Currently, just about a week ago, a study of native species of birds from New Zealand shows that body odor is endangering them. Animals brought to New Zealand from other countries enjoy eating these native birds, and the stink created when they make wax to preen themselves helps predators find them. Stoats and cats are among the native bird-eaters. According to scientist, Jim Briskie, kiwi birds emit a mushroom-like odor, while the kakapo parrot smells like an old violin case. According to Briskie, after a couple years of study, he may be able to design a deodorant for these birds, and prevent them from rapidly disappearing.
I thought that this article was really interesting, because it never occurred to me that birds could be stinky, just like humans! I think it's a really good idea to try to create deodorant for these birds in order to prevent predators from sniffing them out. I hope that this 'Jim Briskie' can really find a cure for the stinkiness of these birds, because we already have TOO many extinct species on our hands, and we don't need more. Also, if many of these birds died, it would greatly impact the food chain in New Zealand, and many more native animals will die from hunger.
Source: http://news.discovery.com/animals/smelly-birds-new-zealand.html
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Arctic Reflection
1.) What interactions between these animals did you notice?
One type of interaction between different species I noticed was predation. Predators, such as seals and penguins, hunt, catch, and eat prey such as squid, fish, and krill. Predation is when one organism eats another, and this is essential in the ocean for the well-being of everyone. If there weren't any seals, the squid, fish, and krill would over-populate. If there is too much krill, all the algae will get eaten, and a major source of oxygen will be gone. There needs to be a balance, and so it's really good that there are predators and prey.
Two more interactions between species I noticed during the presentation were producers and consumers. Algae was the producer - it provides food, homes for small creatures, and oxygen for the ocean. Krill were the consumers - they just eat, and eat, and eat algae. Luckily for the algae, krill are a major source of prey for species all around the ocean, or all the algae would vanish.
2.) Why do animals migrate?
Animals migrate to reach places with better functions for what they need to do. They migrate to places with more food, to areas where it's warmer in winter, and to areas where it's safer to reproduce. When they move to places that are more convenient for them, it increases their chances of surviving for a longer time.
3.) How do animals know when it's right to reproduce?
Animals know when it's right to reproduce when they sense that the climate is fairly comfortable and there is a good food supply in the area where they live. According to the presentation, most species of animals that lay eggs try to reproduce before the climate, and prey amount reaches their peaks. This strategy for survival is important, because by the time the eggs hatch, the the environment should be in full season, and there is maximum food and good weather. If the parents waited until everything was the best it's going to be, the chick will hatch when the amount of food is dying down and the air is getting cooler. When you're looking to survive, it's best to wait.
4.) What adaptations did the animals exhibit in the polar region?
An adaptation that seals have is blubber. This is a thick layer of insulation around the body made out of pure fat. The more blubber a seal has, the better chance it has of surviving. Seal pups, especially, need to pack on a whole lot of fat. When they are just born, they are most vulnerable, as they have the least amount of body heat - less mass, smaller size, and less blubber = less body heat and more vulnerability to the cold.
Another adaptation that animals in the Arctic have are staying together in a group to conserve body heat. Male emperor penguins stay together in a group during the harsh winter months to protect their eggs while the female emperor penguins travel to the ocean to feed. The dads huddle together in huge groups, creating a circle of penguin bodies. They take turns moving to the outside of the circle, where it is most cold, and the inside of the circle, where it is warmest. In the presentation, Mr. Watts said that it is so warm in the center of the circle that the animals actually have a hard time keeping cool!
One more adaptation of an animal that lives in the Arctic are jumbo squids' tentacles. They have hooks attached to them, which helps them to catch prey. When they grab food, it sticks onto the hooks, and if it tries to escape, it's skin just gets embedded more deeply into the sharp points. This is a great adaptation, because it increases your chance of filling your belly by a lot!
5.) How did this presentation provide examples of what we have been studying?
