tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65716122350746967702024-03-13T08:24:38.424-04:00EcographicaEvolution, Ecology & EthologyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-80586876542608367362012-03-23T21:42:00.003-04:002012-03-23T21:49:27.553-04:00Thorn Bugs in South Florida<strong>Thorn bugs (Umbonia)<br /></strong><br />Photos taken at <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/esterobay/default.cfm">Estero Bay Preserve State Park</a> two weeks<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T2zsIXfosDY/T20nlYkVIGI/AAAAAAAABHw/-Wd68qU3DD8/s1600/IMGP2990.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 181px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723274224661241954" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T2zsIXfosDY/T20nlYkVIGI/AAAAAAAABHw/-Wd68qU3DD8/s400/IMGP2990.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSQwyMG_U54/T20nlDbrjrI/AAAAAAAABHk/ZdOCla2UI_Q/s1600/IMGP2988.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723274218987818674" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSQwyMG_U54/T20nlDbrjrI/AAAAAAAABHk/ZdOCla2UI_Q/s400/IMGP2988.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e190mPTfj2E/T20nk_NpS2I/AAAAAAAABHc/oWl_nVihf4o/s1600/IMGP2988.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723274217855208290" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e190mPTfj2E/T20nk_NpS2I/AAAAAAAABHc/oWl_nVihf4o/s400/IMGP2988.JPG" /></a><div> </div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-28851456468978916452011-10-20T06:55:00.004-04:002011-10-20T07:15:53.475-04:00Ideology trumps science<div><strong>Quotes from a state environmental protection agency:</strong> <em>"Why would we include things we don't agree with? That's ridiculous," Saenz said. "We were looking at not including very controversial things that are unsettled science."</em></div><div> </div><div><strong><br /></strong></div><div><strong>and</strong></div><div><strong><br /></strong></div><div> </div><div><em>"It isn't censorship to accurately report in our document what we believe. That's being responsible. That's being accurate"</em></div><div><em><br /></em></div><div> </div><div>I'm thinking the citizens may want to have an independent contractor run some water quality tests - there's obviously something in the water in Texas...</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>Article from <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-climate-change-texas-idUSTRE79J0DW20111020">Reuters</a>:</div><div> </div><div>The leaders of the agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, are appointed by Republican Governor Rick Perry, who said in a recent presidential debate that the science of climate change was "unsettled."</div><div><br />At issue is "The State of the Bay 2010" report commissioned by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which has come under scrutiny after Rice University Professor John Anderson said that an article regarding sea-level changes he contributed was censored for political reasons.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Democratic state Senators Rodney Ellis of Houston and Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio wrote to Perry appointee Bryan Shaw, chairman of the commission.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In his letter, Ellis said he concluded from the deletions that "the facts simply proved inconvenient to the agency and other state leadership, and thus they were excised."<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The commission said on Monday it would remove Anderson's article on sea-level rise in Galveston Bay from the report, ending a standoff with Anderson over the deleted information.<br /></div><div>Commission spokesman Andy Saenz said Anderson prematurely revealed the draft report to the media without prior approval, and that the commission did not want to include controversial implications about global warming in the report.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><strong>"Why would we include things we don't agree with? That's ridiculous," Saenz said. "We were looking at not including very controversial things that are unsettled science."</strong></div><div><br />Two co-editors of the project, Jim Lester and Lisa Gonzalez, scientists with the Houston Advanced Research Center, a nonprofit research facility contracted for the report, asked the agency to remove their names, fearing their own credibility.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lester, the center's vice president, called the deletions "scientific censorship." He said Anderson's statements in the article were not political and were reviewed by lower-level staff at the agency before upper management made its own edits.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"As a scientist, my main concern is about the availability of objective science for decision-making in agencies," Lester said.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Saenz denied the claims of scientific censorship.</div><div>"Using a word like censorship is very powerful," he said. "<strong>It isn't censorship to accurately report in our document what we believe. That's being responsible. That's being accurate</strong>."</div><div><br />Saenz said the agency was preparing a response to the senators. The agency, which is embroiled in a lawsuit with the Environmental Protection Agency over greenhouse gas emissions, has been working on the report for more than two years, the agency said.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>FROM REUTERS:</div><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-climate-change-texas-idUSTRE79J0DW20111020">http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-climate-change-texas-idUSTRE79J0DW20111020</a></div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-31757414096568768992011-08-02T19:18:00.004-04:002011-08-02T19:47:23.137-04:00Fuzzy pictures of fuzzy spiders<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The southern house spider (<i>Kukulcania hibernalis)</i> is a sexually dimorphic species of crevice spider (</span><span lang="EN"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filistatidae" title="Filistatidae"><span>Filistatidae</span></a>). <span> </span>Both the female and male have fine, light-colored hairs on their abdomen and both have been documented as employing autotomy as a defensive tactic.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">These were photographed on my car port earlier this week (same male in both pics, two different females): </p></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rs5Boblpa2M/TjiKDKQa32I/AAAAAAAABHQ/TZjBPpSFuJE/s1600/8.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rs5Boblpa2M/TjiKDKQa32I/AAAAAAAABHQ/TZjBPpSFuJE/s320/8.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636406720551640930" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gyj1w83Heio/TjiKDJjIqqI/AAAAAAAABHI/P0fsC4AiWyM/s320/6.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636406720361704098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px; " /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gG7o2NzQ_24/TjiJz8wzS0I/AAAAAAAABHA/PLB48-YtJBg/s1600/IMGP2655.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gG7o2NzQ_24/TjiJz8wzS0I/AAAAAAAABHA/PLB48-YtJBg/s400/IMGP2655.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636406459231324994" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IEzMEyc4rq4/TjiJs6rLrSI/AAAAAAAABG4/u6d7jSFs3dc/s1600/IMGP2652.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IEzMEyc4rq4/TjiJs6rLrSI/AAAAAAAABG4/u6d7jSFs3dc/s400/IMGP2652.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636406338411801890" /></a><br /><div>The brown recluse looking specimen is the male; the female is larger and darker.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-72867342756645563492011-07-31T10:55:00.008-04:002011-07-31T11:29:14.916-04:00What kind of crap is this?<div><div><div><span >What kind of crap is this anyway?<br /></span></div><p><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635533082578937522" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo5qPPk70vw/TjVvevMUZrI/AAAAAAAABGg/Dhdb3fpDL_Q/s400/Bear%2BScat%2B2.JPG" /><br />I’ll give ya a couple hints:<br /><br />The critter that left it behind lives in Florida, can weigh over 240 lbs, and it is a member of the order Carnivora…<br /><br />It’s from a Florida Black Bear -<em><a href="http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/black_bear.php"> Ursus americanus floridanus</a></em>!<br /><br />Usually their crap looks a little more like this:</p><p> <img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635536442181741938" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kfn5gYysrHg/TjVyiSsC7XI/AAAAAAAABGs/sKVZOBwgPi4/s400/Bear%2BScat.JPG" /></p><p><br />But I guess you never know what you might find when you start digging through another’s crap…<br /><br /><strong><span >King snake – It’s what’s for dinner!!!</span></strong><br /><br />Both of the above pictures were taken near Ft. Walton Beach, Florida a couple of months back.</p><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong></strong> </div><div> </div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-7631138736883311732011-01-03T17:49:00.002-05:002011-01-03T17:53:07.351-05:00Two is a company...<div align="justify">Anyone who has ever shared a residence can attest to the fact that cohabitating with others can be an extremely stressful state of affairs. Disputes resulting from a lack of privacy, the unequal sharing of common resources, and poor communication become routine occurrences. Even worse is a cohabiting situation in which those sharing the living space develop a mutual love interest – how does that get resolved? Luckily, a recent study published in an animal behavior journal may offer a glimpse of hope for those truly desperate for resolution.