Classification and Marine Biodiversity Essay Example for Free

Classification and Marine Biodiversity Essay Important Background Information that you need to know and understand: (Understand the Key Concepts) Key words: binominal system of naming; science of classification is taxonomy; species; levels of classification (know them); dichotomous identification key; 5 kingdoms; etc†¦ CLASSIFICATION Our oceans have a great variety of life forms. Thousands of new species are discovered each year. We need to identify, name, and know the biology of all the marine species. To understand this huge array of species, a simple classification system is used to produce some order out of chaos. Example: this class has persons of all sorts of shapes, sizes, colour, eye colour, finger shape size, etc†¦.what criteria would you use to separate us all out? HISTORY Historically, we group things according to their likeness or use. There were grouping such as edible, poisonous, or medicinal. In your own dialect, you have local names for the edible things on the reef but there is no name for sponges, ascidians, and nudibranchs which you have no use for. There are only general names for corals, sharks, etc. In Fiji, we have no names for the deepsea snappers because we never caught and eat them but in Hawaii and Kiribati, you have different names for different deepsea snappers because you have caught them for generations. Fiji have large lagoonal areas and never needed to fish off-shore.. 25 years ago, Fijian students knew the local names of fish. Today, many students have lost that knowledge because they rarely go back to the village. Aristotle is the first scientist to classify all living things. John Ray developed keys to identify animals. Linnaeus (1707-1778), a Swede invented a simple naming system which we still use today (binominal nomenclature) made up of 2 Latinized words (genus species). e.g. Homo sapiens (in italics or underlined with the first letter in the genus is in capital). The genus or species may be descriptive or named after a person or place. Using scientific names shows scientific exactness as compared to common names which can be very general. Example: Siganus uspi Woodland and Gawel, 1974. Genus, species, describers, year they described it in. METHODS Members of a group share many characters. We use characters which do not change e.g. structure and method of reproduction. Characters can be countable (number of fins) or expressed as a % of total length (head length etc); Characters can be absent or present. Colour can be used as a secondary character as it can change with the environment (and fade after preservation). Fossil records are used to find out about the evolution of groups of organisms. DNA is now used to separate species too. TAXONOMY The science of classification is taxonomy. A person who classifies things is a taxonomist. 5 kingdoms: animalia; plantae; fungi; protista; monera. Protista have distinct nucleus, monera has indistinct nucleus. See kingdom of living things on page 207. You may wish to break your classification into vertebrates and invertebrates. The categories are (classifying you) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Sub Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: sapiens What is a species: A species is a group of organisms (basically alike) and can interbreed under natural conditions to produce fertile off spring. Consider a mule (horse x donkey); a liger (lion x tiger). Infertile off springs. Butterfly fishes can hybridize. Marine Biodiversity Biodiversity refers to the number and variety of earth’s life forms (remember the 5 kingdoms). KNOW THE Importance of biodiversity 1. If you care about the environment, you must feel strongly that other living things have a right to survive alongside each other. Other organisms do not need to benefit humans directly to have a right to exist. 2. By protecting the earth’s biodiversity, we are ensuring my own survival. As we learn about the amazing complexity of earth’s biodiversity, we will discover more and more direct benefits. 3 types of diversities 1. genetic biodiversity (refer to genetic variety and variability within each species – genes vary between individuals within a species). Use your class as an example and see the differences – not only in colour but body shape and sizes, eye color, hair colour, skin color, shapes of hands etc. Marine species also show variability in shape and colour. 