brettconnoll's blog

P. hydrobothynus is a sexually dimorphic species of otter. The male otters have very large and colorful mane made of orange, yellow, and red and a dark brown body with a white underside. They have a short stocky body, a short fat tail, and a much more robust pectoral girdle. Males are usually only 1 meter long, and 0.35 meters tall. The female otters are dark brown in color with a white underside and are camouflaged in the murky water and muddy banks. The female stellar river otters are built like a traditional river otter and are very streamline with a long wing-like tail, and a longer skinnier body. Females tend to be roughly 1.2 meters long, and are 0.2 m tall. The male and female both have very thick fur to stay dry and for insulation. The two sexes are so morphologically different they were first thought to be different species; however, a distinct red diamond pattern on the chest of this species was the first clue that the discoverers had in determining they were the same species. 

The Tasmanian Devil is an iconic, and charismatic species that lives on the Island of Tasmania off the coast of Australia. Reports started 1996 of Tasmanian Devils with large facial and neck tumors. The cancer is transmitted through an infected individual by biting a healthy individual. Due to the Tasmanian Devil’s tendency to fight, and bite each other over territory, food and sex the tumors are passed fairly quickly through populations. The tumors begin to proliferate and can prevent the Tasmanian Devil from breathing, and eating; however, it may take time for the tumors to get large enough to do kill the infected individual giving the cancer plenty of time to get passed on. The tumors are killing many Tasmanian Devils and certain populations throughout Tasmania have been reduced more than 90% in the last 20 years and is now considered endangered. 

    Devil face tumor disease or DFTD is exterminating populations of Tasmanian devils throughout Tasmania due to its ability to be transmitted between individuals. The cancer is able to do this not through the use of a virus but instead, the cancer cell itself is able to bypass the devil’s immune system and colonize the host's tissue. This study looked into the mechanics of how this happens and how it can be treated. The cancer cells go undetected by the host's immune system due to the low genetic diversity of the MHC gene and overall poor genetic diversity, and inbreeding of the populations of Tasmanian devils throughout the island. MHC gene helps the body create T-cells and immune responses to tumors. The cancer cells express this gene allowing it to evade the host's immune system because it recognizes it as its own cell due to the poor genetic diversity of this gene. Methods to help stop this have been attempting to develop a vaccine, keeping healthy populations of Tasmanian devils in captivity, and introducing new Tasmanian devils into areas with very low genetic diversity in hope of creating resistant individuals.

The fact that a type of cancer can be transmissible is very scary and somewhat intimidating. Many populations of Tasmanian Devils don’t stand a chance against this cancer and their future is looking very bleak. The one bright side to this disease is that we can study transmissible cancer. These cancers are extremely rare with only a few other cases in the entire world. Understanding how these cancers work will help us develop new methods of treatment in case more diseases like this develop in the future. Transmissible cancers are extremely dangerous and have shown that they can obliterate a species in no time at all. I believe that studying this cancer and finding a cure for it is going to be incredibly beneficial for humans and the Tasmanian devils.

1. Organization is key. The poster needs to look like it was it was put together in order and easy for people to read.

2. Having big easy to read titles. It should be very apparent to the reader what will be on the poster just by looking at the title and different section titles of the poster.

3. There should be a limit to the number of figures used. There shouldn't be more figures than there are sections in the poster. One or two figures is enough and possibly an additional picture or two of what you are studying to help readers get an idea of what the study was about.

4. The text should be clear, concise, and brief if possible. The text with all of the information in it should be brief so that readers don't spend too long just reading small text. The poster needs to get its points across in as few words as possible while still fully explaining the subject/project.

5. Using color can help readers find different portions of the poster. You can highlight different sections to help readers jump around to the different parts. The colors used shouldn't be too bright or abrasive. They should be kept pretty neutral.

6. Any figures or pictures should have a heading or description of what it is showing. Figures should also include some form of a key if applicable so that they may be easier to understand.

7. There needs to be a balance of the spaced used between text boxes and figures/ images. You don't want the figures to take up the majority of the poster, also you don't want a poster that is mostly text because that may deter people from reading it. 

8. Make sure that the font is big enough for people to read from a distance. You don't want people to be less than a foot away to have to read your poster.

These dogs are an incredible and useful tool that our Police, and military are able to use for a number of different tasks. Losing breeds like the German Shepard could be very detrimental to our police force here in America and our military overseas. They are used as guard dogs, attack dogs, they help find drugs and bombs, and help to rescue people. Without these dogs, the productivity of the forces that keep our country safe may be greatly diminished. The German Shepard is a charismatic, intelligent, useful, and affectionate dog breed and these characteristics make it the perfect candidate to receive the vaccine for the retrovirus.

There is one dog that is found on this planet that is versatile in every way not only can it perform jobs for the government and military, but it is capable of being a loving companion and family dog. The German Shepard is one of Americas most popular dog breeds and there is a good reason for it. The German Shepard excels in athletic ability, it can be easily trained, and outside of some inbreeding is an incredibly healthy and resilient breed. German Shepard’s are also known for having medium to large litter sizes with the average being 8 puppies and ranges in litter sizes from 1 to 15 puppies. This large litter size could help the population rise faster than other breeds could. In addition, these puppies are very charismatic, energetic, and intelligent and have big floppy ears until they are a couple of months old making them very adorable. The German Shepard is an incredibly charismatic and loved dog, however, its friendliness and loyalty are equally matched by its usefulness in our police and in our military.

