Guppy Simulation

1. If being flashy and colorful attracts predators, why do you think guppies are so colorful?
To attract mates.

2. After viewing the guppy gallery, pick the fish you find most interesting. What is the fish’s scientific name, origin and average size? Describe the coloration of the fish you chose.
Poecilia reticulata
It is male
The average is 1.4 inches
It has the colors of Hallows Eve (Jaloguin) along with white, yellow, and blue.

3. After viewing the predator gallery, pick the fish you find most interesting. What is the fish’s common name, scientific name, and origin?
Fat sleeper
Dormitator maculatus
Southern North America, Bahamas, and Latin America

4. View the guppy’s habitats, what habitat conditions would affect the predator populations? If it a deep section of a stream, then it can be full of predators. But if it’s a dam, then there will be little to no predators. Finally, in a small pool, there would be the smallest and least effect population of predators.

5. Who is John Endler? What did he study and where did he study it?
John Endler was a scientist that studied wild guppies. He studied them in different streams and different parts of the same stream.

6. For each of the three stream areas, describe the guppy coloration:

Pool 1: Brightly multi-colored fish with large scales.

Pool 2: Medium coloration on body and tail, with medium size spots.

Pool 3: Drab coloration with very small spots concentrated near the tail.

7. Develop your own hypothesis about guppy coloration. The hypothesis should answer the questions: Why do guppies in different areas of the stream have difference in coloration? (You can choose from the list on the simulation, or make up your own) If there are more predators, then the gene of bright coloration in guppies have less of a chance of being passed on to future generations.
Guppy Simulation

% of Brightest Guppies
(10 generations) % of Bright Guppies
(10 generations) % of Drab Guppies
(10 generations) % of Drabbest Guppies
(10 generations)
Trial 1
Guppy: Even Mix
Predators: 30 Rivulus %45 %29 %24 %3
Trial 2
Guppy: Even Mix
Predators: 30 Rivulus, 30 Acara %0 %87 %13 %0
Trial 3
Guppy: Even Mix
Predators: 30 Rivulus, 30 Acara, 30 Cichlid %0 %0 %8 %92
Trial 4
Guppy: Mostly Bright
Predators: 30 Rivulus %38 %52 %4 %6
Trial 5
Guppy: Mostly Drab
Predators: 30 Rivulus, 30 Acara, 30 Cichlid %0 %0 %0 %100


Summary
8. Describe how predators influence guppy coloration.
Since predators can see brightly colored guppies easier, they tend to eat more of them, leaving more dull colored guppies to pass on their genes.

9. Was your hypothesis correct, use your data to justify your answer.
Yes, because when we added more predators, more dull guppies survived to pass on their genes, but when there wasn’t as many predators then the brightly colored guppies were dominated.

10. What does it mean that “male guppies live in a crossfire between their enemies and their would be mates”?
This phrase means that males have to go out into the open to look for mate, but when they do that, they are easy pickings for predators, also known as enemies.

11. Why do you think guppies in different areas of the stream have different coloration?
Since some parts of streams have more predators than others, so in the places where there are not many predators, bright guppies will thrive. But if the location in the stream has more predators, the bright guppies will be eaten and the dull ones will thrive.

12. What would happen to mostly drab guppies that were placed in a stream with very few predators?
The drab guppies would not be as successful as the few bright ones, so, over time, the bright ones would become more common.

13. What would happen to brightly colored guppies that were placed in a stream with many predators?
The bright colored guppies would be eaten relatively quick, while the dull ones would eventually would become much more common.

Biodiversity:

What are ways in which preserving biodiversity locally might have a global effect?
Drugs(medicine) that have not yet been found might be in a plant or an animal native to an area but if something were to happen to that area than that drug/ cure might be gone for good. When we hurt our world we hurt ourselves.

How do habitat destruction and loss of species effect more than just one area?
If you harm a species or multiple species in one area than the species predator may have to go looking other places and venture from theirs. This creates a smaller food supply and could cause that species to go extinct.

How does preserving biodiversity enhance the life of people?
Better air because more is being produced by plants. Animals will not wander into homes if their's are not destroyed first.

Gases and Climate Change

1)Combustion
Hypothesis: If the rubbing alcohol is put in the 2 liter bottle then it will catch on fire when it is ignited.
Observations: When the lighter got close enough to the bottle the it could ignite it, the bottle shot across the room, full of fire for a second. It went whoosh.
Slide Show: A lot of gases effect our environment. Lots of gases harm our environment some admitted by people and some admitted by natural things.

2) CO2 gas
Hypothesis: If the gas is combined with the flame then the gas will ignite.
Observations: When the gas and the flame were introduced the gas put out the flame.

3)Hydrogen gas
Hypothesis: If hydrogen gas is introduced to flame then it will com bust
Observation: It made a popping, bubbling noise. The gas ignited and burned until all of the zinc, used to create the chemical reaction creating gas, was gone and no longer helped produce the gas.

4) Air Pressure
Hypothesis: if the can with gas in it is placed into the ice bath then it will turn back into liquid.
Observation: the can had water in it and was heated on a hot plate until vapor started to come from the top then nothing happened when the can was placed in the ice bath

Part. Two air pressure
Hypothesis: if the can is placed into an ice bath face down then bubble will be created under the water.
Observation: the can was heated with water in it. Then when placed face down in cold water the can was crunched.

Chernobyl's effects linger on

This article talks about how the chemicals from Chernobyl are still effecting the environment today. Also, how the radiation keeps re-entering the environment and how the environment was thought to clean itself much faster than it did. The chemicals keep re-entering the environment. They do this when the radiation is passed from the soil to a plant then an animal. If the animal dies it then starts the process over again. If it is eaten by a different animal then the radiation in passed on to that animal.

1) In which two place do fish have a high level of caesium 137?

2) Up to how many years will food restrictions in the United Kingdom and the former Soviet Union remain?

3)Why should sheep be kept out of the food chain?

Link:

Chornobyl Questions

Why would they do tests on something they knew was unstable?

Why did the government try to keep it hidden?

Why didn't they have an evacuation plan for if this problem happened in the future?

Why did they let people run around crazy instead of evacuating them?

Why didn't the government try to help people when the explosion first occured?

Love canal questions

How long will it take door ALL of the chemicals to biodegrade?

What will be done if chemicals start coming back up to the surface?

How will a leak in the love canal be solved?

Who will be held accountable if a leak occurs?

When was the last test taken at love canal and what was the outcome?

8:30 catalyst

1) The toxic waste began to push towards the surface in the blizzard of 1977 when the rive flooded.

2) Some health hazards in the love canal were liver problems and cancer.

3). Other parts of the ecosystem are effected by the chemicals because they seeped in to the water and the land.