Category: Social Science

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Dark moths by Prof Matthew J. James

Industrial soot

Biston betularia

Quo vadis dark moths?

 

The Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) is a classic example of evolution in action, yet in recent years Darwin’s Finches seem to have eclipsed the Peppered Moth as the textbook example of natural selection.

This sciku, written by Professor Matthew J. James, celebrates the Peppered Moth as an example of rapid natural selection and asks where the dark moths are going, Quo vadis in Latin meaning “Where are you going?”. The question refers to both the population change in moth colouration from dark to light and also implies a nostalgic deeper meaning asking where the Peppered Moth explanation of natural selection has gone in light of the present-day dominance of Darwin’s Finches.

The wild-type Peppered Moth has light wing patterns that act as effective camouflage against its common environmental background. Industrial smog from 19th century coal burning in the United Kingdom resulted in the trees upon which they rested becoming blackened by soot, making the moths stand out. As a result the population of light-winged moths plummeted due to increased predation, however numbers of the melanic mutant form (black in colour) of the species rose – this process has been termed Industrial Melanism. As the Industrial Revolution waned and levels of pollution decreased, numbers of the light-winged form of the moth rose once again. Cook & Saccheri (2013) present an interesting review of the Peppered Moth as a natural selection case study.

Original research: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2Fhdy.2012.92

Professor Matthew J. James is Chair in the Department of Geology at Sonoma State University, California. His recent book, Collecting Evolution, examines a scientific collecting expedition to the Galapagos Islands in 1905-06 that resulted in the concept of Darwin’s Finches being developed by David Lack in his 1947 book by that same name.

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A zoo without bars by Dr Lisa Holmes

A zoo without bars –

Building thoughtful habitats

for all to explore.

Chester Zoo (www.chesterzoo.org) is a registered conservation and education charity that supports projects around the world and closer to home in Cheshire. Welcoming 1.9 million visitors a year, it is the most visited zoo in the UK; home to over 15,000 animals and more than 500 different species, many of which are endangered in the wild.

Chester Zoo has continued with the ‘always building’ philosophy of our founder, George Mottershead, who created the UK’s first zoo without bars and focused on animal wellbeing and conservation. In 2015 Chester Zoo opened Islands which was the largest zoological development in the UK to date. The Islands expedition is an immersive experience, taking visitors through six South East Asian islands to discover the incredible wildlife native to those areas and highlight the conservation issues that the zoo staff are working hard to address.

Modern day zoo research encompasses many aspects of biological and social sciences with the overall aim to address challenges faced in the natural world. Chester Zoo not only supports conservation research both in- and ex-situ but leads on important projects both in the UK and across the globe to improve the management of animals and plants, influence sustainability of wild populations and inspire others to Act for Wildlife.

Lisa Holmes is the Behaviour and Welfare Scientist within the Applied Science team at Chester Zoo. Her role involves working closely with the animal curators and keepers to provide evidence-based recommendations to enhance animal wellbeing and help to inform enclosure design. Lisa supervises postgraduate and sandwich placement students who help to gather key data for a wide range of species. Lisa’s research team are currently working on a long-term project assessing the response of species which have moved into the new Islands habitats.

Check out Lisa’s latest sciku ‘The Masterplan’ here.

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Genes and theories

Genes and theories.

This way aids comprehension,

but not acceptance.

 

Learning about science can frequently be confusing and evolution is one of the most misunderstood topics in biology. Often in science different topics overlap and knowledge of one area can help understanding of another.

Mead et al (2017) investigated the order in which genetics and evolution are taught to 14-16 year old students. If genetics was taught first then students gained a greater understanding of both evolution and genetics – a simple, free and minimally disruptive alteration to education that has a major positive effect on student learning.

However, whilst teaching genetics first improved student understanding of evolution, the teaching order itself had no effect on student acceptance of the theory of evolution. Instead it seems that authority figures like parents, teachers, religious leaders and the popular media are more influential with whether students accept the theory of evolution or not.

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Hunger no more

Hungarian men

hungering for a snack should

hunger no more – bugs!

 

A questionnaire of consumers in Hungary found that almost 60% of respondents were aware of eating insects as an alternative to meat, however high food neophobia is still a barrier for actually consuming insects. Men were more likely to consider trying insects than women, but a ‘willingness to eat insect-based food products could be increased by giving more information to consumers’. Gere et al, 2017.

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How safe the trader?

How safe the trader?

The agricultural costs

of invasive pests

 

Invasive pest species threaten global agriculture and can devastate crops. A study of almost 1,300 agricultural invasive species and 124 countries suggests that whilst the biggest agricultural producers (USA and China) “could experience the greatest absolute costs from further species invasion”, their trade patterns mean they are also the greatest potential source of invasive species and so represent the greatest threat to the rest of the world. In contrast, the countries most vulnerable to invasive species were found to be from Sub-Saharan Africa. Paini et al, 2017.

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Ancient female dynasty

DNA reveals

ancient female dynasty

of Chaco Canyon.

 

Hereditary leadership is often an indicator of early political complexity and governance. Kennett et al (2017) used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to identify an elite matriline that persisted between 800 and 1130 AD in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.