For the past several weeks we have been studying ecology. Ecology is the study of living organisms interactions with other organisms and their environment in which they live.
For this post, you will investigate a study being conducted or one that has been been done recently (within the last couple of years). The study you choose needs to be related to ecology. You will answer the following questions: What level or levels of organization does this involve? What is the purpose of the study? How does this study relate to ecology? What type of environment (or biome) do these organisms live in? Why was this study interesting to you?
The post is due by Monday, October 15th @ Midnight. Do not wait until the last minute to complete the post. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Have Fun!
In the 1960's scientist discoverd a species of starfish which they call the crown-of-thorns starfish. Scientist realized they were mainly found around coarl reefs, in 2012 an outbreak of them was discoverd around the Great Barrear Reefs. A study was soon conducted about the starfish, it was discoverd that these starfish are poisonous to the coral reefs and other marine life surrounding the reefs. As of 2012 an effective way to kill the starfish were discoverd, but weather or not the treatment was safe or not is still undetermaned. The treatment requires divers to go and inject the starfish with the same poisonous substance they are using to kill the reefs. The substance is poisonous to them and is contagous to other crown-of-thorn starfish as well. Divers sould be able to kill at least 500 starfish with one dive. The substance should affectively kill the starfish in a 24 hour time spand. Over all the species control project should be over and the reefs sould be healing and thriving again by the year of 2022.
ReplyDeleteThe ocean in general is a very interesting biome to begin with, but you add some coral reefs in with that and you are just begging for my attention. When you think about anything killing this beautiful part of nature it is really sad. In this particular study the consumers (starfish) are seriously harming the producers (coral). So its only natural to try and discover a way to ultimately put an end to the situation. All and all 2022 cannot get here fast enough. I personally Cam very excited to see the coral reefs thriving yet again.
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Science%2Band%2BTech/Story/A1Story20121008-376154.html
In April of 2010 scientist discoverd a new ocean current in the Southern Ocean. The current is about 3 kilometers below sea level. The current carries oxygen rich water to Antarticia. Without this current the deapest part of the ocean would have very little oxygen. So this current is very curtial to marine life. It influences the ocean climate by transporting and storing carbon dioxide. The more the carbon dioxide stored in this current the slower the tempurture changes. In earlier research attempts, evidence was discoverd about the current but the current itself was not found until the joint Japeneze- Austrailian experement. The current travels at a speed of 20cm per second.
ReplyDeleteMaping the ocean floor is an important step in understanding a global network of currents that directly relate to the oceans climate.
This interested me because I like looking at scientific studies of water.
Since the summer of 2006, ecologists have been studying the natural suppky of food in Yellowstone such as cutthroat trout and the white pine bark. Blister rust and drought are the two main things killing trees which are a large part of the diet for the grizzly bears. Predatory lake trout are killing the cutthroat trout and this is decreasing yet another population of food source for the grizzly bears. Ecologists are working on how it is affecting the nutrition and population of the bears.
ReplyDeleteEcologists are using GPS collars to track and observe the bears and they are using clumps of hair they find to determine the sex of bears and to determine the nutrition level. The availability of food in the wilderness habitat is slowly decreasing the birth rate/population and the health of grizzly bears. This was interesting to me because I love animals and think it is cool to see the new technology we have today to study animals.
On Octobrt 1, 2012 reasearches did a survey monitoring 214 of the individual reefs along the World Heritage site found that coral cover decreased from 28 per cent in 1985 to 13.8 per cent this year. The Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral in the last 27 years. The Great Barrier Reef which runs the length of Queensland’s coast and stretches 155 miles from shore, the figure equates to a loss of coral across almost 19,300 square miles of reef. One of the key factors in the lost of coral was population explosions of Crown of Thorns starfish, which researchers held responsible for more than two fifths of the overall lossf coral. Outbreaks of the starfish can be sparked by the run-off of fertilisers from the shore into the sea, and coastal development has increased their frequency from a rate of about two per century to one in every 15 years. Because of this The Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral in less than three decades.
