Darwin Day Special: from Dinos to Turkeys

Darwin Day Special: National Geographic's new show "Morphed"

National Geographic is broadcasting a series of shows this week as part of a new series called "Morphed" You can visit the website here, and watch short video segments about whale evolution, the evolution from dinosaur to birds, and bear evolution.

I watched the video clips, and did cringe a bit when in the one about the transition ancestors of whales underwent from land animals to marine animals, the narrator talks about a paleontologist "going after the biggest fish in the sea." Whales, after all are mammals like you and me, not fish.



There is a great deal of information on the website including a short preview of a program on Darwin's notebooks that includes a re-enactment of Darwin in Patagonia.

The series starts broadcasting tomorrow.

Darwin Day Feb. 12 Happy 200th Birthday to Charles Dawin

In honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, I will be posting information about evolution over the next week or so. Remember, come to the Darwin Day presentation on Feb 10 at 11 AM in Science Lecture hall 201.

Darwin Day Special: OK so flies evolve... but what about people

In my last post I wrote about work that demonstrates the evolution of fruit flies over a period of a couple of hundred years. This kind of research shows us we can look around at the living world and see evidence that evolution is happening around us, but what about us? Are there things in our bodies that hint at our evolutionary past?

Why do we have parts in our bodies that don't function? Why do we have things like goose bumps, which don't do anything for us? Structures present in an organism, but not functional (even though these structures may function in other organisms) are called vestigial structures.

What is responsible for the construction of vestigial structures during development? Sequences of DNA.
Where does DNA come from? Our ancestors......

For a list of vestigial structures found in humans click here.

Darwin Day Special: Flies that live on apples providing more clues to formation of new species

Biologists from Notre Dame, Michiagan State and the University of Florida have just published an article in which they describe how the introduction of apple trees to the US 400 years ago has affected the evolution of a type of fruit fly AND the parasitic wasp that feeds on the maggots of the fly.

Prior to the presence of apple trees in the US, these flies Rhagoletis pomonella found mates, and laid eggs on the fruit of the hawthorn tree. In the 1800's some of these flies began going to apples to mate and lay their eggs instead. These flies have now become genetically different from the flies that still visit the hawthorn fruit.

This is an example of how new species can form. Over time mutations, natural selection and other mechanisms of evolution affect the two fly population in different ways, until they are so genetically different they become species.


What is really interesting to me is how fast this happens, and that the same kind of speciation is also happening to the parasitic wasps that feed on the maggots of the flies. This is an example of co-evolution. Co-evolution happens when the evolution of one species affects the evolution of another.

So you see, it is not necessary to go off to some exotic place to study evolution. The process of evolution is happening all around us. Articles like this make me wonder what kind of evolution could be going on right here at the college?


Forbes et al. Sequential Sympatric Speciation Across Trophic Levels. Science, 6 February 2009: 776-779 DOI: 10.1126/science.1166981

Darwin Day Special: Discovery of new transitional fossil of whales announced

Boy oh boy, give me a little free time and look at all the posts I can publish! I'll leave the news about the giant fossil snake, Titanaboa cerrejonensis, for you to find on your own by the way.

Philip Gingerich and colleagues have just published an article describing fossils of whale ancestors they discovered in Pakistan. They found two adults, one male and one female, and as they uncovered the fossil of the female whale they discovered a fetus inside. These early whale ancestors still had legs, and most likely gave birth on land.

The fetus had teeth and was facing head first toward the birth canal which is why the researchers believe the animals gave birth on land. As you can imagine, heading into the water head first to take one’s first gulp of air would be disastrous for the baby. Modern whales are born tail first.

The well formed teeth suggest the young were very precocious, and ready to feed soon after birth.

The name of this 45 million year old ancestral whale fossil is Maiacetus inuus. You can read the article by Gingerich and colleagues here as well as see photos and drawings of the fossils.

Darwin Day Special: 635 Million year old Steroids

Scientists at the University of California at Riverside working with scientists at MIT have have discovered massive amounts of steroids in sediments that are 635 million years old. These steroids were made by sponges, and are the earliest evidence of animal life discovered to date!

You can read more about this discovery here

DNA a "bar code" for plants?

Last year researchers from the Royal Botanical Gardens in England in collaboration with researchers at the University of Johannesburg and the University of Costa Rica, discovered a gene that could be used to readily identify plant specimens. This gene called the matK gene is different in different plant species, but has the same DNA sequence in plants of the same species.