2. species biodiversity (refer to the number of different species living on earth) 1.8 million species has been discovered and described by scientists. We think there may be between 5 and 100 million species. Disappearing species- serious loss of biodiversity due to overfishing for food/use as well as increased nutrient levels caused by from pollution from the land. Old timers tell you about the amount of marine life off Suva 30 years ago-if we don’t start conserving biodiversity, we may only see them in marine parks or preserved as a specimen in museums. Endemic species-only found in a certain country e.g. Siganus u spi (USP rabbitfish) only found in Fiji. 3. ecosystem biodiversity- refer to variety in the combination of species that form ecosystems such as ponds, coral reefs, forests, or grassland. It is the variety of ecosystem types that is ecosystem diversity. An ecosystem can be as large as the Great Barrier Reef or as small as the back of a spider crab (that allows sponges, algae and worms to grow on the shell). Biodiversity in the ecosystems is not just the number of different species; it is the variation within them and the different roles they have in forming the ecosystems. Ecosystems are complex because they are formed by a variety of interactions between species. One interaction is food web; provide an attachment base for others; alter current and light patterns; provide camouflage, shelter or compete for space. Ecosystems are functional units of the marine world. Small worms are just as important as large whales because each have a vital role to play in the ecosystem. Humans interfere and the naturally-balanced ecosystem becomes unbalanced (if we take all the herbivorous fish, the algae would grow vigorously and push out the corals on the coral reef). Ecosystems are dynamic†¦changed by physical and biological processes (tides, storms, succession, humans). An ecosystem applies interactions over large and over small scale. Fish from the lagoon ecosystem depend on the mangrove ecosystem (as juvenile nursery ground) and on coral reef ecosystem (as a feeding ground). Ecosystems can be classified at different scales using parameters such as geology, coastal landforms, water temperature’ salinity, currents, upwellings, wave exposure, depth, and patterns of major life forms (e.g. seagrass). Proper functioning of the marine environment is dependent on its ecological integrity (all components are present, operational and ecological viable). Marine ecosystems are continually changing to meet the changing conditions. Biogeography Biogeography is the name given to the study of the distribution of life on earth. We may look at the windward side and leeward side of the Fiji group. The marine environment on the windward side is affected by the tradewinds which bring strong currents which in turn wash away the sediments. It is more rainy too. The leeward side has less wind and less wave action so sediments stay around. Nutrients from the land do not get disperse quickly. We can also look at the northern areas of Fiji and Rotuma (hotter) and the southern areas including Kadavu and Minerva Reef (cooler). Because the conditions are different, the organisms living there may differ too. Biodiversity and Marine Life Plankton The text book does not cover this topic. Plankton (all animals and plants that live in the water but drift about at the mercy of wind and currents). (Nekton can swim against the current e.g. fish). Those organisms that spend all their lives in the plankton are called holoplankton. Those that spend only part of their lives in the plankton are called meroplankton. Plankton are usually small but they can be up to 1.5m across e.g. large jellyfish. Phytoplankton are plant plankton and zooplankton are animal plankton. Plankton is collected by plankton nets (either by a horizontal tow or a vertical tow). Plankton are important because many are the larval stages of marine animals we see. Plankton provides food for many of the filter feeders in the marine environment (from whales to invertebrates to other plankton). Phytoplankton also produces oxygen to release into the atmosphere. Plankton support major fisheries. They recycle nutrients in the microbial loop. Examples of Phytoplankton: diatoms and dinoflagellates (causes fish poisoning). Examples of Zooplankton: copepods, jellyfish. Sunfish, arrow worms. To keep afloat (stay in the epipelagic zone) plankton swim weakly, have body fluids which are less dense than seawater, actively exude heavy ions, have gas filled sacs, use oils and fats (diatoms and fish eggs have oil), have parachute like forms (slow their sinking rate) or growing spiny appendages (also makes them harder to eat), or have watery tissue (jelly-like). Moffatt, B; Ryan, T; and Zann, L 2003. Marine Science for Australian Students. pp608. Wet Papers Publications.

