aprisby's blog

Mnemiopsis were jellyfish released into the Black Sea while the Black Sea was already facing problems due to increased inputs of nutrients. Eutrophication is an increase in the nutrient content of an ecosystem. Mnemiopsis increased rapidly causing zooplankton to decrease, phytoplankton to increase, oxygen concentrations to decrease, fish to decrease. Populations can change from birth, death, immigration, and emigration. Population dynamics are how populations change in abundance overtime. Population fluctuations are how the population changes in size, abundance, and numbers. Populations rise and fall about the mean. Population outbreak is when populations are exploding in numbers. Population cycles are alternating periods of high and low abundance occur after constant intervals of time. They may be caused by Internal factors (hormones or behavioral changes) or external factors (weather, food, predators).

The combination of our target corridors and habitats, total to a cost of 5 million dollars which is directly in line with our budget. All of our financial resources will be used to their fullest potential as the impact of the protected habitats and corridors will allow for the continued gene flow and safe passage from one jaguar population to another. There will be $2,650,000 allotted to the conservation of certain corridors while the remaining $2,350,000 will be used to protect valuable populations throughout South and Central America.Affected by habitat loss, fragmentation, human wildlife conflicts and illegal wildlife trade, jaguars are a species that face the risk of extinction as a direct result of human actions. Although countless populations continue to decline through poaching, ecosystem degeneration, and human intolerance, there is hope. Through our efforts in preserving jaguar habitat patches and corridors, jaguars are able to disperse, bringing new genetic material to new areas to increase genetic variability which helps to preserve populations. Choosing to conserve habitat patches of decreasing species allows them the ability and space to grow, while conserving areas of stable populations provides healthy populations. Preserving the corridors which connect these two permits jaguar populations to expand their gene pool which in turn promotes the best traits to be selected which will allow the species to better adapt and survive.

We have chosen habitats 11 and 12 because their populations are below 50 and steadily decreasing; it is essential that we protect these areas so that the two populations do not go extinct. Similarly, habitats 13 and 14 hold decreasing  populations. As a result. we must conserve corridors W, U, V, and T. Since U and V connect 11 and 12 to 13 and 14 , W connects these populations to habitats 15, 16, and 17, all holding stable populations. We will conserve these steady populations because it is important that the depleted and decreasing populations have access to healthy ones in order to increase genetic variability. We have also chosen to protect habitat 20 because although it is further from our other chosen areas, the location itself holds minimal data on jaguar population status. This area is critical for further research to determine if it is in danger or not. Likewise to corridor W, we will protect corridor T because this connects the decreasing populations to habitat 2 which is a large, stable population. It will be preserved like habitats 15, 16, and 17 to increase the jaguar population gene pool which allows for better adaptation and survival rates. Next to habitat 2, we will also conserve corridor A connecting to habitat 1 because although habitat 1 is currently stable, if this population were to become cut off from habitat 2 it would fall at risk to inbred populations. Additionally because it is located further north, this will allow for further jaguar migration and dispersal to different areas in the north. Next to habitat 2, we will protect habitats 3 and 4 due to decreasing population and by connecting them we hope to stabilize habitat 2 with more migration. Along these lines, corridor E will be conserved so that it may bridge together habitats 3 and 4 with 6, 7, and 8 to allow for dispersal of varied populations. Habitats 6 and 7 both contain populations that are below 50 animals and steadily decreasing, so conserving and connecting these to neighboring populations should preserve these populations from total extinction and allow them to grow. Finally, we will protect habitat 8 because it is the only piece of land connected to the decreasing populations in habitats 6 and 7, therefore allowing these populations to intermingle. This  will help them to maintain a diverse gene pool and increase overall population size.

The Swainson hawk is a type of buteo that is a long distance migrant that breeds along the west of the United States. This large predator has an average length of 19-22 inches, and a wingspan of 46-54 inches. It prefers to hunt in open areas, in habitats such as plains, farmlands, or dry grassland. Although the bird is large in size, it primarily feeds on small birds, small mammals, reptiles, and catching insects midair. In contrast, another type of buteo is called the Broadwing hawk, located in the east of the United States. The Broadwing hawk is among the smallest of buteos, with length of 13-18 inches, and a wingspan of 32-38 inches. It has a broader diet than the Swainson hawk, but it is comprised of similar items. This bird prefers to hunt from a perch, waiting for prey along woodland/forest edges and near water. Broadwings seems to prefer forests to wait for insects while the swainson will catch insects midair in the clearings. Broadwings don’t prefer to hunt on the wing, and have smaller more rounded wings. I would guess that because they do not hunt on the wing as frequently, they do not need to have large wings like the Swainson, which primarily hunts while soaring.

