Populations

Gray Wolf- Canis Lupus (Canine)

Green Anaconda- Eunectes Murinus (Reptile)

Bald Eagle- Haliaeetus Leococephalus (Bird)

Nile Crocodile- Crocodilus Niloticus (Reptile)

Bobcat- Lynx Rufus (Feline)

Lion- Panthera Leo (Feline)

Monarch Butterfly- Danaus Plexippus (Insect)

Hawksbill Sea Turtle- Eretmochelys Imbricata (Reptile)

European Mantid- Mantis Religiosa (Insect)

Puma- Puma Concolor (Feline)

Ecology Blog 4: Biome

The Boreal forest, also known as Taiga, are dense evergreen forests of coniferous trees. The winters are extremely cold, but the summers tend to be mild and long enough for the ground to thaw. Abiotic factors include moderate precipitation; high humidity; and acidic, nutrient-poor soils. Because of these conditions, the dominant plants are needleleaf coniferous trees such as spruce and fir; some broadleaf deciduous trees; and small, berry-bearing shrubs. Because of the harsh conditions only these plants can thrive.

ECOLOGY Blog 3: Levels of Organization

1. Biosphere - This is where all living things on Earth live. Humans live in a biosphere
2. Biomes - A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat.
3. Ecosystem - A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
4. Community - All the organisms living in a particular area or place: "local communities".
5. Populations - A particular section, group, or type of people or animals living in an area or country.

6. Species - This is the most basic unit of biological organization.

If I was an ecologist, I would study the individual. It seems like it would be more fun to be up close and personal and find more details about each specific animal. I would study this level by using my observations. It is the most logical method because everything about the individual is straight forward and can be seen threw watching its daily life.

Virtual Ecology

Population Genetics
Many things can affect the genetics of a population. Factors may include selection, mating, mutation, migration, genotype frequencies, and the environment. In the simulation with fish, mutation caused more diversity within the population. Population genetics can also be affected by the carrying capacity, birth rates, death rates, immigration, and emmigration of the population.

Population Ecology
Probably the most important thing about population is population density. This is most useful when dealing with endangered species. Finding the exact number of a population is extremely difficult, so scientists estimate the amount. Population grows logistically, meaning that there are sudden burst of change, not just stability.

Community Ecology
There is often always competition within an ecosystem. In the Barnacle simulation, one type of barnacle could grow in a wider range in depth but could be outperformed. Another type of barnacle was limited to only a specific water depth, however they were still strong competitors. In the other simulation, I saw how different species could survive better depending on predators, the environment, etc. Natural selection plays a prominent role in who survives in the community.

Behavioral Ecology
Animals behave differently depending on their environment. In Bee Foraging, environmental conditions were modified to see how the bees would react to it. It affected total nectar collected and the rate of nectar collection. Predators of a species also affects the prey's hunting and foraging schedule, because it causes them to scavenge in a way that avoids the predators.

Conservation Ecology
Conservation Ecology is trying to protect species, habitats, and ecologies from extinction. Pesticides are indirectly affecting animals that associate with those pests. It kills food for the animal's survival and can cause the animals to have defects. Individuals exploiting a common resource will lead to the over exploitation of that material. Species that go over the carrying capacity will affect the ecologic system.

Biodiversity
Biodiversity depends on the environment, island size, distance from mainland, habitat type, and species type. It is the degree of variation of life. Biodiversity also comes from mutations and natural selection. In the simulation, when the fish went down the stream, they were separated. This spreads a species to other parts of the world. The more the fishes spread they create a diversity in the environment.

ECOLOGY Blog 2: Sustainability

If we keep living the way we do, we would not be able to sustain ourselves. Especially in the United States, we tend to misuse and exploit our resources. The birth rates are going down, but so are the death rates. There is a lot of regulation on immigration is being more strict to make sure that the people who are inside the borders can survive. We are nearing our carrying capacity.

Rating: ★★★

Again, it was interactive and fun to play around with. It was not as informative as I would like and it was hard to find facts and key information.

ECOLOGY Blog 1: Footprint

As a teenager, I have already left a pretty big impact. Living in the United States already makes it more problem. In order to lower one's footprint, try to to things manually and without the use of fossil fuels and processed goods. Instead of driving everywhere, the use of bikes and growing your own garden plants can help lower the footprint left behind, and help make Earth a better environment for everyone.

Rating: ★★★★

It was informative and colorful. I enjoyed it and it was really fun and interactive.

EVOLUTION Blog 1: Fossils

Lucy

1. It is the bones of one of our earliest human ancestors

2. It lived 3.2 milliion years ago

3. It looked like a human

4. It walked upright on two legs

Hadar Skull

1. It is a skull of a primitive human species

2. It lived 3.0 million years ago

3. It looked more apelike than human, and was really old

4. The skull didn't move

Laetoli Footprints

1. Footprints of early human species

2. It lived 3.6 million years ago

3. It was an upright being, like humans, but the prints resembled a tree-dwelling chimp's foot structure

4. The walked on two feet like human beings

First Family

1. It is a collection of early human species

2. It lived 3.2 million years ago

3. The males were  much bigger than their female counterparts

4. They walked like humans with broad heels and long and more straight

Rating: ★★★
It was okay, but not exactly informative. The first page was really confusing and hard to read. This weblab was not very good, but it was sufficient, I guess.

Bird Adaptations

Ring-Necked Pheasant
-The "Fast Take-Off" Wings
-Cracking Beak
-Perching Feet



Great Blue Heron
-The "Slow, Flapping" Wing
-Striking Beak
-Wading Feet


Woodpecker
-The "High-Speed and Maneuverability" Wing
-Drilling Beak
-Climbing Feet

Bald Eagle
-The "Soaring" Wing
-Tearing Beak
-Catching-Prey Feet


White-Faced Ibis
-The "Slow, Flapping" Wing
-Probing Beak
-Wading Feet

EVOLUTION Blog 13: Sex and the Single Guppy

In this web lab, I was able to see how coloration affected predation and mating. Their eccentric colors caught the eyes of predators but also attracted mates. This was really similar to one of the other web labs having to do with genes and alleles. The population of guppies depending on the color of their skins, the environment, and the number of predators.

Rating: ★★★★★
It was really informative and interactive. I had a lot of fun. The only problem is that the words were really small and a bit hard to read but still, it was a good exercise.

EVOLUTION Blog 12: Weblab Dating

Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating technique that uses the decay of carbon-14 to estimate the age of organic materials. This technique was developed in the 1940's by Willard F. Libby and a group of scientists. When C-14 changes into N-14, the Nitrogen is in gas form and escapes. The maximum age that carbon dating is reliable is approximately 52,000 years.

Rating: ★
I didn't like it at all because it was really long and was not really informative. It was all specific to certain things and really confusing. I do not recommend to use this web lab.