Blog 9 Define the different forms of community interaction: competition, commensalism, mutualism, predation, parasitism Give an example and a picture for each

Competition:
In ecology, the interaction between two or more organisms, or groups of organisms, that use a common resource in short supply. 

Sea Anenomes compete for the territory in tide pools


Commensalism- In ecology, commensalism is a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is neutral (there is no harm or benefit).

Barnacles attaching to scallops, not harming them. 


Mutualism- Mutualism is the way two organisms biologically interact where each individual derives a fitness benefit

A hummingbird benefitting from a flower, however the flower also benefits from it by getting pollinated.


Mutualism- In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked).

Praying mantis eating a bee. 


Parasitism- A type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.

Brood parasitism, on the egg. 

Blog #8 Ecology: How can we stop overpopulation in any given area?

To stop overpopulation in any given area, we must advocate the use of apparatuses that prevent birth, such as: condoms, birth control pill, abortions, etc. In many places, abortion is actually outlawed and therefore the baby must come out. So, we must advocate condoms or birth control pills in some way. According to an experiment started some time ago, if we gave out condoms for free somehow, more people would use them, and therefore, less births would occur. 

"In 2005, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) made free condoms available to organizations through a Web-based ordering system. In 2006, we interviewed managers and patrons about free condom availability, acquisition, and use in venues where people at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus congregate. DOHMH condom distribution increased from 5.8 million in 2004 to 17.3 million in 2006. Overall, managers reported making condoms available at 76% (309/409) of high-priority venues, but only at 40% of gay bars. Among patrons who saw free condoms, 80% (280/351) reported taking them; 73% (205/280) of those who reported taking them also reported using them. A simple, Web-based ordering system dramatically increased condom distribution. In the venues we sampled, the majority of patrons acquired and used free condoms when available and visible, suggesting that increasing free condom availability may increase use." 


http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/aids/facts/condoms/nyscondom.htm

Blog 7 Compare and contrast two biomes describe them in detail include pictures of plants and animals you are liklely to see

Desert Biome: 
Usually very hot
Chilly at night
10 inches or less of rain per year
Precipitation is mainly rain
Located mostly around the Equator
Covers 1/5 of world's surface
Many varieties of plants and animals live there
Plants of the desert can usually store water
Animals can get water from unusual places
Plants and animals that live there can adapt to the extreme weather conditions.
Some animals avoid heat because they are nocturnal.
Some animals avoid heat by staying underground.
Deserts plants can store water.


Tundra Biome:
Soil is frozen most of the year.
10 inches or less of rain per year
Covers 1/5 of world's surface
Some plants grow close together to protects themselves from the cold.
Biome farthest north
Trees are small.
Plants and animals that live there can adapt to the extreme weather conditions.
Very short summer - some plants and small organisms may have a chance to grow.
Animals are able to adapt to cold.
Plants are small and grow close to the ground.
Water is not available most of the year.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php

Blog #6 Which level of a food pyramid is the most important? Support your answer

I believe the bottom most level of the food pyramid is the most important, the grains/nuts portion of the pyramid. I believe this is so because this is the part of the pyramid where they suggest the most servings. (6-11) Breads, nuts, grains, oats, and other foods in this category are extremely beneficial because the offer some of the best energy, fiber and sustenance. They offer carbohydrates when you eat them which fuels the human body. Nuts, grains, and whole wheat breads offer a lot of protein and roughage for the digestive track. They are a necessity if you wish to have a healthy colon and digestion system. And possibly most importantly, they offer a lot of sustenance in the sense that they manage to fill up your stomach and prevent further hunger. That is why our ancestors ate bread and nuts the most.

http://www.mypyramid.gov/

Blog #5 There have been 5 major extinction events throughout history, are humans impacting the 6th? Why or why not?

I believe that humans are impacting the earth's 6th extinction by destroying our current environment and destroying our ecosystems. Humans nowadays are ruining the environment by disrupting the natural way of things, such as off shore oil drilling and the mistakes that follow it. Such as the BP oil spill, millions of animals have died or suffered because of it. Humans are disrupting the natural ways of earth also with nuclear warheads. The United States has around 2000 nukes, while russia has 9000, if those things were to ever go off at once, the amount of radiation would surely cause many species to go extinct.
http://www.carolmoore.net/nuclearwar/

Blog # 4 Describe the three types of selection: directional, stabilizing and disruptive and give an example of each in your own words

Directional selection is one extreme of the trait distribution experiences selection against it. The result is that the population's trait distribution shifts toward the other extreme.
In stabilizing selection, it is when selective pressures select against the two extremes of a trait, the population experiences stabilizing selection.
Disruptive selection is when selection pressures act against individuals in the middle of the trait distribution.


Example of directional: Breeding of the greyhound dog. Early breeders were interested in dog with the greatest speed. They carefully selected from a group of hounds those who ran the fastest. From their offspring, the greyhound breeders again selected those dogs who ran the fastest.
Example of stabilizing: The size of newborn human babies.
Example of disruptive: The evolution of Darwin's finches, the explanation being that each island applied different selection pressure on the same types of mainland finch, favouring slightly different bill shape.

Blog #3 Explain what microevolution is? What are the three ways that variation occurs?

Microevolution is simply a change in gene frequency within a population. Evolution at this scale can be observed over short periods of time, for example, between one generation and the next, the frequency of a gene for pesticide resistance in a population of crop pests increases. Such a change might come about because natural selection favored the gene, because the population received new immigrants carrying the gene, because some nonresistant genes mutated to the resistant version, or because of random genetic drift from one generation to the next. 
Selection is the process by which heritable traits that make it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in a population over successive generations.
Mutations are changes in the DNA sequence of a cell's genome and are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic chemicals, as well as errors that occur during meiosis or DNA replication. Errors are introduced particularly often in the process of DNA replication, in the polymerization of the second strand. These errors can also be induced by the organism itself, by cellular processes such as hypermutation.
Genetic drift is the change in the relative frequency in which a gene variant occurs in a population due to random sampling and chance. That is, the alleles in the offspring in the population are a random sample of those in the parents. And chance has a role in determining whether a given individual survives and reproduces.