Perceiving the Flavor of Fat :: Obesity Health Essays

Perceiving the Flavor of Fat When we crave our favorite foods and snacks, those tasty visions in our heads don't usually resemble that of a large, juicy carrot stick or a sumptuous rice cake. We want fat. It's delicious, it's filling, and it just makes everything taste better. It can also make you considerably overweight, not to mention the heart disease and other complications that can result if dietary fat is not consumed in moderation. The appealing taste of fat may very well attribute for the fact that one in three Americans is overweight ("FDA Approves,"1996). Is there anything that can be done about this terrible problem that affects us all? Many researchers say there is. You can either choose to face the facts and simply steer clear of the nasty culprit, or you can fool your taste buds into perceiving the taste of fat without the real stuff ever actually passing your lips. However, before discussing these options, let's talk a little more about fat itself and some of the things it's responsible for. With the large percentage of Americans that are overweight today, it's no surprise that so many physicians are continually recommending diet changes to their patients. However, the majority of these doctors say that the largest barrier keeping Americans from changing their diets is food taste preference (Soltesz, Price, Johnson, & Telljohan, 1994). The patients don't want to switch to a high-fiber low-fat diet because low-fat high-fiber foods don't taste as good as high-fat low-fiber foods. A big bowl of bran flakes just doesn't have the same calming, pleasurable effects as a big bowl of Blue Bell ice cream. Of course, large individual differences must be acknowledged. Some people may actually prefer the taste of bland foods. In fact, one study done on anorexic individuals found that these people actually disliked the taste of foods rich in fat (Simon, Bellisle, Monneuse, Samuel-Lajeunesse, et. al. 1993). Much of what we now know about fat and its effects comes from studies done on mice and rats. For example, Rockwood (1990) found that adult rats and developing rats prefer a diet with a relatively high level of fat. In addition to showing that animals as well as humans prefer the taste of fat, there also appears to be a link between fat consumption and behavior. Hilakivi-Clarke, Cho, and Onsjafe (1996) uncovered some startling evidence suggesting that a high-fat diet may induce aggressive behavior in male mice and rats.

Promote child and young person Development Essay

Children and young people need an environment which is most likely to promote effective and confident child development where they can experience and environment of mutual respect and trust and open communication. We as practitioners need to reflect on our own practice where we can evaluate the contribution we have made to the support of child development and find ways that we can improve our practice. When reflecting on our practice we need to look at the ways in which we communicate with the children and young people such as varying with different methods of communications through a range of activities referring the stages of their development. We do this in our setting by looking at the plans and linking the activity to the EYFS and looking closely to new vocabulary and proposed learning outcomes that we will focus on whilst doing the activity. Good practice would be to evaluate the activity after the week and then look back at what you did or didn’t do such as explain new shapes and positional language in a physical activity. In our setting we will always ask each other, as colleagues, to see if they would like to input anything and just for a little reassurance that you are doing something the correct way and beneficial for the children. Bad practice would be to not allow the children to be experimental with the activity and for the activity to be purely adult led, this would not allow the children’s development to grow and progress. We will try to avoid situations in which children receive adult attention only in return for undesirable behaviour. Children crave attention whether it is positive or negative. If we give them this they may not feel the need to behave badly. We make sure that bad behaviour is not taken away from the rest of the group and that no one is singled out for their attention. We set these clear behaviour boundaries and rules so that the setting is able to run effectively with all the team members working towards the same aim. The children will also feel more secure and confident if they know what is expected of them, what is or isn’t acceptable. Being positive role models will help the children look up to us for guidance and to also copy the behaviour they witness therefore it is of great importance that we promote good behaviour by being polite, friendly, kind etc. How we treat unacceptable behaviour Physical punishment such as smacking or shaking will be neither used nor threatened within our setting. This is highly inappropriate and of course illegal and it could also be extremely frightening for children. Children will never be sent out of the room on their own as this would be very upsetting for the child and potentially very dangerous as anything could happen to them. They must be accompanied with an adult at all times. Techniques intended to single out and humiliate individuals will not be used. This will also be very upsetting for the child and very humiliating for them, so we at Priory Pre-school have a ‘’thinking