This gene could be useful to identify different plant species which look very similar, or to identify plants which have been pulverized for use in medicines or teas.

The use of this gene will also make it possible to identify endangered plant specimens more easily, especially those which physically resemble less rare plants. It could also be used for example, by customs agents trying to detect the illegal importation of rare or endangered plants from other countries.

To read more about this discovery click here

Bio 120 review questions for the first exam

Hi Folks,
These questions appear elsewhere on the blog, but I have brought them up in a current post so they are easy to find.

1. What are the building blocks of carbohydrates?
2. What is the difference between a saturated and unsaturated fatty acid?
3. Why is the shape of an enzyme important to the function of the enzyme?
4. At what level of complexity do proteins usually become functional?
5. What makes up a nucleotide?
6. What bond forms between amino acids as they react to form proteins?
7. How is the function of carbohydrates different in plants and animals?
8. What is the name of the carbohydrate human cells use to store glucose?
9. Which of the macromolecules we discussed stores energy in the most efficient way?
10. What is the most common steroid in the body?


Here's some more questions for you to answer !
1. A cell must maintain an imbalance of sodium ions on either side of the membrane for it to function. What process would it most likely use of the ones we discussed today in class?
2. How are polar and non polar covalent bonds different?
3. What is a hydrogen bond, and why are these bonds important to life?
4. Oxygen has 8 electrons, with 6 in the outermost energy leve. Will this atom react?
5. How are ions formed?
6. A solution with a pH of 5 is how many times more acidic than a solution with a pH of 7?
7. What determines if an atom with react with another?
8. A plant cell in a hypertonic solution will under go _____________
9. An animal cell in a hypotonic solution may undergo _____________
10. A Paramecium can survive in fresh water without bursting. Why?


1. How are the mitochondria and chloroplasts similar?
2. Why do we think the mitochondria was once an independent organism?
3. Describe the plasma membrane. Include how a lipid membrane functions in a watery environment.
4. What role do the proteins in the plasma membrane play?
5. How is active transport different from diffusion and osmosis, and faciliated diffusion?
6. How is dialysis different from osmosis?
7. What affect would a hypertonic solution have on a cell?


How is a hypothesis different from a theory?
What are five characteristics of living things?
How are prokaryotic cells different from eukaryotics cells?
What can cyanobacteria do that the bacteria living in your mouth do not do?
How are archebacteria different from the bacteria living on your skin?
Describe briefly what organelles would be involved in making a protein and exporting it from the cell.
Give an example of two cell organelles working together to accomplish a task.
What organelle is found on the ER?
What is the function of lysosomes?
Where is the nucleolus?
What are the functions of the Golgi bodies?

Of the taxonomic groups listed below, which is the least inclusive group?
domain, species, family, genus

To which Kingdom do you belong?

David Attenborough and the Tree of Life

Another preview about the Tree of Life. This is a wonderful representation of the Tree of Life on Earth. It is a beautiful presentation, even if it does seem to leave out plants. Algae at least get a brief mention. Take a look!

David Attenborough's new program: Darwin and the Tree of Life--

My favorite natural historian, Sir David Attenborough has developed a new program about Darwin and evolution. I am not sure when it will be broadcast, but I imagine it will be ready by the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth which is Feb. 12.
Take a look at this short interview of Sir David for a preview of the coming show.

Endangered Species Around Us...

Belding's savannah sparrow , Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

This is the first in an occasional series about endangered species in Southern California.

Those of you in my classes have an opportunity to earn extra credit by working at Bolsa Chica to help restore the Bolsa Chica Mesa with native plants. One of the reasons Bolsa Chica is an important area is that it is home to a variety of threatened or endangered species. A threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered in the near future, and an endangered species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or most of its range.

Common reasons for species becoming endangered include habitat loss, pollution, or over hunting or fishing. Habitat loss is what caused the Belding's savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi) pictured above to be placed on the endangered species list. This bird lives all year at Bolsa Chica in and around a plant called pickleweed. Pickleweed grows in salt water wetlands or estuaries. We have lost over 95 % of our coastal wetlands in California to development. This loss of habitat has pushed this small bird to the brink of extinction.

Preservation of remaining coastal wetlands is important for the recovery of this and other species.