ReplyDeleteThe levels organzition would be consumers which are the starfish and they would feed off the reef. I believe the purpose of this study is to inform people that are interest in The Great Barrier Reef and with the drecrease of the coral the reef over years, it might become smaller and smaller. It is related to Ecology because scientist did a study of this and of the living things surrounding it. The Great Barrier Reef is in the Marine biome. Due to it is in the ocean. This was interesting to me because I think that the Great Barrier Reef is a very Beautiful place in the ocean. Then reading about how is loosin coral makes it very sad.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/9578969/Great-Barrier-Reef-loses-half-its-coral-in-27-years.html
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ReplyDeleteMany people think of having an electric car will save them a lot expenses in the future. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology have revealed the truth! Electric cars gather their energy from coal-fired plants. What does this mean exactly? It means they have a "higher carbon footprint than some of their petrol or diesel-powered counterparts". That sentence is stating that electric cars actually emit MORE carbon dioxide due to the usage of fossil fuels than a normal gas-operating car would. The 'Journal of Industrial Ecology' reported the worst part of electric cars is the manufacturing of the car. They emit more toxic waste than a normal car manufacturing shop would! The construction of the car's batteries and electric motors, which require more toxic materials. "Potential effects of the electric cars could be acid rain, smog, human and ecosystem toxicity." reported Professor Stromman. Despite all of the fuss, the electric cars are still the greenest of vehicles.
ReplyDeleteThis could potentially effect all of the levels of organization. It could start out somewhere towards the middle, such as the ecosystem. If the smog and acid rain effect the ecosystem and everyone were to switch to electric cars, it could effect all the way from individual to the whole biosphere! The purpose of the study was to (I assume) point out the flaw of an electric car; to show the downs, since so much of the buzz has been towards the good side. This study relates to ecology by effecting the air and the life around us. If the air were to get too polluted, the animals and the humans could eventually die out. The plants could not grow, stunting life to continue and ultimately damaging the food chain. I guess you could say I did more of an industrial comment than an organism comment, haha. The 'organisms' in this case would mostly be humans, but, it could also be animals. We could live in a biosphere, if you were to group us all together. I found this article interesting to be because of the large debate about electric cars and gas cars. I always knew there would be a silver lining to electric cars. When something good happens, there is always a flaw.
http://inhabitat.com/study-claims-electric-cars-powered-by-coal-plants-have-a-heavy-carbon-footrpint/
On October 8, 2012, ScienceDaily launched their report of a study conducted by Dr. Michelle Jackson that found evidence of almost 100 freshwater species not native to the United Kingdom have invaded the River Thames, making it one of the most highly invaded freshwater systems in the world. The research suggests that legislation issued to decrease the level of non-native species across the board has been unsuccessful. This invasion has greatly affected the British economy by being fatal to the native born fish that bring income to the United Kingdom. Jackson made the quote that, "We have identified ninety-six freshwater non-native species in the River Thames catchment and modern invasion rates reveal that one non-indigenous species is discovered every fifty weeks." Research also suggests that because shipping activity and population size in a catchment has greatly increased the amount of non-native species. The Thames is the second longest river in the United Kingdom, flowing through Oxford, Reading, Windsor, and London before reaching the North Sea near Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Researchers hope to discover new ways that both non-native and native species interact within their habitats and impact ways of living.
ReplyDeleteThe levels of organization present in this report include all. This is because the individual, which is the freshwater species, non-native as well as native, makes up a population, which mingles with other species to make a community, the River Thames makes up an aquatic ecosystem, and all aspects of an ecosystem are present in a biome as well as the biosphere as a whole. The purpose of this study is to inform people on the issue of non-native species inhabiting the Thames. This is a study of the natural world and how it changes and is affected, making it a study of ecology. These creatures live in a river, which is an aquatic environment. This particular article appealed to me because I love studying marine life, and it was also nice to study information on the River Thames.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121009102153.htm
People have been discovering many different icebergs that have been breaking away from Antartica , and the people believe that it may be because of global warming. Scientists are discovering different living animals around these giant icebergs and this has even an amazing discovery for them. This is occurring in the Weddell Sea of the Southern coast of Antartica. This has taught the scientists that when an iceberg melts it releases nutrients into which is what allows animals to live around the burgs. These icebergs are also creating a " a route for carbon dioxide to drawn down an sequestration of particulate carbon as it sinks into the deep sea. " Sciencetists have cameras circling the areas , and with this they are discovering the impact of the melting icebergs. This has lead them to believe that the icebergs are increasing the biological productivity. http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/06/icebergs-web-of.html#more
ReplyDeleteA team called "Shark Men" Have been recently traveling The West Coast Looking for great white sharks that they can Lure in by bait. Once they Lure in the great white sharks they put them on The shark cradle only taking a few minutes they conduct research. This research involves taking measurements, drawing blood, Also they can attach a satellite to track the great white shark. This information will help scientists learn about the sharks life to Understand why so many are being killed or dying off. This information will also help scientists for many years and on to understand the beings of shark attacks. It can also Help scientists understand how they mate and where they migrate to. The reason why I picked this experiment is because I have an interest in sharks, they fascinate me on how they live. These animals live in an ecosystem which is the ocean. The purpose of this study is to find out how they live and how to interact with one another and how they interact with other species. This relates ecology because it tells about great white sharks and how they live. This level of organization is Community.http://abcnews.go.com/m/slideshow?id=9065358
ReplyDeleteRarely seen by humans until now, the Blobfish has been found in the deep sea off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Their flesh is just a gelatinous mass that has a density that is slightly less than water, allowing it to float above the sea floor without using any energy. How does it survive? Well it eats anything that happens to float in front of its pretty face. What about predators? Seriously! Look at that thing. I think even a shark would reconsider chowing down on a blobfish!
