In this article from TIME magazine, it talks about how more and more veterinarians are prescribing pheromone collars for pets who are high energy or need a calming effect. In the article it mentions how more animals are put own or given away because of behavioral problems than for any other reason. That was upsetting to me. I myself have a very nervous cat. Rupert has actually had to be on prozac several times because he's so anxious. It does calm him down, but he doesn't like the pills and they are expensive to buy for a cat. If pheromone collars worked I think it could be a great alternative, giving pet owners an alternative to expensive medications and also giving the animals the benefit of the doubt to see if they calm down and are able to lead happier, less stressful lives.
It almost strikes me as a more holistic approach to animal care. You're not pumping them full of chemicals or going with surgery, you're trying a naturally calming approach to deal with your problems instead of the alternatives.
I would probably try it on my cat if he continues to have a problem, but I might not want him to have a pheromone collar forever because I feel like that could change his own personality. Hopefully it would help enough but not be too severe for a small cat.
Leah Salloway
Monday, December 6, 2010
Badger Culling Vs. Vaccination.
In an article published by the BBC, badgers in the UK have been carrying TB very consistently. These badgers are very common in the UK and are affecting the cattle populations and transmitting TB to them through bites, and getting into food sources ect.
Luckily, scientists have found an injectable vaccine that is safe on humans, and is also effective in vaccinating badgers. Previously, people have been killing a lot of the badgers due to TB, but with this vaccine, culling is less necessary and they can simply get the vaccination. In a trial, there was a 74% decrease in the rate of TB in badgers once the vaccinations took place.
The only problem is that right now the only way that they can produce the vaccine is injectable. Officials say that it won't be an effective method until the badgers can get the vaccination in a way that they can eat it. Therefore the culling will not stop. It could take over five years for a consumable alternative to be ready for the badgers. I feel like if there is a vaccine that works, people should be using it rather than simply culling the animals, but the government thinks that it would be too expensive to pay for the project and the cattle could still be at risk. I personally feel like this is a pretty high price to pay for cows, but it is good that there is a vaccine and that scientists are working on manufacturing it in a way that will vaccinate against TB and be consumable so that the culling can be stopped.
Leah Salloway
Luckily, scientists have found an injectable vaccine that is safe on humans, and is also effective in vaccinating badgers. Previously, people have been killing a lot of the badgers due to TB, but with this vaccine, culling is less necessary and they can simply get the vaccination. In a trial, there was a 74% decrease in the rate of TB in badgers once the vaccinations took place.
The only problem is that right now the only way that they can produce the vaccine is injectable. Officials say that it won't be an effective method until the badgers can get the vaccination in a way that they can eat it. Therefore the culling will not stop. It could take over five years for a consumable alternative to be ready for the badgers. I feel like if there is a vaccine that works, people should be using it rather than simply culling the animals, but the government thinks that it would be too expensive to pay for the project and the cattle could still be at risk. I personally feel like this is a pretty high price to pay for cows, but it is good that there is a vaccine and that scientists are working on manufacturing it in a way that will vaccinate against TB and be consumable so that the culling can be stopped.
Leah Salloway
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Communication and Evolution of Amazon River Dolphins
Two species of freshwater dolphins inhabit the Amazon River Basin, the pink river dolphin, Iria geoffrensis and the grey river dolphin, Sotalia fluviatilis. These two species are particularly interesting because although they inhabit the same freshwater system, their evolutionary histories are very different. The pink river dolphin is thought to be a much older species that evolved from a species of dolphin found in the Pacific before the Amazon River formed. It is thought that a cove formed on the pacific coast of what is now Peru. This cove was eventually closed in and became a large lake in which a group of dolphins was trapped. The lake gradually changed from salt to fresh water and the pink dolphins adapted with it to live in fresh water. When the mountain range on the west coast of Peru formed, the lake became part of the Amazon river system. It wasn’t until this happened that the grey river dolphin became a part of the picture. This species is thought to have travelled up the river and adapted to fresh water more recently. This is the history of the two dolphin species that I learned over the summer when I volunteered with the conservation organization Operation Wallacea in upper Amazonia.
