1. Female guppies are the most attracted to the most brightly colored males, giving those males a more likely opportunity to pass their genes on to the next generation.
2. The guppy I find most interesting is the Poecilia reticulata. Its origin is Brazil, and its average size is 1.4 inches. Its color is mostly black, with yellow orange and green spots and fins.
3. The predator I found to be most interesting was the Dormitator maculatus. It is usually 27.5 inches in size, and its origin is Southern North america, the Bahamas, and Latin america.
4. Guppy habitats near mid sized dams can help keep predators out, by keeping them from moving upstream.
5. John Endler is a Ethologist and evolutionary biologist. He studies adaptation and vertebrates, and does a lot of work on guppies. He got this information from the University of Edinburgh.
6. Pool 1: Brightly multi-colored with large spots.
Pool 2: Medium coloration on body and tail with medium sized spots.
Pool: Drab coloration, very small spots, and concentrated near the tail.
7. Because certain guppies genes from that area, havnt reached other areas yet. So the brightly colored genes may not have reached the drab colored pool.
Simulation:
Trial 1: 37% Brightest, 48% bright, 9% drab, 6% drabbest.
Trial 2: 3% brightest, 35% bright, 63% drab, 0% drabbest.
Trial 3: 11%, brightest, 3% bright, 8% drab, 78% drabbest.
Trial 4: 63% brightest, 31% bright, 6% drab, 0% drabbest.
Trial 5: 0% brightest, 0% bright, 8% drab, 92% drabbest.
8. Bright guppies are more likely to be eaten by predators, so their genes wont be passed on. This means predators affect the brightness of the guppies coloration.
9. Yes, I accept it. Thats why theres not a perfect mix among pools.
10. It means that they have to try to find mates, while avoiding predators at the same time. It is already tough enough to mate, but with predators chasing them around, they are definitely in a crossfire.
11. Explained in Number 7/9.
12. The drab guppies population would rise, because the few predators would have trouble finding them anyway.
13. The brightly colored guppies population would fall, because of all the predators and their bright obviously seen colors.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Conservation for the People
Putting biodiversity and nature up against humans doesn't really make much sense. Many conservationists now argue human well-being and health be the main idea in conservation.
Preserving biodiversity for itself, mainly in areas called hot spots, is not a working conservation strategy. Paying more attension on trying to preserve ecosystems that are vital to humans material needs and health, makes much more sense. These ecosystems are ones such as forests, wetlands, keeping clean water, and protecting mangroves that helps maintain fisheries, and provide a wall of defense against storms and such.
Saving these ecosystems can help ensure that the biodiversity is preserved, and humans are still the main priority.
Preserving biodiversity for itself, mainly in areas called hot spots, is not a working conservation strategy. Paying more attension on trying to preserve ecosystems that are vital to humans material needs and health, makes much more sense. These ecosystems are ones such as forests, wetlands, keeping clean water, and protecting mangroves that helps maintain fisheries, and provide a wall of defense against storms and such.
Saving these ecosystems can help ensure that the biodiversity is preserved, and humans are still the main priority.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Biodiversity
1. The loss of biodiversity could have devastating consequences the discovery of new medicines and drugs, which could lead to many diseases and sicknesses going without a cure. To loss of species like pharmacopoeia rich cone snails would be a self destructive act.
2. If a certain area were to be seriously devastated by a loss of biodiversity, it could definitely effect more than one area. For example, if a large community relied on one biotic thing, and that one thing was destroyed, they would have to move to a new place with that resource. This could lead to an overpopulation in that certain place, and that could be a real problem.
3. Preserving biodiversity can enhance the life of people, because in some cases, a chain of events involving messing with the biodiversity, can come around full circle and lead to a loss of jobs. For example, when hunters started killing off whales, killer whales, that usually ate smaller whales, moved onto eating seals. As seals declined, whales moved onto otters. As otters decimated, otter pray such as urchins flourished. This killed off kelp forests where fish larvae grew, so the fish larvae became easy pickings for a variety of other sea life, and obviously, with less fish, fishermen's livelihoods were destroyed.
2. If a certain area were to be seriously devastated by a loss of biodiversity, it could definitely effect more than one area. For example, if a large community relied on one biotic thing, and that one thing was destroyed, they would have to move to a new place with that resource. This could lead to an overpopulation in that certain place, and that could be a real problem.
3. Preserving biodiversity can enhance the life of people, because in some cases, a chain of events involving messing with the biodiversity, can come around full circle and lead to a loss of jobs. For example, when hunters started killing off whales, killer whales, that usually ate smaller whales, moved onto eating seals. As seals declined, whales moved onto otters. As otters decimated, otter pray such as urchins flourished. This killed off kelp forests where fish larvae grew, so the fish larvae became easy pickings for a variety of other sea life, and obviously, with less fish, fishermen's livelihoods were destroyed.
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