Botany of Desire

The relationship between bees and flowers is an example of what is called "coevolution." While the bee and the flower act on each other due to their individual interests, the two unconsciously trade favors: the flower gives food to the bee and the bee gives transportation to the flower genes (or other plant genes). Because of this, I found that the bee and the flower have a symbiotic relationship of mutualism.
http://www.bee-hexagon.net/en/gibran.htm

The relationship between the bee and the flower is similar to that of a human and whatever he/she is planting. In the photo above,  you see a woman planting spuds. Just as the bee was attracted to the flower, the woman was interested in the spuds. Both the woman and the spuds benefit from acting on each other. The woman receives food and the spuds gets its genes spread.
http://farmerjensgarden.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html

The four desires: sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control. The apple represents our desire for sweetness; the tulip represents our desire for beauty; the cannabis represents our desire for intoxication; the potato represents our desire for control (and probably taste). All of the plants above are examples of domesticated plants. While they are given the title of domesticated, they all have the ability to manipulate our desires with their appearances and other qualities, making themselves popular in human agriculture. 
http://www.bubblews.com/news/3109549-no-no-no-i-am-not-give-you-my-appleapple-i-love-most-do-you-alsohttp://www.zeewallpaper.com/tulip-hd-wallpapers/
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/16/want-to-get-rid-of-synthetic-cannabis-legalize-real-cannabis/
http://www.potatoes.com/

Predator vs Prey Simulation

Here is a graph of my data from the predator vs prey lab activity. As you can see, my partner and I were not able to reach 25 rounds. 

There were always more rabbits than wolves. The wolves did not begin to double until the 5th round. At some point in the 10th round, my partner and I are pretty sure we made a counting error. 

The rabbit population in the "meadow" got to be as high as 84 rabbits. The wolf population in the "meadow" got to be as high as 16 wolves.

Neither species went through extinction. If the rabbits had gone through extinction, the wolves would then have lost there food source, therefore causing extinction on their species, as well.

High Amount of Methane Gas in Chesapeake Bay

BREAKING NEWS!

http://www.annmeekins.com/pages.asp?pg=northernneck_tour

The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, has just been exposed to a high amount of methane gas. This is a huge problem due to the fact that methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States from human activities and it is a 100-year global warming potential. Methane gas has a huge impact on climate change. Over a 100-year period, it traps 29 times more heat per mass unit than carbon dioxide. 

http://www.askmeaboutgreen.com/2009/06/new-idea-to-pulverize-methane-gas/

Now that methane gas has been exposed to the area, many things will be changing. Global warming will start to take effect, and this will result in more frequent hot days and fewer cool days. Most importantly, global warming will have an huge effect on the ecosystem. There will begin to be a change in the growing season. The shift in seasons may already be causing the life cycles of pollinators, like bees, to be out of sync with flowering plants and trees.This can then limit the ability of both pollinators and plants to survive and reproduce, reducing food availability throughout the food chain in the estuary. 

Martin LaBar/Flickr, http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog/post/five_signs_of_spring_in_the_chesapeake_bay_region

Global warming also means an extension in growing seasons. In other words, plants will need more water to keep growing throughout the season or they will dry out. This increases the risk of failed crops and wildfires. Once the growing season ends, shorter, milder winters fail to kill dormant insects, increasing the risk of large, damaging infestations in subsequent seasons. 

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/wild_rice

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/wild_rice

What's even worse is what will happen to the animals. In order to survive the extreme temperatures, both the marine and land animals will have to start migrating towards the poles. The animals that cannot quickly migrate or adapt will face extinction.  

http://www.somdnews.com/article/20130712/NEWS/130719568/1103/Bald-eagles-thriving-in-Southern-Maryland&template=southernMaryland

http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/

Works Cited

• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page6.php
• http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_methane#Impacts

The Chesapeake Bay

(http://www.annmeekins.com/pages.asp?pg=northernneck_tour)

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and is roughly divided between the states of Maryland and Virginia. In the Maryland portion of this estuary lies a research reserve that is made up of some 6,945 miles of shoreline, encompassing a wide variety of habitats from salt marshes to riverine systems to tidal, freshwater marshes. This reserve is made up of three components: Otter Point Creek in Harford County, Jug Bay in Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties and Monie Bay in Somerset County. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

  Each of the three components are unique and have their own abiotic/biotic factors. Furthermore, each represents a different habitat found within the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.







                                               ^^(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/) >>


Below is a graph showing the average maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and rainfall throughout the year.        



