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.