Lab 4 Energy Cycles in Animal Pellets

Part 1: Owl Pellet Dissection

Image 1: Measurements of the Owl Pellet

Image 2: Bones on the sorting chart. The bones located outside of the chart are ones I could not identify with certainty.

Image 3: My attempt to reconstruct what appears to be a mole.

Image 4: Data collected reflecting how many of each animal was found within the owl pellet.

Image 5: A bar graph reflecting the above mentioned data.

Part 2: Ecological Pyramids 

Number Pyramid for a 24 Hour Period

3* = 1 pellet

2* = 3 skulls ( Please note, I utilized the number 3 instead of 8 -noted above- as I went by                                the number of skulls found vs. number of other bones found, per the                                           instructions requested.) 

1* = 9 (3/1 x 3)

Producers = 27 (3/1 x 9)

Add caption

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?

The parents would need to capture 23 mice per day, 690 over 30 days.

2.The pellets are from what owl family?

The pellets for this lab are from the Common Barn Owl family, Tyto Alba.

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?

I believe owls, eagles, swordfish, humans, and lions are the most threatened organisms of a community because we are predators at the top of the food chain. We need nourishment from many sources of  producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.   Because we eat prey from all levels, we can be exposed to what the prey was exposed to; the tertiary consumers placing us at the highest risk, due to their necessary exposure. 

Lab 3: Environmental History

Part One

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.

Per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of a fable is "a short story that usually is about animals and that is intended to teach a lesson".  I believe Carson has titled the chapter "A Fable for Tomorrow" because she is attempting to provide a story for the people to ponder today, about how terrifying the future could be if changes are not made. She is painting a vivid picture to assist in explaining the harmful effects of human pollution on the planet, in hopes of changing the outcome.

2.What did you know about pesticides before watching the Earth Days segment or reading part of Silent Spring?

I have been made aware over the years about how terrible pesticides are. Most recently, I have read a number of articles explaining how pesticides can cause health issues in animals and humans alike. I knew they were a problem, but the extent of the problem was unknown; I still believe I have more to learn on the matter. 

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.

A matter that has had quite a lot of impact in my life is the stigma around behavioral health. I am speaking specifically about how difficult it can be for young people to cope with mental health disorders, and find the support they need. If I had the financial means, I would love to start a campaign  in the elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools to inform youth's supports of the struggles young people face who suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc... and ways the faculty could reach out to children and families to get them the support they need. Recently, there has been quite a bit of positive movement in this area, but the more information out there the better. 

4. Name four places pesticides exist.

Per the article provided, pesticides are showing up in farms and industrial processes, as well as in human and animal fats, and in aquatic invertebrates. 

5.What are two effects of DDT on birds and mammals?

One effect of DDT on birds is the effect it has on their reproductive abilities. In birds, this is causing a weakening of their egg's shells.  

An effect DDT has on mammals is loss of muscle control. There can also be excitability, nausea, and irritation. 

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?

We can exhibit humbleness within our relationship with nature by understanding that we are equals with nature. We need to take care of the world in order to take care of others and ourselves. This planet is not simply here for human consumption; there are plants and animals and other parts of ecosystems to consider too! Humans are quick to believe the world is here for their use; this is not true, as we are guests of this planet, and need to treat it with the utmost respect while we are here. 

Part Two

Here is my illustration of biological magnification. We can see the process of the DDT going through the grasses, into the cow, to our table where we digest it.  As mentioned in the article in Part One, the DDT can then stay in our fat storage. 

Part 3

• The overall trend of bald eagle populations in your state during this time period

The number of bald eagle pairings appear to be rising in Virginia. At this time, the number of bald eagle pairings have quadrupled since 1990.

• The average increase in population for the state you chose. What percentage increase does this represent?

The bald eagle population in Virginia has increased approximately 4.6 times what it was in 1990.

• Two programs that protect bald eagles

Per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services website, there are acts in place to protect the bald eagle. One of the acts is the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. This act increases the bald eagle's safety by

 "...prohibiting the take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, of any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest, or egg, unless allowed by permit..."  (16 U.S.C. 668(a); 50 CFR 22)

Additionally, there is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which protects bald eagles and other birds who "migrate across international borders".  The other countries involved with this treaty are Russia, Mexico, Canada, and Japan. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services)


Part Four

1. I believe I have an average personal ecological footprint for a United States citizen. I try to be mindful of what I am doing; I utilize a trash service with a recycling feature, I watch how long of a shower I take, and I try to up-cycle whenever possible. On the other hand, I am constantly using electricity, my job requires a ton of driving, and I can be wasteful with food.  Giving these points of consideration, I believe if everyone lived my lifestyle, we would need 4 earths.

2. My results show that we would need 4.6 earths to maintain my lifestyle.

3. The results were not particularly shocking to me, but sure were sad. I was hopeful that I was overestimating my need; boy was I wrong!  I think a major point of weakness for me is my eating habits and my driving habits. My work requires me to drive 150 -200 miles per week to see clients, and my diet consists of mainly packaged food.  I may not be able to alter how much driving I need to do a week, but I can certainly be more aware of the food I am purchasing; more local greens for me!