(http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/weather_climate/climate_rev5.shtml)


OTTER POINT CREEK

The producers in Otter Point Creek are quite diverse. For instance, the shallow water consists of rooted aquatics, such as water milfoil and wild celery. On the other hand, road leafed vegetation, such as arrow-arum, spatterdock, and pickerel weed, are located in the regularly flooded portions of the marsh. If you look in the upper portion of the marsh, you will find cattail with large stands of sweet flag. Then, in the rest of the marsh there are other species that grow, such as wild rice, golden club, jewelweed, river bulrush and smartweed. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)


(http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/publiclands/natural_areas/otterpointcreek.asp)

In the picture above, you will notice an abundance of wild rice. The main consumers of wild rice include marshbirds such as rails, as well as red-winged blackbirds and bobolinks which are also known as "rice birds".  (http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/publiclands/natural_areas/otterpointcreek.asp)


(http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/publiclands/natural_areas/otterpointcreek.asp)

This brings me to the composers of Otter Point Creek. Along with the "rice birds" known as bobolinks, there are various other animals inhabiting this estuary. There are various other birds, and also mammals such as muskrats, raccoons, river otters, beavers and an occasional white-tailed deer. Several different species of fish can also be found in the estuary, including the banded killfish, mummichog, tidewater silverside, bay anchovy, tesselated darter and spottail shiner. You may also find eels, snapping turtles, and even blue crabs. 
(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

 River Otter
(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

JUG BAY

The Jug Bay is  surrounded by upland forest and scattered farm fields. Various plant life can be found here, hardwood forest species, such as Spanish oak, hickory, sweet gum, American beech, tuliptree and other poplars, red maple and sassafras and related understory vegetation. You can also find cardinal flowers, red turtleheads, skunk cabbage, wild rice, pickerel weed, spatterdock, rose mallow and phragmites. The dominant plant of this estuary, like Otter Point Creek, is wild rice. This along with other seed-bearing plants such as water millet and smartweed, is food for as many as 25,000 waterfowl during winter months. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)


 (http://sercblog.si.edu/?p=146)                                             Waterfowl                       (http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_waterfowl.htm)

Along with the waterfowl, there are many birds that reside in this estuary, including large flocks of tundra swans, Canada geese and green-winged teal. Bald eagles are also very common in the winter. Other birds located in the area are pied-billed grebes, sharp-shinned hawks, northern sawhet owls, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, Swainson's thrushes, loggerhead shrikes, marsh wrens, golden crowned kinglets, red-breasted nuthatchs, mourning warblers and dark-eyed juncos. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

 (http://www.somdnews.com/article/20130712/NEWS/130719568/1103/Bald-eagles-thriving-in-Southern-Maryland&template=southernMaryland)

The main soils found in the core area of the Jug Bay component are tidal marsh. Soil materials range from sand to clay and in some areas are mucky or peaty. Surrounding the estuary, you will find moderately well-drained, nearly level to gently sloping soil that is usually found on uplands. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

MONIE BAY

The Monie Bay is primarily taken over by salt marsh vegetation. 
Low marsh zones are dominated by smooth cordgrass, while high marsh areas are dominated by salt cordgrass and big cordgrass, salt and three square grass, needlerush and marsh elder. Thick beds of widgeon grass, a type of submerged aquatic vegetation, can also be found in the estuary. Poison ivy can also be found in the Monie Bay. It covers many of the trees and grasses dominate the herbaceous zone. These areas are wet and sometimes act as buffers between previously logged areas and marshes at the component boundaries. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)


(https://blogs.nicholas.duke.edu/nicolecarlozo/love-that-water/)

Fish are very common in the Monie Bay, including the mummichog, white perch, spot and menhaden fish. Blue crabs, American oysters, marsh periwinkles and common grass shrimp can also be found in the water of the estuary.  Many reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals commonly found in the Monie Bay are also commonly found in Otter Point Creek. This estuary is a great place for migratory birds to, well, migrate. These bird populations include bald eagles, osprey and numerous hawk species. Canada geese, mallards, black ducks and green-winged teals can also be seem in the estuary. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

 Osprey 
(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

Most of the soils at Monie Bay are classified as tidal marsh soils, containing material ranging from sand to clay, and may be peaty to mucky and highly sulfurous. The majority of the upland areas in the estuary are in the Othello soil series, typically flat areas just above sea level. This series is generally composed of poorly drained, gray, silty soils over a mottled, silty clay loam subsoil. These soils are strongly acidic. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)



(http://www.innvirginia.com/regions_chesapeake.php)

Bacteria play an important role in all of the components of Chesapeake Bay. They are the decomposers, which break down dead plants and other matter. Through this process, nutrients in dead plant and animal matter once again become available for growing plants. Zooplankton and other filter-feeding animals eat bacteria. Some bacteria are permanent Bay residents. Others, such as coliform bacteria, are introduced through various pathways, including human sewage and polluted runoff. (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem/plankton)

