Guppy Simulation Questions

1. Despite the greater risk of being eaten, male guppies are flashy becuase it helps them to attract mates and pass on their genes to future generations.

2. Poecilia reticulata. From Peru. On average it measures 1.4 inches (3.5 cm).

3. Fat sleeper. Dormitator maculatus. From Southern North America, the Bahamas, and Latin America.

4. If pools are very shallow or right above dams, then predators are unable to get to the guppy populations that live there. These populations tend to be flashier. If guppies are living in a very central area of the stream, where the water is fairly deep and open, there will be many predators and the guppies will be more drab in order to keep from being eaten.

5. John Endler is a revolutionary scientist (biologist, more specifically). He studied Trinidad guppies in the 1970's.

6. Pool 1--Brightly multi-colored with large spots

Pool 2--

"Conservation of the People" Summary

Conservationists are trying new and more creative ways to persuade people to help perserve the environment and biodiversity because previous motives have become somewhat obsolete. Now people are being told to help the planet, not for its sake, but for our own. Afterall, humans take EVERYTHING that we need to survive from the planet, and without biodiversity, we would have to live without quite a few products. Residents of areas near perserves, parks, or "Hot Spots" (places that are rich with particularly rare organisms) are feeling like nature is being favored over them. This new plan will help to ease their minds, because it makes them think that it's all for the greater good of humanity, the planet, etc. Also, rare organisms (such as those in hot spots) will be targeted more for protection and preservation, rather than more common "cute," "pleasant," or "popular" animals, though those will still be taken care of. This system is not only being used to help save the planet, but also to help the average American better understand and relate to the importance of biodiversity, not to mention keep him content.

Biodiversity

1. Well, logically, if everyone does it locally, then the whole world will be perserved. This would also help to keep biodiversity going for longer. It would also be cheaper in a way because the cost would be spread out, so it wouldn't cost one bit of the world an unbelievable amount. It has also been speculated that humans would die without biodiversity, which is logically possible.

2. Tropical cone snails contain the largest clinically important pharmacopoeia of everything on the planet. These creatures' homes are being rapidly destroyed. Is that any way to thank animals that have furthered our medicine so much?

3. Evolution has helped humans on our journey to what we are today. Ruining biodiversity will destroy the evolution of the human race and (obviously) other species, causing the world to come to a stand still.

Gases and climate change

If the rubbing alcohol is set on fire, then it will produce gas. -when the lighter got close to the bottle, the gaseous alcohol ignited and caused the bottle to shoot backwards with a loud WHOOSHing sound. Then it hit Miss Leland's desk and fell to the floor, where the fire went out and it stopped moving.

The way that gasses are produced and magnified by humans make a lot of sense. The ways that they effect the environment also seem logical, based on what is happening to the earth.

When the gas is introduced to the candle flames, the flames will flare up. -when the gas was introduced to the candles, their flames went out. :'(

Teachnically, CO2 is not classified as a pollutant becauee it is necessary in small quantities. For example, plants use CO2 in the process of photosynthesis. But on the contrary, too much of the gas is still quite detrimental. When CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere (usually through respiration and decaying plants and animals), it causes heat to be partially trapped in the atmosphere, warming the planet.

The flames will flare up when introduced to the hydrogen. -when the zinc and hydrochloric acid, it bubbled and produced hydrogen gas. When the lighter flame was held above the beaker, the hydrogen caused the flame flare up and catch on the bubbling liquid.

I think that the vapor will freeze inside the can. -Nothing happened. ~*~ I think that the water will get in the can and cause the water vapor inside will freeze. -The can imploded, crushing in on itself the instant it touched the ice water.

Chernobyl Article and Questions (DNA Change)

This article explains how the children of Chernobyl clean-up workers that were conceived and born after the incident were much more likely to have mutations and birth defects. There was a sevenfold increase in new bands between children born after Chernobyl and their siblings born before. Scientists think that somehow the mutations were caused by radiation becoming internal, seeing as there weren't really any sicknesses or mutations after the atomic bombs were dropped in Japan.

1. How many times more bands were found in post- Chernobyl kids than pre-?
2. Were the complications though to be caused by internal or external radiation exposure?
3. Why were children born and conceived after the incident more likely to be mutated?

Love canal debate questions

1. Is there still any clean up going on?
2. How far is the residential area from the chain link fence?
3. What are the current cancer rates in the area?
4. What are the birth defect rates?
5. Are the current residents happy?

Catalyst 8/30/10

1. It was believed that heavy snow and rain fall along with an early spring/melt time pushed the chemicals up form underground. The extreme amounts of water ran under the chemicals and pushed them up to the surface, where people were exposed to them.

2. Cancer and birth defects have been linked to the chemicals in the Love Canal, tough there is no solid proof that these complications were caused by chemical exposure. Cancer and birth defects happen everywhere, hazardous materials or no.

3. Plant growth was probably severely affected. If there are chemicals in the soil, how are plants supposed to grow healthily?