Investigate the process of Natural Selection using the Peppered Moth as the example

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Objectives

· Investigate the process of Natural Selection using the Peppered Moth as the example

· Analyze population trends

· Understand the effect of human impacts on the living world.

NGSS: 3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing

· LS4.B: Natural Selection Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. (3-LS4-2)

Introduction

Between 1831 and 1836 Charles Darwin, a naturalist, sailed around the world as a member of a British scientific expedition. During the trip he made observations about the natural world and collected numerous species of plants and animals. These observations led to a book called The Origin of the Species, where he proposed The Theory of Natural Section.  Darwin suggests that “those individuals who possess superior physical, behavioral, or other attributes are more likely to survive than those which are not so well endowed” (a.k.a. survival of the fittest).

One example of an advantage that leads to survival of the fittest is camouflage. The term camouflage means to conceal by disguise. There are many examples in nature of animals that hide from predators. Chameleons are known for their ability to alter their skin color to blend in with the leaves and plants they are hiding in. This enables them to “sneak attack” their prey. Insects often use camouflage to hide from birds or other predators.

The case of the peppered moth in Manchester, England is a well documented scientific study of the value of camouflage in Natural Selection. This case involves two forms of a moth, an insect which relies on camouflage to survive. One form of the moth was white colored and the other form a black color. During the end of the 19th century, with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, smoke particles from the factories gradually blackened the trees on which the moths rested. What was the result of this change in the environment? How were the moth populations affected? How did the moth populations change? 

 

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Life Cycles and Reproductive Strategies

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Life Cycles and Reproductive Strategies   

Bill Nye the Science Guy episode 86: Search for “Bill Nye life cycles” if the link wont work; watch the first 11 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNIR3lsJwuk

1.  What are the four stages of a life cycle (according to Bill Nye)?

2. What is a “spore”? What is a “seed”? What is an “egg”? How are they all similar?

3. What are “K-Selected” species? What is their reprductive stragedy? Give an example.

4. What are “r-selected” species? What is their reproductive strategy? Give an example.

5. Why would different species have different lengths (time) in their life cycles?

Thinking Questions

1. What does the word “cycle” mean?

2. Is there anything wrong or confusing about Bill Nye’s explanation of “life cycle”?

3. Is there a better way to describe a life cycle? 

Follow-Up Questions

*(I’VE ATTACHED THE GRAPH TO A PDF FILE, PLEASE USE IT TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS BELOW)*

Text Box:

1A classic study was conducted following the changing populations of the snowshoe hare and the lynx in Canada.

a. Why would the snowshoe hare population “crash” every seven to ten years?

b. Why are the lynx population’s fluctuations approximately a year behind the snowshoe hares’?

c. Where do YOU think the carrying capacity is for the hare? Sketch on the graph. (you can highlight the parts on the graph using word doc.)

d. Where do YOU think the carrying capacity is for the lynx? Sketch on the graph.(you can highlight the parts on the graph using word doc.)

2. Population density, i.e. the number of individuals in a population found within a defined area, can have a profound affect on population growth patterns. For example, in a dense population, parasites and disease have a greater effect on population size (and its growth patterns). Why would population density affect population size?

3. In nature, elimination of a predator in an ecosystem can cause the elimination of its prey species! This seems counterintuitive, if the predator is removed, shouldn’t the prey increase? Explain how/why the prey could decrease when its predator is eliminated. Does this happen immediately? Or does it take awhile?

 

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Mitosis/Meiosis

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Mitosis/Meiosis  

Explain what happens during interphase (G1, S, G2) ?

Identify various stages of cellular division (if it is mitosis vs meiosis I vs meiosis II and which stage PMAT).

What are the difference between mitosis and meiosis (differences in PMAT stages)

identify if a cell is haploid vs diploid.

Identify if chromosomes are replicated and non-replicated

Arboretum 

Be able to identify the origin of plants (whether they come from an Arid/Tropical/Temperate environment)

Explain how you were able to identify the origin (give examples of evolutionary adaptation the plants had to make to endure and thrive in those specific environments).

Aquarium 

Explain how pollution effects our coast ecosystem. ?

Describe how you can help the southern California coastal ecosystem.

Evolution

Explain relationships between predator and prey and how they can influence allele frequency changes per generations.

Be able to identify allele frequency changes within generations (….it will be obvious phenotypical changes…. they will look different!) 

Predator Prey 

Know how carrying capacities influence population growth. 

How would evolution (especially predator prey relationship) dictate carrying capacity… as well as allele frequency changes (be able to describe the relationship using the terms in VASR) 

Plant Reproduction 

Be able to identify the anatomy of a flower (know what the function of the anatomical parts). 

How do these parts play a role in pollination? 

Describe some techniques of SEED dispersal. 

What morphology aids in that type of seed dispersal (Example: coconuts are hollow so they can float on water to allow them to disperse via water). 

Why is seed dispersal important?

 

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Describe one direct action of growth hormone

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1. Name and describe a function of one hormone

produced by the anterior pituitary and one

hormone produced by the posterior pituitary.

2. Describe one direct action of growth hormone

(GH).

3. How is hormone production and release

primarily controlled?

 

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What is toxic shock syndrome

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Theme 1

What is toxic shock syndrome (TSS)? Indicate the bacteria associated with TSS, the antigen causing it, and its symptoms. 

Theme 2

Why does human papilloma virus (HPV) cause cervical cancer while other cases causes only skin warts? (hint; think about HPV genome especially E6 and E7) 

 

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Introduce your biotechnology using appropriately-edited excerpts from Assignments 1 and 2.

