Katie Meyers
Unit Four Lab Project: List of Species (20)
NOTE: I apologize if some of the pictures are not crystal clear. I tried my best to take all the pictures, save the last two.
1) a. Felis silvestris
b. house cat
c. symbiotic
d. Yes, this is a widely domesticated species in many countries. We have interacted with the everyday household cat since the Egyptians. For many centuries, they have been considered household pets. In other countries, they are considered food. However, their primary draw and fame is from being loving pets.
2) a. Aphonopelma chalcodes
b. desert tarantula
c. commensal
d. Tarantulas have been somewhat domesticated. However, there is a large majority of the American tarantula population that roams free and wild. How have we co-evolved with tarantulas? As far as I know, it has been mostly a commensal relationship. While humans have spread across the globe, we have lived relatively peacefully alongside our eight-legged furry friends. Some of us even keep them as pets. However, I am sure there have been several cases where they have been shooed out, unwanted, of a human home. We have probably killed a few in the past, whether accidentally or on purpose. Although we leave each other alone, the popular mindset is that tarantulas are scary. After all, many a bad horror movie has been made based on what humans think are their “terrifying” qualities. Despite all this, I think our relationship is primarily commensal.
3) a. Spermophilus variegates
b. rock squirrel
c. mutualism
d. Squirrels are popular, there’s no doubt about that. However, they have not been domesticated much, if at all. We benefit from them, as they eat some small bugs, and we also enjoy observing them. We care for squirrels by putting out food for them occasionally. However, as squirrels are also hunted for their pelts, I would say that we have the advantage in this relationship. Over time, we have used them primarily for their nutritional value and their skin. Therefore, I think this is a mutualism relationship.
4) a. Canis lupus familiaris
b. domesticated dog
c. symbiotic
d. In history, terms such as “this place has gone to the dogs” have been mean to degrade and insult. Indeed, for many decades and centuries, they were considered the animals that ate the scraps of the meal when all were finished. To hear of a skinny, stray dog is very common in older stories. However, they have also been very beneficial to us. They have herded flocks, dragged sleds, and guarded property. Furthermore, we have developed the love for them as family pets. Today, they are considered to be very domesticated. Most people who own a dog today own it for its loving, faithful, and docile qualities. Most dogs owned today benefit greatly, as humans will (hopefully) treat them well, feed them, and take care of them, while all the dog must do is be itself (just not poo on the carpet). Humans in the past greatly benefited from the dog’s abilities, and today humans benefit emotionally from dogs’ loving natures. Dogs have benefited from humans very much, as we try our best to care for them and feed them. Therefore, I dub this relationship symbiotic.
5) a. Zenaida macroura
b. mourning dove
c. mutualism
d. Doves are wild birds that have not been domesticated much, if at all. I think that it has always been this way throughout history. We benefit from watching them, leaving them alone so they keep up the local biodiversity, and their insect-eating habits. We put out bird feeders, to which they benefit from to a point as well. Overall, I would call this a live-and-let-live relationship.
6) a. Sylvilagus nuttallii
b. mountain cottontail rabbit
c. predation
d. Rabbits have always been a source of food and pelts for humanity, even through today. Finding rabbit meat on sale at the local market is not all that unusual. However, they have also been considered pets in more recent years. Overall, I think this a predation relationship.
7) a. Euphagus cyanocephalus
b. brewer’s blackbird
c. mutualism
d. One of the many birds in
8) a. Chondestes grammacus
b. lark-sparrow
c. mutualism
d. Again, this is a very similar relationship to the other two birds mentioned thus far. We feed them sometimes, and they eat bugs for us. Otherwise, this is again a live-and-let-live relationship (which I think is best categorized under “mutualism”).
9) a. Geococcyx californianus
b. greater roadrunner
c. commensal
d. Unlike the other bird species I have mentioned, I believe this to be a commensal relationship. We benefit greatly from them, while they live relatively unharmed (and undomesticated). We benefit greatly from their omnivore diet, which picks off pests that are not just insects, but also snakes, mice, and scorpions, to name a few. Overall, we leave them alone to do their exemplary pest protection for us.
10) a. Lampropeltis getulus
b. common kingsnake
c. commensal
d. Our relationship with the common kingsnake is very much like our relationship with the roadrunner. We greatly benefit from their eating activities, while they live mostly unharmed (and undomesticated) by us. They are excellent pest protectors, even moreso than the roadrunner, for they eat rattlesnakes, along with other snakes, mice, etc. This is definitely a commensal relationship.
11) a. Bos taurus
b. dairy cattle
c. predation
d. I call this relationship parasitic because we benefit greatly from these domesticated cows (meat, milk, hides), but they do not benefit from us. We keep them, but we usually end up killing them for their meat and hides. It is part of the food chain. Therefore, I deem this relationship a predation one.
12) a. Gallus gallus
b. domesticated chicken
c. predation
d. This is a similar relationship to the dairy cow. We greatly benefit from their products (meat, eggs, feathers), yet they do not much benefit from us, except that we feed them before using the products they offer. Yet again, this is part of the food chain, and therefore a predation relationship.
13) a. Equus caballus
b. horse
c. commensal
d. Over many centuries, humanity has greatly benefited from horses. We have domesticated many horses because of their many uses. We have used them for transportation, carrying loads, and plowing. Overall, they have provided us with food (meat), fuel (dung), and clothing (hides). Even I have personally benefited from horses, as horsehair is what is used on violin bows. Although we have greatly benefited from horses, I do not think they have benefited nor suffered from this relationship. So, I call it a commensal relationship.
14) a. Gossypium hirsutum
b. common domesticated cotton plant
c. mutualism
d. Our relationship with this domesticated cotton plant I consider to be mutualism because we greatly benefit from it (cotton makes much of the clothing we wear, etc.) while we encourage this plant’s existence and breed it without much damaging it.
15) a. Daucus carota sativus
b. common domesticated carrot
c. mutualism
d. I consider this a mutualism relationship for the same reasons stated for the cotton plant. We greatly benefit from its very deliciously edible properties, while it benefits by us encouraging its growth and breeding it.
16) a. Spinacia oleracea
b. domestic spinach
c. mutualism
d. Yet again, I consider this relationship a mutualism one because we greatly benefit from it due to its edible and health properties, while it benefits from us by us breeding it and encouraging its growth and existence.
17) a. Lactobacillus acidophilus
b. acidophilus
c. mutualism
d. Acidophilus, found in the human body (e.g. gastrointestinal tract, oral region), is known to be a probiotic for humans. This means that, if it is administered in adequate amounts, it is beneficial to the host (humans). We have benefited acidophilus in that we have given them a place to live and have encouraged their growth and existence over time.
18) a. Apium graveolens dulce
b. domesticated celery
c. mutualism
d. This is a mutualism relationship for the same reasons listed for carrots and spinach. Celery is a delicious food with healthful properties, which benefit us. Because of this, we encourage its existence, thereby benefiting it.
19) a. Prunus domestica
b. domesticated plum tree
c. mutualism
d. Yet again, we benefit from this tree’s fruit (plums and thereby prunes), as they are delicious and healthy for us. Meanwhile, we encourage this tree’s survival in order to continue enjoying its fruit, thereby helping this tree species spread and grow in population size.
20) a. Ceratonia siliqua
b. carob
c. mutualism
d. Again, we benefit from this tree with its delicious carob (chocolate substitute). Different part of the tree and its carob pods can be used for herbal treatments as well. As a result of these benefits for humanity, we keep carob trees safe and ensure their survival.
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