Digestion and Metabolism of the Koala
Koalas’ diets consist solely of Eucalyptus, which has many defensive mechanisms to deter herbivores. The foliage contains chemicals that are toxic and interfere with digestion, such as condensed and hydrolysable tannins, phenolic compounds, cyanogenic glycosides, and essential oils. The leaves also contain low concentrations of nutrients, making it even more difficult for the extraction of nutrients.
In order to obtain the maximum amount of nutrients, koalas select leaves that have high nitrogen content, minimum levels of water and essential oils, and low in condensed tannins. The amount of nutrients absorbed in the gut is dependent on mastication due to the small size of the stomach. The cecum of the koala is 1.3 meters in length and has 8 to 14 folds, allowing epithelial relationships with 45 different species of bacteria. Tannin-protein-complex-degrading enterobacteria, one of the most important species, degrades tannin-protein complexes to remove nitrogen for absorption in the cecum. Juvenile koalas must obtain microflora by ingesting a special form of feces, called pap, from the mother.
Introduction
Koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus, are classified in the Order Diprodontia of Marsupiala. The major distinguishing characteristics of Diprodontia are syndactyl hind feet, forcipate forepaws, and one functional pair of incisors in the lower jaw (Martin and Handasyde, 1999). Koalas live in the eastern portion of Australia, from coastal and inland Queensland, through New South Wales, and on to Victoria. Among koalas, the size of the animal increases southward. Male koalas in Victoria weigh from 9.5 to 14.9 kilograms, while in Queensland, they weigh 4.2 to 9.1 kilograms. This trend also occurs in the female populations. In Victoria, females can weigh 7 to 11 kilograms and in Queensland can weigh 4.1 to 7.3 kilograms (Martin and Handasyde, 1999).
Three subspecies of koala have actually been classified due to the difference in size and fur color. P. cinereus victor is found in southern Australia and is characterized by thick cinnamon-colored fur and is the largest of the koalas. P. cinereus cinereus is found throughout the koala range and has mixed gray fur.
Koalas, an Australian native, have the scientific name, ‘Phascolarctos cinereus’, meaning 'ash grey pouched bear.' They are sometimes called koala bears due to their resemblance to bears. However, they are not related to each other. Instead, koalas are related to other marsupials, such as kangaroos and wombats. Being a marsupial means that the females have a pouch for newborns. The Australian Koala Foundation estimated that less than 80000 koalas are left in Australia (Australian Koala Foundation n.d.).
Thyroid and metabolism hormones play a large role in the daily lives of all living species. Thyroid hormones regulate the metabolism and the metabolism is responsible for maintaining a specific range for the biochemical reactions that occur in the body (Martini 2014). The most important hormone for metabolic maintenance is thyroxine (T4). This hormone also plays a large role in body heat regulation. It is produced by the pituitary gland and secreted by the thyroid gland. The thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) must trigger the thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) to release thyroid hormones to the thyroid gland. These hormones are under control of the hypothalamus, or main neural control center. Propylthiouracil (PTU) is a medication used to treat
As wise John Berger once said,“Never again shall a single story be told as though it were the only one”. A “single story” is the story of a culture that we learn from stereotypes and conspiracies developed throughout time in our society. In “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe defies the single story of African culture while still tying their native language in to show the importance between a physical differentiation of culture, and the similarities with morals and values they have in common. Through gender roles and proverbs used in the language of this book, we have a cultural insight of Nigeria through a new set of eyes given to us by Achebe that detures us from the single stories that we were taught to by our society.
If you had a grizzly bear's paw next to a koala bear's paw this is what you'd see. A koala's is about the same size as a human's hand and a bears paw is about twice the size. Koalas and grizzly bears are different. A koala is not a real bear. But a bear is a real bear. They are also similar because they are mammals and eat leaves for part of their diet.
