Benefits of Genetic Diversity Lab

Actual lengths of Hindlimb and Tail

Relative Hindlimb and Tail Length

Graph of lizard groupings

1.     At the beginning of the virtual lab, you were asked to sort eight lizards into categories. What criteria did you initially use to make your groups? At the beginning I categorized the lizards by color.

2.     Did you revise your criteria later? Why? Yes, once I learned more criteria and variances I was able to better sort the lizards into habitat/living categories.  This was much more accurate, as it directly correlated to their leg and tail length.

3.     An adaptation is a structure or function that is common in a population because it enhances the ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. Provide one example and an explanation of one adaptation in the Anolis lizards.

-Some lizards developed shorter legs to be able to move more nimbly and quicker along twigs and small branches, large legs would get in the way and hinder the lizards.

-Yet other lizards grew longer legs to be able to run quicker across the ground, shorter legs along the ground would have slowed them down.

4.     Provide one evolutionary explanation for why lizards living in the same part of the habitat (i.e., grass) would have similar characteristics. They would have the similar characteristics because they are living in the same environmental niche, and as a member of the same species in the same niche they are competing for the same food, and most likely in evading the same animals that prey upon them.

5.     What is an ecomorph? Provide one example from the virtual lab. An Ecomorph, simply breaks down by Eco-the part of the environmental niche they occupy, and morph the physical characteristics of their body.  An ecomorph is of the same species but have morphed so they may live in different niches and have to compete against each other for food, such as the Ground Lizard whom live on the ground and have longer legs to run quicker vs the twig lizards that are a little higher up in the trees and have shorter legs to run along the branches quickly.

6.     How is an ecomorph different from a species? Ecomorphs differ in the simple fact that they do not compete against each other for food, they have adapted so that they all live in different areas to not put as much strain on the environment or their species.

7.     Explain how a particular body feature of one of the lizard ecomorphs from the virtual lab is an adaptation to their particular niche. The Tree Lizards have developed large toe-pads that prevent them from falling off the smooth leaves at the top of trees.

Ecological Footprint

1. 1. What are two things that could be improved about this calculator so it more accurately reflects your footprint? One thing would be to ask how much water you use on a daily basis, perhaps how many showers are taken, dishes, laundry, etc.  As well as asking about alternate modes of transportation such as walking or biking to work.  
   2. What surprised you about your footprint? Honestly I thought my results were much better than I thought they'd be.  I thought my global acres would be much larger!
   3. According to your text, the average American footprint is big! Why is this? Because we are consumers in the biggest way, we always want more.
   4. If you do everything you can to be "green" and still have a bigger footprint than you expected, what could be contributing to this?  My choice of employment has definitely hindered my footprint, I fly a lot for work, use tons of technology and energy for work, yet while at home I try to make up for it using locally made and grown items.  I'm in the process of having a house built(I'm renting right now), that will be a lot more energy efficient, with solar panels as well.

Island Biogeography

1.     The theory of Island Biogeography distills what determine biodiversity on islands into what two factors? The two main factors are the size of the island and the proximity or how far away the island is.

2.     The ecologist who developed this theory knew that other factors contributed to island biodiversity. Why did he not include them in his model? Because they were not as predictable.

3.     List three biotic and three abiotic factors determining success of colonization on islands. Remember, the term “island” has broad connotations.

Biotic 1- Vegetation(food & Shelter)

             2- Animals

             3- Other items to be used as food

Abiotic 1- The size of the island

               2- The living conditions of the island(weather, environment, temperature)

               3- Sunlight(promote vegetation growth for food and shelter)

4.     How can the theory of island biogeography help scientists understand the role of fragmentation in species extinction and to develop ways to prevent such extinction? It’s important to realize fragmentation and how it will affect the varied species in a given area.  As the area becomes smaller and smaller it drives the animals into a closer proximity creating overpopulation thus a decline in animal health.

5.     Ecologically speaking, what is an island? Identify an island within about ten miles from your home. Explain why it is an island. Is it a natural island, or did humans have a role in its developemtn. always been an island and give a thoughtful explanation of how species might be inhibited in terms of reproduction or dispersal. An island is an area that is confined to an area, not necessarily an actual island but could also be a lake in the middle of the dessert, or say a forest that is surrounded by housing developments.  The forest that is an island that sits in the middle of housing developments was naturally a forest, but has been encroached upon by mankind, cutting off its access points and confining the animals that call the forest home off from other areas, such as neighboring lakes and rivers.  Bears require vast areas to roam, and having a more limited area can create problems with the bears trying to venture out and then learning of human garbage and being attracted to it, the housing development has now hindered the bears natural instincts and is responsible for the destruction a bear can cause in fruit trees or with garbage cans.

Part 2 - Ecological Pyramid - Number pyramid for 24-hour Period

A.    Number Pyramid for a 24-hour Period

·       Only students with last names starting with A through H perform this part.