I was very interested to find an article written by the Umass professor Jeff Podos that discusses how the differences in vocalizations between the two species can help answer questions about the evolutionary history of the amazon river dolphins and oceanic dolphins. This paper, “Vocalizations of Amazon River Dolphins, Inia geoffrensis: Insights
into the Evolutionary Origins of Delphinid Whistles” addresses the question of whether whistles, a well-know method of communication within the delphinid family was uniquely derived in this family or whether it began to evolve in a common ancestor with Iria geoffrensis. Whistling is not found in the Monodontidae or Phocoenidae family, so if it is not a unique derivation of the delphinid family, it must have been lost in these two groups. Podos found that pink river dolphins do make vocalizations. However, they are both structured and used differently than the whistles of delphinids. Pink river dolphin vocalizations were found to be much less common than grey dolphin vocalizations and they occurred in bouts. They were most common during hunting activities. These vocalizations were lower-frequency and longer than delphinid vocalizations and they consisted of a series of short notes rather than a single note. Podos concluded his paper by saying that it is still not clear when the evolution of dolphin whistles occurred but that it is likely to be a unique derived characteristic of the delphinid family.
-Lauren Lynch
I was very interested to find an article written by the Umass professor Jeff Podos that discusses how the differences in vocalizations between the two species can help answer questions about the evolutionary history of the amazon river dolphins and oceanic dolphins. This paper, “Vocalizations of Amazon River Dolphins, Inia geoffrensis: Insights
into the Evolutionary Origins of Delphinid Whistles” addresses the question of whether whistles, a well-know method of communication within the delphinid family was uniquely derived in this family or whether it began to evolve in a common ancestor with Iria geoffrensis. Whistling is not found in the Monodontidae or Phocoenidae family, so if it is not a unique derivation of the delphinid family, it must have been lost in these two groups. Podos found that pink river dolphins do make vocalizations. However, they are both structured and used differently than the whistles of delphinids. Pink river dolphin vocalizations were found to be much less common than grey dolphin vocalizations and they occurred in bouts. They were most common during hunting activities. These vocalizations were lower-frequency and longer than delphinid vocalizations and they consisted of a series of short notes rather than a single note. Podos concluded his paper by saying that it is still not clear when the evolution of dolphin whistles occurred but that it is likely to be a unique derived characteristic of the delphinid family.
-Lauren Lynch
Mercury Pollution Leads to Homosexuality in American white ibises (Eudocimus albus)
The gulf is finally moving on from the effects of the BP oil spill. Although it may no longer be in the news, scientists will have an eye on the gulf for the next 50 years or so to observe how animals will recover and adapt to the oil. Many people forget about these lasting effects of pollution and researchers are now finding how different environmental conditions can result in mutations in nature.Researchers at the University of Florida led by Peter Frederick studied the effect of mercury poisoning on American white ibises (Eudocimus albus). Ibises are long-legged wading birds that often feed together by poking the ground. There are known to have a long distinct beak. Researchers were testing the effects of methylmercury. Sources of mercury poising in Florida are power plants and gold mines. Mercury released by these processes is metabolized to methylmercury via a bacteria that is found in bird nests. Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most toxic form of mercury and is highly biologically available. However, the net effects of methylmercury poisoning were not well known and researchers decided to conduct an experiment.
Scientists collected 160 ibises eggs and split them into 4 groups of 20 males and 20 females. The different groups were composed of no, low, medium and high doses of mercury(0.05–0.3 ppm wet weight). Researchers experimentally exposed white ibises to 3 years of dietary MeHg concentrations once the ibises were 90 days old. They noticed that increases in the concentration of MeHg resulted in increases in male–male pairing behavior. Exposed male birds displayed less courtship behavior and even did not switch with their male pair in the following year. Frederick says that is interesting because ibises usually switch pairs the following year if mating is unsuccessful. Frederick also says that the levels of mercury administered in the experiment mimic natural conditions and believes that this phenomenon may be occurring in nature.