This presentation provided examples of what we have been studying, because we are studying survival, and the presentation was basically about survival in the Arctic. We learned about many different adaptions that help animals survive, such as a thick coatings of blubber, sticking in groups, and growing hooks on tentacles. We also learned about migrating animals, the interactions between species, which can help them survive, and how animals know when to reproduce. It was all about surviving in the harsh cold, and the freezing water.
6.) What are you wondering about now?
Right now, I'm wondering about how when jumbo squid reproduce, what form it comes out in, and where good places are for baby jumbo squid to be born. I don't think that Mr. Watts mentioned that in his presentation, and it would be really interesting to know. I think that they probably lay eggs, since it's only mammals that have live young, but there are some interesting cases, such as the platypus, that give birth, and don't lay eggs. Even if the squids lay eggs, it would be really cool to learn where they lay them.
After looking at other people's blogs, I have learned/remembered more to answer the questions on Ms. M's blog:
1.) How do they ensure the survival of their species?
To ensure that at least one baby out of two or more survives, some animals will kill off the weakest of their young. If there is one strong and big child, it will be more likely to survive and pass on strong, big genes to the following generations. If the parents let the weaker and smaller baby survive, they will have to split their attention between two animals, and if they can't find enough food for them, both of them will die, both the strong, and the weak. The weak child is less likely to survive anyway, and if it does, it'll pass on bad genes to the next couple generations, so the parents might as well abandon it anyway, no matter how cruel it seems.
One type of interaction between different species I noticed was predation. Predators, such as seals and penguins, hunt, catch, and eat prey such as squid, fish, and krill. Predation is when one organism eats another, and this is essential in the ocean for the well-being of everyone. If there weren't any seals, the squid, fish, and krill would over-populate. If there is too much krill, all the algae will get eaten, and a major source of oxygen will be gone. There needs to be a balance, and so it's really good that there are predators and prey.
Two more interactions between species I noticed during the presentation were producers and consumers. Algae was the producer - it provides food, homes for small creatures, and oxygen for the ocean. Krill were the consumers - they just eat, and eat, and eat algae. Luckily for the algae, krill are a major source of prey for species all around the ocean, or all the algae would vanish.
2.) Why do animals migrate?
Animals migrate to reach places with better functions for what they need to do. They migrate to places with more food, to areas where it's warmer in winter, and to areas where it's safer to reproduce. When they move to places that are more convenient for them, it increases their chances of surviving for a longer time.
3.) How do animals know when it's right to reproduce?
Animals know when it's right to reproduce when they sense that the climate is fairly comfortable and there is a good food supply in the area where they live. According to the presentation, most species of animals that lay eggs try to reproduce before the climate, and prey amount reaches their peaks. This strategy for survival is important, because by the time the eggs hatch, the the environment should be in full season, and there is maximum food and good weather. If the parents waited until everything was the best it's going to be, the chick will hatch when the amount of food is dying down and the air is getting cooler. When you're looking to survive, it's best to wait.
4.) What adaptations did the animals exhibit in the polar region?
An adaptation that seals have is blubber. This is a thick layer of insulation around the body made out of pure fat. The more blubber a seal has, the better chance it has of surviving. Seal pups, especially, need to pack on a whole lot of fat. When they are just born, they are most vulnerable, as they have the least amount of body heat - less mass, smaller size, and less blubber = less body heat and more vulnerability to the cold.
Another adaptation that animals in the Arctic have are staying together in a group to conserve body heat. Male emperor penguins stay together in a group during the harsh winter months to protect their eggs while the female emperor penguins travel to the ocean to feed. The dads huddle together in huge groups, creating a circle of penguin bodies. They take turns moving to the outside of the circle, where it is most cold, and the inside of the circle, where it is warmest. In the presentation, Mr. Watts said that it is so warm in the center of the circle that the animals actually have a hard time keeping cool!
