Week 3 Analogy/Homology Blog Post

Week 3: Analogy/Homology Blog Post

1. 

A) I chose the horse and the zebra for Homology.

A horse is a plant-eating mammal with a flowing mane and tail.

A zebra is an African wild horse with black and white stripes.

B) Both animals have manes and tails. A horse’s mane, if left to grow is long and flowing where as a zebra’s mane is short, mowhawk like, coarse hair that is striped. Horses are mainly domesticated and zebras are not. The most common difference is the zebra’s stripes. Different horse breeds have different coat colors and patterns but none possess the stripes of a zebra. Unless a unique breeding occurs and then a hybrid is born.

C) Animals in the genus Equus have evolved over millions of years from a deer like animal, the proto-horse, with four toes, to the species we know today that are single toed hooved animals. 

            



2.                 

A) I chose the dolphin and shark for analogy.

Sharks are long bodied marine fish that are predatory.

Dolphins are small marine toothed whales that have beaklike snouts and are social.

 B) Both sharks and dolphins have streamlined bodies, side fins and a triangular dorsal fin. The dorsal fin is necessary for larger sea animals for stability. Both species live in the ocean and prefer warmer waters. Both are predators, hunt fish and swallow their food whole. Both sharks and dolphins are fast proficient swimmers and sharks have been known to breach the water like dolphins do. The reason these two species have analogous traits is due to convergent evolution. They have had to adapt to their water environments.

 C)From what I have read, the common ancestor between sharks and dolphins is a mystery. They didn’t inherit their similar body shapes etc. from a common ancestor.

 


 

     

Week 2 Protein Synthesis
Here is my sentence:

CAATACACCTAAGACGGCAGTGTCTGACCGCTTTTAATCCGT

   In 1798 English economist and ordained minister, Thomas Malthus wrote "Essay on the Principle of Population." The central theme of Malthus' work was that populations increase at a faster rate than resources do. Malthus recognized that in non human population size is always limited by the amount of available food and water. He also believed that hunger and disease were aspects of life implemented by God to stop populations from exploding. Those that were less able would die out, leaving the stronger and the ones with more desirable traits to survive. Darwin read Malthus' work and developed his theory of natural selection. He applied Malthus' ideas to populations of all species and came up with the idea of "survival of the fittest."
   Malthus' work demonstrated how resources are limited, how the planet does not have enough resources for any organism/species to over produce/populate and survive.
   Darwin was influenced by many. But it was after he read Malthus' works that he came up with a theory that he could work by, making Malthus the most influential person to Darwin.
Darwin didn't publish his hypothesis right away. For one he didn't think he had enough data to support it. But his most pressing reason for not publishing was that his work was controversial for the time. There were strong religious convictions and his evolutionary theory went against the churches' beliefs.
http://evolution.about.com/od/Darwin/tp/People-Who-Influenced-Charles-Darwin.htm