Abstract: Even before Darwin’s time, scientists were intrigued with the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). Since then, much has been learned about this rare carnivorous plant that feeds on living matter rather than through the process of photosynthesis such as other plants. Researchers continue to study specific aspects of the plant such as its closing mechanism and evolutionary tree, as well as newer issues such as the value to pharmaceuticals and healthcare and its adaptation to other geographical areas such as the bottom of the sea.
When a nonscientist hears the words “Venus flytrap,” what comes to mind is a strange-looking plant or the play and movie “Little Shop of Horrors” with the giant man-eating vegetation Audrey II crying “Feed Me. Feed Me!” Yet, say these words to a scientist such as a botanist or biologist, and a whole
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According to Stiefel in “Meat-Eating Plants” in Science World (2000), the plants are solely found in the Savannah’s of North and South Carolina in an approximate radius of only 60 to 75 miles. Measuring just 4 to 12 inches in height, they are often stolen by human predators to sell on the market for a couple of dollars. The heavy fines do not dissuade them: North Carolina now levies tickets of up to $2,000 for poaching the plant! Venus flytraps are a federal species of concern (FSC)--a species that may or may not be listed in the future. They are not endangered or threatened, but entitled to regulatory protection because their exploitation could get them to the endangered-threatened stage. In addition, around the world the natural wetland habitats of the all the carnivore plants have been systematically drained to erect shopping malls and housing developments. Almost 90 percent of carnivorous plants indigenous to the U.S. have been eradicated because only 3 to 5 percent of their swampy habitat still
T. californicus is found from Alaska to Baja in small, shallow tidepools and tidal flats in the upper spray zone where they cannot avoid the full effect of visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Individuals assemble in areas of lower radiation at midday, yet have no preference to the intensity of light at dawn and dusk (Hartline and Macmillan 1995). These tiny arthropods inhabit all types of marine sediments from sand to fine mud and ooze. Along with plankton, T. californicus eats microscopic algae, protists, bacteria, diatoms, algae and microbes (McGroarty 1958). When the concentrations of the species in their habitats are high, T. californicus will turn to cannibalism for a food source. The nautilus eye present in the species is rich with fatty acids and provides a good food source for the animal.
There is no doubt that arthropods are an extremely successful group of animals, with an estimated 5-10 million species worldwide[1], and this can be attributed to having an exoskeleton; it provides many benefits, such as protection from parasitism and other threats. However, one major disadvantage of having an exoskeleton is the limitations that an inelastic cuticle can place on growth. The exoskeleton provides protection, but when freshly moulted the animal is soft and vulnerable, as well as having limited mobility and use of appendages; many seek shelter before moulting[2]. There are similarities and differences between the moult cycles of all the arthropods, however only crustaceans and insects will be discussed here.
The tasks Venus require Psyche to perform are to separate the grains, get the precious wool from the fleeces, and to return with the box of beauty from Proserpina. As stated in the story, Venus said, “Take and separate all these grains into their proper parcels, and see that you get it done before evening.” The first task Venus ordered Psyche to do was to separate the wheat, barley, millet, beans, and lentils used to feed her pigeons. In addition, after Psyche performed this task with the help of the ants, Venus wanted Psyche to get the fleeces from the sheep. On page 1135, it said, “Venus ordered Psyche to be called and said to her, ‘Behold yonder grove which stretches along the margin of the water. There you will find sheep feeding without a shepherd, with
1.) Discuss the meaning of the Paleolithic Venuses. Identify Rice's position and explain it. Discuss four other interpretations of these figurines mentioned in class or in the reading. Do any or all of these interpretations support the views of the 19th century evolutionist Johann Jakob Bachofen?
To most, the honeybee can be an annoying insect that has a powerful sting. Yet, the honeybee is so much more than just another insect. The honeybee is arguably the most vital component in the development of our food crops. With roughly 90 percent of our food crops dependent on the pollination of our honeybees, our food system, agricultural development, and diet rest on the work and well being of these buzzing insects. Unfortunately, since 2006 there has been a major decline in the population of honeybees, and has gotten progressively worse because of colony collapse disorder. The first reported increase of CCD was documented in November 2006 in Florida. By February 2007, several states began reporting major losses associated with CCD, ranging from 30% to 90%. A little over a half decade later in 2012 the attention paid towards CCD has grown substantially with more research being done as CCD continues to get worse. The main culprit for CCD, as research has suggested, is the use of pesticides on our food crops. With major corporations such as Bayer making millions and millions of dollars in profit each year in the distribution of pesticides, it is no wonder that nothing is being done to stop this practice despite evidence linking the use of pesticides and the drastic deterioration of the health of honeybees. With the continuation of the use of deadly pesticides and the vital role bees play in the pollination and development of our food crops, both the environment and our economy will be effected directly and face the potential for catastrophic results.