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In this assignment, you will integrate new material written specifically for Assignment 4, with appropriately-edited material from Assignments 1, 2, 3, to form a coherent final paper. Please organize your paper into sections corresponding to the following requirements:

  1. Introduction. Introduce your biotechnology using appropriately-edited excerpts from Assignments 1 and 2. Explain what the technology accomplishes, as well as your interest in it. 
  2. Biological basis. Using appropriately edited material from Assignment 2, provide a full and complete description of exactly how the technology works, as well as the key biological principles that underlie the technology.
  3. Social and ethical implications. Using appropriately-edited material from Assignment 3, provide an analysis of the social and ethical implications of your chosen biotechnology. Use an honest-broker, even-handed approach, without disclosing your personal opinion.. 
  4. Personal viewpoint. In this section, use what you’ve presented in the previous sections of your paper to explain and justify your opinion about the technology.  This will provide a final summation and conclusion. [Note: do not bring up new issues in this section. Instead, refer to issues you’ve covered. If you think of new issues, then add them to one of the earlier sections]. 

Use at least 4 quality resources in this assignment. You must have a reference section which contains an SWS reference to all of your sources. Additionally, you must provide in-text citations (in SWS format) to your references in the body of the text. Integrate all sources into your paper using proper techniques of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, along with your in-text citations.

 

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Tarnita’s Termites, Pacific Lampreys, and Large Brains

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Tarnita’s Termites, Pacific Lampreys, and Large Brains”

For your primary post, please respond to one of the following three topics with a post of at least 125 words that addresses each point given in the instructions. Also, please reply to at least one fellow student on any topic.

Topic 1 : Population Distribution of Termites in a Savanna. Watch the video (1) describing Corina Tarnita’s research on the spacing of termite mounds in savanna ecosystems, and then address the following:

  • (a) What were Tarnita’s findings about the spacing of termite mounds?
  • (b) What does Tarnita think is the main factor that governs the spatial distribution of the termite mounds?
  • (c) How do the termite mounds benefit other organisms on the savanna? 

Topic 2 :  Pacific Lampreys. Watch the video about Pacific Lampreys (2)*, then address the following:

  • (a) Where do Pacific lampreys fall in the taxonomy of vertebrates? 
  • (b) What challenges do Pacific lamprey populations face?
  • (c) Why are Native American tribes of the Northwest concerned about them? (Please note: take care not to confuse the Pacific lamprey (described in the video) with the Sea Lamprey, which is a completely different species that is considered an invasive species in the Great Lakes). 

Topic 3 [article]: Supporting the Energy Needs of a Large Brain. As discussed in the article by Zimmer (3)*, brain tissue is energetically expensive. For a species to evolve a large brain, it may need to make certain adjustments to ensure that enough energy is available to support brain function. Zimmer discusses various hypotheses about such adjustments in the human line of descent. Explain one of these adjustments. 

 

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Provide an analysis of the social and ethical implications of your chosen biotechnology.

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Continuing on your research from Weeks 3 and 5.

Provide an analysis of the social and ethical implications of your chosen biotechnology. Strive for an even-handed honest-broker approach in which you carefully analyze the possible benefits of the technology, as well as any possible drawbacks. For now, hold back on disclosing your point of view (you’ll get a chance to express your opinion in the final paper in Week 9).

For both benefits and drawbacks, state whether these are based on actual evidence, or based on speculation about possibilities. Consider the possible biases of both proponents and critics, if appropriate. Finally, address whether there any special ethical considerations that go beyond simply looking at the risks and benefits.

This assignment should be at least one page of double-spaced text (about 300 words) but not much more than two pages of double-spaced text (about 600 words). As always, think of the expected length as a proxy for how much to cover and how much detail to go into. In addition to your general remarks, you will need to go into depth on several issues to meet the expected length. Describe your points in a clear manner, and support them with explanations, examples, and discussions.

Hint: Merely providing a list of issues will not be sufficient for a good grade. You need to describe the issues fully, and support them.  Do not copy any bulleted lists from your sources.

You must have a reference section which contains an SWS reference to your chosen article and all other sources. Additionally, you must provide in-text citations (in SWS format) to your references in the body of the text. Integrate all sources into your paper using proper techniques of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, along with your in-text citations.  Double-space your paper. Use standard margins and fonts. Also, follow any additional formatting instructions provided by your instructor.

Objectives evaluated by this assessment:

  1. Categorize a wide range of organisms, from single-celled to multi-celled organisms.
  2. Describe how organisms acquire and utilize both energy and material.
  3. Describe the cell cycle, cell reproduction, and control.
  4. Investigate DNA and gene expression as well as technologies based on our understanding of them.
  5. Discuss interactions between organisms in ecosystems.
 

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Discuss how the findings of at least two other articles support or contradict the findings of the main article.

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In the CSU Online Library, locate a research article that discusses an industrial or environmental toxicant that causes nephrotoxicity. 

The article that you review should be at least two pages in length and no more than five years old. The Academic OneFile database in the CSU Online Library is a great place to begin your research. Review the article and briefly summarize the purpose for the study.

 The discussion should include the following:

  1. Include a summary of the purpose of the research and the research findings.
  2. Discuss how the findings of at least two other articles support or contradict the findings of the main article.
  3. Discuss how this information might be useful in the field of safety.

Your critique should be at least three pages in length, not including title and reference pages. 

The article critique should include a minimum of three sources, including the article you review as well as the textbook. 

Use APA format for your critique, including all references and in-text citations.

The article for critique is: Enhancement of Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity by Morphine and Its Attenuation by the Opioid Antagonist Naltrexone  

Authors: Atefeh Aminian1,4*, Shiva Javadi1*, Reza Rahimian1,2, Ahmad Reza Dehpour1,2, Fahimeh Asadi Amoli3 , Payman Moghaddas1 , and Shahram Ejtemaei Mehr1 

 

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