Lab 2 "The Cube"

This week, we are taking time to experience the Scientific Process. We are looking at a cube, with unique features on each face of the cube. We are to make observations about the features of the various faces of the cube to create a hypothesis of what is on the bottom of the cube (which we cannot see)

To begin, here are some observations I made of the sides of the cube I can see:

1. The two sets of opposing facing sides, that I can see, share the same color. There are white opposing sides and blue opposing sides. The top is red.

2. The two sets of opposing facing sides, that I can see, share the same first two letters of the name printed on the side. The blue sides both have names that begin with "Ro". The white sides both have names that begin with "Al". The red top has a name that begins with "F".

3. The names printed on opposing facing sides appear to have one male name and other female name. The blue sides have the names "Rob" and "Roberta". The white sides have "Alma" and "Alfred". The red top has the name "Frank".

4. There are numbers on all of the visible faces of the cube; two per face.

5. The blue sides appear to share the number "3" as one of two numbers.

6. The white sides appear to share the number "2" as one of two numbers.

7. The red side/top also bares two numbers. One is "4" and the other "5".

8. The number in the bottom corner appears to be the shared number of the two opposing sides.

9. The number in the top corner of the face appears to correlate with the number of letters in the name displayed on that particular face. The side with "Rob" has the number "3". The side printed with "Roberta" has the number "7".  The side printed with "Alfred" has the number "6". The side printed with  "Alma" has the number "4". The side printed with "Frank" has the number "5".

10.  The number of letters in each name displayed is one letter different than the last:  Rob(3), Alma(4), Frank (5), Alfred (6), Roberta (7).


Hypothesis

I hypothesize the color of the absent face of the cube will be red. I believe it will have the number 4 in the lower corner of the face and the number 8 in the upper corner of the face. I believe the face will have a female name that is 8 letters long.

Reasons for my Hypothesis

I observed the opposite faces sharing a number of characteristics. Because of this, I created a hypothesis based on the absent face acting the same with its counter face, as the other faces of the cube had.

• I believe the color of the absent face will be red, to correlate with its opposing face; as the other opposing faces have also shared the same color. 
• I believe the number in the lower corner will be 4, to correlate with its opposing face, as the other opposing faces of the cube shared the same bottom number as well.
•  I believe the name on the absent face will be a female name, as 'Frank' is a masculine name, and the other opposing faces have one male name, and the other female.  
• I believe the name will be 8 letters long to continue the pattern of increasing the number of letters in the name by 1.  
• I believe the name will begin with an "Fr", as the other opposing sides have shared the first two letters of their names; "Frank" is the opposing face of the absent face.

The Tragedy of the Commons

Per Essentials of Ecology, the definition of commons, or common property, is "where the rights to certain resources are held by large groups of individuals". A few examples of commons include places like camp sites, parks, beaches, rivers, and national forests.  Please note, as with anything, I am sure there are privately owned versions of the examples I have given. The areas I am speaking of  are considered common property because there is not a single person owning them, rather, a collective group using them. Many people may enjoy the areas' resources and beauty. 

For instance, I enjoy camping with my family. We tend to go out into the forest for our camping; here is a picture from our most recent trip into the White Mountains.

Camping can be a lot of fun, but also a lot of responsibility. I cannot count the number of times my family and I have personally picked up the garbage of the previous campers. In addition to coming up on a literally 'trashed' campsite, I have witnessed camp sites where the grass and foliage had been matted down, simply from too much camping happening in a single area, as well as debris of past fires where people where careless with their campfires. 

A major problem with the commons is there isn't an entity holding individuals accountable for their actions with the commons. If folks are being disrespectful, overusing the resources of the commons, or using the resources inappropriately, currently, there is not much of a consequence. There are state troopers and forest service employees, but their numbers are few in comparison to those using the commons.

We have established that humans are not feeling an immediate consequence to their actions with the commons; but the ecosystems of the commons certainly are. Essentials of Ecology defines sustainability as "ability of earth's various systems, including human cultural systems and economies, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely". There is grave fear of the commons' sustainability capabilities with the way we are currently treating the areas. Sustainability can only happen if we honor the boundaries of the ecosystems of the commons; by over fishing, over camping, and polluting the commons, we place great strain on the areas. 

While the picture can look fairly bleak when discussing the shortcomings of our current commons situation, there are a few things that can be done to correct/assist. One tactic to slow/cease the overuse of the lands and waters is to begin utilizing a permit system. This would require patrons to purchase a permit for use of the commons. This could also allow the government to close off the commons prior to overuse.  Another way to address the issues with the commons would be to make the land no longer 'common'.  By selling off the commons, private owners may tend to it. This would lead to less use of the areas, and more maintenance provided to the areas. I am more hopeful the first option (permitting) will continue to take root.

When looking at the big picture regarding the commons, I certainly appreciate the ability to enjoy the lands and waters; however, I feel it is a privilege, not a right. I would gladly pay for a permit to view these areas if it meant they could sustain their fragile ecosystems and remain intact for future generations. I go back to my worldview; Environmental Wisdom. "Worldview holding that humans are part of and totally dependent on nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us". (Essentials of Ecology, p.25)