Environmental News

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by tochatihu, Oct 22, 2015.

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  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    this is not going as well as first described. good thing they have the military contracts
     
    #921 bisco, May 11, 2019
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    The fuel tanker contract isn't going so well either.
     
    #922 fuzzy1, May 11, 2019
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the stock is showing cracks, but has held up remarkably well, considering
     
    #923 bisco, May 12, 2019
  4. Zeppo Shanski

    Zeppo Shanski Active Member

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    [​IMG]​
     
    #924 Zeppo Shanski, May 13, 2019
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    darwin winagain
     
    #925 bisco, May 13, 2019
  6. Zeppo Shanski

    Zeppo Shanski Active Member

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    bisco ...W T F does that mean please?
     
    #926 Zeppo Shanski, May 13, 2019
  7. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Well, like it or not, we are amidst of the sixth extinction period. Unlike other five extinction in our geological epochs, this current one is caused by human activity. No doubt about Anthropocene extinction.
     
    #927 Salamander_King, May 13, 2019
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it means species come and go, or morph. survival of the fittest
     
    #928 bisco, May 13, 2019
  9. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    All fine and good, but in a mass extinction event, only the small and nimble survive.
     
    #929 Trollbait, May 13, 2019
  10. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    During mass extinction, the normal rate of adaptation is too slow to help survival. My sentiment is that by the time current period of mass extinction is over, the fossilized Homo sapience will be among the hundreds of thousands of species represented in the paper-thin layer of the earth crust. Compared to 4.6 billion years of earth's history, 200 thousand years history of mankind is nothing but a blink of time.
     
    #930 Salamander_King, May 13, 2019
    Last edited: May 13, 2019
  11. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Mass extinctions have lasted months to millions of years. They are particularly variable in that way. At very least it provides confidence that they have a variety of causes.

    After whatever badness subsides, rates of evolution increase. That is among the most enduring ecology 'stories'. Personally would like to see closer looks at that. For example, is evolution faster in warmer climates? (it really ought to be...)
     
    #931 tochatihu, May 13, 2019
  12. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Why would you think warmer climates will have a faster rate of evolution?
     
    #932 Salamander_King, May 13, 2019
  13. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    With some important exceptions, rates of biological reactions increase 2.3 fold with 10 oC increase in T. Activity at organism level is product (or sum) of a whole bunch of biological reactions.

    There are some interesting twists on this. Migratory species face distinct evolutionary pressures in 2 or more different environments. They ought to 'rock'.

    In an oddly similar way, species that undergo metamorphosis (butterflies or whatever) live in different 'worlds' at different life stages. I call them migrants in time, not space :)
     
    #933 tochatihu, May 13, 2019
  14. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Interesting hypothesis. I would think the rate of evolution is determined at the population level, not at the individual organismal level. Only thing I can think of organismal level changes that affect evolution is the rate of mutation. Are there any evidences supporting a higher rate of mutation in a warmer climate? If that's true, tropical fish would be changing their genotype at a higher frequency than arctic fish.
     
    #934 Salamander_King, May 13, 2019
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  15. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Not at all intended as an insult - I always appreciate it when someone demonstrates that they remember something from classroom.

    Mutations leading to non-fatal births are surely the first step (in Classical Darwinism). Then the little weird ones need to get to baby-making age, and make some. This seems more probable where food is abundant and predators can (at least) be eluded.

    Food abundance in (warm) tropical areas is high. OTOH, arctic has intense (brief) abundance. This seems to be what makes seasonal migration a winner, even though log travel seems biophysically absurd on its face.

    There are many mutation-rate determinations floating about, but all done on too-long time scales. I could totally see this as feasible lab-scale one-species experiment. But as always, challenging to 'scale up' in a meaningful way.

    Sal King inspires what could be done. Start with a taxonomic group with wide latitudinal range. Look within for genetic variability in hot-climate and cold climate example species. Fish might be an excellent starting point.
     
    #935 tochatihu, May 13, 2019
  16. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    #936 Salamander_King, May 13, 2019
    Last edited: May 13, 2019
  17. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    There are many others for bacteria, on proximal time scales, but my impression is they are few for eukaryotes. Latter are more difficult experiments to interpret.
     
    #937 tochatihu, May 13, 2019
  18. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Mauna Loa CO2 "highest ever" news. Readers may remember that May is always highest month, so we could expect same news every May, as far as eyes can see...

    At websites where comments are hosted, I see 'same old' objections involving (high) 19th century measurements in cities. Also because even though those chemists had good skills, they did not appreciate that breathing into titration flasks messes everything up.

    Forgave them long ago. But it seems misinterpreting those results will also persist as far as eyes can see.
     
    #938 tochatihu, May 13, 2019
  19. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yap, in their discussion, authors caution broader interpretation of the results extending to other taxa especially in eukaryotes. Nonetheless, interesting results.
     
    #939 Salamander_King, May 13, 2019
  20. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Richard Lenski has been mutating* bacteria for decades, and has at least one temperature-related publication. Also a super nice fellow, not that it should affect interpretation of results :)

    *bwa ha ha :eek:
     
    #940 tochatihu, May 13, 2019
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