</div><div align="justify"><br />Weighing as much as fifteen pounds and often sporting wingspans greater than nine-feet, bearded vultures (<em><a class="zem_slink" title="Gypaetus barbatus" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=33610" rel="ncbi">Gypaetus barbatus</a></em>) are truly massive birds. First described by the father of modern taxonomy ( Carl Linnaeus) in his <em><a class="zem_slink" title="Systema Naturae" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systema_Naturae" rel="wikipedia">Systema Naturae</a></em>, bearded vultures can be found competing for habitat throughout the mountainous regions of Europe, Asia and Africa. Even though a pining for expansive views has lead these bulky buzzards to prefer out-of-the-way nesting sites in hight rocky crags, pressure from human encroachment has caused their numbers to decline in recent years. The huge birds are experiencing population growth in a few isolated locales in the Pyrenees Mountains, but, unfortunately, the increase in the Pyrenees groups has contributed to overcrowding and a lack of housing options for many of the birds.<br /><br />Under normal circumstances, in un-congested habitats, a bachelor bearded vulture will stake claim to a territory and take-up with a female member of the species; however, with the current surge in population in the Pyrenees, there simply isn’t enough available precipitous homesteads for all of the free-roaming males to settle down and raise families of their own. Lacking options, the roving males have developed a new strategy: they have begun to invade the established territories of their rivals – their already attached rivals. The itinerant bachelor invades the home of another male and claims residence with him and his already courted female companion. As might be predicted, the addition of an interloping male into the love nest of an established male-female pair has proven to adversely affect the reproductive success of the mate-pair.<br /><br />Typically, a bearded vulture male-female pair will breed between the months of December and February and produce one or two eggs annually; but, the addition of the second male in the territory decreases the frequency and duration of the pair’s copulations. This occurs for a couple of reasons; firstly, the two males constantly fight each other for access to the female. The time and energy the males expend in combating and deterring one another leaves both far too exhausted to apply any romantic effort towards the female. Exasperating this situation even further, when one male does find the rare opportunity to copulate with the female, the rival male will often physically interrupt the act – he’ll stop them mid-coitus!<br /><br />In addition to the mood-ruining intrusion of a combative third party during attempted sexual congress, the female can even be put-off by the mere presence of a second male — she’ll terminate copulation if she even spots a voyeur.<br /><br />Fortunately, there is hope for the Pyrenees populations. As with the cliché, “time heals all wounds,” it turns-out that over long periods of time, the polyandrous model can work for the bearded vulture. Apparently the key to success in the multi-male regime is a willingness of the beta bird to demonstrate submission to the alpha – male on male copulations appear to curtail the aggression of the frustrated vultures.<br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><br />Journal Reference:<br />Bertran, J., Margalida, A., & Arroyo, B. (2009). Agonistic Behaviour and Sexual Conflict in Atypical Reproductive Groups: The Case of Bearded Vulture Polyandrous Trios<br />Ethology, 115 (5), 429-438 DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01628.x </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-82598913323309609922010-12-21T10:37:00.003-05:002010-12-21T10:43:58.194-05:00A Threatened Orchid<div><div><em></em></div><div><a href="http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=STLA11"><em>Stenorrhynchos lanceolatum</em>,</a> the leafless beaked orchid, is listed as a Threatened species in Florida. This hummingbird pollinated orchid is found throughout Florida, Puerto Rico, and Central America. </div><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553161260870541106" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TRDKvq6mHzI/AAAAAAAABEg/742j93y0pU8/s400/IMGP1699.JPG" /> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553161371849993074" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TRDK2IWKK3I/AAAAAAAABEo/SvfrqQRpbLM/s400/IMGP1696.JPG" /><br />Snapshots taken this past summer near Bradenton, Florida. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-16500948174502255762010-11-12T08:30:00.005-05:002010-11-12T09:05:02.052-05:00Transgenic Veggies Go Wild<div align="justify">A newly published study from Penn State details what can happen when a genetically modified organism escapes from captivity and interbreeds with the wild members of its species. </div><div align="justify"><br />Transgenic organisms are critters that have been genetically engineered to express characteristics unique to their species. By snipping, swapping and splicing DNA between different species, organisms can be designed to provide specific benefits to people. For example, bacteria can be engineered to synthesis human insulin for treating diabetes, tomatoes can be manipulated to have an improved shelf-life, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enviropig#cite_note-1">pigs can be designed </a>to more efficiently digest phosphorus, thus easing both their own cost of feeding and the amount of phosphorus pollution discharged into the surrounding environment. But, despite the potential benefits to people, what trouble could ensue if a transgenic organism were to evade human controls and escape its confinement? Would the transgenic organism out-compete the wild type and push it to extinction?<br /><br />Cucurbita pepo is a species of squash cultivated around the world as a popular food; common varieties of the species include the zucchini, yellow squash and gourd. In addition to being commonplace at dinner tables, Cucurbita also maintains fame as a widely utilized transgenic plant – a transgenic plant that has managed to pass its transplanted genes to wild populations.<br /><br />Prior to their escape, the genes of the Cucurbita plant had been engineered to have resistance to a leaf-wilting virus transmitted by aphids. The reasoning behind the genetic transplant was simple, by reducing susceptibility to the aphid borne disease, the agricultural yield of squash could be increased and more humans could be fed; but, having escaped, would the disease-resistant plants replace their naturally more disease-susceptible counterparts?<br /><br />Not necessarily.<br /><br />According to a case study just published in the November issue of the <a href="http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/656531">International Journal of Plant Sciences</a>, when mixed populations of transgenic and wild type squash were naturally exposed to the aphid borne disease, the transgenic members did indeed exhibit better health – at least at first. After initially showing better health, the condition and reproductive success of the transgenic squash later equalized and balanced to that of the non-transgenic type. The reason for the equalization was that the robust appearance of the transgenic plants attracted the attention of leaf-munching, and bacteria-transporting, beetles. The beetles’ preference for the healthy looking plants affectively buffered any benefit the plants received from their introduced viral resistance. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=" included="1;bpr3.tags=" au="Stephenson%2C+A.&rfe_dat=" au="Sasu%2C+M.&rft.au=" epage="1058&rft.artnum=" issue="9&rft.spage=" date="2010&rft.volume=" atitle="Interrelationships+among+a+Virus-Resistance+Transgene.&rft.issn=" rft_id="info%3Adoi%2F10.1086%2F656531&rfr_id=" rft_val_fmt="info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=">Sasu, M., Ferrari, M., & Stephenson, A. (2010). Interrelationships among a Virus-Resistance Transgene. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">International Journal of Plant Sciences, 171</span> (9), 1048-1058 DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/656531" rev="review">10.1086/656531</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-78423142082652412002010-10-11T15:18:00.006-04:002010-10-11T15:28:41.679-04:00Field Photos: Eastern Coachwhip Snake<div align="center"><em>Masticophis flagellum flagellum </em>- the eastern coachwhip </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Photographed near Inglis, Florida two weeks back.</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TLNk0GQ3pEI/AAAAAAAABEU/KILANfES8BU/s1600/CW1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 251px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526872013911073858" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TLNk0GQ3pEI/AAAAAAAABEU/KILANfES8BU/s400/CW1.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TLNkz-FTjBI/AAAAAAAABEM/A2sBYjxejmg/s1600/close.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526872011715087378" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TLNkz-FTjBI/AAAAAAAABEM/A2sBYjxejmg/s400/close.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TLNj_movulI/AAAAAAAABDc/-Qr9NMZ1MTc/s1600/CW+Move.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526871112068086354" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TLNj_movulI/AAAAAAAABDc/-Qr9NMZ1MTc/s400/CW+Move.