The air surrounding the Chesapeake Bay is known for being polluted, especially by nitrogen. Ammonia, a form of nitrogen, is emitted into the air by natural and man-made sources. More than 90% of the ammonia emissions in the Bay region are generated by agricultural activities, including confined and unconfined animal fertilizers. Some urban influences are wastewater treatment facilities and fossil fuel combustion from engines. (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/documents/5401/air.pdf)

(http://marygregorystudio.com/blog/sunlight-on-the-tall-grass/)

Sunlight is very important for the Chesapeake Bay, specifically the water of the bay. Clear water is critical to bay grasses. The sun’s rays must be able to pass through the water to reach the underwater plants growing in the Bay’s shallow waters. Sunlight is the single most important factor in helping bay grass survive. Fish also need clear water so as to avoid getting eaten by their predators and see their prey. 

Pollution, funny enough, is the main cause of the Bay’s poor water clarity. When excess nutrients go into the Bay, they can fuel the growth of water-clouding algae. Similarly, when soil erodes and washes into the Bay, particles of sediment can become suspended in the water. Weather also plays a large role in water clarity. During rain storms, dirt and pollutants can be washed into the Bay, which causes the water to look muddy. During drier conditions, the water tends to be clearer. Water clarity will always fluctuate naturally depending on weather conditions. (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem/waterclarity)

(http://gothamgirlchronicles.com/tag/chesapeake-bay/)

FOOD WEB

Below is a visual representation of the basic food web of the Chesapeake Bay.

(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chesapeake_Waterbird_Food_Web.jpg)

HERE IS A MAP OF SOME OF THE MANY OTHER ESTUARIES IN THE WORLD

(http://www.globalestuariesforum.com/en/why-attend,8/why-attend,17.html)

San Francisco Bay

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay)

                                          New York Harbor 
                                                                                   (http://architecture.about.com/od/disastersandcollapses/ig/September-11-2001/New-York-City-Reconstruction.htm)

 Amazon River
(http://wvtf.org/post/pulse-amazon)










                                Neva Estuary
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 (http://stpetersburgrussia.ru/St-Petersburg)









                                                 

                                                                                 

Animal Behavior: The Life of a Pill Bug (Lab Report)

To grade this lab report, click on WebbHB9/1, SP1 (1), and SP3 (1,2, and 3)...

ABSTRACT

     In this lab, my partner and I observed the behavior of pill bugs. Our objective was to determine what type of environment they prefer living in. We did this by collecting 10 pill bugs and placing them in what is a called a choice chamber, a "tool" that allowed the pill bugs to move freely and choose between two different environments. Each side of the chamber had something different done to it, creating two different "environments." By recording the number of pill bugs on each side every so often, we were able to observe and determine which environment the pill bugs preferred.

INTRODUCTION

     Behavior can be defined as the way an animal or person responds to a certain situation. For an animal, behavior is the way it interacts with other animals, with other living beings, and with the environment. Animal behavior explores how animals find and defend resources, avoid predators, choose mates, reproduce, and care for their young. Questions about animal behavior fall into four different categories, two of them being proximate issues and ultimate issues. A proximate question asks how an animal knows to behave in a certain way, and an ultimate question asks why an animal behaves in a certain way. For example, in the case of a bird song, a proximate question that could be asked is "how does the bird know when/what/how to sing?" An ultimate question, for example, could be "why does the bird sing?" 
      Something very common in animal behavior is fixed action pattern. Fixed action patterns are, as dictionary.com puts it, highly stereotyped patterns of behavior that are characteristic of a particular species. In other words, they're instincts. An animal is triggered by a specific stimulus, causing it to go through a routine every time. An example of a fixed action pattern is the egg rolling behavior of a Greylag Goose. When a goose's egg rolls out of the nest, the goose instinctively begins to roll the egg back to the nest using a repeated movement with her beak and neck. If, while the goose is still rolling the egg back to the nest, the egg rolls away or someone takes it away, the goose will continue the movements without the egg until she has gotten back to the nest. The, the goose will relocate the egg and start again. 


     Imprinting is another part of animal behavior, and no it's not how when Jacob imprinted on Bella's daughter (yes, I read Twilight, don't judge me). It is when a young animal comes to recognize another animal, person, or thing as a parent. For young geese, the proximate cause for them following and imprinting on their mother is that during an early stage in their lives, the young geese see their mother moving away from them and calling them, so they instinctively follow. The ultimate cause is that geese that follow and imprint on their mother receive more care and learn more necessary skills; therefore, they have a greater chance of surviving than those geese that do not follow their mother. 