ReplyDeleteOrganization level: individual, population
Purpose of study: to learn and discover more organisms in the ocean
How does it relate to ecology: it tells how a newly discovered fish interacts to its environment
Biome: Tasmanian or Australian coast ; very deep on the ocean floor.
Why is it intresting to you: I enjoy studying new discoveries from the ocean.
http://urbantitan.com/10-most-bizarre-animals-recently-discovered
Cuscus discovered in New Guinea
ReplyDeleteThis blue-eyed spotted Cuscus was one of many thousands founded in New Guinea. The Cuscus was one of ten mammals founded in New Guinea. New Guinea is beside Indonesia and is the world's largest rain forest. The major threat to the,tree-dwelling possum, Cuscus is deforestation. Deforestation is the cutting down or clearing the trees. This intresting animal is decreasing in population and soon won't exsist anymore. There are many ways to halp save these animals from deforstation .
1. organism itself
2. to show that there are many species being discovered in New Guinea
3. it relates to ecology because it is a animal which is an organism which is one of the levels of organization
4. they live in forest mostly
5. this study was intresting to me because i liked the Cuscus blue eyes !
http://thedailygreen.com
The emperor scorpion was founded on April 28, 2011 they are 4 to 8 inches long and weigh about .125 pounds. They live for approximately 8 years.
ReplyDelete(1). The emperor scorpion belongs to the scorpion group which are in the class arthropods Arachnida, in the order scorpiones.
(2). Emperor scorpions are important in the pet trade and they contain a toxin called imperatoxin which can enhance or decrease Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmatic reticulum into the cell.
(3). Ecology is the study of relations between organisms and their environment. Emperor scorpions relate to this because they are animals that interact with other organism and the environment.
(4). Emperor scorpions live in tropical forests in western Africa often close to human interaction and they hide under leaf litter during the day because they eat at night
(5). The emperor scorpion was interesting to me because they are one of the biggest scorpions in the world
1. www.zoo.org/page.aspx?pid=1917#.UHylMre9ke0
2.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_scorpion#section_3
4. http://lllreptile.com/info/library/animal-care-sheets/invertebrates/-/emperor-scorpion/
Scientists have discovered that has been affected by the disturbances in the environment in which they live. They have discovered that 40% of all young salmon make to the sea and die after reaching it. Researchers have researched the ways that salmon swam from the fresh water lakes to the saltwater ocean.
ReplyDeleteThe freshwater stage is the most important part of their life cycle. Scientists have been set out to save the habitats of the freshwater habitats so they can save the salmon. It’s hard to do this considering every salmon has to go through the stage of saltwater which is very difficult. It was proven that the young fish have survived the saltwater stage more than the older fish have.
http://www.coml.org/discoveries/discoveries/ecological/salmon-survival.htm
A new specie of spider has been discovered in the Dune of the Sand of Samar in Israel. This spider does not have a name yet. It has a leg span of 14 centimeters long. This spider lives in the endangered area of Israel in the dunes of Samar which was once three miles long, but is now only half a mile long. Scientists have discovered this in a nocturnal animal and is active in the hottest parts of the year. The purpose of this discovery is to show that more species can be discovered in nature. The organization level it belongs to is individual and maybe population if more spiders are discovered. The biome or area they live in is the desert underneath the sand. This study relates to ecology by a new specie being discovered. This article was interesting to me because it shows that new organisms can still be discovers.
ReplyDeletehttp://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/12/new_spider_found_in_giant_dune/
There was a new species of monkey called the lesula was found in the Congo this thus year in September. This is only the second species of monkey found in Africa in 28 years. It is already at risk of becoming endangered because it only lives in a 6,500 square mile habitat. It was first seen by scientists in an elementary school principle's house as a pet. The scientists later saw the monkeys in the forest around the village. They later captured one and did DNA tests and found out that it was a new species that they had found.