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-86306901229620812362010-09-06T18:01:00.002-04:002010-09-06T18:08:22.665-04:00Field Photos: Fishing Spider in Nyssa SwampThe fishing spider <a href="http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/fishing-spider"><em>Dolomedes tenebrosus</em> </a>as found in a Nyssa swamp near Tallahassee, Florida.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TIVlMNWwHJI/AAAAAAAABDI/01MDgyV5ICY/s1600/Fish+Spider2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 431px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 280px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513924579202964626" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TIVlMNWwHJI/AAAAAAAABDI/01MDgyV5ICY/s400/Fish+Spider2.JPG" /></a> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 436px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 338px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513924563549589138" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TIVlLTCsjpI/AAAAAAAABDA/-x0l7nbbo00/s400/Fish+Spide.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 439px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 264px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513924588110005106" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TIVlMuiWw3I/AAAAAAAABDQ/epmD-1YnZyE/s400/Nyssa+Swamp.JPG" /><br />Snapshots taken about a month ago. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-70865192115081863442010-09-02T07:08:00.002-04:002010-09-02T07:17:04.426-04:00Alfred Russel Wallace, a Conspicuous Caterpillar and David Bowie<div align="justify">Prior to yesterday morning I had never contemplated the linkages between rock’n roller <a class="zem_slink" title="David Bowie" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie" rel="wikipedia">David Bowie</a> and the co-founder of Natural Selection <a class="zem_slink" title="Alfred Russel Wallace" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace" rel="wikipedia">Alfred Russel Wallace</a>. It turns-out that these famous Brits hold at least two things in common; the first and most obvious of which is the already mentioned fact that both Wallace and Bowie were born in the U.K. The second linkage between the two, as strange as this may sound, is caterpillars!<br /><br />Yes, caterpillars!<br /><br />The Bowie-Wallace-caterpillar connection became apparent to me yesterday morning as I was heading off to work. While stepping outside in route to the car, I noticed a rather strange looking creature attached to the exterior of the door frame (no, it wasn’t David Bowie!). In trying to figure-out what the creature was, my brain struggled to match its distinctive shape, color and pattern to familiar morphological templates filed away in the dark recesses of my memory. Then it hit me! Although the overall proportions of the beastie seemed diminutive in comparison to the model held in my head, its overall appearance reminded me of something from my adolescence back in the late 1980s – it reminded me of a mullet!<br /><br />For those with a functional fashion sense (or a selective memory), Wikipedia defines a “mullet” as a “hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. Often ridiculed as a lowbrow and unappealing hairstyle, the mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s.”<br /><br />The tiny creature (which fortunately turned-out to be a caterpillar, not an outdated and free-living hairstyle) looked exactly like a mouse-sized mullet! In fact, it looked like a miniaturized version of the very mullet sported by David Bowie just a few decades ago.<br /><br /><strong>Check it out:</strong><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 188px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512203479094990162" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TH9H2_0hFVI/AAAAAAAABC0/j-pH3x8HpqA/s400/Bowie+Cater+Combo.jpg" /><br /><br />As evidenced by the images shown above, both Bowie and the caterpillar exhibited a <em>conspicuous</em>, yet strangely similar, appearance. It’s this conspicuous appearance that brings us to Alfred Wallace; because, Wallace knew a thing or two about <em>conspicuous</em> caterpillars.<br /><br />In 1889 Alfred Wallace published a book titled, “Darwinism: an Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection with Some of its Applications.” In this work, Wallace expanded on one of his theories - a theory that he had previously presented to Charles Darwin and to members of the Entomological Society of London - the evolutionary phenomena now known as ‘aposematism.’<br /><br />Aposematism refers to signaling adaptations exhibited by prey species that serve to dissuade would be predators from attacking. In other words, aposematic species are those organisms that intimidate, scare, or warn predators of their ‘unprofitability’ as potential prey items. Aposematic species are considered ‘unprofitable’ because in addition to the signaling adaptation, they also bear an underlying secondary defensive mechanism. For example, a coral snake could be considered an aposematic species because in addition to its secondary defense mechanism (a venomous bite), it also warns predators of this lethal capacity through the use of visual cues; in this case, warning coloration via strongly contrasting yellow, red and black colored bands along the length of its body.<br /><br />Speaking to warning displays, Wallace wrote, <strong>“…instead of serving to conceal the animals that posses them or as recognition marks to their associates, they are developed for the express purpose of rendering the species <em><span style="font-size:130%;">conspicuous</span></em>. The reason of this is that the animals in question are either possessors of some deadly weapons, as stings or poison fangs, or they are uneatable, and are thus so disagreeable to the usual enemies of their kind that they are never attacked when their peculiar powers or properties are known.”</strong> (Chapter IX of Alfred Wallace’s 1889 book; my emphasis added)<br /><br />As an alternative to Wallace’s quoted learned avoidance of prey due to ‘known’ risks (learned through prior bad/unprofitable encounters), predators could also facilitate the evolution of conspicuous prey by practicing dietary conservatism. By simply avoiding prey items that look weird or unusual, predators could thin populations of normal looking individuals, thereby contributing to a reproductive boom for the remaining strange-looking conspecifics. In the case of a predator of caterpillars, for example, by eating ‘normal’ hairless caterpillars a predator could open the door for a surge in ‘strange-looking’ caterpillars - like those caterpillars that flaunt mullets.<br /><br />In fact, Wallace frequently used conspicuous caterpillars as examples in explaining the phenomena of warning signaling - caterpillars not dissimilar to the venomous <a class="zem_slink" title="Megalopyge opercularis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis" rel="wikipedia"><em>Megalopyge opercularis</em></a> found on the frame of my door yesterday morning.<br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512202819717713970" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TH9HQncuUDI/AAAAAAAABCs/hjR_FASVmVI/s400/IMGP1861.JPG" /><em>Megalopyge opercularis</em>, the asp caterpillar, is the larval form of the southern flannel mouth. Its range extends from the southern United States through tropical South America. Though its retro hairstyle may look cute and harmless, it packs a painful punch. The ‘hairs’ of the asp moth aren’t really even hairs at all; they’re actually bundles of venom injecting spikes! The spikes are the caterpillar’s secondary defensive mechanism, and its conspicuousness serves as its primary defense – it sends a warning signal to predators.<br /><br />Looking strange can sometimes be advantageous - just ask David Bowie!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Wallace, A. R. 1889. Darwinism: an Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection with Some of its Applications. London: MacMillan.<br /><br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=" included="1;bpr3.tags=" au="Lee%2C+et+al.&rfe_dat=" epage="74&rft.artnum=" issue="1&rft.spage=" date="2010&rft.volume=" atitle="Can+dietary+conservatism+explain+the+primary+evolution+of+aposematism%3F&rft.issn=" rft_id="info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.anbehav.2009.10.004&rfr_id=" rft_val_fmt="info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=">Lee, et al. (2010). Can dietary conservatism explain the primary evolution of aposematism? <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Animal Behaviour, 79</span> (1), 63-74 DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.10.004" rev="review">10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.10.004</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-26122387449938137902010-08-29T16:53:00.002-04:002010-08-29T17:06:02.575-04:00Field Photos: White-eyed Vireo in Nest<div align="center"><em>Vireo griseus</em> the <a class="zem_slink" title="White-eyed Vireo" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-eyed_Vireo" rel="wikipedia">white-eyed vireo</a>; nested in a forked branch of <em>Myrica cerifera</em> (wax myrtle).<br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510938222609255330" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/THrJHYG_S6I/AAAAAAAABCY/1tPlEo1tKiE/s400/IMGP1460.JPG" /><br /><div align="center">Snapshot taken a couple months back in Manatee County, Florida – where vireos nest year around. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-32857756672135273592010-08-21T14:21:00.005-04:002010-08-21T14:31:54.926-04:00Field Photos: Jewel Beetle Vs Yellow-eyed GrassA <a class="zem_slink" title="Buprestidae" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buprestidae" rel="wikipedia">jewel beetle</a> [<em>Buprestis rufipes</em> (?)] having a go at the wetland plant <em><a class="zem_slink" title="Xyris" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xyris" rel="wikipedia">Xyris</a> caroliniana</em>.