BIO 105 Lab 4 Owl Pellet

Using the Owl Pellet found in my lab kit I recorded the following information: 

The picture of my bones with the bone chart. 

	Rats	Moles	Mice	Shrew	Birds	Other
My Data	1	0	3	1	0	0

Kinds and Numbers of Animals Found in Owl Pellets

1.     During the nesting season the young need an enormous amount of food for growth. If the nest contains three young and each of the young eat five mice per night for a month and the two adults eat four per night, how many mice would the parents have to capture in 30 days? To find the amount of mice in the month first you must find the number of mice in a day. The 3 babies eat 5 mice each 3x5=15, so the babies eat 15 mice a day. Each parent eats 4 mice a day 4x2=8, so the parents need 8 mice a day. The total for the family is 15+8=23, so they need 23 mice a day. For the month the Owls need 23x30=690, so for a 30 day period the parents would need to capture 690 mice. That’s a lot of mice!

2.  The pellets are from what owl family? The pellet I had looked like a barn owl pellet, which is one of the smaller owls.

3.  Environmentalists are concerned about the accumulation of certain poisons in predators. Why do you suppose owls, eagles, swordfish, humans and lions are often the most threatened organisms of a community that are exposed to DDT or mercury? Those predators all eat smaller secondary consumers, and those secondary consumers eat the primary consumers, which a lot of the times are exposed to DDT. For example bugs are often the primary target for DDT, once those bugs are exposed to the DDT they carry it in/with them. When a fish eats the bug, that fish is now exposed to the DDT. When the fish is caught and eaten by an eagle that eagle and its young are now being exposed to DDT. The DDT might not effect the full grown eagle for its lifetime but it does effect its young.

BIO 105 Lab 3

Lab 3

1.     Why do you think Carson titles this chapter “A Fable for Tomorrow?” Think about the choice of words in the title. Think about what fable teaches us and apply that here. I think that she chose this title as a warning for us. If we don’t change our ways we are essentially killing not only ourselves but also the wildlife around us.

2.     What did you know about pesticides before watching the Earth Days segment or reading part of Silent Spring? As a child I did not know anything about pesticides. Now that I am older and have children of my own I worry about them getting sick from the pesticides that are put in our food.

3.     What do you feel so strongly about that you would want to fully dedicate yourself to it, producing a groundbreaking work of literature, film, music or other media, even if this risked your professional reputation and how others thought of you? Your answer can be hypothetical! Not everyone has a passion that they would carry this far. I was raised to be polite but to also do the right thing no matter what. If I loved something enough I would do whatever it took to get my message out there. Even if that meant not having any of my peers agreeing with my point of view.

4.     Name four places pesticides exist. There pesticides located in the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the land we live on.

5.     What are two effects of DDT on birds and mammals? DDT causes birds eggshells to thin can kill them. On mammals DDT can kill small animals and on humans it can be toxic and make us vomit, cause tumors among other things.  

6.     “Our aim should be to guide natural processes as cautiously as possible in the desired direction rather than to use brute force...Life is a miracle beyond our comprehension, and we should reverence it even when we have to struggle against it...Humbleness is in order; there is no excuse for scientific conceit here.” – Rachel Carson in Silent Spring.

Take a little time to define humbleness in an appropriate manner for this question before answering.

How can we exhibit humbleness in terms of our relationship to nature? To exhibit humbleness with nature, we should consider that the earth is much more powerful than us and it can and will destroy us if we continue mistreating it the way we have been. 

Part 2

Add these items to your blog site.

1.     Heading “Part 2”

2.     Labeled drawing of biological magnification example (3 points)

Biological magnification is the process whereby certain substances such as pesticides or heavy metals travel from organism to organism as they feed. The chemicals move into rivers or lakes and are eaten by aquatic organisms such as bacteria, invertebrates, and fish, which in turn are eaten by larger animals such as birds and other animals including humans. The substances become concentrated in tissues and organs with each step in the food chain or web.

Procedure 

 -The picture states that mosquitoes and other pests were being killed because people were using DDT to get rid of them. Fish eat these pests with the DDT in them. The eagles eat the fish and the DDT ends up accumulating in the eagles. This affected eagle eggs, the DDT made them weak and they became so thin that they would crack and no baby eagles would hatch.

Part 3

1.     Find the data for the state for which you have an interest. Draw a line graph by hand or using Excel or another digital program. Add your graph to your blog site. Be sure to label with the name of the state. (3 points)

2.     Explain

a)     The overall trend of bald eagle populations in your state during this time period. In California from 1995-2005 the Bald Eagle population increased from 110 pairs of mating eagles to 200 pairs of mating eagles. 

b)    The average increase in population for the state you chose. What percentage increase does this represent? From the time frame I chose the total increase was about 55%. This number represents the pairs of mates that the state has. 

c)     Two programs that protect bald eagles: The endangered species Act made sure that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The National Marine Fisheries Service invest time and resources into protecting endangered species. 

Part 4

1.     Review concept of personal ecological footprint. The ecological footprint is the amount of a biologically productive area that is used to sustain resource consumption of an individual. 

2.     Predict how many Earth's each person needs, if they all lived your lifestyle: If everyone lived the way I did we would need 3.8 earths to support them all.

3.     Calculate your ecological footprint using the, Earth Day Footprint Calculator (http://www.earthday.org/splash_page.php).  Many other variables may come to mind as you do your assessment, or the questions might not "fit" your circumstance. Just do your best. It is probably best to ignore the donation request. 3.8 earths.

4.     How do you feel about this? Comment on your reaction in at least five sentences

I really felt that there was a problem with the website. I try to eat very healthy and organic as much as possible so needing 3.8 planets was a bit shocking. I feel like the electric question is not fair, what if I have solar panels and only pay APS $12.00 a month to store my energy? They should factor in more eco friendly options that go into detail. After completing this quiz I think I have some things to change in my life to help the planet.