·       What to submit for this part:

o   A drawing or depiction of the completed number pyramid, scan or photograph. You may not copy and paste someone else’s pyramid (7.5 points)

o   Calculations for number 3, 4, and 6 (4.5 points)

o   Answers to questions 1-4 (6 points)

A number pyramid is an ecological pyramid that indicates the total number of organisms in each trophic level.

 

1.     Draw your pyramid on a separate piece of paper, labeling the number of 3^o, 2^o, and 1^o consumers. Remember, your one owl, represented by the one pellet, is the 3^o consumer.

2.     From the number of skulls in your pellet (same type or different types) determine the number of prey consumed. One skull = one prey animal. If your pellet does not have any skulls, then make an estimation of the number of animals based on large parts of the skeleton, such as shoulder blades (scapulae) or hips (pelvises). I only had one skull within my pellet so I used pairs of jawbones to come to my conclusion, as well as a few bones that were found from a bird.

Determine the ratio, R, of the number of 2^o consumers to the number of 3^o consumers.

R = # 2˚ Consumers  = 7prey animals  Therefor R = =7

       # 3˚ Consumers       1 owl        

3.     Use R to calculate the number of 1^o consumers by multiplying the number of 2^o consumers by R.

# 1^o Consumers = R (# 2˚ consumers)

7 prey * 7(R)= 49 Primary Consumers

4.     Label your pyramid with the number of 1^o consumers.

5.     Calculate the number producers by multiplying the number of 1^o consumers by R.

# Producers = R (# 1˚ consumers)

Producers = 7 (49)=  343 Producers 

6.     Finish your pyramid by labeling it with the number of producers.

Answer these questions.

1.     What are owl pellets? Pellets are tightly condensed parts of animals and insects that an owl is unable to digest such as hair, teeth, fur, bones, and insect shells.  All these items are bound tightly together within the owl's stomach and then regurgitated.

2.     During the nesting season the young need an enormous amount of food for growth. If the nest contains three young and each of the young eat five mice per night for a month and the two adults eat four per night, how many mice would the parents have to capture in 30 days? 23 per day*30 days= 690 mice in 30 days

3.     The pellets are from what owl family? "Herbert" the pellet, that I was in charge of dissecting, was of a dark brown color indicating that it was from a barn owl.

4.     Environmentalists are concerned about the accumulation of certain poisons in predators. Why do you suppose owls, eagles, swordfish, humans and lions are often the most threatened organisms of a community that are exposed to DDT or mercury? Because we are all mostly 3* consumers and we eat a lot of secondary consumers whom ingest insects and grass that highly contaminated, as other animals eat us the toxicification gradually decreases or is diluted.

Part 1 Owl Pellet Dissection

Part 1 Owl Pellet Dissection

·       What to submit for this part:

o   Completed Table 1 (1.5 point)

o   Photo of chart with sorted bones (3 points)

o   Photo of reconstructed skeleton or skeletons (3 points)

o   Completed Table 2 (1.5 point)

o   Completed graph of species numbers (3 points)

Procedure

1.     Remove the pellet from the aluminum foil.

2.     Measure the length and width of the pellet and record these measurements in Table 1.

Table 1. Owl Pellet Measurements
Length	6 cm
Width	3.4 cm

3.     Place the pellet on the dissecting surface. Carefully separate the bones from fur or feathers onto another part of your surface using your fingers and available tools.

4.     Carefully clean the bones by picking or scraping off debris and sort them according to type—skulls, jaws, vertebrae, etc.

5.     When you are sure that all bones have been separated, dispose of the other materials in the trash or compost bin.

6.     Identify the animals found in your pellet by matching the bones in your pellet with those in the Bone Sorting Chart.

7.     Place each bone beside the matching bone on the Bone Sorting Chart. You may have many of each type or just a few.

8.     Take a photo of your chart with the sorted bones.

9.     Reconstruct a partly complete (or complete – lucky you!) skeleton of one prey animal. Glue the parts on a sheet of paper and take a photo.

1.  Record the types and numbers of animals in Table 2.

Table 2. Kinds and Number of Animals Found in Owl Pellets
	# Rats	# Voles	# Mice	# Shrew	# BIrd	# Other
Your Data		1	5		1

12.  Construct a bar graph of the data in Table 2 using the grid below or another source.

                                    Rat     Mole          Mice     Shrew         Bird                  Other

 Key: 1 square=1 animal

Herbert the Pellet

my daughter named it Herbert, because my six year old feels compelled to name everything!

Herbert was a dark brown color as you can see and while very light in weight it was more dense than I had anticipated

Herbert the Many,

we had to adjust the name once she realized it was full of more than one animal 

Upon dissection and matching up of bones I found that this owl's main diet was mice, with the exception of 1 mole and a few pieces of a bird. Perhaps the bird was left over from a different time or it's poor little bones were crushed into oblivion.

The pieces at the bottom of the sorting paper were a few bone fragments and pebbles?

Colossaurus

Yes, my daughter was at it again, this mole's name was spawned from the fact we had just watched the new Jurassic Park movie.

While I know for a fact that the jawbones are from a mole as they are at 18cm in length and the teeth are angled, I am not positive about the partial piece of skull.