Diversity I: Invertebrates and Vertebrates

ceph wars:)

2012-02-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

Please dont go......

2011-10-19T05:30:00.001-07:00

Lost Generation

2011-10-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Dont let this be the end

2011-10-19T05:28:00.003-07:00

Habitat loss

2011-10-19T05:28:00.001-07:00

Room for nature

2011-10-19T05:27:00.001-07:00

Sylvia Earle - if you dont know who she is....you should:)

2011-10-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

Why you should listen to her:
Sylvia Earle, called "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker and the New York Times, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress and "Hero for the Planet" by Time, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with a deep commitment to research through personal exploration.
Earle's work has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for four decades. Earle has led more than 50 expeditions worldwide involving more than 6,000 hours underwater. As captain of the first all-female team to live underwater, she and her fellow scientists received a ticker-tape parade and White House reception upon their return to the surface. In 1979, Sylvia Earle walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any other woman before or since. In the 1980s she started the companies Deep Ocean Engineering and Deep Ocean Technologies with engineer Graham Hawkes to design and build undersea vehicles that allow scientists to work at previously inaccessible depths. In the early 1990s, Dr. Earle served as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. At present she is explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society.
Sylvia Earle is a dedicated advocate for the world's oceans and the creatures that live in them. Her voice speaks with wonder and amazement at the glory of the oceans and with urgency to awaken the public from its ignorance about the role the oceans plays in all of our lives and the importance of maintaining their health.
"We've got to somehow stabilize our connection to nature so that in 50 years from now, 500 years, 5,000 years from now there will still be a wild system and respect for what it takes to sustain us."
Sylvia Earle

Ocean Explorer

2011-10-17T05:30:00.001-07:00

Really amazing video footage of deep-sea animals

BBC - amazing echinoderms

2011-10-17T05:22:00.001-07:00

March of the sea pigs

2011-10-17T05:20:00.001-07:00

Check out Neptune's youtube channel - awesome stuff!

Shape of Life: Ultimate Animal

2011-10-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

2011-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

Why not eat insects?

2011-10-06T11:36:00.001-07:00

Yum Yum.....Dr. T chowing down on crickets in Japan....

The Arthropod Story

2011-10-06T11:33:00.001-07:00

The Arthropod Story (this site contains additional info on the Cambrian and the evolution of Arthropods)

Kings of Camoflage!!!! Full Video available here

2011-10-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

http://video.pbs.org/video/1150618835/

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

Annelids of the deep

2011-10-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

Hydrothermal vents

Vent worms

All about chromatophores

2011-10-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

How cephalopods change color

Amazing nudibranchs

2011-10-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

Nudibranch Gallery

Shark v Octopus

2011-10-05T06:16:00.001-07:00

Meet the Cuttlefish

2011-10-03T10:15:00.001-07:00

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/kings-of-camouflage.html

Rotifers!

2011-09-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

Planarian Regeneration

2011-09-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

so many worms....so little time.....

2011-09-25T11:36:00.001-07:00

Global "worming"

Cnidarians and Ctenophores.....

2011-09-22T08:37:00.001-07:00

Introduction to the Cnidaria (Berkeley)

Bioluminesence

Cold Water Coral Reefs

Getting webby with the food web lab......Volunteers!

2011-09-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Check out: http://ecocomplexity.blogspot.com/

Email: tromanuk@gmail.com (150-300 words about your interests and why you would like to volunteer). Please email your interest statement by this Friday (September 24th). Volunteers are required to devote 5+ hours a week. Interviews will be set for next week. Thanks for all the interest you guys have shown! Dr. T

Sponge Videos

2011-09-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

Placozoans and Poriferans

2011-09-19T09:04:00.001-07:00

Our first "whose who" in the metazoan phylogeny lecture is on Placozoans and Poriferans.

Check out the following sites because animals that have probably existed for about 800 million years are just pretty darn interesting....

