will be allotted a normal amount of water and will be kept at a temperature of 21C. Environment 2 will have high heat and a normal water supply. Plants under these conditions will be kept at a temperature of 24C. Environment 3 will have a low heat and will be kept at a temperature of 16C. The water supply under this condition is to remain normal. Environment 4 will have a high amount of water supplied to them but be maintained at a normal temperature of 21C. Environment 5 is to have a low supply of water, and be maintained at a normal temperature of 21C.

The Neoteleostei is a clade of Actinopterygii fish and includes the Aulopiformes, Myctophiformes, and Stomiformes. All these fish largely dwell at low depths. It is important to note that as we get deeper into the ocean, the diversity of life decreases. These orders are united by several synapimophies, though the most prominent is the presence of a retractor dorsalis muscle, which aids in the manipulation of prey in the fishes phryengeal cavity. Unfortunately little is known about most of these fishes. The Aulopifromes is a bottom dwelling fish (800-15000 ft), which uses its fins to primitively walk along the substrate. This fish has no swim bladder and has a fatty adipose fin. The mouth of this fish is at an odd upward angle. Mychtophifromes, otherwise known as the lantern fish also has an adipose fin on their caudal end. These fish have photophores, which emit light. The light is ethier directly emited by the fish or by bacteria in pockets on the fish. Stomiformies, otherwise known as the dragon fish has similar photophores to Mychtopiformes. These fishes have long barbles located on their "chins" as well.

Moromyridae is a family of fish which includes the Aba and elephant nose fishes. These fish a very large brain compared with their body weight. This is mostly due to their large cerebellum. This large cerebellum controls the use of their electrcal discharging organs, which produces electric fields and may be used for detection of other fish as well as communicating with other fish. Thus, to control and process all the electrical information the cerebellum of the fish has expanded and gotten larger. Another interesting characteristic of Moromydridae is that their swim bladder extends into their braincase and the addition of a bony rod which supports their caudual peduncle. These structures help maintain a rigid bent shape to the fish. This ridgid shape is necessary due to their organs which produce an electric field. If they were to move, even a tiny bit, their electrical field would be disrupted, and thus they must maintain a ridgid shape. As a result these fish largely move by sending sin waves down their dorsal fin, producing as little change in their shape as possible.

There is a new retrovirus which is devastating dog populations and killing at an astoundingly rapid rate. It is of course a terrible shame to let any dog suffer and die. Unfortunately we only have enough vaccine supply to save one breed. As a dog lover and a biologist my best recommendation would be to save German Shepherds.

When someone thinks of a dog they want to have as part of their family, what traits come to mind first? Loyalty, protective, affectionate and playful are likely candidates. German Shepherds encompass these traits wonderfully. They are a loyal and protective dog and would make good guard dogs for families. This breed is also known to be highly intelligent. They also require relatively little maintenance when compared to other dogs. Of course they are highly energetic and love to play as well! Overall, the German Shepherd has a great temperament and will make the an excellent addition to any family and may fill a variety of other roles, such as a service or police dog.

I must reiterate how terrible it is that we are forced to choose a single breed to save because of this awful retrovirus. I do not want to see any dog suffer, and I especially do not want to see any breed completely vanish. However, for the reasons stated previously, and in my opinion as a dog lover, I believe our best choice of dog breed to save is the German Shepherd.

Citation:

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog

Unfortunately there is a new retrovirus which is devastating dog populations. As a dog lover and a biologist my best recommendation would be to save German Shepherds with our small supply of vaccine. It is of course a shame to let any dog breed suffer and die, though I truly believe the German shepherd is the best breed to save.

When someone thinks of a dog they want to have as part of their family, what traits come to mind first? For most, this would likely be loyalty, protective and affection. German Shepherds encompass these traits wonderfully. They are a loyal and protective dog and would make a good guard dog for any family. Not only that, but they are a very intelligent breed of dog. These dogs require relatively little maintenance when compared to other dogs. Overall, the German Shepherd has a great temperament and will make the an excellent addition to any family. I must reiterate, that it is terrible that this retrovirus is killing at such a rapid rate. The decision is not a simple one, but I believe German Shepherds are the best dog breed candidate to be saved.

The family of Lepisoseidae contains the Garr. These fish mainly reside in freshwater areas, though some do stray into brachish waters. The garr has a long snout region made of elongated ethmoid bone and has a surprisingly small maxilla bone. Their mouths contain plicidentine teeth, in which the structure forms folds around the center of the tooth. A Garr's vertebra have opisthoelous centra, meaning the front of the vertebra is wedged outward, while the back is inward. These vertebra will therefore fit together, almost like a puzzle piece. The garr is a large ray finned and piscivarous fish, meaning it feeds mainly on other fish. They are covered in tough ganoid scales. Garr have a morphology which supports quick bursts of energy and a quick strike, rather than a constant high swimming speed. These are generally slow moving, but when prey drifts by it will quickly lash out to catch it and devour it.

The Haleocomorphi contains the family of Amiidae, known more commonly as the bowfin fish. Amia calva is one such bowfin. These fish have cycloid scales and have diplospondylous caudal vertebra. This means that for every spine which comes off the vertebra, there are two centra. This is oppose to a monospondylous vertebra which has one centra per spine. Amia have a vascularized swim bladder which may be used to take in air, though these fish mainly breathe through the use of their gills. Still, they may live outside of water for some time, given their gills remain wet (ie: in muddy soil). Amia prefers slow moving waters with lots of vegetation. The males will build a nest amongst the weeds and defend them. Males will mate with a number of females and vis versa. The eggs hatch in 5-10 days depending on water tempreature. We have Amia in Massachusettes, however they are not native. Rather they were introduced in the 70's and migrated to the main rivers in the region.

Enzymes are classed based on the mechanism by which they intereact with their substrates and their general function. An oxioreductase will transfer electrons from a molecule. As the name suggests, this type of enzyme performs either oxidation or reduciton. Usually this is through NAD+, NADP+, or FAD, which are strong electron carriers. A transferse simply transfers functional groups between molecules. These reactions always have at least two reactants. Isomerase are similar in that functional groups are transfered, though this is confined to a single molecule. In other words, an isomerase creates an isomer. Hydrolase enzymes break large molectules into smaller molecules with the use of water. The parts that are broken are then combined with the water, in many cases. Ligases combine two molecules forming a larger one. This is usually done in the presence of ATP and water. Much of the time the water molecule is produced, such as in a condensation reaction. A lyase simply breaks bonds without the use of oxidation or hydrolisis. In many cases double bonds are formed or broken. This may also be the case with ring structures.

Kinetics governs how quickly a chemical reaction occurs. Chemical reactions may be exergonic or endergonic. During an exergonic reaction, molecules with high free energy, become molecules with low free energy. These reactions generally release energy and thus have a negative delta G value, are favorable and spontaneous. Endergonic reactions do the opposite, turning molecules with low free energy into molecules with a high free energy. Therefore, exergonic reactions require energy, which is stored within the bonds of the molecules. This also means the reaction has a positive delta G, is unfavorable and not spontaneous.

In order to make a chemical reaction occur more quickly, enzymes are used. The mechanism by which enzymes work is described by an induced fit concept. This means that the enzyme orientates molecules in such a way to favor the transition state of a reaction. In other words, the delta G of the transition state is decreased, decreasing the activation energy of the reaction. It is important to note that the delta G of the reaction of as a whole, the difference between products and reactants, does not change.