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507931746450377026" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/THAavbpFiUI/AAAAAAAABB4/JMHiMJdnZVM/s400/Xyris+Bug2.JPG" /><em>Xyris caroliniana</em> is a species of “yellow-eyed grass” belonging to the Xyridaceae Family of monocots. It’s an herbaceous perennial common to Florida’s marshes, hydric pine flatwoods, and wetland ecotones. They display a compact erect stem and ascending leaves. Its flowers are short lived with three yellow petals.<br /><br />The iridescence shown by <em>Buprestis rufipes</em> isn’t due to pigmentation in the exoskeleton, but rather microscopic textures in its cuticle which reflect and scatter particular frequencies of light.<br /><div><div><div></div><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507931119998172098" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/THAaK97Pe8I/AAAAAAAABBo/DUejiR40ikY/s400/Xyris+Bug3.JPG" /> These photos were taken near <a href="http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/goethe.html">Goethe State Forest</a> back in April. </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-2396209807849966192010-08-19T16:57:00.008-04:002010-08-19T17:16:59.298-04:00Field Photos: An Endangered FernBelow are a few snapshots of an endangered “hand fern” - <em>Ophioglossum palmatum</em>.<br /><br />Members of the <a href="http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=2715"><em>Ophioglossum palmatum</em> </a>are epiphytic ferns that take root in the humus that collects between the fronds and the trunks of palm trees.<br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507230578987685202" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TG2dCHS61VI/AAAAAAAABBE/VNaQh9_ZTXU/s400/Hand+Fern.JPG" />These snapshots were taken last month during fieldwork near the <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/fakahatcheestrand/">Fakahatchee Preserve </a>in south Florida. </p><p></p><p align="left">Although, they’re listed by the State of Florida as an endangered species, the hand fern can also be found in Southeast Asia, South America and Madagascar. </p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">A close-up showing the spore-bearing </span></strong></p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">sporangial spikes</span></strong> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507229632157558530" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TG2cLAFBpwI/AAAAAAAABA8/4pa1J1B7Blg/s400/HAnd+Fern2.JPG" /> </p><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Here are a few more specimens – these ones guarded by </strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><em>Toxicodendron radicans</em> (Poison Ivy)</strong></span><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507228478925292210" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TG2bH39BwrI/AAAAAAAABAw/nKIjIZQmDxA/s400/Hand+Fern+Ivy.JPG" /> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-85448695699108554402010-08-17T19:53:00.006-04:002010-08-17T20:02:17.578-04:00A Motivating Herd of Squirrel Frogs<div align="justify">I’ve really neglected this blog the last few months… There’s really no excuse for the lack of posts; I’ve just been tied-up with work, extra work (thanks for nothing BP) and personal commitments. In an effort to get things rolling again, I thought that posting a couple of snapshots would be a good idea. Small steps…<br /><br />Despite a recent malaise brought about by incidents in the Gulf of Mexico, I was briefly inspired this weekend when I discovered a couple hundred juvenile frogs in my backyard. Yeah, a COUPLE HUNDRED!<br /><br />Though, I’m not exactly certain where the deed went down (no ponds or puddles around), my best guess is that about 45-days ago (tadpole-to-froglet growth time) a couple (perhaps a few) of the squirrel frogs that reside in the rafters of my porch got “frisky” (i.e. mated). The result: hundreds of these guys in my yard:</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506532313264049362" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TGsh9sxQTNI/AAAAAAAABAk/zoP8fJ1i-hk/s400/DSC01158.JPG" /> <p align="justify">Squirrel frogs (<em>Hyla squirella</em>) are common throughout the Southeastern United States. They’re terrestrial tree frogs that breed and undergo early development in water (puddles, ponds, ditches, etc…). Once sufficiently mature to undertake travel, they move to forested areas (or the exteriors of human dwellings) to live as adults. Eventually, the upland dwelling adult frogs return to water to reproduce and the cycle starts anew.<br /><br />As another quick natural history note, <em>Hyla squirella</em> are at least bimodel when it comes to sexual selection. Like many frog species, the females home-in on distant males by converging on the sound of the male’s song; but, in addition to sound, female squirrel frogs also select mates based on appearance.</p><div align="center"><strong>Squirrel frog in rafters of porch<br /></div></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506531987263902194" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/TGshquUw0fI/AAAAAAAABAc/_uwR1iDT5ms/s400/DSC01171.JPG" /> <p align="justify">Males with low-frequency and energetic calls are preferred by the females, but the females also consider the size of the yellow stripe that runs down the male’s side. The male’s yellow stripe may give some indication as to his overall health.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-76323907710966792152010-07-25T13:51:00.001-04:002010-07-25T13:59:39.159-04:00Convergent Evolution and Intelligence<div align="justify">Measuring only about one-tenth of a millimeter in length, the female members of the wasp species <em>Dicopomorpha echmepterygis</em> are likely candidates for being the world’s smallest flying animal. Though accomplished fliers, these tiny parasitoid wasps are so minute that one could sit comfortably within the circumference of the period found at the end this sentence. Equally as versed in flight, but dramatically less petite than the insect aviators, were huge pterosaurs like <em>Quetzalcoatlus</em>. Though no human has ever laid eyes on a living specimen, fossil evidence clearly shows that some of these masters of the sky boasted wingspans well in access of thirty feet. In addition to the huge variety of aeronautically inclined insects and reptiles that have been identified, mammals too have converged on the adaptation of winged locomotion; mammals of the order Chiroptera have taken to the sky as moth hunting bats.<br /><br />Like the adaptation of flight, eyes too have independently evolved in a number of different animal taxa. From the photoreceptive eyespots of a flatworm to the sharply focusing lenses of a great horned owl, eyes have arisen at least forty different times during the Earth’s biological history. ‘Convergent evolution’ is the phrase science uses to describe the common adaptations shared between different lineages of animals. For example, a case for convergent evolution could be made for the possum’s opposable thumb, which may very well represent an adaptation for improved grip; but, this enhanced grasping ability is hardly an indicator of a hereditary tie to primates. Rather than having been passed through genetic transmission from parent to offspring, the opposable thumb simply has an analogous structure and function for both possums and primates. So, just as flight isn’t unique to birds, the opposable thumb isn’t unique to primates.<br /><br />If not opposable thumbs, is there a trait that is unique to primates? More to the point, is there a trait that is unique to the variety of apes called <em>Homo sapiens</em>? Perhaps intelligence is unique?<br /><br /><strong>Maybe not as unique as we’d like to think:<br /></strong><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=" tags="Biology%2CEvolution%2C+Ethology%2C+Zoology%2C+Ecology%2C+Evolutionary+Biology%2C+Genetics%2C+Taxonomy%2C+Behavioral+Biology%2C+Botany" rfe_dat="bpr3.included=" au="de+Waal%2C+F.&rft.au=" epage="207&rft.artnum=" issue="5&rft.spage=" date="2010&rft.volume=" atitle="Towards+a+bottom-up+perspective+on+animal+and+human+cognition&rft.issn=" rft_id="info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.tics.2010.03.003&rfr_id=" rft_val_fmt="info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=">de Waal, F., & Ferrari, P. (2010). Towards a bottom-up perspective on animal and human cognition <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14</span> (5), 201-207 DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.03.003" rev="review">10.1016/j.tics.2010.03.003</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-51852082402394751912010-07-19T12:46:00.001-04:002010-07-19T12:49:08.124-04:00Tsunamis Hit Florida - Not!I’ve been told that there is a rumor going around about methane gas bubbles causing a tsunami...<br /><br /><br /><strong>From Florida Department of Environmental Protection:</strong><br /><br />“Tsunamis are unlikely to occur as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident. These rumors involve the naturally occurring methane beneath the seafloor in the Macondo Discovery, which is the petroleum reservoir into which the Deepwater Horizon production well was drilled. Scientists and engineers are aware of the physical and chemical behavior of methane in the earth and ocean, as well as during production of petroleum.<br /><br />Science does not support the notion of a methane-induced tsunami resulting from Deepwater Horizon activities. However, while the possibility of an induced tsunami is extremely remote, DEP continues to take all concerns seriously and is consulting with experts in all related scientific fields.