Blog Response to Aug. 31

The variation that I found most interesting is the hybridization of species. As young scientists, most of what we learn relates to the fact that a species is its own, and cannot cross breed with other species. Because of this, when I think of hybrid species, I tend to think of hybrids as fictional creatures shown on Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf. However, hybrid species are in fact real and are nothing like the powerful creatures we see on shows. 

Hybridization of a species occurs when two different species mate to form a completely new species, who is reproductively isolation from those two parent species. An example of this are the Heliconius butterflies. Researchers believe there are at least 39 known species of Heliconius species, meaning they are able to interbreed to create brand new species. 


Shown above are a few different species of the same Heliconius genus of butterflies. As you can tell, they are all similar in wing shape, but their patterns are quite different.

Comments

  1. Aaron FaulkSeptember 3, 2020 at 7:03 PM

    Hey Jessica, I liked your comparison to the fictional hybrid species. Haha I wish they were as powerful in real life as they are on TV. Also nice example with those butterflies! It's so cool that they can just keep branching out to make so many different patterns!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 3, 2020 at 7:24 PM

    Hi, Jessica!

    I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I also tend to think of hybrid species as weird cross breeds of common animals to create something completely random and, usually, fictional. Those butterflies are really fascinating and beautiful! It's wild to think that there are 39 species of these butterflies that can interbreed. That's mind blowing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Doctor AxonSeptember 6, 2020 at 3:07 PM

    Hello, I also enjoyed your blog post. I'm not sure what else I can say that the other two individuals here have not. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  4. JodieSeptember 8, 2020 at 6:23 AM

    This is a clear and succinct explanation of hybridization with a relation to what you'd previously thought of when you thought of hybrids. This is very well done! I also very much appreciate that you discussed Heliconius butterflies and their extensive hybridization. Is this a system you were familiar with previously?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lauren SuggsSeptember 8, 2020 at 3:26 PM

    Hey Jessica!
    This is such a clear and concise explanation and I really enjoyed relearning hybridization. I needed a little refresher and you gave me a great one. Enjoy the rest or the semester!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aubree Van MeterSeptember 8, 2020 at 6:43 PM

    Hello Jessica,
    I love how you compared the hybridization of species to shows like Teen Wolf and Vampire Diaries. You did a great job of explaining hybridization and made it very easy to understand. Great job!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Peyton WilsonSeptember 8, 2020 at 6:59 PM

    Hi Jessica!
    I really liked your comparisons to those shows! Your explanation and example of hybridization were done very well and were very easy to understand. Good job!
    Peyton

    ReplyDelete
  8. AndreaSeptember 8, 2020 at 9:02 PM

    Hi Jessica,
    I like how you chose butterflies for hybridization and related it to tv shows. I did not know that some hybrids could still bred so that was interesting to learn. I liked your blog and hope to see more in the semester!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Catalina PerezSeptember 9, 2020 at 8:31 PM

    Hey Jessica, I really enjoyed your explanation and example of the butterflies. This is so cool, I had never heard of them before! You made the explanation simple and sweet. I will be looking more into these cool insects!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Response to Aug. 17

       I found the first set of lectures very interesting. I enjoyed how I was able to learn something new to get my mind back in the swing of things without having to fully jump into learning the course material right away. Specifically, what I learned was the science behind hand-washing. It never occurred to me that there was such a detrimental effect that took place before Dr. Semmelweis finally realized and hypothesized that having dirty hands was the root of such a high maternal death rate. After learning about this, it made me wonder who else in history had similar realizations and normalized behaviors we do habitually today, such as brushing our teeth.       Another part of the lectures I found interesting, and surprisingly related to, were the different mindsets we have in relation to learning. Throughout high school I always considered myself to be more of a “math person” compared to any other subject. With wanting to go to dental hygiene...
Read more

Blog Response to Oct. 15

 Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to alter its phenotype in response to the environment without altering its genotype. In "The Genetic Basis of Adaptation following Plastic Changes in Coloration in a Novel Environment," a study was done on lizards that live on lava rocks. When on these lava rocks, the lizards expressed a dark color that was similar to that of the lava rock. However, researchers found that when taken off the lava rocks and put into sand, the lizard's expressed a lighter color in response to the change of substrate.  Additionally, the researchers compared the lava rock lizards to lizards not living on the lava rocks. They found that both groups of lizards expressed dark phenotypes when on the rocks. However, the lizards that already lived on those rocks had a darker phenotype than those who did not. When placed on the sand, researchers found that both groups of lizards expressed the same color of lightness.  Phenotypic plasticity is what ...
Read more