Category: Zoology

Define zoology and discuss its scope, including its various sub-disciplines and their significance in understanding the animal kingdom. Additionally, explore the historical development of zoology as a scientific field and highlight its relevance in modern scientific research and conservation efforts.

In a 2-3 page academic essay, respond to the prompt below:
There is a pond with a large diversity of organisms. Within this pond, there are frogs, fish, planarians, and earthworms. Unfortunately one day the farmer that owns the pond over-fertilizes his surrounding farmland and it causes a lot of nitrates and phosphorous to run off into the pond. How would each of the organisms listed above use their nervous and endocrine systems to respond to the increase in chemicals in their pond?
Assignment RequirementsFormat: Upload as a Word (PC) or Pages (MAC) compatible document by Sunday 11:59 p.m. CT.
Font: Arial, 11 or 12-Point, Double-Spaced, and 1-inch margins.
Style: All papers must include a cover page and reference page.
Citation Style: APA will be utilized for all papers.
Page Length: Should be 2-3 pages in length.

Photosynthesis is the biochemical process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy, usually from the sun, into chemical energy stored in glucose or other organic molecules. This process occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells and involves the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, water (H2O) taken up by the roots, and light energy absorbed by chlorophyll pigment molecules. Through a series of complex reactions, including the light-dependent and light-independent (Calvin cycle) reactions, photosynthesis produces oxygen (O2) as a byproduct and carbohydrates, such as glucose, which serve as energy sources for the organism. Photosynthesis is crucial for sustaining life on Earth as it is the primary means by which energy from the sun is converted into forms usable by living organisms.6CO2+6H2O+light energy→C6H12O6+6O2
In words, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), in the presence of light energy, are converted into glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2). This equation represents the overall process of photosynthesis, encompassing both the light-dependent and light-independent reactions.

Earth is a beautiful planet formed by human beings, plants and animals. While human beings are thriving in the world today, animals and plants are not doing so well. People today have knowledge of the many different species, but some of the species are now endangered in certain countries where there is no protection for animals. Endangered species are groups of organisms which are at risk of becoming extinct for one or more reasons..”
Q: Write an essay (around 1500 words) on an example of endangered animal species that need protection, and the field techniques are being used to study this species. Discuss the pros and cons of different field study techniques could be used to study this species.
Avoid plagiarism and use your own words using paraphrasing.
Use Visuals: Include graphs, illustrations, and images to support your points.
Use recent references and research published

Earth is a beautiful planet formed by human beings, plants and animals. While human beings are thriving in the world today, animals and plants are not doing so well. People today have knowledge of the many different species, but some of the species are now endangered in certain countries where there is no protection for animals. Endangered species are groups of organisms which are at risk of becoming extinct for one or more reasons..”
Q: Write an essay (around 1500 words) on an example of endangered animal species that need protection, and the field techniques are being used to study this species. Discuss the pros and cons of different field study techniques could be used to study this species.
Avoid plagiarism and use your own words using paraphrasing.
Use Visuals: Include graphs, illustrations, and images to support your points.
Use recent references and research published

Introduction
In this lab, we will be examining the effects of Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) on the common sea star Pisaster ochraceus. P. ochraceus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) was described as the very first keystone species, where it has a tremendous impact on the rocky intertidal community despite being present in relatively low abundance (Paine, 1966; MacDonald, 2016). Basically sea stars are eating machines and can remove the dominant competitor mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia we will get here in Week 5!) allowing many other invertebrates to live in the rocky intertidal zone. Therefore, removal of this sea star leads to a decrease in the number of invertebrates you find in an ecosystem as this single species remarkably controls which organisms can survive.
In 2014, many asteroids were affected by SSWD and started to die. As the disease progresses sea stars start to lose their grip, get twisted arms with lesions forming eventually leading to arms falling off and death of the animal. Death of this animal can then have cascading effects on the rest of the community of animals.
Questions, hypotheses and predictions
Wildlife managers and scientists work together using data to make informed decisions about how to ensure that species do not go extinct. Here, I want you to assume the role of a scientist working at the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife to determine if P. ochraceus is endangered. Your boss also wants answers to the following questions and your working group has come up with 3 hypotheses that could be tested. In this lab I want you to address 1 of these 3 questions and hypotheses using the dataset found in Canvas.
Question 1) Has SSWD significantly decreased the abundance of P. ochraceus along the Oregon Coast?
Hypothesis 1) P. ochraceus is susceptible to SSWD, because other sea stars are susceptible and there is no adaptive immune system in echinoderms
Question 2) Are seastars differentially affected at different “sites” along the Oregon Coast (i.e. where should conservation efforts be concentrated)?
Hypothesis 2) P. ochraceus will be differentially affected at different “sites”, because the pathogen likely travels via water currents and some “sites” may be more protected than others.
Question 3) Are seastars differentially affected at different “capes” along the Oregon Coast?
Hypothesis 3) P. ochraceus will be decreased more in Southern “capes”, because Southern “capes” should have warmer water making the animals there more susceptible.
Experimental design
As part of PISCO observations, sea star abundance has been measured several times a year dating back ~25 years. Your working group has been collecting and collating data on P. ochraceus abundance from 2012-2015. SSWD was first spotted in July of 2013 along the West coast starting in both California and Washington.
Fig 1. To the left is a map of the Oregon Coast showing the “sites” sampled. The Oregon/California border is South (warmer waters) and is depicted on the Map. The Washington/Oregon state border is the Columbia River (North: Colder waters). There were three sampled “capes” (multiple “sites” are present in each “cape”): Cape Blanco (Southernmost cape), Cape Perpetua and Cape foulweather (Northernmost cape).
I highly recommend you watch the videos associated with this lab (Dr. Sarah Gravem interviews 2 and 3 associated with lab 3) to see how these data are collected!
In brief, several times a year seastar abundance “Total SeaStars” were counted along a belt transect as detailed in the videos. Each belt transect was 20 m2 in total area, so we can calculate density (“density_stars/m2”) as the total number of P. ochraceus found divided by 20 m2. At each site, the belt transects were laid out multiple times to create replicates (“rep”).
Instead of repeating all the details in the videos, I will just highlight what the variables in the data set represent.
“Cape”: the cape it was sampled from.
“site”: is the sampling location within the larger geographical “capes”
“Year”, “Month”, “date”: When the samples were taken
“annual sample no.”: How many times in a given year a site was sampled.
“rep”: the replicate number. At each site, on any given date, multiple belt transects were done to count sea stars. Each separate belt transect was a replicate (“rep”)
“species”: Although Dr. Gravem’s team examined lots of species, for simplicity we will look at only P. ochraceus.
“Total SeaStars”: The total number of P. ochraceus found along the belt transect
“Area_m2”: the total area searched in a single belt transect. Should by 20 m2 for all in this dataset.
Lab 3: Sea Star Wasting Disease along the Oregon Coast (5 pts)
Lab 3: Sea Star Wasting Disease along the Oregon Coast (5 pts)
“density_stars/m2”: “Total SeaStars” divided by “Area_m2” or “Total SeaStars” /“Area_m2”
Statistical tests (analyzing the data!)
Please refer back to lab 2 for how to do common statistical tests. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Questions:
1a) Which hypothesis are you testing (1,2 or 3)? _________
b) Please write your prediction (If the hypothesis is correct, then… (2 pts)
2) There are lots of ways you could design your experiment to test your predictions. Likely you can see if your prediction is supported or rejected by using a t-test. Please analyze the data as you see fit and report back if there was a significant effect of SSWD on seastars.
For a t-test, a good way to report your data is using the formulaic sentence below.
“There was/was not a significant difference between __________ and ________ (t=###, df=##, p=##).”
(2 pts).
3) Was hypothesis your team’s hypothesis supported? Why or why not (1 pt)?
Please write answers to this assignment in a separate file and submit to Canvas Sun Week 3 by 11:59 pm.
MacDonald, 2016: https://daily.jstor.org/how-the-keystone-species-c…
Paine, R.T, 1966. “Food web complexity and species diversity”. The American Naturalist. Vol. 100 (910): 65-75.