British Columbia's Glass Sponge Reefs

Sponge phylogeny, taxonomy, fossils

Concatenated Analysis Sheds Light on Early Metazoan Evolution and Fuels a Modern “Urmetazoon” Hypothesis

Sponges in the news:

Voracious Sponges In Underwater Caves Save Reefs

AskNature! Biomimicry

2011-09-16T04:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.asknature.org/

Architecture avoids flooding, creates microclimates: ants

Lecture 4 Video: Janine Benyus shares nature's designs

2011-09-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

All about clades

2011-09-15T09:17:00.001-07:00

To read more about "clades" follow this link

Lecture 3: Video -- Frans Lanting

2011-09-14T04:35:00.002-07:00

Frans Lanting is one of the greatest nature photographers of our time. His work has been featured in National Geographic, Audubon and Time, as well as numerous award-winning books. Lanting's recent exhibition, The LIFE Project, offers a lyrical interpretation of the history of life on Earth.

http://www.ted.com/speakers/frans_lanting.html

http://www.lifethroughtime.com/

Life....in 60 seconds

2011-09-14T04:35:00.001-07:00

Cambrian Beasts!

2011-09-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

Love. Not Loss

2011-09-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Check out: Dalhousie SuperNova Program

Focus on 'Hotspots'

2011-09-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

What are Hotspots? Why are they important? Check out the following links to learn about how protecting small fractions of the worlds land and ocean environments can help to preserve diversity

Wikipedia "Biological Hotspots"
Conservation International "Focus on Hotspots"

Lecture 1: Video - E.O. Wilson

2011-09-10T07:23:00.001-07:00

Our goal: Live Curious!

2011-09-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

In BIOL 2003 our objective - in addition to helping you learn about diversity - is to create a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world. The theme for this year’s class is LIVE CURIOUS. Curiosity is the desire to explore, investigate and learn – to experience more – and I hope that all of us learn to generate a more heightened sense of curiosity this term. Because curiosity is an emotion that represents a drive to know new things it is the fuel of science and all other disciplines of human study.

Welcome to 2003 in 2011!

2011-09-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

I would like to welcome you all back to a new school year and to Diversity I. The class blog is an extension of the lectures for my (Dr. T's) "invertebrate" lectures and this is where I will provide additional links to important and interesting facts about invertebrates, provide links to the videos shown in class, and upload enrichment and further reading material for those of you that would like to delve deeper into certain subjects. I am really excited about getting to know you all and teaching this class this year!

Dr. T (Tamara Romanuk) and a Japanese Macaque snow monkey (Macaca fuscata)that I hung out with on a recent trip to Japan. Check out the snow monkey food-web!

Lost Generation

2010-10-20T13:01:00.001-07:00

Habitat Loss

2010-10-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Dont let this be the end

2010-10-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

Please dont go....

2010-10-20T12:41:00.001-07:00

Money, greed and the destruction of Nature web of life

2010-10-20T12:40:00.001-07:00

Room for Nature

2010-10-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

Explore the Sea Urchin Genome

2010-10-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Podcasts, posters, and pentasymmetrical fun

Check out your favorite beast in 3D

2010-10-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

3d Museum AND
Digital Morphology

The Evolve Series

2010-10-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by the history channel: episodes on eyes, sex, skin and much much more....

The Shape of Life Series

2010-10-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Check out the link for great pictures, animations, video shorts, and even activities!

Lord of the Ants

2010-10-04T06:08:00.001-07:00

Meet the Cuttlefish

2010-10-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

Scientific Communication

2010-09-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

Scientific Communication

Great Bear Rainforest RAVE

2010-09-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Great Bear Rainforest RAVE from iLCP on Vimeo.

Ask Nature: Biomimicry

2010-09-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.asknature.org/

http://biol2003.blogspot.com/2009/09/ted-video-janine-benyus.html

All About Clades

2010-09-10T12:10:00.001-07:00

To read more about "clades" follow this link

E.O. Wilson TED Talk

2010-09-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Edward Wilson's TED Talk can be found by linking to this post http://biol2003.blogspot.com/2009/09/ted-edward-wilson-talk.html

Welcome to 2003 in 2010!

2010-09-10T03:55:00.000-07:00

Hox Genes

2009-10-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Genetic Tool Kit

Hemichordates

2009-10-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

Enteropneust

Science interactives

2009-10-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Sea Urchin: An Interactive Poster

Science songs:)

2009-10-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Echinoderms

Please dont go....

2009-10-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

I am speechless...

