Naturalist Perspectives Challenge: Genetics in the Landscape

Date: 4/24/2017
Time: 4:53 PM
Weather: Beautiful. Sunny. 61℉

This is a classic looking English Cocker Spaniel. I did not use a specific book, but I sent the picture to my mom, who knows a lot about dog breeds. She told me what she thought it was, then I confirmed by doing a google image search. Since I am generally not good at identifying plants and specific animals, I figured this dog that I befriended on the way back from John F. Kennedy Park would be a good way to make sure I got it right and could find the information.
According to wikipedia, dogs have 78 chromosomes (39 pairs). They are diploids, just like humans.
There are a few different color patterns that the ECSCA identifies, including solid black, liver (which is like brown), red, and golden. There is also the possibility of a dog being 'open marked', which is when they have large patches of color, but between the large patches they are pure white. Open marked dogs cannot produce a roan dog, which is where a dog has patches of color that are broken up by white hairs. It sort of makes the dog look mottled.
According to the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America, the coat of the dog I met would be described as having 'ticking'. "The loci is T, ticking. T (ticking) is dominant over (t) lack of ticking. The amount and location of ticking are greatly affected by genes for size, shape and density of the ticking.'" There is some debate about whether or not ticking is caused by the same gene as roaning.

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Naturalist Perspectives: Invasive Species

Location: 29 Harrison St, Newton, MA Date: 4/23/2017 Time: 2:00 PM Weather: Sunny with some cloud cover. 54℉. If you look in the background of this picture, you will see a large yellow mass covered in flowers. This plant is called the forsythia tree and it is an invasive species that can be found here and in my hometown of Armonk, N.Y.. It can be recognized by its lack of leaves, rounded overall shape, and vibrant yellow flower. Forsythia are described as colonizing plants. They are native to Asia but will grow in almost any sunny location. It does not support insects or birds native to the Northeastern US in any way. Its roots have colonizing suckers that can push out other species of plant nearby and change the topography of a landscape. For this reason, they are often planted on hills (as pictured above). Over time, they can help level out the area. Many landscapers recommend replacing forsythia with spicebush, which can better support the other forms of life.

Naturalist Perspectives Challenge: Breaking Buds

Location: 10 Wendell St Date: 4/23/2017 Time: 3:30 PM Weather: Sunny. 54℉. Location: 10 Wendell St Date: 4/27/2017 Time: 4:00 PM Weather: Sunny. 57℉. Location: 10 Wendell St Date: 4/30/2017 Time: 3:30 PM Weather: Cloudy and gray. 50℉. This is a tulip. There are more than 3,000 naturally occurring and genetically cultivated varieties of tulip worldwide. Genetically, they are in the same family as lilies, onions, and asparagus. Tulips open and close their petals in response to heat and light. This is a fantastic example of cells being responsive to their environment. By closing, the tulip protects its reproductive organs and ensures that the pollen stays dry.

Biology Spring 2017 - Naturalist Perspectives

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