One more adaptation of an animal that lives in the Arctic are jumbo squids' tentacles. They have hooks attached to them, which helps them to catch prey. When they grab food, it sticks onto the hooks, and if it tries to escape, it's skin just gets embedded more deeply into the sharp points. This is a great adaptation, because it increases your chance of filling your belly by a lot!
5.) How did this presentation provide examples of what we have been studying?
This presentation provided examples of what we have been studying, because we are studying survival, and the presentation was basically about survival in the Arctic. We learned about many different adaptions that help animals survive, such as a thick coatings of blubber, sticking in groups, and growing hooks on tentacles. We also learned about migrating animals, the interactions between species, which can help them survive, and how animals know when to reproduce. It was all about surviving in the harsh cold, and the freezing water.
6.) What are you wondering about now?
Right now, I'm wondering about how when jumbo squid reproduce, what form it comes out in, and where good places are for baby jumbo squid to be born. I don't think that Mr. Watts mentioned that in his presentation, and it would be really interesting to know. I think that they probably lay eggs, since it's only mammals that have live young, but there are some interesting cases, such as the platypus, that give birth, and don't lay eggs. Even if the squids lay eggs, it would be really cool to learn where they lay them.
After looking at other people's blogs, I have learned/remembered more to answer the questions on Ms. M's blog:
1.) How do they ensure the survival of their species?
To ensure that at least one baby out of two or more survives, some animals will kill off the weakest of their young. If there is one strong and big child, it will be more likely to survive and pass on strong, big genes to the following generations. If the parents let the weaker and smaller baby survive, they will have to split their attention between two animals, and if they can't find enough food for them, both of them will die, both the strong, and the weak. The weak child is less likely to survive anyway, and if it does, it'll pass on bad genes to the next couple generations, so the parents might as well abandon it anyway, no matter how cruel it seems.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Current Events - Frogs the Size of a Pea
Recently, a new species of frog was discovered in Borneo. This is the smallest frog in all of Asia, Europe, and Africa, and one of the smallest in the world. The average adult male measures from 10.6 - 12.8 mm in length. These frogs were discovered by the edge of a road, and were named after a type of pitcher plant called, nepenthes ampullaria. The amphibians, officially dubbed, microhyla nepenthicola, depend on the plant to live. The adults lay their eggs along the inside of the plant, and the baby frogs grow up in the safety of the water that is collected by the pitcher. 100 year old specimens of this newly-found species have been collected and stored in museums, but scientists believed that they were the young of other amphibians. Now, with this new information, scientists have started to hope that they can gain information with studying them, and then help more and more amphibians to stay alive.
I thought that this article was really interesting, because pitcher plants contain digestive juices in the water that the baby frogs grow up in. Pitcher plants eat insects. An insect goes down into the water to get a drink, but they can't get out. The sides of the pitcher plant are slippery, so the insect can't climb, and it sinks down into watery oblivion. The digestive juices in the water help break the bug down. The frogs either must stay at the top if the acids are more dense than water, or they somehow must be immune to the juice. People have hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, but we're protected by a thick layer of mucus around the inside lining. The mucus gets eaten away after a couple days, but our bodies produce more and more. These frogs could have similar mucus around their whole bodies in order to protect themselves from the digestive juices.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100825094915.htm
I thought that this article was really interesting, because pitcher plants contain digestive juices in the water that the baby frogs grow up in. Pitcher plants eat insects. An insect goes down into the water to get a drink, but they can't get out. The sides of the pitcher plant are slippery, so the insect can't climb, and it sinks down into watery oblivion. The digestive juices in the water help break the bug down. The frogs either must stay at the top if the acids are more dense than water, or they somehow must be immune to the juice. People have hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, but we're protected by a thick layer of mucus around the inside lining. The mucus gets eaten away after a couple days, but our bodies produce more and more. These frogs could have similar mucus around their whole bodies in order to protect themselves from the digestive juices.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100825094915.htm
Friday, September 10, 2010
Animal Survival Video
I learned a lot about what animals do to survive when we watched that video. Animals such as hawks develop good eyesight in order to see the tiny movements of mice and moles many feet below. Some creatures, like foxes, evolve into fast runners, and are able to catch and devour fast runners like rabbits. Flowers produce pleasant odors and bright colors in order to attract bees and butterflies to pollinate them. Opossums will play dead when caught. Some animals have camouflage, which helps them keep hidden from predators and prey. The puffer fish has it's own method of self-defense. When it gets caught, it suddenly puffs up, and spikes stick out, an un-appetizing meal. Different types of insects like the hover-fly, who are really harmless, use mimicry, and look like a more dangerous but like a wasp. In doing this, they can try to scare enemies away.
