Genotypic Plasticity

Animals fight for survival daily, and sometimes their lives depend on their ability to adapt with their surrounding environments. Natural Selection is the process in which individuals have certain traits that allow

Fitness is determined by the ability of an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce in a particular habitat. You

The MPB can inflict extensive damage to a pine forest when optimum factors of growth are met. The first of three main factors is, an overabundance of mature trees. The MPB will only bore into large diameter trees which are more prevalent since fire suppression has become a primary practice for forest management. Eliminating fires also provides a large quantity of host sites. Tree density is detrimental to forest health because interspecies competition for resources induces stress which makes more pines vulnerable to MPB attack. The final factor that has made the MPB such a

Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) outbreaks have an important effect on succession of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and spruce (Picea spp.) stands in eastern Canadian forests (MacLean 2004). Spruce budworm feeds repeatedly on annual shoots of balsam fir and spruce and leads to large-scale growth reduction and mortality (MacLean and Ostaff 1989). When overstory tree mortality occurs from defoliation, it creates gaps that allow understory plants to get an opportunity to release (Osawa 1994; Kemball et al. 2005). Defoliation also changes the competitive interactions between host fir-spruce and non-host species and may release the latter.

Forests are carbon sinks, they absorb carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in plant biomass and soils belowground. When the trees die, they stop absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, and as they decompose, they release some of the stored carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere (Suzuki & Moola, 2008). The mountain pine beetle (Aendroctonus ponderosae) is a primary agent of forest disturbance, a higher number of outbreaks occur due to favorable forest age and climate patterns (Progar et al., 2014). The mountain pine beetle (MPB) starts its attack when the female finds a pine tree (usually lodgepole) that is at least 80 years old. Upon finding the tree the female bores into it, while releasing a pheromone that attracts the male beetles. When the males arrive they, also release more pheromones to attract more females. The tree tries to defend its self by secreting a toxic resin. But the beetles carry spores of a blue-stain fungus in their mouths which they release as they bore into the tree, the fungus prevents the tree from transporting nutrients and water. The beetles lay eggs under the tree’s bark, and when the larvae hatch, they feed on the blue fungus until they are mature enough to leave the now dead tree (Aukema et al., 2006).

An interesting after effect of an area that was once infested by the pine beetle is because of the increased tree fall in an infected, the size of the forest canopy is reduced, this has far reaching consequences that affect both the environment and wildlife in the area. This canopy would usually catch both rain and snow before it touched the ground and allow it to evaporate back into the atmosphere, however with no canopy the snow and rain is allowed to accumulate on the ground. This water is soaked into the ground causing an increase in the amount of ground water in the affected areas. And while there is now increased ground water in the area, now that there are no more live trees in the area to suck up all the ground water it is left to amass in large amounts. The total effects of this are still not known but research is being done to test its effects(Pugh 2013). Another result of the loss of the canopy is it may displace many of the animals and other wildlife that live in the surrounding area. With the amount of mountain pine beetles rising this may lead to large areas that were once fully inhabited by a multitude animals becoming desolate and

Migration: Animals migrate during certain times of the year, for reasons like food, temperature, or breeding. One example of migration is the migration of Canadian Geese. They migrate to the south in large numbers, for the warmer climate. Once it gets warmer, they begin returning to colder

The environment determines which traits are most evolutionary desirable to an organism. If a population should move or should the environment change, a different set of traits would be the most advantageous

The Dendroctonus ponderosae (Mountain Pine Beetle) is estimated to have killed 46 million acres of trees from 2000 to 2012 - an area nearly the size of the state of Colorado, as stated in an article released by the Union of Concerned Scientists. In response to this epidemic, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that “as many as 100,000 beetle-killed trees fall to the ground every day in Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado alone”. The results of the early 2000’s outbreak clearly reflect the devastation, but the reasons behind the infestation are not as defined. It 's commonly believed that the cause of the Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak was warmer temperatures that decreased winter larvae

Forests in Northern Arizona that the tribal communities depend upon are currently threatened by climate change. Ecosystems with high and rising temperatures, such as Northern Arizona, are susceptible to drought. In turn, the decrease in precipitation due to droughts leads to an overall reduction in growth as well as health for plants. A study concerning Northern Arizona forest found that tree mortality increased 200% from 1997-2002 to 2002-2007 in mixed-conifer forests and 74% in ponderosa pine forests. This tree mortality can be traced back to forest insects like bark beetles as well as long-term drought stress throughout the ecosystem (Ganey & Vojta, 162). Insects such as the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis), pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), and especially piñon ips beetle (Ips spp.) threaten forests (MacDonald & Turner, 21260). Climate change causes tree mortality as overall warming leads to greater beetle reproduction as well as greater range of beetle territory (MacDonald

First of all, Animals migrate to reach destinations with better environments, but they improve their abilities on the journey. The passage ¨Thirteen Epic Animal MIgrations That Prove Just How Cool Mother Nature Is¨ by Brianna Elliot provides evidence on the topic. While the author is describing how animals

Biological variations include physical traits. These traits include stature, skin, and hair color; genetic predispositions to disease; susceptibility to illness;

The framework begins with the object under study, which is the content discussed in each essay, and how the objects in the essays are described. The Theobald essay discusses the lack of connectivity between different species due to human destruction of the wilderness. The abstract of this essay states, “The potential for ecosystems to adapt to climate change will be contingent on the ability of species to move and ecological processes to operate across broad landscapes” (Theobald et. al 123). Humans have been eliminating the habitats of animals because of development, and this is making it harder for the animals to adapt and move where they need to.

Genetic diversity provides a species with its form and function. A species genotype refers to their genetic code; what their cells are going to be used for – hair cell, eye cell, muscle cell, etc. A species phonotype refers to the way in which that species gene will be expressed – blonde hair, blue eyes, large muscle tone; which significantly impacts the success of that individuals genes. Without genetic diversity among populations the gene pools would be very limited, which gives way to a rise in mutations and inevitably the end of a species. “Genes regulate body size, shape,

Have you ever wondered why humans evolve and how important it is? Humans have evolved in many different ways people have adjusted to climate change they have also gotten taller and smarter. Adapting to an environment is crucial to the human race's survival ,because if they didn't they would die off.