As the boys time on the island goes on the conch slowly becomes of less and less valuable. When the boys first start to make a fire on top of the mountain, Piggy takes the conch and tries to speak, shortly after Jack interrupts him. Jack stops him by saying," The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain" Said Jack," So you shut up" (Golding42). He starts disrespecting the boys and the conch. Jack sees all the weaknesses in Ralph’s way of order. When the boys no longer respect the conch everything takes a turn "the conch had been two of the few representations of civilization and common sense on the island " (Saidi,Hasan). Without the conch there are no rules and no way of order. “Jack was the first to make himself heard. He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules; but nobody minded” (Golding 87). The conch fades and the slowly fading of the conch represents the slowly fading of the peace and agreement of the boys. "[Ralph] took the conch down from the tree and examined the surface. Exposure to the air had bleached the yellow and pink to a near-white transparen...
That Hamlet is obsessed with destroying the powerful force ruling his country (Claudius) is plainly evident in the play. But while this obsession initiates Hamlet’s behavior, it is his additional realization, that he risks psychological estrangement occurring on multiple levels as a result of trying to carry out his obsession, that shapes his behavior into the form that the audience sees, one that seems bizarre and incomprehensible.
Being a marsupial, the Koala also has a pouch on its stomach. Koalas mate in the summer and their gestation period is around thirty-five days, when the baby, also called a Joey, is born at just under two centimeters long and will begin to make its way to its mother’s pouch where it’ll nurse for the
Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.
... is exposed. We see his struggle as a young man to maintain his identity when fidelity, honor and integrity are crumbling around him. His intellect, and wit are enough to hold him only so long before Hamlet collapse into obsessive revenge. The outer Hamlet is loud and wrought with insanity but within there is a young man who uses his intellect to cling to his values and place in the world so compulsively that it ultimately leads to his collapse as a person. Hamlet has “that which passes show” (1.2.85). His deep and tumultuous personality masked in faux insanity emerges in passes. Cunning dialogue, letters, his reactions to others, and soliloquies help shape the inner Hamlet in the readers eyes.
The giant panda is part of the Ursidae family and in the order of Carnivora. Animals that are in the order of Carnivora usually eat meat but the giant panda specializes in the herbivorous diet of bamboo. The giant panda has retained the typical monogastric carnivore digestive system which is typically short and has no special compartments to retain food or any symbiotic bacteria needed to break down cellulose from the bamboo into any usable nutrients. Since the giant panda is unable to digest cellulose and lacks the necessary symbiotic bacteria for the digestion of bamboo, they have to rely on mainly the cell content through a process where the bamboo is first eaten and then passed unaltered in the digestive tract in a very short time. The giant panda must eat a large amount of bamboo daily in order to meet their energy requirements.
This essay has therefore discussed the most popular classes of plant chemical defences, namely terpenes, phenolics, nitrogen-based defences and allelopathy. The effects of these defences on herbivores has also been touched on. Many of these compounds produced by plants have later been extracted by humans for use as insecticides. Compounds such as tannins are also used in the wine industry. These chemicals thus have a very strong economic influence.
The members of the Homo genus possess a combination of unique features that distinguish them from other related species. At the time that each respective species was alive, they were able to walk upright on two legs, use their large brains for the benefit of their species, and could thrive in many geographically and climatically diverse areas of the world. One of the most mysterious quandaries in science is how the lineage of the Homo genus became so different from their primate relatives. Bipedalism, brain size, and location diversity all have a common link that may explain this difference – dietary evolution allowed humans to adapt to their surroundings, and in turn, become a more advanced species. The Homo diet evolved in relation to food availability and nutritional necessity. With the ability to maintain a proper diet, the species of the Homo genus were able to flourish and advance toward the development of modern Homo sapiens.
Marchant, S. and P.J. Higgins. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1990.
The fur of the Siberian tiger is long, thick and yellow with dark black stripes running through it. The coat of this animal is reddish colored in the summer months. The underside of the Siberian tiger is bright white, and the tail area is white and black.
Animals are a living organism that typically having specialized sense organs and nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli (Animal, n.d.). Animals typically move, in one way or another and to feed on other living organisms (Animal, n.d.). In general, animal can be classified according to the type of food they eat, which is; carnivores, herbivores and omnivores (refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).