Virtual Ecology

Population genetics
There are many factors that affect the genetics of a population. Some factors include selection, migration, mutation, mating, genotype frequencies, and the environment. In the simulation with fish, mutation caused more diversity within the population. Population genetics is also affected by the carrying capacity, birth rates, and death rates of the population.

Population ecology
The most important thing about population is population size. This is most useful when dealing with endangered species. Finding the exact number of a population is extremely difficult, so scientists estimate the amount. Population grows logistically.

Community ecology
There is often competition in an ecosystem. In the Barnacle simulation, one type of barnacle could grow in a wider range in depth but could be outcompeted. Another type of barnacle was limited to only a specific water depth, yet they were strong competitors. In the other simulation, I saw how different species could survive better depending on predators, the environment, etc.

Behavioral ecology
Animals behave differently depending on their environment. In Bee Foraging, environmental conditions were modified to see how the bees would react to it. It affected total nectar collected and the rate of nectar collection. Predators of a species also affects the prey's hunting/foraging schedule.

Conservation ecology
Pesticides are indirectly affecting animals that associate with those pests. It kills food for the animal's survival and can cause the animals to have defects. Individuals exploiting a common resource will lead to the overexploitation of that material. By having a species over the carrying capacity, it affects the environment and economic systems.

Biodiversity
Biodiversity depends on the environment, island size, distance from mainland, habitat type, and species type. Biodiversity also comes from mutations and natural selection. In the simulation, when the fish went down the stream, they were separated. This spreads a species to other parts of the world.

Evoblog Ch. 17

     The land will come together again. The environment will cause many animals to evolve to be able to survive in the environment better. The middle of the giant stretch of land will be a desert. Many of the animals will become bigger in size, the the turtle. The fish will be able to go out of the water. The squid will be able to swing from the trees. Also, scientists predict that snails will be able to hop to move, instead of crawl.

Ch. 16 Blog

How does natural selection work on polygenic traits?

Natural selection depends on the bell curve when working with polygenic traits. It relies on directional selection, disruptive selection, and stabilizing selection. Individuals at the higher part of the bell curve have a higher chance of surviving, growing, and reproducing. Thus, they are the ones who pass on their superior fitness and traits.

Evolution Weblab: Phylogeny

Life is related by common ancestors. Species may not look the same. That is because over millions of years, evolution occurs. Throughout the years, characteristics of a species can appear or disappear. For example, I may not look like my ancestors 100 generations ago.

In this weblab I learned about how life is related. The relationship of organisms can be shown by using a cladogram. There were files that explained to me how it worked.

Rating: 8/10. I already learned everything that was mentioned. It was not very captivating.

Evolution Weblab: Dating

Carbon dating is when scientists use the decay of carbon-14 to find out how materials are. It was a technique developed by Willard F. Libby. In this weblab I learned about radioactive decay. I learned about how scientists can use the decay of carbon-14 to date artifacts. I learned this by answering questions in the weblab.

Rating: 6/10. It was educational but it was extremely boring. There was a lot to read and a lot of multiple choice questions.

Evolution Weblab: Geologic Time

4,600 mya: Earth forms --> 545 mya: hard shell mollusks appear --> ~360mya: Pangaea was created --> 300 mya: Earliest reptiles --> 248 mya: mass extinction --> 240 mya: dinosaurs appear --> ~225 mya: Pangaea breaks up --> 200 mya: mammals appear --> 150 mya: birds start to fly --> 65 mya: dinosaurs go extinct --> 1.8 mya: Ice age --> 190,000 years ago: first humans

     In this activity, I learned about the history of the Earth and the organisms that inhabit it. The Earth is 4,600 million years old. There were many animals in the past that evolved into the animals that live today. I learned this by looking at a timeline of the events on Earth millions of years ago.

Rating: 10/10. It was informative and there were nice pictures.

Evolution Weblab: Sex and the Single Guppy

       In this lab I learned about how guppies are able to reproduce. Even though they are very bright and attract predators, they also attract mates. There was a simulation that demonstrated what would happen under certain circumstances. The population depended on the color of the guppies, how many there were, how many predators there were, and the environment. There is a good and a bad side to male guppies being very colorful.

Rating: 9/10. The weblab was informative. It did what it was supposed to do and educated me on the evolution of guppies.