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.