Dr. May Berenbaum Lecture Summary Dr. May Berenbaum, an entomologist at University of Illinois, has conducted over 40 years of research on parsnips and the parsnip web worm. During her lecture on March 22nd, she explained how parsnips are invasive weeds that are full of toxic furanocoumarins. Interestingly, the parsnip webworm only eats the parsnips and is able to process the toxin very well. The interactions between the web worm and parsnips cause the parsnips to select for plants with a higher amount of furanocoumarins in order to defend themselves from the worms. When the worms are not there, i.e. in New Zealand, the parsnip plants grow taller and develop more ways to attract pollinators, and they do not put energy into having as many furanocoumarins
Dr. Nagami had multiple reasons for writing the Woman with a Worm in Her Head. I think that she intended to educate the reader about many things. She wanted to highlight the background of the deadly diseases that she has encountered. She also wants to explain the limits of modern medicine. I also think that she wanted to put a human face on the patients that she encounters on a daily basis. She also was trying to explain how combating diseases like this and her profession as a medical doctor affected her.
This article talks about Eurosta solidaginis which is the goldenrod gall fly and its interactions with its natural enemies. The natural enemies that are discussed in this article are Eurytoma gigantea and the E. obtusiventris which are both different types of parasitoid wasps, Mordellistena unicolor which is a beetle and two predatory birds the Dendrocopus pubescens which is the downy woodpecker and Parus atricapillus the black-capped chickadee (Abrahamson, 1989). These natural enemies eat the larvae of the goldenrod gall fly while in the gall. The galls are found on tall goldenrod plants. The goldenrod fly induce ball-shaped galls on the stems of
“The Tequila Worm” by Viola Canales is a marvelous book that shows the story of a young girl named sofia;on her journey to explore life but to never forget where she came from her roots which means becoming a good comadre.
The 2006 Pura Belpré Award was presented to Viola Canales for her coming-of-age tale, The Tequila Worm. Set in a Mexican American community in MacAllen, Texas, this story is told from the point-of-view of Sofia, a young girl who has many adventures in her small community. Through the course of the text Sofia develops from a young child who plays dress-up games with her cousins, to a young woman who is willing to move three hundred miles away from school.
They reproduced in the wild and started becoming a nuisance to both Europeans and the natives as they destroyed agricultural plants and oyster beds. livestocks put more pressure on local pastures allowing way for the growth of tougher eurpean weeds and grasses. This led to a less conducive environment for plants and finally reduced the soils ability to retain water. Before a century went by, the ecosystem of New England had permanently changed and and would never return to normal. The ecological changes mentioned throughout this book although cultural were either economical or environmental: dandelion, the fence, the arrival of pigs etc was just an eye opener to to bring to light the complex process and changes brought about due to the arrival of the Europeans to America. Meanwhile these complex changes and in general the European colonization cannot be well understood except through understanding the effects of New England Indians and Europeans on their ecosystem. The book also goes on to show the genesis of the environmental problems of New England eg erosions, deforestation, and climate changes; which are but of a few factors we still have to deal with till today. This book indeed acomplish the authors thesis. I recommend this book because it seems to really prove how what the present generation does today may affect the our
The Meningeal Worm Infestation of up to 20 meningeal worms has been discovered in a single deer’s subdural cavity. The white tail deer are the preferred host, but they rarely ever suffer from any sick or neurological problems from this type of worm. We will see severe signs in llamas and alpacas; these are the two animals that can become infected with it frequently. The meningeal worm can cause damage to the central nervous system and could result in death, so it is important to try and catch it early and learn about how to prevent this deadly worm. Things that you should be familiar with about the meningeal worm are its life cycle, the signs in your animal, and any prevention or treatment options.
Timmons, J. B., Alldredge, B., Rogers, W. E., & Cathey, J. C. (2012). Feral hogs negatively affect native plant communities. Informally published manuscript, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M , College Station, TX, Retrieved from http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2010/04/feral-hogs-native-plants.pdf
Oftentimes, people can recall at least one song they know that is undoubtedly catchy because of its repetitive nature. That song can become a nuisance, when it will not leave your mind. When a melody gets stuck in your head, sometimes it could take a whole day to forget the tune. A certain tune can be stuck in your brain for many years! In Oliver Sacks’ passage, “Brainworms, Sticky Music, and Catchy Tunes”, he talks about “earworms”, or a pathological repetition. Sacks uses patterns of development to inform the modern reader about the dark side of music.