<br /><br />View the following DEP fact sheet with more information about methane gas and the Deepwater Horizon incident: <a href="http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/files/methane_fact_sheet.pdf">http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/files/methane_fact_sheet.pdf</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-84659534215261006912010-04-13T17:34:00.007-04:002010-04-13T17:49:26.584-04:00Cottonmouth Moccasins: Adapting to the Beach and Beyond<strong>Could some pit vipers evolve the capacity to invade the world’s oceans?<br /></strong><br /><br />Last Thursday, while doing some fieldwork in Levy County, I came across this Florida cottonmouth as it was sunning itself after an early morning swim:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8TkAt4mPiI/AAAAAAAAA_I/dbzgzVhn8rg/s1600/CM+Over.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 179px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459739349247999522" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8TkAt4mPiI/AAAAAAAAA_I/dbzgzVhn8rg/s400/CM+Over.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8Tj7JoHhqI/AAAAAAAAA_A/58jQD1mKZQc/s1600/CM+Close+One.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 182px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459739253615855266" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8Tj7JoHhqI/AAAAAAAAA_A/58jQD1mKZQc/s400/CM+Close+One.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8Tj1k6Y2eI/AAAAAAAAA-4/UEldkcT5Do4/s1600/CM+Head.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459739157861030370" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8Tj1k6Y2eI/AAAAAAAAA-4/UEldkcT5Do4/s400/CM+Head.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8TjvMuXc3I/AAAAAAAAA-w/8YR0kuT8q1E/s1600/CM+Smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 187px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459739048288940914" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8TjvMuXc3I/AAAAAAAAA-w/8YR0kuT8q1E/s400/CM+Smile.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The warning behavior being demonstrated in the last photo is how the ‘cottonmouth’ earned its common name; trespassers and would be predators can be caught off-guard and intimidated when the snake curtly flashes the white interior of its mouth. The warning was certainly well received by me – I’ll take being startled over enduring a venomous bite any day of the week!<br /><br />The Florida cottonmouth <em>Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti</em> is one of three subspecies of water moccasin native to the United States; the other two varieties include the Eastern cottonmouth (<em>Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus</em>) and the Western cottonmouth (<em>Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma</em>). These three subspecies of semi-aquatic pit vipers are renowned for their exceptional swimming ability and their associated preference for habitats in and around the freshwater lakes, streams and swamps of the Southeast U.S. They have adapted to be masters of wetlands; well, masters of freshwater wetlands anyway…<br /><br />Even though their preferred range places them in proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, the conquest of marine ecosystems by the cottonmouths has been - as it has with most aquatically inclined reptiles - blockaded. The physiological demands of maintaining adequate hydration in a high-saline environment has constrained the <em>Agkistrodon</em> genus to a landward life. But things could change.<br /><br />Could cottonmouths evolve to live in the sea, like kraits or sea snakes?<br /><br />As mentioned previously, the above images show a cottonmouth from Levy County, Florida. Levy County is located in West Central Florida and boasts an impressive coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. The coastline even has barrier islands. In fact, one such barrier island, called Seahorse Key, has its very own population of cottonmouths - cottonmouths that have found a niche in the intertidal zone.<br /><br />Generally considered opportunistic carnivores, the bulk of the average cottonmouth’s diet is derived through consumption of its wetland neighbors - frogs and fish - however, they have been known to occasionally snack on insects, lizards, birds, rats, or even other moccasins. The cottonmouths of Seahorse Key have taken their tastes for fish from the freshwater to the saltwater; there they eat marine fish scavenged from the intertidal zone or haphazardly dropped from the Key’s bird rookeries. In addition to marine fish, the cottonmouths of Seahorse Key will even eat SEAWEED if it has the odor of fish on its leaves.<br /><br />So, the cottonmouths of Seahorse Key have a proven ability to eat, digest and process marine food resources. They posses elongate lungs to provide buoyancy and streamlined bodies capable of eel-like swimming locomotion. As with other pit vipers they have venom to aid in capture of fast moving fish. And, in regards to reproduction, cottonmouths give birth to live young, so there’s no need to go to shore to lay eggs…<br /><br />It seems that the only other major factor restricting the cottonmouths’ sea-ward invasion is a limited tolerance for high-salinity…<br /><br />If only there was a selective pressure for improved salt water tolerance; for instance, a selective pressure something like being stuck on an island that is subject to rising sea levels. What are the chances of that happening?<br /><br />The behavioral and physiological adaptations required in order for a land animal to successfully undertake a conquest of the sea are undoubtedly both varied and numerous; but, with sufficient selection pressure, ample time, and an incremental, step-wise process it can and has happened.<br /><br />For example, consider all of the behavioral and physiological changes that must have occurred in order for a few Devonian lobe-finned fish to find their way to shore as fully terrestrial tetrapods! Or, viewing the scenario in reverse, imagine the adaptations that permitted Eocene land mammals to re-enter the sea as a line of cetaceans!<br /><br />Subtle cumulative changes over time can alter a lineage’s dietary preferences, reproductive rituals and even bodily mechanics. </div></div></div><br /><br /><br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=BioScience&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1641%2FB581008&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Pitviper+Scavenging+at+the+Intertidal+Zone%3A+An+Evolutionary+Scenario+for+Invasion+of+the+Sea&rft.issn=0006-3568&rft.date=2008&rft.volume=58&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=947&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fcaliber.ucpress.net%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1641%2FB581008&rft.au=Lillywhite%2C+H.&rft.au=Sheehy%2C+C.&rft.au=Zaidan%2C+F.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Biology%2CEvolution%2C+Ethology%2C+Zoology%2C+Ecology%2C+Evolutionary+Biology%2C+Genetics%2C+Taxonomy%2C+Behavioral+Biology%2C+Botany">Lillywhite, H., Sheehy, C., & Zaidan, F. (2008). Pitviper Scavenging at the Intertidal Zone: An Evolutionary Scenario for Invasion of the Sea <span style="font-style: italic;">BioScience, 58</span> (10) DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1641/B581008">10.1641/B581008</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-29610906027567998672010-04-11T22:57:00.005-04:002010-04-11T23:06:16.557-04:00What Spider is this?Anyone know which species of spider this is?<br /><br />It was in west central Florida - near Crystal River, Levy County.<br /><br />I'm guessing <em>Gea heptagon,</em> but haven't seen one quite like this one - with so many numerous huge spines... <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8KMrRyFK5I/AAAAAAAAA-k/NsrrJgQJ3R8/s1600/Gea+1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 276px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459080373462182802" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8KMrRyFK5I/AAAAAAAAA-k/NsrrJgQJ3R8/s400/Gea+1.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8KMmssbA4I/AAAAAAAAA-c/6afWd0-d3_Y/s1600/Gea+2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 247px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459080294786859906" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8KMmssbA4I/AAAAAAAAA-c/6afWd0-d3_Y/s400/Gea+2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8KMi-6n9MI/AAAAAAAAA-U/6tu-AJG9BAU/s1600/Gea+3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 332px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459080230958789826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S8KMi-6n9MI/AAAAAAAAA-U/6tu-AJG9BAU/s400/Gea+3.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-50485331383359923212010-04-06T22:11:00.004-04:002010-04-06T22:38:24.090-04:00Awesome Picture: Florida Panthers in the PicayuneI was just emailed this picture of a mama panther and her cubs:<br /><br /><br /><p align="justify"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 532px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 329px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457212832982707794" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S7vqKHWjLlI/AAAAAAAAA-I/kA5rQB19VFY/s400/Picayune+Panthers.jpg" /><br />The email (from a reliable source) advises that the photo was recently taken during a fly-over of the <a href="http://www.evergladesplan.org/pm/projects/proj_30_sgge.aspx">Picayune Strand </a>near Naples in South Florida.<br /><br /></p><p align="justify">Looks like three wild Florida panthers - cool!