Category: Natural World

Ecology

Global Warming Could Allow Squid to Thrive

Ellie Teng ‘21 The unique swimming technique of squid requires energy and oxygen. Jet propulsion allows the cephalopods to rapidly move about, but requires a large output of energy, thereby increasing the demand for oxygen. There is evidence suggesting increased CO2 has adverse effects on squid respiratory performance, however, there has been no research on the effects of prolonged exposure to CO2 for adult cephalopods. … Continue reading Global Warming Could Allow Squid to Thrive

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Ecology

Use of Arithmetic operations and Memory Processing Shown in Bees

By Mariam Malik ‘22 Some animals are mentally capable of understanding the concept of numbers, emotion, and even language. However, at RMIT University in Australia, an experiment done on bees shows that they are not only able to understand the concept of numbers, but they also show comprehension of arithmetic operations, such as addition and subtraction, with the use of colored symbols. To determine if … Continue reading Use of Arithmetic operations and Memory Processing Shown in Bees

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Environment

Formation of amino acids by abiotic means in the oceanic lithosphere

By Allan Mai ‘20 Experimental studies and thermodynamic calculations have shown that abiotic synthesis of amino acids and hydrocarbons – specifically during the hydrothermal alteration of mantle rocks – is theoretically possible. However, this phenomenon has only recently been demonstrated in a terrestrial setting. Benedicte Menez and his team at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris used high resolution imaging techniques to obtain … Continue reading Formation of amino acids by abiotic means in the oceanic lithosphere

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Figure 1. The benthic zone, which includes the sea floor, sediment, and surrounding waters, is the lowest ecological level in a body of water.
2017-18, Ecology

Warming Waters Unexpectedly Alters Growth of Antarctica’s Sea Life

By Gene Yang ’19 In shallow Antarctic waters, a nine-month long study was the first of its kind to artificially warm conditions in the sea floor to predicted climate change levels, and in doing so, the researchers saw an increase in the growth rates of select species. Scientists placed artificial “settlement panels” on the sea floor of shallow Antarctic waters. The composition of these panels … Continue reading Warming Waters Unexpectedly Alters Growth of Antarctica’s Sea Life

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Figure 1. Ghost crabs are Crustaceans of the subfamily Ocypodinae, found in intertidal zones in America’s Pacific Coast and elsewhere around the world.
2017-18, Ecology

Crustacean Body Size Changes with Climate

By Gene Yang ’19 Crustaceans play an important role in coastal ecosystems, an area of research that can provide new insight into climate change. A recent study found a correlation between body sizes of intertidal crustaceans, latitude, and sea-surface temperature. A collaboration of researchers from six universities sampled the body sizes of four keystone crustacean species from 44 sandy beaches in California and Chile: high-shore … Continue reading Crustacean Body Size Changes with Climate

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2016-17, Ecology

How Far the Penguins Should March

Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 The effects of Global Climate Change can dramatically alter the environment as well as the organisms which inhabit it. One species that is particularly affected by climate change is the emperor penguin (EP), so much so that researchers from the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) believe they should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The random and unpredictable nature of climate … Continue reading How Far the Penguins Should March

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Figure 1. Acoustic analysis of buzzing from foraging bees provides a faster and less invasive method of monitoring bee pollination.
2016-17, Ecology

That Buzzing Noise

Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 Bees play a critical role in crop survival. Because of this, farmers and scientists must always stay ahead by following patterns in their behavior to quickly manage and appropriately respond to complications in their population growth. Acoustic analysis of organisms is not a new concept; however, it is not often used on insects. Researchers led by Nicole Miller-Struttmann PhD from Webster University … Continue reading That Buzzing Noise

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Figure 1: Researchers use chemistry and genetics to investigate what makes the best tasting tomato to improve the tasteless modern commercialized varieties.
2016-17, Ecology

Science Behind Tomato Flavor

Meghan Bialt-DeCelie – ’19 Modern commercialized crops have been modified over the years to grow large, plentiful, and resistant to environmental damage. The taste of something like a tomato depends on the sugars, acids, and volatile compounds that are detected by one’s receptors for taste and smell. Researchers sequenced the tomato’s genome and investigated nearly 400 accessions among commercialized, heirloom and wild tomatoes to see … Continue reading Science Behind Tomato Flavor

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Figure 1. The Great Barrier Reef is discolored due to severe coral bleaching caused by global warming.
2016-17, Ecology

An End to Global Warming Could End Mass Coral Bleaching

By Megan Y. Tan ’19 The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral system stretching over an area of more than 300,000 square kilometers off the coasts of Australia. Though the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of the reef from fishing and tourism, it is still not safe from environmental factors such as global warming. In fact, climate change has … Continue reading An End to Global Warming Could End Mass Coral Bleaching

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Figure 1. Biodiversity loss is partially compensated by the altered behaviors of remaining organisms.
2016-17, Ecology

Extinction of a Species is Compensated by Remaining Ecosystem

By Patrick Yang ’20 Biodiversity loss is often associated with ecosystem degradation because it is assumed that a species’ ecological role vanishes along with the species in the case of extinction. Current models of ecosystems utilize this assumption and predict an accelerated decline in ecological properties as biodiversity loss increases. Although this is a logical prediction, Dr. Martin Solan at the University of Southampton and … Continue reading Extinction of a Species is Compensated by Remaining Ecosystem

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2016-17, Evolution, Genetics

Relearn Faster and Retain Longer

    By Ericka Berman As established, repetitive practice is necessary for knowledge retention. Sleep is also a contributing factor to new learning and memory consolidation. In this study, Dr. Mazza and the team of researchers recruited 40 participants ages 18-29 from University of Lyon, who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. For this study, participants were asked to remember 16 Swahili-French words pairs. … Continue reading Relearn Faster and Retain Longer

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Figure 1. Warming in places like Mount Kenya is steeper than current climate models predict.
2016-17, Environment

High-Elevation Warming is Steeper than Previously Expected

By Megan Tan ’19 The Earth is warming at about two degrees annually at sea level. Though it is estimated that high-elevation warming occurs more steeply, it is difficult to measure due to environmental factors such as radiation and humidity which have made it challenging to accurately quantify past temperature changes. Shannon E. Loomis, a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary … Continue reading High-Elevation Warming is Steeper than Previously Expected

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