Frederick hypothesizes that methylmercury is causing changes in the endocrine system that results in improper levels of sex hormones (testosterone and oestradiol) in males. His main concern is that people will see the results and use on them on other species. He said, "people will read this and immediately jump to the conclusion that humans eating mercury are going to be gay. I want to be very explicit that this study has nothing to say about that."
The next step of the project is to find real examples of this happening in nature. This is just another example that shows people must be more careful with their actions as they can affect nature in a variety of ways.
Source:
Frederick, P. & Jayasena, N. Proc. R. Soc. B. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2189 (2010).
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/11/24/rspb.2010.2189.abstract
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101201/full/news.2010.641.html
-Himanshu Shah (3)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
KILLER BEES IN NEW ORLEANS!
I came across this article that informed me that there has been a spike in Africanized Bee numbers in Louisiana. There were a few cases here and there but they are now officially established in the gumbo capital of America. The positive sample was found in a trap along the Mississippi River. The article states “In January, a colony of Africanized honeybees was found in a St. Bernard Parish house being torn down because of damage from Hurricane Katrina. The proximity of this find indicates the bees could be a swarm from that colony or could be from a ship or barge passing by on the river.”
These insects have acquired the name Killer Bees for a reason. They have the same venom as honeybees but tend to attack in large swarms thereby releasing enough toxins to be deadly. It is a misnomer that they are larger than European honeybees; they are in fact smaller. However, their size does not stop them from being terrifying.
The bees were first found in Louisiana in July 2005, and are now establishing themselves farther and farther east. It was the first case of foreign bees moving into the state due to natural range expansion. If you want to learn more about the deadly species entering our south coast, read this article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912142432.htm.
Posted by Vuzmal Sharma (3)
KILLER BEES IN NEW ORLEANS!
I came across this article that informed me that there has been a spike in Africanized Bee numbers in Louisiana. There were a few cases here and there but they are now officially established in the gumbo capital of America. The positive sample was found in a trap along the Mississippi River. The article states “In January, a colony of Africanized honeybees was found in a St. Bernard Parish house being torn down because of damage from Hurricane Katrina. The proximity of this find indicates the bees could be a swarm from that colony or could be from a ship or barge passing by on the river.”
These insects have acquired the name Killer Bees for a reason. They have the same venom as honeybees but tend to attack in large swarms thereby releasing enough toxins to be deadly. It is a misnomer that they are larger than European honeybees; they are in fact smaller. However, their size does not stop them from being terrifying.
The bees were first found in Louisiana in July 2005, and are now establishing themselves farther and farther east. It was the first case of foreign bees moving into the state due to natural range expansion. If you want to learn more about the deadly species entering our south coast, read this article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912142432.htm.
Posted by Vuzmal Sharma (3)
Dolphin Mirror Self-Recognition
What does a bipedal, land-inhabiting ape have in common with a flippered ocean mammal separated by 100 million years of evolution? As it turns out, a very rare cognitive capacity. Researchers Diana Reiss and Lori Marino have demonstrated that bottlenose dolphins are able to recognize themselves in mirrors, a trait previously believed to be limited to humans and to some extent chimpanzees. People have known for a long time about the intelligence of dolphins, but this new finding is fascinating and intriguing. Why would dolphins be able to recognize themselves in mirrors? Is this form of communication about the self a byproduct of the evolution of another mental process? If so, what, and why do humans and dolphins share it? All of these questions are at the core of the research being done to broaden our knowledge of this unique cognitive ability.