<br /><br />Also pictured are what looks like a recently cleared road and stands of noxious Melaleuca – could be better! (As a matter of fact it is getting better - <a href="http://www.evergladesplan.org/pm/projects/proj_30_sgge.aspx">click here for info</a>).<br /><br /></p><p align="justify"></p><p align="justify">In addition to dealing with us ecosystem-altering and land-lusting apes, Florida panthers must also cope with other parasites – including highly specialized trematodes that have evolved a fancy for fare of the feline sort...</p><p align="justify"> </p><p align="justify">Trematodes are flukes of nature (sorry, couldn’t resist) in that they've evolved an astonishing, almost incomprehensible level of developmental plasticity. Most have evolved the ability to subtly manipulate their growth rates and sexual maturation to track the resources available in their environment. For parasitic nematodes, their environment is manifested by the internal chemistry of their victims. <em>Id est</em>, the digestive enzymes, hormones and antibodies expressed through the physiology of their hosts help the trematodes gauge the probability of reproductive success and to tune their own developmental process accordingly. This fantastic capacity for flexibility is of survival benefit because should a trematode happen to find itself immersed in the body of an unsuitable host, it can induce a state of arrested development and shift its metabolism to complete dormancy while awaiting transmission to a more favorable chemical climate. As a natural corollary, if the trematode succeeds in locating its target host (aka, its 'definitive host') it can quickly push development into overdrive and achieve reproductive adulthood in short order, thereby maximizing the opportunity to its individual advantage. Being unrestrained by the ticking-clock of reproductive efficacy, trematodes can migrate from host-to-host and even between species with relative ease. As a case study, consider the misadventures undertaken by the trematode species named <em>Alaria marcianae</em>.<br /><br /><br /><em>Alaria marcianae</em> is a fascinating organism known to target, as definitive hosts, the kittens of the Florida Panther (<em>Puma concolor couguar</em>). The Florida Panther holds a critically endangered status and, as the common name strongly suggests, resides in the state of Florida. The tawny colored Florida Panther is one variety of a widely recognized group of felids that are also known by the names cougar, mountain lion and puma. The panther-intersecting life cycle of <em>Alaria marcianae</em> is complex with several possible vectors of transmission, but in choosing an arbitrary starting point for the purpose of description, we can assume that its convoluted journey begins within the intestines of an adult panther.<br /><br />Having recently been deposited in the intestinal tract of an adult feline, members of <em>Alaria marcianae</em> start their lifecycle as eggs. The eggs, unembryonated germ cells, intermix with the partially digested remnants of raccoons, armadillos and other common delicacies found in the panther's system, and are then excreted with the animal's feces. On being submerged in the inundated wetlands for which south Florida – and the Picayune Strand - is renowned, water stimulates the eggs to internally develop embryos. Once these embryos have achieved sufficient maturation, sunlight triggers the eggs to hatch free swimming, cilia-driven, paramecium-looking critters called miracidia.<br /><br />The miracidia are not adult <em>Alaria marcianae</em>, rather they represent a sexually immature stage of development that is specialized for seeking out a very specific (obligate) intermediate host. To ultimately succeed in stalking a panther, the miracidia of <em>Alaria marcianae</em> must first locate and infect a ram's horn snail of the genus <em>Helisoma</em>.<br /><br />On locating a ram's horn, the miracidium attaches itself to the soft exposed flesh of the snail, and by excreting tissue-degrading enzymes, it parts ways with its cilia-bearing outer layer. It then penetrates into the snail's body cavity. Shedding its ciliated epithelium, the miracidium becomes an immature sporocyst. Although sporocysts still lack the ability to reproduce sexually, by embedding in the snail's nutrient rich organs they acquire the power to produce additional replicates of themselves - clones called 'daughter sporocysts.'<br /><br /><br />Further advancing on the panther, the new daughters promptly leave their mother's side and venture to the snail's gonads. Mollusk hormones produced by the gonads fuel special cells within the daughters as they morph into tailed, tadpole-looking larval forms called cercariae. The cercariae swim to, and exit from, the snail's shell-producing mantle. From there, they return once again to the open water as free-swimmers.<br /><br />Leaving the snail behind, the cercariae swim to the water's surface and hunt down the true tadpoles of the leopard frog (<em>Rana pipiens</em>) - their second intermediate host. Hijacking the leopard frog's tadpoles for transport, the cercariae drop their own tail and burrow into the tadpole's skin. There's no need for self-propulsion when riding inside a tadpole. Once inside the developing frog, <em>Alaria marcianae</em>, then at a stage where they're referred to as mesocercaria, cease further development and undergo another round of asexual cloning. As numbers continue to multiply, they patiently rest, waiting for the tadpoles to carry them landward as adult leopard frogs.<br /><br />In time, the mesocercaria-bearing tadpoles grow into leopard frogs and move their parasitic cargo to land. On terra firma the leopard frogs are hunted by a wide range of predators; occasionally falling prey to yet another preferred host (aka, a 'paratenic host') of <em>Alaria marcianae</em>, the raccoon. After catching an infested frog, the raccoon's digestive enzymes make short work of the frog's flesh - in the process releasing the mesocercaria. As with its previous host, the mesocercaria multiply in the raccoon, but continue to maintain a state of arrested development - they are not yet adults.<br /><br />Did I mention that raccoons in south Florida happen to be a favorite prey item of the endangered panther? </p><p align="justify">Utilizing methods similar to those during the frog-to-raccoon transmission, <em>Alaria marcianae</em> find their way into adult panthers by contaminating raccoons - panther prey. During the process of raccoon digestion, mesocercaria are liberated from tissue and enter the bloodstream by penetrating the intestinal wall.<br /><br />Now, if the panther they find themselves parasitizing, by chance, turns out to be a lactating female, her hormones will stir the mesocercaria into migrating to her mammary glands where they will transmit (trans-mammary) to the digestive system of her kittens'. The term used to describe the situation in which a mother acts as a paratenic host to her own offspring is called 'amphiparatenesis.'<br /><br />Here, amphiparatenesis results in the imbibing of mesocercaria-laden milk by the kittens. As with the mesocercaria residing within their mother, the parasites in the kittens will penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the blood stream. They'll surf the blood stream until reaching the lungs where they become metacercaria; as metacercaria they harden the surrounding lung tissue forming protective cysts. Having profitably acquired housing in their definitive host, the cysts in the lungs will eventually be coughed-up the trachea and then promptly swallowed into the esophagus. Once back in the intestines, Alaria marcianae accelerates its developmental process, achieves sexually reproductive adulthood (as <a href="http://ecographica.blogspot.com/2009/01/sex-with-flexible-partners-socio.html">sequential hermaphrodites</a>), and deposits the next generation of eggs in the intestine.<br /><br />Thus the cycle comes full circle.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Reference:<br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=" rfe_dat="bpr3.included=" tags="Biology%2CEvolution%2C+Ethology%2C+Zoology%2C+Ecology%2C+Evolutionary+Biology%2C+Genetics%2C+Taxonomy%2C+Behavioral+Biology%2C+Botany" date="2009&rft.volume=" au="Sheppard%2C+B.&rft.au=" epage="239&rft.artnum=" issue="1&rft.spage=" atitle="Transmammary+Infection+of+Free-Ranging+Florida+Panther+Neonates+by+Alaria+marcianae+%28Trematoda%3A+Diplostomatidae%29&rft.issn=" rft_id="info%3Adoi%2F10.1645%2FGE-1749.1&rfr_id=" rft_val_fmt="info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=">Foster, G., Kinsella, J., Sheppard, B., & Cunningham, M. (2009). Transmammary Infection of Free-Ranging Florida Panther Neonates by Alaria marcianae (Trematoda: Diplostomatidae) <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Journal of Parasitology, 95</span> (1), 238-239 DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/GE-1749.1" rev="review">10.1645/GE-1749.1</a></span> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-13389542223120471892010-04-03T10:14:00.002-04:002010-04-03T10:19:13.212-04:00Douglas Adams on Lemurs, Dolphins and other Wildlife<strong>Cool just found this at TED - funny! </strong><br /><p><strong>It's From back in 2001.</p><br /></strong><br />Douglas Adams' close encounters with these rare and unusual animals reveal that evolution, ever ingenious, can be fickle too -- in a University of California talk that sparkles with his trademark satiric wit.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_ZG8HBuDjgc&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_ZG8HBuDjgc&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-33507624798452827882010-03-31T08:18:00.005-04:002010-03-31T08:33:14.497-04:00Breaking News: Footprints challenge theory of evolution<strong>Footprints challenge theory of evolution</strong><br /><br />At least according to a paper in Arizona, which proclaims that “Research by UA assistant anthropology professor David Raichlen and his colleagues provide evidence suggesting that 3.6 billion years ago, hominins walked with the same upright gait that humans do today...”