This disease may be on the brink of being eradicated entirely but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the grossest things that anyone has ever seen. The parasite enters the body via unsafe drinking water. When people drink water infected with water fleas that have have been hosting the larvae of the parasite. There are no symptoms, to begin with, but about one year later, blisters on the feet or legs begin to develop and then the adult fully developed worm crawls out of the host body over a period of a few weeks. It’s said that the pain is intense and can incapacitate a person for weeks at a time. The pain can also continue for months after the infection. The parasite needs to infect a person at least once a year in order to continue. There were an estimated 3.5 million cases in 1986 but the disease has been greatly reduced over time and only 22 cases were reported in 2015. This disease will probably be the first parasitic disease to be completely eradicated in humans.
In 1996, the Asian Longhorn Beetle made its way into the New York and New Jersey creating the decimation of the forests. The Asian Longhorn Beetle has so far caused the cutting of over 10,000 trees in New Jersey, and quarantine of 109 miles in New York today . The spread of this foreign beetle has created great impacts on the environment. The Asian Longhorn Beetle is an invasive specie, a harmful specie from another locations, mainly other countries, that has ended up in a foreign habitat. As time has progressed, invasive species have continued to come into our environment more frequently creating many unforeseen consequences. The relationship of invasive species within the United States’ environment and ecosystem has been changing ever since the arrival of the Europeans in the 1700s to present day. Due to these encounters with other species whether harmful or neutral, the majority, if not all, of the United States has been affected with the threatening encroachment of native species due to the industrialization of waterways and transportation.
Plant defences are those mechanisms employed by plants in response to herbivory and parasitism. According to Hanley et al. (2007), “the tissues of virtually all terrestrial, freshwater, and marine plants have qualities that to some degree reduce herbivory, including low nitrogen concentration, low moisture content, toxins or digestibility-reducing compounds”. The type of chemical defence may be species specific (Scott 2008). The defences that plants possess may be in the form of chemical production or in the form of physical defences such as thorns or spikes and even through reinforced, rigid leaves. “The compounds that are produced in response to herbivory can either have a direct effect on the attacker itself (e.g. toxins or digestibility reducers), or serve as indirect defenses by attracting the natural enemies of the herbivores” (Bezemer & van Dam 2005). This essay will focus on chemical plant defences and in particular the effects of terpenes, phenolics, nitrogen-based defences as well as allelopathy in plants.
The current paper examines the contributing factors of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy cult status. The current paper will examine factors of both the macro-level (history, culture, and social and economic condition) and the micro-level (cult elements of the film). I will first talk about the background of transnationalism and , by which I will examine how Asian films takes its root in the United Stated and Europe. I will then turn to the broader social context of Oldboy by connecting the cinematic elements with the current economic and social condition of Korea. In the end, I reveal how the prominent cult elements of the film (ex., hero revenge, transgression, shock effects, and irony) might have appealed to and resonated with the the fans of the
Everyone has that childhood memory of running through the park or the backyard with a tiny plastic net to catch the fascinating winged creatures people know as butterflies. Imagine that childhood memory and appreciation of nature vanished from the lives of children in future generations. Instead of drawing what is real and tangible in their coloring books, children would be drawing butterflies as if they were dinosaurs, curious if their existence was a fable or reality. With the continued use of herbicides and insecticides, specifically neonicotinoids, the butterfly’s food source of milkweed is drastically depleting to the point where it is not only a childhood memory and appreciation of nature vanishing; the food chain every living organism relies on is also vanishing. Numerous animals
Crops that produce pesticides “contaminate nearby streams” which ends up “affecting aquatic life” (“Dangers to”). Herbicides such as glyphosate have been found in streams and rivers and may contain toxic ingredients that can kill living organisms in the water. Weeds turn into “super weeds” when they adapt to herbicides and become resistant. “Super Weeds” increase the use of herbicide and “the benefits of herbicide resistant crops are diminished” or put to waste (“Dangers to”). These genetically modified varieties can develop harmless and beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies into pests. Many birds and insects are at risk from pesticides since the chemicals and toxins contaminate the pollen they
Botanicals are not very selective because they target a broad range of insect pests. Plant insecticides act in several ways: as repellents by driving the insects away due to smell or taste, as anti feedants which cause insects on the plants to reduce their food intake and hence starve them to death; as oviposition deterrents, by preventing insects from laying eggs; or as inhibitors by interfering with the life cycle of the insects. Plant insecticides have several advantages. However, the regulatory environment and public health needs should create opportunities for the use of safer botanicals since human and animal health is paramount.