During hunting, predators like lions and hawks hunt in groups. This increases their chance of catching the prey, as one or two can distract while the other comes in from behind to make the kill. Some animals trick their prey by playing dead---bringing scavengers, which can be eaten when they get close. The Venus Fly Trap smells awful, like rotting food---which attracts flies, which they can eat. Some, like the snapping turtle and angler fish attract prey to them with fake bait.
So there are lots of different ways that animals can hide from predators, and predators can trick prey to come closer. I found this awesome video about angler fish, that I watched on our movie, planet Earth-the deep sea, when I was sick, and I found a small piece of it on youtube, so here---I'm going to post it, because it's REALLY COOL!!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXl8F-eIoiM
During hunting, predators like lions and hawks hunt in groups. This increases their chance of catching the prey, as one or two can distract while the other comes in from behind to make the kill. Some animals trick their prey by playing dead---bringing scavengers, which can be eaten when they get close. The Venus Fly Trap smells awful, like rotting food---which attracts flies, which they can eat. Some, like the snapping turtle and angler fish attract prey to them with fake bait.
So there are lots of different ways that animals can hide from predators, and predators can trick prey to come closer. I found this awesome video about angler fish, that I watched on our movie, planet Earth-the deep sea, when I was sick, and I found a small piece of it on youtube, so here---I'm going to post it, because it's REALLY COOL!!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXl8F-eIoiM
Monday, September 6, 2010
Living Things and the Environment
1.) What needs are met by an organism's environment?
An organism's environment must provide food, water, shelter, and other necessary things specific to the organism itself. It needs to be able to live, grow, and reproduce in this environment. When the animal lives in a place that does all that for it, then it can be called it's habitat.
2.) What are the two parts of an organism's habitat with which it interacts?
An organism interacts with all the living and non-living things in it's habitat. The living things in an ecosystem are called, "biotic." Biotic things can include plants, (such as trees, bushes, grasses, and flowers), animals (deer, frogs, fish, birds...), and worms, mushrooms, and fungi. The non-living things are referred to as "abiotic." Abiotic factors include sun, soil, rocks, oxygen, and temperature.
3.) What are the levels of organization within an ecosystem?
The levels of organization within an ecosystem are:
1. A single organism that belongs to a population of the same species as it.
2. A population is a part of a community with many different species.
3. Communities are places where the different populations of species are close enough to interact with each other.
4. Ecosystems are when the communities and abiotic factors around it interact.
4.) Why do you find different kinds of organisms in different habitats?
Organisms must interact with each other to live. For example, we are in a field full of grass and mice. Mice eat the grass, but hawks eat the mice. If there weren't any hawks, the mice would thrive. They would over-populate, and soon all the grass would be gone. Without the grass, the mice either migrate to a new place, or die. Then there isn't really anything left in that field. There has to be a balance of all things, especially if the food chain is long. If one species gets too big, then it's like dominoes---everything changes. That's why there are many different organisms in one place---as well as the fact that predator organisms eat herbivore organisms.
5.) Think about what will soon be happening in Belgrade. How do animals prepare for such a change?