The researchers began investigating the possibility of self-recognition in dolphins by erecting a two way mirror behind a clear wall of the dolphins’ pool. They observed that the dolphins appeared to show off in front of the mirror by swimming back and forth rapidly, twisting and turning, and opening and closing their mouths. Basically, the dolphins were exhibiting play behavior in front of the mirrors. Interestingly, he dolphins did not interact with each other much in front of the mirror and instead focused on their own antics. To test whether a dolphin actually recognized that the image was of itself, the researchers conducted another experiment. They set up a mirror and other reflective surfaces that weren’t as clear as a mirror, and then made a mark on the dolphin in non-toxic black ink or a water-filled marker to control for the sensation of marking. The dolphins with real marks spent more time in front of the best mirrors looking at themselves than dolphins without marks, which glanced at themselves and then ignored the mirrors. In the absence of mirrors, the dolphins went to the best reflective surfaces to look at their marks. This study suggests that dolphins are truly capable of mirror self-recognition.
One of the most interesting parts of the study found that dolphins cannot recognize themselves in mirrors until they are about 1.5-2 years old, the same age as humans. More research is necessary to understand this incredible cognitive capacity on dolphins and humans and what it means about convergent evolution and natural selection.
Posted by Alex Sprague
The researchers began investigating the possibility of self-recognition in dolphins by erecting a two way mirror behind a clear wall of the dolphins’ pool. They observed that the dolphins appeared to show off in front of the mirror by swimming back and forth rapidly, twisting and turning, and opening and closing their mouths. Basically, the dolphins were exhibiting play behavior in front of the mirrors. Interestingly, he dolphins did not interact with each other much in front of the mirror and instead focused on their own antics. To test whether a dolphin actually recognized that the image was of itself, the researchers conducted another experiment. They set up a mirror and other reflective surfaces that weren’t as clear as a mirror, and then made a mark on the dolphin in non-toxic black ink or a water-filled marker to control for the sensation of marking. The dolphins with real marks spent more time in front of the best mirrors looking at themselves than dolphins without marks, which glanced at themselves and then ignored the mirrors. In the absence of mirrors, the dolphins went to the best reflective surfaces to look at their marks. This study suggests that dolphins are truly capable of mirror self-recognition.
One of the most interesting parts of the study found that dolphins cannot recognize themselves in mirrors until they are about 1.5-2 years old, the same age as humans. More research is necessary to understand this incredible cognitive capacity on dolphins and humans and what it means about convergent evolution and natural selection.
Posted by Alex Sprague
Honesty Among Deer
As we have learned in class, honest signals provide truth about the quality of an individual. An example of honest advertising has recently been discovered in male fallow deer, who use “groans” to indicate their competitive abilities to rivals and potential mates. This signal has even been shown to change over the years in accordance with changes in status and age.
Researchers tagged males as fawns, allowing them to track males as they aged. They also were able to record male-male competitions, matings, and vocalizations during ruts. Upon analysis of the signals, researchers discovered that the calls contained honest indicators of male quality that reflected their change in rank. Information about individual identity was also encoded, but these signals were found to be unreliable over a deer’s lifetime. Researchers noted that most investigations do not take into account the possibility of vocalizations changing with age.
Researchers also indicate that this study can provide more information about communication that occurs during the rut. Furthermore, they predict that this characteristic of communication is also present in other species in which males vocalize frequently during breeding and live for many years.
To read “Deer Honesty: Mating Deer Calls Change Year-by-Year With Status of Deer,” please click here.
Posted by Katie Kalutkiewicz
Researchers tagged males as fawns, allowing them to track males as they aged. They also were able to record male-male competitions, matings, and vocalizations during ruts. Upon analysis of the signals, researchers discovered that the calls contained honest indicators of male quality that reflected their change in rank. Information about individual identity was also encoded, but these signals were found to be unreliable over a deer’s lifetime. Researchers noted that most investigations do not take into account the possibility of vocalizations changing with age.
Researchers also indicate that this study can provide more information about communication that occurs during the rut. Furthermore, they predict that this characteristic of communication is also present in other species in which males vocalize frequently during breeding and live for many years.
To read “Deer Honesty: Mating Deer Calls Change Year-by-Year With Status of Deer,” please click here.
Posted by Katie Kalutkiewicz
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