Sunday, March 10, 2013
Prompt 1 on Guinea worms and Big Idea 4
On pages 100-102, Moalem discusses how a wasp called the Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga has a relationship with an orb-weaving spider called the Plesiometa argyra. A wasp stimulates a host to behave in a way that lets the wasp reproduce by influencing the spider by stinging it and depositing an egg that hatches into a larva. The larvae then influences the spider's actions to create a special web to protect the larvae when it is in its cocoon. The relationship between the Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga and Plesiometa argyra.relates to Big Idea 4 ( Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.) The symbiotic relationship shown is a parasitic relationship, where the wasp benefits from hosts to survive and reproduce while the host is hurt with the burning sensations and blisters.
There are 3 main types of symbiotic relationships( commensalistic, mutualistic, or parasitic). Choose one of the relationships, define it, and explain how the relationship helps an organism's goal of survival and reproduction with a specific example. Also, explain how symbiotic relationships play an important role in competition and cooperation in an environment. Discuss if it's possible to fully stop symbiotic relationships like the one listed above in environments like how the number of Guinea worm infections in humans has been reduced over the past 20 years. If it's possible, how could a spider be selected for to avoid a wasp injecting its egg which eventually kills it?
(Eric Huang - ehuang4@students.d125.org)
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ReplyDeleteParasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which a parasitic organism benefits by harming the host organism. There are many ways a parasite benefits from the parasitic relationship. In many cases, the parasitic organism is able to make a home inside the host organism and receives protection from predators. The parasite can also siphon nutrients in order to better survive and reproduce. According to the CDC’s article on Enterobiasis (also known as Pinworm Infection), the pinworm is a parasite that affects many humans, and the pinworm’s entire life takes place inside a human’s digestive tract. The pinworm eggs first hatch in the small intestine. As the pinworm larva pass through the digestive tract they mature and end up mating in the last part of the small intestine (ileum). The male pinworms then die but the female pinworm attaches to the mucosa to ingest colonic contents as their bodies fill with eggs. As a result, the human digestive tract provides an area for the pinworms to not only live, mature, and mate, but also siphon off nutrients and create thousands of new offspring as well.
ReplyDeleteParasitism is extremely important in regards to the environment as parasites can weaken a prey organism and thus make it easier for predator species to thrive, particularly those that are immune or have defenses against parasites. As a result, parasites play an extremely important role in influencing competition by weakening various organisms. On page 1202 of the Campbell text and example of this is given: “Ticks that live as ectoparasites on moose weaken their hosts by withdrawing blood and causing hair breakage and loss, increasing the chance that the moose will die from cold stress or predation by wolves.” This all relates to our Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties. The ticks interact with the moose’s body which in turn affects the moose’s survivability which then affects the moose’s predators, showing that tiny parasites like ticks have a big impact on the ecosystem.
I think that it is impossible to fully stop a symbiotic relationship; I think that it is possible to reduce the numbers of a particular parasite like how spreading information about the guinea worm has already led to drastic decreases in worm infection rates. Additionally, new technology like better water filtration systems can also help contribute in reducing the numbers of a particular parasite. Additionally, even if it was possible to fully stop a symbiotic relationship, those species’ ecosystem would be extremely altered.
A spider with camouflage that can better disguise the spider from the wasp would be selected for as opposed to spiders that are more easily seen by the parasitic wasps. The Spiders with the better camouflage would have a smaller chance of the wasp being able to identify those spiders in particular.
(Chris Yao chyao4@students.d125.org)