Title: Behavioral and metabolic contributions to thermoregulation in freely swimming leatherback turtles at high latitudes

By: James P. Casey, Michael C. James, Amanda S. Williard

Published: The journal of experimental biology

Volume-217 issue-13

Published in 2014

Background/ introduction

• Leather back sea turtles and seen in waters from the tropical equator to islands off of Canada (Nova scotia)
• They travel to the northern Atlantic in the late summer/ autumn to eat gelatinous zooplankton
• Proposed that by maintaining a thermal gradient between core body temperature and ambient water temperature
• With average water surface temps of 16.2 °C they maintained a thermal gradient of 5.1- 10.8 °C
• Usually weigh from 250-600 g’s with a small surface area to volume ratio and numerous and robust fat deposits makes them predetermined to hold in heat
• Vascular heat exchangers at the base of the flippers and blood flow adjustments permit tight control of heat loss at the extremities, and a vascular plexus lining the trachea minimizes respiratory heat loss. They utilize counter current heat exchange
• Metabolic heat production is the primary source of heat gain for the leatherback
• Its seen that juveniles with increase their activity when swimming in cold water. The metabolic heat from the moving muscles is used to generate heat for the body and maintain a thermal gradient.
• In adults its proposed that they utilize the metabolic heat gained from internal organs and foraging
• Some behavioral adaptations for leatherbacks are seen in the tropics where they will dive very deep in order to prevent overheating. This may be a strategy used in cold water except instead of diving very deep they may just remain closer to the surface to bask.
• Our primary goal was to investigate the behavioral and metabolic factors that contribute to the maintenance of elevated Tb under natural conditions.

Methods

• We deployed a combination of stomach temperature pills (STPs) and satellite-linked data recorders on leatherback turtles offshore Eastern Canada.
• The instrumentation provided data on dive patterns, Tb within the gastrointestinal tract, Ta, and location via the Argos Satellite System. Linear mixed models were used to explore the effects of dive behavior, diel status and residency status on Tb and the maximum change in Tb (ΔTb). We used our calculated values for mean Tg, a range of values for insulation thickness of the shell (L), and data and equations from the published literature to estimate rates
• We evaluate the contribution of SDA to heat production in foraging leatherbacks, and consider the energetic cost associated with thermoregulation.
• Resident= foraging, post resident = migratory

Results

• Only used data collected north of 42°N
• Turtles with 56 to 131 days of collection were used
• All turtles maintained a constant diving patter with dives  being on average 20+- 6 m
• All turtles showed roughly the same mean time for basking from 41% +- 8% to 36%+- 13%

• They found no significant correlation between mass and Tb
• Surface and diel status were the best determinants for Tb
• Tb increased with increased time at the surface in addition Tb was higher at night than it was in the day
• Cooling occurred during the day warming occurred at night
• Heat loss decreased as the turtles got thicker

Discussion

• Found that leatherbacks keep a Tg >10°C in Canadian waters through behavioral, and physiological means
• Individual leatherbacks spent 16–54% of time at the surface while north of 42°N. These results align with previous research at our study site, which documented surface times up to 41% for leatherbacks
• leatherbacks passively floating at the surface, flippers extended, during daylight hours at northern foraging grounds provide evidence that turtles may also bask to absorb solar radiation
• Modification of dive patterns to exploit warmer water at the surface and reduce rates of heat loss may be an important component of the leatherback's thermoregulatory strategy at high latitudes.
• It is important to note that we measured Tb from within the gastrointestinal tract; consequently, variation in Tb reflects cooling due to prey ingestion and warming due to SDA and transfer of heat via blood flow.
• heat gain for leatherbacks derives from metabolic processes
• so alterations in dive behavior are unlikely to contribute to the night-time warming trend
• We conclude that endogenous heat production warms gastrointestinal tract contents and accounts for the positive ΔTb observed during the night.
• Issues in the study – Some of the core temperatures taken could’ve been from parts in the turtle that are hotter than the periphery and organs next to them. On example is that the cloaca is 2.1°C warmer than the gastrointestinal tract.
• The metabolic processes to generate heat relied heavily on the rate of c consumption of prey, and the amount of thickness in the turtles insulating layer. Needed a thickness of 3.5 cm.
• These estimates illustrate that visceral metabolic heat production plays an important role in maintaining stable Tb for leatherbacks foraging in cold water.\
• The study also found that leatherbacks continue to forage in the beginning of their migration back south

What dog breed to chose?

- It needs to have a good health record and a low probability of health risks as it gets older

- needs to be a species that has avoided inbreeding

- Is the dog cute, and is it well tempered? People are going to want a dog that they percieve as being charasmatic and adorable.

- Does the dog have a long life span? These dogs need to live long enough to have puppies

- Is the dog big or small? the size of the dog could lead to other health risks.

- The dog should also have a large litter size in order to help bring back the population.

- The dog should also be somewhat athletic and hardy so that they would be able to survive in tough conditions.

    This study can help the students and faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst get a better understanding of the insect and invertebrate biodiversity found on the school’s campus. The information gathered in this study can also help understand the overall distribution and favored environments of the species found at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. INsects are the foundations of many ecosystems and understanding their biodiversity and distribution can be huge in promoting a healthy environment. Additional information that could be found in this study may include the effects of urban development on insect and invertebrate biodiversity, the effects of pollution on insect and invertebrate biodiversity, and the favorable soil quality and water availability of specific insects and invertebrates on our campus. The University of Massachusetts Amherst is trying to become a clean, and green campus and the understanding of the biodiversity, favorable habitats, and overall abundance of the insects on the campus is the next step in understanding how the students and faculty can make the University of Massachusetts Amherst a cleaner campus.