The 44th President

I am so happy to have a President once again about whom I can feel proud. His acceptance speech was moving, hopeful, yet realistic about the challenges we face. He even mentioned restoring science to it's rightful place in his administration. How about that- a President who believe science is important. Yeah! So what do you think?

I've been Obamaized, and so can you!

Just click here

Have you spent any time in community service today? Our soon to be President Obama, has called for us to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in community service. Many of my students participated in the Bolsa Chica Stewards work day on Saturday. We weeded, watered and planted native grass and wildflower seeds on the Bolsa Chica Mesa. With the help of volunteers, the Bolsa Chica Stewards have planted over 15,000 native plants on the mesa as part of a project to restore the area to its native Costal Sage Scrub plant community.

Baja Coyote

My friend in Baja leaves water out for the birds, and the coyotes have also discovered it. Early in the morning this female appeared, as she slowly made her way up out of the arroyo.

She was very cautious, but finally came up toward the water.

So what have You done?

I've been reading a few other blogs lately including Living the Scientific Life and Pharyngula. On Living the Scientific Life I found this meme and thought it would be an interesting post. Take a look at the list. What have you done? I have done the things in bold print.

started my own blog
Slept under the stars Joshua Tree, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, San Juan River,
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than I can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland/world
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis -not yet, but I have held a stick insect
Sung a solo- nope, and NEVER will
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched lightning at sea
Taught myself an art from scratch well, if knitting counts....
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown my own vegetablesnothing like a home grown tomato
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitchhiked
Taken a sick day when you're not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset- lots of times!
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught myself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
Seen Michelangelo's David
Sung karaoke- right. See "sung a solo" above
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had my portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check
Flown in a helicopter
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job -
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had my picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared an animal for eating It was a trout.
Had chickenpox
Saved someone's life
Sat on a jury: I have gone to jury duty many, may times, but I have never been seated on a jury.
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake well, I stood in it.
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Ridden an elephant

World Wildlife Fund announces discovery of more than 1,000 species in the Mekong Delta

In the last 10 years scientists with the World Wildlife fund have discovered more than 1,000 new species of organisms in the Mekong Delta. One rat species was believed to have been extinct for over 11 million years. New species of amphibians, reptiles, mammals birds were found along with over 500 species of plants. One of the most startling discoveries is of a hot pink millipede named the dragon millipede. You can see this millipede along with some of the other species in this video.

Superb bird of paradise

Many of you may have watched the amazing Planet Earth show on PBS a year or so ago. I wasn't able to watch during the broadcast, but have seen several of the episodes lately and immediately saw how I could use segments in my classes. The photography is amazing. One of my favorite segments is of the birds of paradise in New Guinea.

There is a segment on You Tube of a short sequence of video taken in New Guinea of the a couple of the species of birds of paradise. The male birds of paradise have elaborate feathers and engage in a host of courtship displays. Take a look

Some Ecology Review Questions

1. Define resource partitioning and give an example of it.

2. How is a parasite different from a parasitoid?

3. How is a parasite different from a predator?

4. How are density dependent limiting factors different from density independent limiting factors? Give examples of each.

5. Coevolution happens also between parasites and their hosts. Why is this not surprising?

6. Define and give examples of the following: Mutualism, Commensalism, social parasite.

7. What are common strategies predators use to capture prey, and common defenses found in prey?

8. Draw a food web that could occur in your backyard or here at Cerritos. Include all the trophic levels we discussed in class.

9. Why are there fewer members of the upper trophic levels as compared with primary consumers or the producers?

10. What is carrying capacity?

Biome Review Questions

1. What are two important factors in determining what type of Biome one will find in a given area?

2. What causes the seasons here in North America?

3. What are three strategies plants have developed to survive in the cold dry,and sometimes dark conditions of the Tundra?

4. What kind of adaptations have animals developed to survive in:
A. The tundra
B. The deserts
C. Coniferous forests

5. What is a rain shadow, and how does it account for different plant communities occurring at the same latitude, but on opposites sides of a mountain range?

6. In what biomes does fire play an important role, and what is this role?

7. To what kind of environmental stresses are the plants and animals in the chaparral adapted?

8. How is a deciduous forest different from a coniferous forest, other than the types of trees found in each?

9. Why don't grasslands become forests?

10. What is the one thing all deserts have in common?