Circus of the Spineless

2009-10-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

Circus of the Spineless

Interested in a career in science illustration?

2009-10-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

click here

3D Museum

2009-10-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Amazing renderings

Digital Morphology

2009-10-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Digital Morphology

Top Ten Species Named After Famous People

2009-10-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

click here

Top Ten Reasons Why Barnacles Are Interesting

2009-10-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

10. They used to be classified as Molluscs
9. They are one of the few Crustaceans that are sessile
8. Barnacles have no gills—gases are exchanged through cirri (feathery legs) and body walls
7.In less than two years, 10 tons of barnacles can become attached to a tanker.
6.They stick themselves head first to the substrate. Cement glands within the antennae produce the brown glue that fastens a barnacle to a hard surface. Acids and alkalis do not dissolve this incredibly strong glue that can hold the base of the shell to a surface long after the barnacle is dead. Dentists, interested in the adhesive power of this glue, have been trying to determine its properties.
5. They like to live on whales
4.You can eat them: Gooseneck barnacles are now being farmed in the state of Washington. They can be found in some specialty fish markets. Before cooking barnacles, thoroughly rinse them, rubbing gently to dislodge any sand. Most recipes call for quick cooking, either by boiling, steaming or grilling. Barnacles may be served hot, cold or at room temperature, usually with a simple embellishment of melted butter or any sauce commonly used for other CRUSTACEANs. To eat, peel off the outer skin, then bite off the neck. When removing the skin, a soupçon of orange (fabric-staining) liquid sometimes spurts out, so be cautious. The flavor of barnacles is compared variously to that of crab, lobster or shrimp.
3.An old legend tells that a type of goose "the barnacle goose" hatched from barnacles
2.Darwin spent 8 years studying them and wrote an entire monograph on their taxonomy
1.Barnacles have the largest penis to body size ratio of the animal kingdom

Cuttle Camo...

2009-10-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW4PbW893ik&feature=fvw

Zombie Snails!

2009-09-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Zombie Snails

Richard Dawkins on YouTube

2009-09-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

Richard Dawkins on the Evolution of the Eye

Richard Dawkins on the Evolution of Wings

Richard Dawkins on the Evolution of Camouflage

Thanks to Hilary Moores!

2009-09-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hilary's webpage
Studying for success

How to give a presentation in under 5 minutes

2009-09-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

food for thought....for the 3 minutes talks for your species-at-risk project
Here it is

So many worms so little time

2009-09-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Global "worming"

Invasive Species

2009-09-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

Global Invasive Species Database and the 100 worst invaders

Aquariums

2009-09-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium (Chicago)
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Sydney (OZ) Aquarium
Bermuda Aquarium - internships and volunteer positions!

Cnidarians and Ctenophores

2009-09-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Videos from the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Jellies: Living Art Exhibit

Introduction to the Cnidaria (Berkeley)

Cnidaria on Palaeos (lots of fossil information)

Bioluminesence

Cold Water Coral Reefs

From Biodiversity to Biocomplexity

2009-09-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

Amazing Lectures from the World's Leading Ecologists

Species at Risk

2009-09-23T04:24:00.000-07:00

The International Union for Conservation of Nature "RED LIST"
COSEWIC (Canada)

Other cool conservation agencies:
World Wildlife Fund
Canadian Wildlife Federation
Conservation Institute
Marine Conservation Biology Institute

Placozoans and Poriferans.....

2009-09-23T04:09:00.000-07:00

Our first "whose who" in the metazoan phylogeny lecture is on Placozoans and Poriferans. Digital Zoology has great info on both Phyla (and all the info on Placozoans is there rather than in the textbook) including some virtual labs, crossword puzzles (great learning tool), pictures, and more...check it out...

Also check out the following sites because animals that have probably existed for about 800 million years are just pretty darn interesting....