ReplyDelete1. Population
2. The scientists wanted to find out if the had found a new species
3. It has to do with animals being discovered
4. It lives in the forests of the Congo
5. I saw a picture if the monkey and thought it looked funny so I "blogged" about it.
M.guardian.co.uk
ReplyDeleteScientist have discovered a new animal in the catagory of the acorn worms. They call this animal Yoda. Yoda lives 1.5 miles under the Atlantic Ocean. It feeds on other particles under the Atlantic Ocean. They are second level consumers and twy provide food for the other tropic levels. They hve large lips on each side of there head. That is why they call it Yoda because it has the floppy ears like Yoda. It is a reddish purplish color. It proves to researchers that there is life under the Atlantic Ocean.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.globalanimal.org/tag/new-species/
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ReplyDeleteSurvival of young salmon has previously been thought to be most affected by disturbances and environmental quality in the freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers where they spend their early and late life stages. However, researchers from the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) project of the Census of Marine Life have found that up to 40% of young salmon that make it to the sea, perish soon afterward, and never return to freshwater to spawn. By implanting acoustic tracking tags in young salmon, researchers were able to track their movements from the freshwater environment, out to sea during their saltwater phase, and then back again as they return to spawn. The results of these efforts show a vastly different picture than conventional biological theories previously suggested.
ReplyDeleteI thought this discovery was very interesting so i wanted to show the class about it.
http://www.coml.org/discoveries/discoveries/ecological/salmon-survival.htm
Air Polllution ET
ReplyDeleteWildfires are located in the northern hemisphere,and located within 10 states.Wildfires are combined with Gases and particles with the plant particles.Smoke can cause many health difficulties within the fire area.People with heart or lung disease would be at a higher risk from the smoke over healthy people.Older adults are more likely to be affected by smoke.Due to children's body weight,their airways still developing and time spent outdoors they are also a greater risk.During wildfires keep indoor air as clean as possible to prevent exposure from unhealthy air.
www.ecology.com
Sea Otters and their effect on global warming. A new study, using 40 years of data on sea otters and their consumption of kelp, show that they have a huge influence on the carbon cycle. The study was done by two UC Santa Cruz researchers, one who is a professor of Ecology and Evolution Biology. The sea otters studied live in an area from Vancouver to the western edge of Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The study compares areas of kelp density with sea otters and kelp density without sea otters and showed that with sea otters around, the sea urchins are not able to openly graze on kelp and have to hide and live off kelp scraps. Kelp has been shown to significantly lower carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. I found this study to be interesting since I did not know that the sea otters could have a positive impact on global warming.
ReplyDeleteTheraphosa Blondi is the animal known as the Goliath bird eating spider.It is the largest spider in the world. it reaches a weight of 170g and legg span of 30cm. It was observed by Conservation International's Rapid Assesment program Scientists in Guyana in 2006,where it lives in burrows of the floor of lowland rainforests. Despite the name. it feeds primarily on invertebrates. It has also been seen eating on small mammals,lizzards, and even some snakes. They have venom fangs, which are not deadly to humans,but their main line of defense are hairs that cover their entire body, when threatened their rub against their abdomen and send a cloud of microscopic barbs that lodge in the skin and mucus membranesof the attacker, causing pain and long lasting irritation. (www.dailymail.co.uk/science tech/article) this has to deal with population because it deals with all the types of the spider. The scientist were curious about this creature. Classification, and studying creatures all deal with ecology. the reason i chose this is because it seemed scary so i "blogged" it
ReplyDeletePolar bears live in artic ecosystems. Their main diet includes ringed seals, artic foxes, birds and baby walruses.The polar bears sense of smell is their most developed sense. The polar bears are in the population organization level. The pupose of this study is that polar bears interest me. This study relates to ecology because it talks about some of what scientists know of polar bears. Polar bears live in an artic environment. This topic intrest me because polar bears are my favorite kind of bear.
ReplyDeletehttp://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/feeding.htm
ReplyDeleteFour days ago, Oct. 25, 2012, two young researchers, John Elmberg and Arne Rasmussen, found a new species of sea snake, Mosaic Sea Serpent, in Copenhagen Natural History Museum. They were looking at formalin-filled jars of snakes that were collected in the 1800s. They discovered that the two of the sea snakes were labeled the same and they were noticeably different. It gets its name because its skin looks like a Roman floor mosaic. It lives in the tropical coral reefs around Northern Australia and Southern New Guinea. It involves the species and population levels of organization. The purpose of this study is to separate the two species of sea snake. This study helps to determine the health of a coral reef. Live snakes in the reef indicate good coral conditions. They live in the ocean biome. It is interesting to me because I like snakes and this also seemed interesting to me because they had been in formalin-filled jars since the 1800s.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121025105905.htm