     Orientation behaviors, an element of animal behavior, place the animal in its most favorable environment. These behaviors include movements known as taxis and kenisis. In taxis, the animal moves toward or away from a stimulus, such as algae moves towards the directional stimulus of light in positive phototaxis as it needs light to photosynthesis. Taxis often occurs when the stimulus is light, heat, sound, or chemicals. Kinesis, on the other hand, is a random movement that does not result in orientation with respect to a stimulus. In other words, when an organism experiences unpleasant stimulus, they increase random movement in order to find an area of more pleasant stimulus. For example, when woodlice are in light, dry conditions (unpleasant), they increase random movement so that they may increase the chance of them finding dark, moist conditions. 
     Two learning behaviors for animals are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Conditioning involves learning associations between events that occur in an organism's environment. Classical conditioning is a type of learning which forms an association between two stimuli. Operant conditioning is a type of learning that forms an association between a behavior and a consequence. While classical conditioning is passive on the part of the learner, operant conditioning relies on the learner to actively participate in the learning process. An experiment was done with a dog on classical conditioning by a Russian scientist known as Ivan Pavlov. In his experiment, he suggested that salivation (drooling) was a learned response. He proved this by using the sound of a metronome as a neutral stimulus before the dogs received food. After many trials, Pavlov began to notice that the dogs began to drool after hearing the metronome.

     Now, the question we are asking for this lab is "Do pill bugs prefer living in a lighted environment or a dark environment?" By observing the actions and behaviors of the various pill bugs, we can determine what environment is more suitable for them. 








HYPOTHESIS

     My partner and I hypothesized that if the pill bugs are given a choice to either rest in a hot, lighted area or a dark, shady area, then the majority will choose the dark, shady area because pill bugs are used to inhabiting dark, cold spaces (under rocks). Our independent variable is obviously the difference in light exposure on either side of the choice chamber, while our dependent variable is the amount of pill bugs on either side. We kept the number of pill bugs, the temperature, the pH level, and the sizes of both the circular spaces and filter paper constant throughout the experiment. 

MATERIALS

• (2) choice chambers
• plastic wrap of some sort (optional)
• (2) filter paper
• (10) pill bugs
• a data sheet (w/ table)
• a paint brush (or some type of brush w/ soft bristles)
• a timer (phone)
• a lamp
• pencil and paper

PROCEDURE

1. Place 10 pill bugs in a choice chamber. They generally try to get out so cover the chamber with some kind of plastic wrap (if you want).
2. Observe the pill bugs for to minutes. Make notes on their general appearance, movements about the chamber, and interactions with each other. Notice if they seem to prefer one area over another, if they keep moving, settle down or move sporadically. Note any behaviors that involve 2 or more pill bugs. Do not interfere with the specimens in any way.
3. Make a detailed sketch of a pill bug,
4. Prepare the other choice chamber and place a filter paper on either side. 
5. Place one side of the chamber under a bright lamp and cover the other side with a plastic wrap of some sort or another choice chamber. 
6. Use a soft brush (i.e. paint brush) to transfer the ten pill bugs into the second choice chamber.
7. Count how many pill bugs are on each side of the choice chamber every 30 seconds for 5 minutes. Record data in a table. Continue to record even if they all move to one side or stop moving.
8. When done recording, return the pill bugs into the first choice chamber. 
9. Graph both the number of pill bugs in the lighted chamber and the number in the dark chamber.

DATA

                                                        (my sketch of a pill bug)

Time (minutes)	Number of pill bugs in lighted chamber	Number of pill bugs in dark chamber	Other Notes
0	0	10
0.5	0	10
1	1	9
1.5	4	6
2	1	9	some bugs on the dark side were hiding under the filter paper
2.5	1	9
3	1	9
3.5	2	8
4	4	6
4.5	2	8
5	2	8

CONCLUSION

     Based on our data and observations, my partner and I concluded that the pill bugs prefer living in a dark environment to living in a lighted one. While a few pill bugs did stay in the lighted area, the majority constantly returned to the dark, shaded area. An error that occurred during our lab was that at 2 minutes, some of the pill bugs began to bury themselves under the filter paper. However, this error could actually further prove that pill bugs prefer dark environments over lighted ones. 

CITATIONS

"Animal Behavior Chapter 51." Animal Behavior Chapter 51. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. 
"Animal Behavior/Definition." - Wikibooks, Open Books for an Open World. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Lab 5 - Animal Behavior." Lab 5 - Animal Behavior. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Pavlov's Dogs." About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Taxis vs. Kinesis - Biology-Online." Taxis vs. Kinesis - Biology-Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
http://asfgenglish12.wikispaces.com/file/view/Classical+Conditioning.pdf
http://www.scienceprofonline.org/animal-behavior/fixed-action-pattern-instinctive-behavior-FAP.html