British Columbia's Glass Sponge Reefs

Sponge phylogeny, taxonomy, fossils

Concatenated Analysis Sheds Light on Early Metazoan Evolution and Fuels a Modern “Urmetazoon” Hypothesis

Sponges in the news:

Voracious Sponges In Underwater Caves Save Reefs

Animal Molecular Phylogenetics

2009-09-20T08:35:00.001-07:00

Everything you ever wanted to know (and probably more): molecular phylogenetics

TED Video: Janine Benyus

2009-09-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

12 Sustainable Design Ideas from Nature

"A self-proclaimed nature nerd, Janine Benyus' concept of biomimicry has galvanized scientists, architects, designers and engineers into exploring new ways in which nature's successes can inspire humanity"

The Arthropod Story

2009-09-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Arthropod Story (this site contains additional info on the Cambrian and the evolution of Arthropods)

Evolution of Life in 60 seconds: SEED Magazine

2009-09-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Evolution of Life in 60 seconds

Development, Ecology, and Environment in the Cambrian Metazoan Radiation

2009-09-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Development, Ecology, and Environment
in the Cambrian Metazoan Radiation
By Doug Irwin

The Cambrian radiation of animal life is one of the most profound episodes of evolutionary innovation in the history of life. Understanding the causes of this event requires deciphering the relative contributions of environmental triggers, developmental novelties, and changes in ecosystem structure. At present, ecology appears to have been largely responsible for the breadth and structure of this event, but we lack adequate, process-based models to understand these ecological dynamics.

Also check out: Gould: The Evolution of Life on Earth

In our own backyard!

2009-09-16T04:17:00.000-07:00

Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve

Mistaken Point—named for the navigational hazard it poses at the often-foggy southeastern tip of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula—is one of the world's most significant fossil sites.

Embedded in the planes of Mistaken Point's tilted and cleaved mudstone and sandstone, exposed by the pounding of the Atlantic waves, are fossils of the oldest creatures—in fact, the oldest complex life forms—found anywhere on Earth. Known to scientists as the Ediacara biota, they are creatures that lived 575 to 542 million years ago, when all life was in the sea.

The oldest and most spectacular assemblage of these fossils—the Mistaken Point assemblage (575 to 560 million years old)—is preserved in the 5.7-km² Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve. The Reserve is the only place in the world where you can view a 565-million-year-old sea floor that accurately preserves the ecology of these ancient deep sea communities. The area is one of nine sites on the Canadian Tentative list of potential UNESCO World Heritage properties.

Two great radio shows

2009-09-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

The Ediacaran Fauna
The Cambrian Explosion

Palaeos and the Cambrian Sea Animation

2009-09-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

Palaeos -- http://www.palaeos.com/ -- The best site out there for a history of life and fossils....

The Cambrian Sea Animation

Week 2 Webs

2009-09-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

LIFE, a journey - Frans Lanting
Frans Lanting’s LIFE: A Journey Through Time is a lyrical interpretation of life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to its present diversity. The LIFE Project aims to bridge the gap between nature and science, and is realized through the integration of photography with the performing arts and the world of life and earth sciences, in collaboration with partners and institutions around the world.

The LIFE Project includes a multimedia orchestral performance (LIFE Music), a traveling exhibition (LIFE Exhibits), a large-format photographic book (LIFE Book), and this website, www.LifeThroughTime.com. Public outreach includes an ongoing series of appearances by Frans Lanting at venues across the United States and Europe, including the TED Conference, Stanford University, the National Geographic Society, the Long Now Foundation, and many others.

TED Edward Wilson Talk

2009-09-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

EO Wilson's Talk from Lecture 1

Beast of the Week

2009-09-10T04:28:00.000-07:00

Nudibranchs!

The Weekly Webs

2009-09-10T04:08:00.000-07:00

This weeks weekly websites focus on diversity itself:

(1) The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists and nature enthusiasts from around the world. On more than 10,000 World Wide Web pages, the project provides information about biodiversity, the characteristics of different groups of organisms, and their evolutionary history (phylogeny).

Each page contains information about a particular group, e.g., salamanders, segmented worms, phlox flowers, tyrannosaurs, euglenids, Heliconius butterflies, club fungi, or the vampire squid. ToL pages are linked one to another hierarchically, in the form of the evolutionary tree of life. Starting with the root of all Life on Earth and moving out along diverging branches to individual species, the structure of the ToL project thus illustrates the genetic connections between all living things.

(2)Encyclopedia of Life: "Imagine an electronic page for each species of organism on Earth..." - Edward O. Wilson

(3)Biodiversity Hotspots