chair’’ in place. This is for the children to think about their bad behaviour. Once they have had time to think, we will talk to them and make them understand what they have done was not nice and could have potentially hurt another child. We will always let them express themselves and the teacher will always listen to the child to allow them to explain why they did the bad behaviour. This will allow the teacher to find out more information about the incident. If a serious behavioural incident would occur such as racial or abuse, the behaviour will be made clear immediately by explanations from the children and not by blaming anyone. It is very important to make sure that the behaviour they are doing is not welcome at the pre-school and not the child themselves. It is important to quickly move on from the bad behaviour once dealt with and then concentrate on the child’s good behaviour. Adults will not raise their voices in a threatening manner as this would be frightening to the child. Talking and explaining to a child will be much more beneficial. We make sure that cultural expectations are regarded in the pre-school and to make sure that their wishes are met as it would be inappropriate for us to go against th em. We remember that all of the children at our pre-school are different and will react differently to being told off for their misbehaviour. Re-occurring behaviour problems will be tackled by the whole pre-school and the child’s parents using objective observation records to try to understand the cause of the situation. It is important to record observations to gain a larger picture of why the behaviour is occurring and the records could show numerous reasons and could possibly show a pattern of behaviour. We will  always keep the child’s parents informed about how we are managing it and the progress of the child. It helps to let the parent know as the parent can continue the same practices as what we at the pre-school will use. A multi-agency approach is the best way of ensuring that all of the child or young person’s developmental needs are met. Using multi agencies, such as community centres, institutions and services is very important when working with childre n and young people as it is an effective way of supporting the children, young people and their families and parents and carers with additional needs and helps to secure an improved outcome. For example, in our setting we have an educational psychiatrist who comes in and visits every term to help go through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) for two children to review the current plan and set new targets to improve their learning, these are specifically for children with special educational needs (SENCO). By visiting these agencies and working closely with professionals like this, it can support the early intervention process for children and young people to prevent problems occurring in the first place, or resolve present problems which in term will reduce the amount of referrals being made. By working with agencies, it will allow practitioners to work in an inclusive way by looking closely at the need of every child and young person and making sure they are valued and supported to ensure active participation in all areas of the curriculum. In our local community we use a few local agencies such as Houghton Regis Community Centre and Downside Community Centre who allow parents to visit them for meetings for extra help on how to promote good child development and general care taking for their children.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Cure Leukemia - 980 Words

Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Cure Leukemia Genetic Engineering consists in altering the DNA of a cell with the purpose of researching, as well as correcting genetic defects. (learn.genetics.edu) One of the human bodys cells has the ability to grow into any one of the bodys more than 200 cell types and this is called Stem Cells. They are not specialized and unlike mature cells, they can renew themselves and create new cells. Stem cells have a great potential, but extremely limited is the number of treatments that have been proven to be actually be effective. (learn.genetics.edu) Hematopoietic Stem Cells have been used to treat many diseases since 1968, infusing healthy stem cells into the patient, performing therefore a stem cell transplant. There are three ways in which stem cells can be collected from: bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood. (learn.genetics.edu) At the moment, Hematopoietic Stem Cells are the only stem cells used to treat disease routinely. These include disorders of these blood cells such as sickle cell anemia and leukemia. Fig 2 Leukemia a cancer of the white blood cells (leukocytes) of the body. These develop from somatic stem cells. Mature leukocytes are released into the bloodstream, where they work to fight infections. Leukemia appears when white blood cells begin to function abnormally and become cancerous. These cancerous cells cannot fight infections, and they interfere with the functionality of the otherShow MoreRelatedStem Cell Therapy Essay1036 Words   |  5 Pagesresearch areas had emerged for that purpose including one of the most fascinating and highly active areas at present, stem cells therapies. Due to self-renewal property and differentiation capability of stem cell, it becomes a new hope in modern treatment. The first successful case of stem cell therapy in human was reported in 1959. 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