There are a couple different ways that animals prepare for the cold winter months that are coming soon. One way is hibernation. Some animals will eat very much during the spring, summer, and fall months, and then sleep in dens in the winter. When spring comes, they will wake up, crawl out of their dens, and begin a new year of eating, sleeping, and mating. By snoozing through the cold, the hibernating creatures use as little energy as possible.
Another way that animals prepare for winter is by growing an extra thick coat which they shed in the spring. The thicker fur helps keep them warm as they hunt for food and sleep. It helps to conserve body heat, which, in turn, helps preserve energy that is in greater demand during the months of cold.
I don't know how to post a video, so here is the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYK7Fso-Js
And I found a better one : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXvxCvs9KHc
An organism's environment must provide food, water, shelter, and other necessary things specific to the organism itself. It needs to be able to live, grow, and reproduce in this environment. When the animal lives in a place that does all that for it, then it can be called it's habitat.
2.) What are the two parts of an organism's habitat with which it interacts?
An organism interacts with all the living and non-living things in it's habitat. The living things in an ecosystem are called, "biotic." Biotic things can include plants, (such as trees, bushes, grasses, and flowers), animals (deer, frogs, fish, birds...), and worms, mushrooms, and fungi. The non-living things are referred to as "abiotic." Abiotic factors include sun, soil, rocks, oxygen, and temperature.
3.) What are the levels of organization within an ecosystem?
The levels of organization within an ecosystem are:
1. A single organism that belongs to a population of the same species as it.
2. A population is a part of a community with many different species.
3. Communities are places where the different populations of species are close enough to interact with each other.
4. Ecosystems are when the communities and abiotic factors around it interact.
4.) Why do you find different kinds of organisms in different habitats?
Organisms must interact with each other to live. For example, we are in a field full of grass and mice. Mice eat the grass, but hawks eat the mice. If there weren't any hawks, the mice would thrive. They would over-populate, and soon all the grass would be gone. Without the grass, the mice either migrate to a new place, or die. Then there isn't really anything left in that field. There has to be a balance of all things, especially if the food chain is long. If one species gets too big, then it's like dominoes---everything changes. That's why there are many different organisms in one place---as well as the fact that predator organisms eat herbivore organisms.
5.) Think about what will soon be happening in Belgrade. How do animals prepare for such a change?
There are a couple different ways that animals prepare for the cold winter months that are coming soon. One way is hibernation. Some animals will eat very much during the spring, summer, and fall months, and then sleep in dens in the winter. When spring comes, they will wake up, crawl out of their dens, and begin a new year of eating, sleeping, and mating. By snoozing through the cold, the hibernating creatures use as little energy as possible.
Another way that animals prepare for winter is by growing an extra thick coat which they shed in the spring. The thicker fur helps keep them warm as they hunt for food and sleep. It helps to conserve body heat, which, in turn, helps preserve energy that is in greater demand during the months of cold.
I don't know how to post a video, so here is the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYK7Fso-Js
And I found a better one : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXvxCvs9KHc
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Living Things
What I know about living things:
1.) They breathe in some way
2.) They need some sort of nutrition
3.) They need water
4.) The need the sun
5.) They use homeostasis
6.) They reproduce
What I want to know:
1.) How many species of sea anemone are there?
2.) How does algae start to grow?
3.) How many cells does the smallest plant in the world have?
1.) They breathe in some way
2.) They need some sort of nutrition
3.) They need water
4.) The need the sun
5.) They use homeostasis
6.) They reproduce
What I want to know:
1.) How many species of sea anemone are there?
2.) How does algae start to grow?
3.) How many cells does the smallest plant in the world have?
Goals
My science goals are:
1.) To never (almost) forget anything I need to bring to class so I don't have something I might need like a pencil
2.) To remember to do ALL of my homework so I don't lose marks by not doing it
1.) To never (almost) forget anything I need to bring to class so I don't have something I might need like a pencil
2.) To remember to do ALL of my homework so I don't lose marks by not doing it
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