Lizards Building Defense Against Poison

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2012/02/28/toxicomania-poisonous-invasive-plant-protects-australian-lizards-cane-toads/



A flower known as the mother of millions is reproducing very quickly.  The flowers contain a type of poison and kill cattle that devour them. The poison found in the mother of millions plant was a lot like the poison found in some frogs. When the lizards ate the flower they gained a defense against the toads poison and allowed them to eat them with out feeling the effects of the poison to the fullest extend. Through natural selection  also helped snakes develop a tolerance to the poison, it only took 20 to 40 generations to take effect.  The Australian government is going to focus on destroying the frogs were the mother of millions is not present, and would have a bigger impact on species 

I think it is crazy how fast natural selection can work. I was told for most animals it would take a human life for changes to be noticed but it seems like it happens a lot faster than that. It also seems a little like a game in some ways.  One animal makes a move to get a jump another, if the other animal does not a move then it will lose and die. I also think it is interesting to see that some exotic species are not always bad ,as in this case. It is still bad though since many animals still die from the flowers poison.

1. How fast does it take for natural selection to take place?
2. How much will the population of toads drop?
3. Could the toads go through natural selection and get an even stronger poison?

Feral Australian Camels--Invasive Species

Picture: This is a male camel's mating call. Male camels in Australia have been reported to injure and even kill humans. This is what the male camel may look like shortly before an attack. Summary: Between 1840 and 1907, 20,000 camels were inported to Australia from India. They were used to explore the then-mysterious inner regions of the continent, and for a while as beasts of burden. The foreign species became feral when camels broke away from their captors in 1860. By 1960, the feral camel population was estimated at 20,000, but some think it may have numbered more closely to 90,000. Camels have caused some damage to vegetation. Most of their preferred food is not shared by other animals. Though they pose little competition, camels do pose a serious health risk for native species, as carriers of many diseases including rabies, camel pox, and anthrax. Camel pox mutates quickly and transfers easily between species. Camel populations have also befouled watering holes with waste. When in the mating season, male camels become extremely aggressive and have been reported to injure or kill livestock and humans. Feral populations have no natural predators, so populations grow unchecked, especially since camels may live 50 years, 47 of which they are reproducing. Their appetites effect the populations of many plant species, as they browse without any specificity. They have caused the local extinction of plumbush, native apricot, and Lawrencia, to name a few. Camels, in addition to all this, emit methane at a rate of about .97 tonnes a year. Opinion/Reflection: I was surprised to find that there were feral camels in Australia, let alone that they could be aggressive! I have been viewing camels as mostly benevolent for a long time, and had no clue that they...kill people. These problems are serious indeed, but I am not an advocate of the culling of any animal. Perhaps could they control birth rates in some way? I have heard about a sort of birth control for deer in the United States, and I wonder how successful that was, and if it would work for camels. 1. What should be done about the camel population? 2. Do you think there is a way that the dispersion of camels could have been prevented, short of never introducing them? 3. How do you think these feral camels fit into the natural order of their environments? Posted by Kim Hughes to Blog Mastersesesesekfhgfladsfysldfliaufds at February 27, 2012 5:30 PM

Invasive Species

http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/Issues/InvasiveSpecies.cfm
Picture: The "air potato" is an example of an invasive species introduced to America by Africa in 1905. It has the ability disrupt natural processes such as fire and water flow.

Summary: Invasive species are species of a certain environment that are, either intentionally or unintentionally, taken to other ecosystems by humans. Once species invades an ecosystem, it either dies out, or disrupts the natural process of the native ecosystem and species that live in it. This causes native species and invasive species to compete for survival. Ultimately, one species, usually the fitter of the two, will survive. One simple species may drastically change the native population for multiple reasons. One of which is the fact that it disrupts the natural food chain. Invasive species potentially have the power to even harm humans, through unnatural succession.

Opinion/reflection: It is amazing how much humans harm nature, in general. Countries should take species invasion more seriously. Also, humans should realize what they are doing to nature and native species by introducing invasive species.

Questions:

• If you think about it, have you ever introduced an invasive species to a native area?
• Are invasive species always bad?
•  Specifically, how can humans stop this problem?

 

Structural and Behavioral Adaptations

Structural and Behavioral Adaptations http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep1.htmsome examples of adaptation include: giraffes' long necks, birds' wings, and bears hibernating

Summary: all organisms have adaptations to help them survive. some are structural, some behavioral. Adaptations are the result of evolution. It usually occurs when a gene mutates and the resulting change allows the organism to survive better. The gene is passed along through the species as generations pass, which can takes thousands -- sometimes millions -- of years
Opinion/Reflection: I was somewhat startled at how long it takes for an adaptation to spread through an entire species. I think that we should keep a close eye on certain species that might be forced to adapt soon  due to pressure caused by humans.
Questions:
Even though the adaptations are  mutations, what controls whether the gene for the mutation is dominant or recessive???
Name some of the major causes of adaptation
Describe survival of the fittest
are humans evolving backwards?

Endangered Snapping Turtles

Article By: Mary Ormsby
Date of publication: 2/18/2012
Article: Ontario snapping turtle endangered yet hunted
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/1133454--ontario-snapping-turtle-endangered-yet-hunted

Summary: While people have been focusing on the endangered polar bears in the arctic, we have to remember there are other endangered species. In Ontario,Canada the Ontario snapping turtle has been endangered for a while. The problem arises when these turtles are being hunted and sold on the black market.In Ontario there are some restrictions as to how, when and where to hunt turtles.But,when people go in to hunt these turtles, there is no one to watch them,and sometimes they take more turtles than they are supposed.Poachers look for the older turtles, and these are the turtles that the other turtles look to for off-springs. Some turtles are even giving birth after one hundred years.Hunting these older turtles can affect the future of hatch lings very severely. There is some environmental value for the snapping turtle, they borrow holes that other animals such as small frogs,small reptiles,and fish use. In addition to that snapping turtles are also environment "cleaners", as they eat dead fishes and weeds. Snapping turtles are important to the environment,and should not be hunted anymore.

 Picture: Snapping Turtles like this one are sold in China and Canada.Sometimes even bigger ones too.

Opinion/Reflection: I did not think that snapping turtles were an endangered species in Ontario. It is obvious from this article these species should no longer be hunted. They are certainly a big part of their ecosystem as they help give small animals shelter,and are environmental "cleaners".It was interesting how they had conducted the experiment on the old turtle, and that it is still reproducing,even after a hundred years.Lately there have been many different cases of endangered animals all over the world, so we should do our best to try to stop it right away. Some species that are endangered are the polar bears in the North pole, Panda bears in Asia, and even gorillas in Africa, are all endangered. 

Questions: 

1.How can I, as an average citizen,stop the endangerment of snapping turtles?

2.What is happening with the snapping turtles in the U.S.?

3.Why haven't the officials in Ontario keep tabs on the amount of snapping turtles being hunted?