Western art has always presented itself with ideas of the perfect female figure. As time goes on the change and conquest for the perfect image of the female body seems never ending. The Venus of Willendorf was apart of the Old Stone age. Although one can guess we actually have no way of proving the sculptures message or purpose. From 25,000 BCE when Willendorf was mae fast forwarding to 350 BCE when Aphrodite was made marks the first nude sculpture of a women in Greek art. Praxiteles created the Aphrodite of Knidos. The name Aphrodite stems from the goddess of love. Both sculptures form their own romanticized version of the female body from two different perspectives. The Venus of Willendorf and the Aphrodite of Knido both successfully portray culture in different time periods. They both
Hummingbirds have evolved certain behavioural and physical traits which allows for them to be more energetically efficient, such as specialized storage and digestion adaptations, feeding and flying adaptations and breathing adaptation. Hummingbirds are extremely small and their muscles for flight are highly oxygen-dependent and require large amounts of energy. Hummingbirds are one of the smallest endotherms and any energetic output can be metabolically stressful. The hummingbirds’ small body size means that they have very little room for energy storage and therefore often endure energetic and metabolic stresses. They are the one of the oldest aves, dating back to some 33 million years ago and have evolved certain energy efficient adaptations that have allowed for them to live so long. These adaptations allow Hummingbirds to efficiently meet their energetic needs which in turn, allows for them to not only survive but also continue to evolve and expand their specific niches.
Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. New York, New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.
Firstly, Venus’s atmosphere is heavily laden with carbon dioxide (CO2), which makes up 96 percent of its atmosphere, 3.5 percent is made of nitrogen, and the remaining 0.5 percent is a combination of water vapor, sulfuric acid (which produce Venus’s thick, stable clouds), hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid. Venus’s upper atmosphere is cool, which the lower atmosphere is extremely hot and causes the surface temperature to rise to 470C (880F). Venus’ present atmosphere is very dry, but shows signs that it may have once contained water. An abundance of deuterium—the heavy isotope of hydrogen—developed, but was broken down into hydrogen and oxygen atoms by ultraviolet radiation that could not be absorbed by Venus’s lack of an ozone layer (Seeds).
Our awareness, our perception within nature, as Thomas states, is the contrast that segregates us from our symbols. It is the quality that separates us from our reflections, from the values and expectations that society has oppressed against itself. However, our illusions and hallucinations of nature are merely artifacts of our anthropocentric idealism. Thomas, in “Natural Man,” criticizes society for its flawed value-thinking, advocating how it “[is merely] a part of a system . . . [and] we are, in this view, neither owners nor operators; at best, [are] motile tissues specialized for receiving information” (56). We “spread like a new growth . . . touching and affecting every other kind of life, incorporating ourselves,” destroying the nature we coexist with, “[eutrophizing] the earth” (57). However, Thomas questions if “we are the invaded ones, the subjugated, [the] used?” (57). Due to our anthropocentric idealism, our illusions and hallucinations of nature, we forget that we, as organisms, are microscopically inexistent. To Thomas, “we are not made up, as we had always supposed, of successively enriched packets of our own parts,” but rather “we are shared, rented, occupied [as] the interior of our cells, driving them, providing the oxidative energy that sends us out for the improvement of each shining day, are the mitochondria” (1).
Thomas’s self-appointed title of “biology watcher” seems, on the surface, unfitting for a man whose understanding of cellular interaction is so intimate. He is able to confer with nature and develop a profound connection with it; essentially, he is able to “touch” it. But the sense of touch, in Thomas’s mind, is not separate from the faculties of vision, hearing, smelling, or tasting; it encompasses all of them. The “watcher,” or for that matter, the “listener” or “taster,” is capable of becoming wholly immersed in his subject, no restrictions limiting the extent of his observations. It is for this reason that Thomas can expound the workings of an ant colony and delve beyond what is visible to the eye; he is capable of connecting with that colony on a variety of levels, part of a relationship that serves to inform and “edit” conceptions he holds about the workings of the human world.
Thomas, Pat. "Give Bees a Chance." Ecologist (London, England) Vol. 37, No. 5. June 2007: 30-35. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
Zacherl, Danielle. “Biology 171 Evolution and Biodiversity.” National Association of Research in Science Teaching 2007 Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA. (2007):n. page. Print.
The fruit fly experiment is used as a way to introduce the study of genetics to students. It was first used by Thomas Morgan Hunt in 1910. The significance for using fruit flies, also known as Drosophila Melanogaster is because they’re great to work with in research scenery. They’re relatively easy to care for, especially when comparing to larger organisms like rats, or rabbits. They mate readily, take approximately two weeks to develop, and only carry four pair of chromosomes (Shanholtzer, 2012).