<br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 273px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454772897884875426" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S7M_DMzbKqI/AAAAAAAAA98/fDlzQZwS6SI/s400/Footprints+challenge+theory+of+evolution.jpg" /><span style="font-size:100%;"> Link: </span><a href="http://wildcat.arizona.edu/news/footprints-challenge-theory-of-evolution-1.1287944"><span style="font-size:100%;">Arizona Daily Wildcat</span></a><br /><br /></p><p>Really, upright hominins 3.6 BILLION years ago??? Bipedal locomotion is one thing, but upright walking during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archean">Archean</a> that’s impressive - especially considering the lack of oxygen.<br /><br /><br />Incidentally, the mentioned research actually makes an argument for hominin bipedalism first occurring around 3.6 MILLION years ago. And the research is not a challenge to evolution; in fact, it fully endorses it.<br /><br />The research is available at PloS; here’s the abstract:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Background</strong><br />Debates over the evolution of hominin bipedalism, a defining human characteristic, revolve around whether early bipeds walked more like humans, with energetically efficient extended hind limbs, or more like apes with flexed hind limbs. The 3.6 million year old hominin footprints at Laetoli, Tanzania represent the earliest direct evidence of hominin bipedalism. Determining the kinematics of Laetoli hominins will allow us to understand whether selection acted to decrease energy costs of bipedalism by 3.6 Ma.<br /><br /><strong>Methodology/Principal Findings</strong><br />Using an experimental design, we show that the Laetoli hominins walked with weight transfer most similar to the economical extended limb bipedalism of humans. Humans walked through a sand trackway using both extended limb bipedalism, and more flexed limb bipedalism. Footprint morphology from extended limb trials matches weight distribution patterns found in the Laetoli footprints.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Conclusions<br /></strong>These results provide us with the earliest direct evidence of kinematically human-like bipedalism currently known, and show that extended limb bipedalism evolved long before the appearance of the genus Homo. Since extended-limb bipedalism is more energetically economical than ape-like bipedalism, energy expenditure was likely an important selection pressure on hominin bipeds by 3.6 Ma.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=PLoS+ONE&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0009769&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Laetoli+Footprints+Preserve+Earliest+Direct+Evidence+of+Human-Like+Bipedal+Biomechanics&rft.issn=1932-6203&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=5&rft.issue=3&rft.spage=0&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.plos.org%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0009769&rft.au=Raichlen%2C+D.&rft.au=Gordon%2C+A.&rft.au=Harcourt-Smith%2C+W.&rft.au=Foster%2C+A.&rft.au=Haas%2C+W.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Biology%2CEvolution%2C+Ethology%2C+Zoology%2C+Ecology%2C+Evolutionary+Biology%2C+Genetics%2C+Taxonomy%2C+Behavioral+Biology%2C+Botany">Raichlen, D., Gordon, A., Harcourt-Smith, W., Foster, A., & Haas, W. (2010). Laetoli Footprints Preserve Earliest Direct Evidence of Human-Like Bipedal Biomechanics <span style="font-style: italic;">PLoS ONE, 5</span> (3) DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0009769">10.1371/journal.pone.0009769</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-63548075198386062432010-03-30T08:00:00.004-04:002010-03-30T08:21:36.182-04:00The Views of Biology Teachers towards Teaching EvolutionIn discussing Marco Rubio’s anti-science perspectives during the <a href="http://ecographica.blogspot.com/2010/03/marco-rubio-creationist-in-closet.html">previous post</a>, I mentioned Florida’s miserable (though improving) track record in regards to the teaching of evolution. As it turns out, the National Association of Biology Teachers has recently published the results of a survey which focused on the attitudes held by Florida’s biology teachers towards the teaching of evolution.<br /><br />The survey’s data was derived from the responses of 353 Florida biology teachers; 28% of which taught biology in kindergarten through the fifth grade, 24% instructed biology in grades six through eight and 48% taught biology at the high school level (grades 9–12).<br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>A Few of the Findings:<br /></strong>20% of Florida’s biology teachers are NOT COMFORTABLE with even INCLUDING evolution as a required science standard<br /><br /><br />17% of the teachers felt that biology COULD be taught and understood WITHOUT teaching evolution<br /><br /><br />17% DISAGREED that the earth is at least 4 billion years old (34% of those that disagreed believed that the earth is only between 4,000 and 40,000 years old)<br /><br /><br />34% felt that believing in God MEANS rejecting evolution<br /><br /><br />72% of the respondents reported that they HAD NEVER BEEN criticized by other teachers or school administrators in regards to HOW they taught evolution<br /><br /><br />44% of the teachers indicated that their teaching of evolution HAS BEEN criticized by students or parents<br /><br /><br />If the above numbers seem frightening consider this: The study’s respondents were solicited from the Building a Presence in Science (BaP) program of the National Science Teachers Association. <span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Therefore, the numbers could be biased towards the "pro" science education end of the spectrum!!!<br /></strong></span><br /><br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=The+American+Biology+Teacher&rft_id=info%3A%2F10.1525%2Fabt.2010.72.2.8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Florida+Teachers%E2%80%99+Attitudes+about%0D%0ATeaching+Evolution&rft.issn=&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=72&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=96&rft.epage=99&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fcaliber.ucpress.net%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1525%2Fabt.2010.72.2.8&rft.au=FOWLER+and+MEISELS&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Other">FOWLER and MEISELS (2010). Florida Teachers’ Attitudes about<br />Teaching Evolution <span style="font-style: italic;">The American Biology Teacher, 72</span> (2), 96-99 : <a rev="review" href="10.1525/abt.2010.72.2.8">10.1525/abt.2010.72.2.8</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-44787336165378789362010-03-21T15:00:00.011-04:002010-03-21T15:28:40.719-04:00Tadpole Tails and Predator Induced Plasticity<div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Last Wednesday, while doing field work near <a href="http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/Goethe.html">Goethe State Forest</a>, I happened onto the paths of a couple pinewoods tree frogs (<em>Hyla femoralis</em>). One frog was observed practicing evasive acrobatic skills between the leaves of a saw-palmetto dominated groundcover; the second frog, taking a more leisurely approach to the day, was found lazily stretched out on mid-swamp tree branch. Because of a recent <em>environmentally-induced</em> neglect of this blog on my part, I thought that the two frogs would serve as a good model for a post on how tadpoles can alter their developmental physiology in response to local ecological conditions.<br /><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S6Zt78kh3aI/AAAAAAAAA9c/bCILGloygHk/s1600-h/IMGP1255.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 258px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451165275617615266" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S6Zt78kh3aI/AAAAAAAAA9c/bCILGloygHk/s400/IMGP1255.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S6ZtA1yQDKI/AAAAAAAAA9E/wYoLpXjvUdU/s1600-h/IMGP1270.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 306px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451164260183837858" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S6ZtA1yQDKI/AAAAAAAAA9E/wYoLpXjvUdU/s400/IMGP1270.JPG" /></a><br /><div align="justify">Like many other frogs, the pinewoods tree frog undergoes a complex life cycle which carries them from the ephemeral waters of ponds, swamps and puddles to an adulthood existence in the trees. In response to the variability of selective pressures expressed by their environments, natural selection has shaped <em>Hyla femoralis</em> in such away as to be flexible. One example of this flexibility is the way in which their tadpoles can alter phenotype – their morphology - in response to the presence of predators. As opposed to their developmental processes rigidly rendering tadpoles displaying uniform and unchanging morphologies, the DNA of flatwoods tree frogs has been programmed to make size, growth rate and coloration malleable characteristics. The ability of an organism to change its physical characteristics to better fit local conditions is called ‘developmental plasticity.’