Medical science is a field of scientific study and research that focuses on understanding the human body, its various systems, and the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and medical conditions. It encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, genetics, microbiology, and more. Medical scientists and researchers work to advance our knowledge of health and medicine, ultimately aiming to improve the well-being and longevity of individuals and populations.

Context
For this assignment, you will use the resources you have found thus far to create an annotated bibliography. This annotated bibliography should include two articles (from the reference page assignment) and two websites (one that passes the CRAAP test and one with the worksheet evaluation).
Step 1: Review the resources on how to create an annotated bibliography
Owl at Purdue – “Annotated Bibliographies”Links to an external site.
Rasmussen University Library – “How to Write an Annotated Bibliography”Links to an external site.
Step 2: Use the two articles from last week and the two websites on your topic to create your annotated bibliography
You should already have APA citations for the sources from the Week 4 Assignment: Reference Page. Now, you will begin to create the annotations that accompany the references.
Step 3: Create Annotations
Read each article (using the recommended strategies from the Week 5 Discussion: How to Practice College-Level Reading) and website, and create an annotation for each one to add to your APA citations to complete your annotated bibliography.
Note: you should not copy/paste information from the websites or articles for your annotation. These should be summaries that capture the main ideas, findings, conclusions, etc. from the resources.
Your annotated bibliography should have four annotations, one for each of the sources. Refer to the video, or the OWL at Purdue link for guidelines (above) on how to format this document.

The concept of the Wallace Line was a significant contribution to the understanding of biogeography and evolution, as it helped explain the distribution of species and the influence of geographical barriers on their divergence.

The reproduction in human beings involves the fusion of male and female gametes produced in their reproductive system. The male reproductive system is different from the female reproductive system, both in structure and in function.
Male Reproductive System
The male gametes, i.e., sperms are produced within the male reproductive system. Sperms are small unicellular structures with a head, middle piece, and a tail.The male reproductive system consists of :
Testicles (testes): A pair of oval-shaped organs masked in a pouch called the scrotum. They are responsible for the production of sperms and the male hormone testosterone.
Scrotum: It is a sac-like organ that hangs below the penis and behind it. It is the houses of the testicles, or testes, and maintains a temperature that is required for the production of sperm by it.
Vas deferens: The sperms produced in testes are stored in a tube called the epididymis. Here the sperms get matured and pass to urethra through the muscular tube called vas deferens.
Accessory glands: This includes three glands, namely seminal vesicles, prostate gland, and Cowper’s gland. The secretions from the three glands mix to form a fluid called semen. Semen nourishes the sperm, increases the volume and helps in lubrication.
Penis: Penis is a cylindrical tube which serves as both reproductive organ and an excretory organ. It delivers sperms into the vagina during sexual intercourse.
Female Reproductive System
The female reproductive system is active before, during and after fertilization as well. It consists of the following parts:A pair of ovaries: Ovaries produce and store ovum in them. They also produce a female hormone called estrogen.
Fallopian tubes (Oviducts): They are the site of fertilization. They connect ovaries with the uterus.
Uterus: Uterus is the site of development for the embryo.
Vagina: It is the part which connects the cervix to the external female body parts. It is the route for the penis during coitus as well as a fetus during delivery.