If there is a new retrovirus that will cause domestic dogs to become extinct, than the smartest move would be to save the Sauki breed of dog. The Saluki is not only one of the oldest breeds dating back 10,000 years, but the breed is genetically very close to wolves. Saving a pregnant Saluki mother and her pups would ensure that the dog species survive this epidemic, and lead way to thriving domestic dog species once again.

    As one of the oldest breeds of dogs in the world, the slim and rugged Saluki was a hunting hound used for thousands of years. With a greyhound-like build, these dogs combine long legs, a relatively narrow body, a small waist and long tail. They are swift and agile sprinters who love the thrill of a chase. Although appearing leggy and slim, these dogs are strong and perfectly balanced, making perfect athletes. This breed is highly adaptable and able to live in almost any climate. Typically breeding with non-salukis was forbidden to allow the Saluki to remain unchanged for thousands of years, however given its closeness to wolves, it is possible this dog could be bred with wolves to preserve the agility and essence of dogs. Being that this breed has thrived for thousands of years and can withstand many climates, Salukis have proven to be a dependable, highly resilient breed that would be able to survive for several more thousand years with this vaccine. Additionally, given the Saluki perfect physique to hunt and run, this would be a great animal that would be easy to train, and could hunt for humans if need be. What if this fatal disease eventually spreads to humans? It would be essential to have an animal that could not only withstand this epidemic, but also help provide food and comfort to humans.

The topic that has intrigued me the most so far in the semester is Chapter 12 on Predation. This chapter included the several types of trophic interactions in which one species consumes another species. We categorized the different types of predator-prey relationships into carnivory, herbivory, and parasitism, and investigated the effects of selective pressures that the predator and prey species have on each other. This subject interests me because it is a basic topic I have been taught since Middle School in biology, however it is far more complex than I originally thought, so I am excited to continue to learn further details. There is an issue currently about rodent pesticides having not only a drastic effect on rodent populations but this also causing harm to the predator birds. I will be working with predator birds this summer, and the ones who are impacted by the decline in rodents, so it will be interesting to apply what I am learning about selective pressures and populations dynamics to this field.

Learning about predation has changed my view on ecology because I did not realize the extent that species can adapt in response to selective pressures. Herbivores and predators exert selective pressures on prey such as armor exterior, appearing toxic, physical defenses, or mimicry. But then predators and herbivores adapt to overcome prey defenses through physical features (snakes can unhinge jaw, eat anything), toxins, mimicry (crypsis), or detoxification. So it is interesting to see the reason certain species have particular phenotypes is because of these predation selective pressures.

Habitat patches and corridors are essential for jaguars because when young jaguars become of age, they are forced to explore their home range. This results in traveling far distances to find a home range that does not conflict with another jaguar. The jaguar is a top-level predator. It doesn't have any natural predators other than humans, who hunt them for their fur or sport.The journey they must take can be life threatening, with challenges faced along the way from humans or other jaguars. They require habitats that include food (prey), water, and vegetative cover in order to survive and reproduce. Jaguars use the pattern of dispersal, in which individuals from other areas travel to new populations, which allows them to bring new genetic material (that may better allow the species to adapt and survive) and increase genetic variability to help preserve a species. The dispersal of juveniles is important because if a population remains isolated, they may become inbred which leads to a population decrease.

This isn’t exactly biology-related, but we had to write papers for an archaeology course this week: The archaeological site that I have selected is the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site located in Saugus, Massachusetts. Founded by John Winthrop the Younger, it was supposedly in operation between 1646 and approximately 1668. The site was renamed Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site and became part of the National Park System in 1968 due to its significance to the early history of the United States. The site is nationally significant because it is the birthplace of the iron and steel industry in Colonial America, starting and sustaining skilled iron making technology in the New World. The Saugus Iron Works initiated the distribution of workers to other parts of Colonial America where they were able to establish other iron producing facilities. This was critical to the development of industry and technology in the emerging American country. In the early 17th century, iron was used to create indispensable goods such as nails, horseshoes, cookware, tools, and weapons. However the production and manufacturing of iron could only be completed by an industrial enterprise which was not available in North America during the early years of English colonization. Hence all iron goods had to be imported which was very expensive. Winthrop believed that because the colonies had a cheap and abundant supply of materials, an iron works in Massachusetts could be made to produce goods for the Colonies as well as in England itself. Eventually the Braintree Iron Works in Braintree Massachusetts was created to be the first iron works, but proved to be unsuccessful due to a lack of iron ore in the area and an inadequate supply of water to power the machinery. A new manager arose, Richard Leader, who selected a location on the Saugus River to build the next iron works called Hammersmith, which proved to be successful and one of the most technically advanced iron works in the New World.