<br /><br />In addition to normal variations encountered at the regional level, or within individual populations, the colors and shapes exhibited by tadpole tails can differ from one location to another; this is because tail characteristics can be changed in response to cues in the environment. In waters lacking abundant predators, <em>Hyla femoralis</em> tadpole tails are generally colorless, or are of a dull brownish-red color. In contrast to relatively safer waters, the tadpoles hosted by puddles with abundant predators (predators like dragon fly larvae, for example) are often found bearing tails with distinct red-spot markings and an enhanced, taller shape and muscular robustness. Increased tail muscle provides greater propulsion, allowing the tadpoles to employ accelerated speeds as part of their predator evasion tactics. Though, it’s still an area for inquiry, changes in the pattern and coloration of tails may provide a crypsis function by either providing improved camouflage, or by directing predatory attacks tail-ward, away from the tadpoles’ main body mass – improved survival through either concealing or revealing.<br /><br />The chemical signals that switch tail enhancement into overdrive include those compounds released by other tadpoles as warning pheromones during predatory attack and those molecules discharged by the predator while digesting prey-tadpole tissues. So, in other words, a predator’s attack and digestion of a conspecific tad liberates chemicals into the water that are received by other tadpoles during development; as a result, resources are directed away from ‘normal’ growth processes and are directed to tail augmentation.<br /><br /><strong>Cool stuff!<br /></strong><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">A couple quick notes:<br /><br />Pinewoods tree frogs display distinct orange or yellow spots on their inner side of their thighs, while in the field these spots help distinguish <em>Hyla femoralis</em> from other species with similar body color patterns. Though not pictured here, the leg spots were observed during the frogs’ recent attempts at evading a certain species of primate paparazzi. Their tadpole stage lasts for about two months, and the breeding season begins in March and runs through the summer months.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify">Although cypress swamps and pine flatwoods are distinct natural community types, they are both occupied by the pinewoods tree frog. The first snapshot above shows one <em>Hyla femoralis</em> precariously perched on the stem of a saw palmetto plant just a few inches off the ground in a well-drained upland flatwoods area. The second shows another individual leisurely laying on a tree branch about five feet above the surface waters of a swamp. In Florida, these communities are often directly adjacent to each other:<br /><br /></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451165021252195490" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S6ZttI_FlKI/AAAAAAAAA9U/RScPuVYqktU/s400/IMGP1272.JPG" /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451164590874291362" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3g_cwqiby-c/S6ZtUFs_7KI/AAAAAAAAA9M/aBlzLVlCF6U/s400/IMGP1252.JPG" /><br /><br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=" date="2004&rft.volume=" tags="Biology%2CEvolution%2C+Ethology%2C+Zoology%2C+Ecology%2C+Evolutionary+Biology%2C+Genetics%2C+Taxonomy%2C+Behavioral+Biology%2C+Botany" rfe_dat="bpr3.included=" au="LaFiandra%2C+E.&rft.au=" epage="359&rft.artnum=" issue="3&rft.spage=" atitle="Predator+induced+phenotypic+plasticity+in+the+pinewoods+tree+frog%2C+Hyla+femoralis+%3A+necessary+cues+and+the+cost+of+development&rft.issn=" rft_id="info%3Adoi%2F10.1007%2Fs00442-003-1412-3&rfr_id=" rft_val_fmt="info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=">LaFiandra, E., & Babbitt, K. (2004). Predator induced phenotypic plasticity in the pinewoods tree frog, Hyla femoralis : necessary cues and the cost of development <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Oecologia, 138</span> (3), 350-359 DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1412-3" rev="review">10.1007/s00442-003-1412-3</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-80792048075061272762010-03-13T13:59:00.008-05:002010-03-13T14:50:07.086-05:00Evolving from Promiscuity to Monogamy<div align="justify">New research has revealed how the process of evolution can result in sexually promiscuous animals undergoing adaptation for monogamy.<br /><br /><br />Reproduction is an expensive endeavor. Tremendous time and resources are invested in seeking-out healthy partners, in consummating relationships, and in rearing the resultant offspring. Luckily, evolution has resulted in life being programmed to strive for resource efficiency; to work towards maximum reproductive benefit at minimum personal expense. In regards to pair-bonding between the sexes, this biological imperative for reproductive economy has made promiscuity the <em>rule</em> and monogamy the <em>exception</em>. However, despite the fact that promiscuous mating systems are the prevailing strategy in nature, environmental factors can push typically promiscuous species towards monogamy.<br /><br />As a case in point, a report published in the April issue of The American Naturalist details how the ‘mimic poison dart frog’ (<em>Ranitomeya imitator</em>) parted ways with promiscuity to adapt a lifestyle as the first scientifically recognized <strong>genetically monogamous</strong> amphibian.<br /><br />Like other frog species, poison dart frogs incur a certain amount of risk by laying their eggs in water. Although water is a biological prerequisite for frog survival, ponds, lakes and puddles also house predatory fish and other animals that prey on vulnerable eggs and tadpoles. During its evolutionary past, the menace of predation pushed the mimic poison dart frogs away from larger, riskier ponds to the considerably smaller, but safer, pools held by leaves of large bromeliad plants. Unfortunately, although the tree-top bromeliads decreased the rate of frog young predation, the movement from the big ponds raised a separate issue – nutrient limitation.<br /><br />The big ponds definitely had more predators; but, they also had substantially more food. In fact, the ponds had so much food that a single frog-parent (in this case the male) was able to handle the tadpoles all by himself – a single parent family arrangement was all that was necessary to raise the next generation. In contrast, the waters held by the bromeliads averaged only about 24 milliliters in volume, far too little to hold ample provisions for a startup tadpole. In order to maintain their newly acquired safe housing, the mimic dart frogs had to adapt a new tactic.<br /><br />Male mimic dart frogs had previously evolved the capacity to both transport and guard young tadpoles, but having moved to the suburbs, the females needed to help-out with feeding; rearing had become too difficult a task for the males to handle on their own. If they were to ensure the survival of their young, the days of leaving dad to care for the kids were over – monogamy was the best option. Unlike males, female mimic darts have the ability to produce eggs. To do their part, mom frogs adopted a strategy called trophic egg feeding, a practice in which they lay unfertilized eggs in the bromeliad pools for the tadpoles to eat.<br /><br />An absolutely amazing video of this monogamous behavior was recorded by the BBC during the dissertation work of <a href="http://www.jasonleebrown.org/jasonleebrown.org/home/HOME.html">Jason Brown</a>. Jason was the lead author of the cited paper, and the mimic dart footage was included in the David Attenborough narrated documentary “Life in Cold Blood.”<br /><br />This is awesome footage:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PTd_Z9a78FU&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PTd_Z9a78FU&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=" au="Summers%2C+K.&rfe_dat=" epage="446&rft.artnum=" issue="4&rft.spage=" date="2010&rft.volume=" atitle="A+Key+Ecological+Trait+Drove+the+Evolution+of+Biparental+Care+and+Monogamy+in+an+Amphibian&rft.issn=" rft_id="info%3Adoi%2F10.1086%2F650727&rfr_id=" rft_val_fmt="info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=" included="1;bpr3.tags=">Brown, J., Morales, V., & Summers, K. (2010). A Key Ecological Trait Drove the Evolution of Biparental Care and Monogamy in an Amphibian <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The American Naturalist, 175</span> (4), 436-446 DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/650727" rev="review">10.1086/650727</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-14141881631723285672010-03-06T08:23:00.002-05:002010-03-06T09:14:15.400-05:00Ecographica is a Finalist: Conservation or Geosciences<a href="http://researchblogging.org/static/index/page/awards"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" alt="Research Blogging Awards 2010 Finalist" src="http://researchblogging.org/public/static/img/rb_badge_finalist.png" /></a><br /><br />I just received an email from <a href="http://researchblogging.org/static/index/page/awards">Research Blogging </a>requesting my votes for 2010’s best blog awards…<br /><br />Working through the nominees, I was surprised to discover that Ecographica was selected as a finalist in the <em>Conservation and Geosciences</em> category – <span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>I had no idea!</strong><br /></span><br />My thanks to the readers and judges for supporting this blog!!!!<br /><br /><br />Since January of 2009, Ecographica has contributed 109 research related posts to Research Blogging. <a href="http://ecographica.blogspot.com/2009/03/vertebrate-proxies-of-climate-change.html">Vertebrate Proxies of Climate Change </a>has been the most popular of the research postings; it reviews/summarizes some of the ways in which vertebrates can be used to study shifting climates.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Thanks again!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2