Read all the chapters on mating! (11 and 12)
I have many questions as I read through this so for my blog today I will be presenting a running list of my questions and hoping some of you have thoughts on them. Let's begin!
1. Cicadas only mate once every decade??
2. How do male long- tailed widowbirds fly with those huge tails? (Did anyone else read the Dr. Seuss book about Gertrude McFuzz as a kid? That's exactly what I thought of when I saw that picture in the book)
3. Can carotenoids turn humans colors like they did for the guppies? I just watched an episode of scrubs where a guy was orange. Obviously it would never be that extreme, but it could happen a little bit right?4. What the heck happened with seahorses and pipefish? Why are they sex- role reversed? There is no way its just happened to develop backwards of the rest of everything on accident or coincidentally so there has to be a reason right?
5. This one isn't really a question.* I would not want to be the researcher responsible for "sacrificing" the female fireflies to measure the spermatophore.
6. How would the female know the flash duration correlated to reproductive success? Would it have evolved that way? (Edit: Of course it would never mind. But if I remove this Q it messes with the formatting)
7. * the picture of getting a buccal swab from that tiny little green fish looks so mean and so cute simultaneously.
8. How cute are the blue warblers fat little bodies? No wonder they have to practice mate guarding- once they find one they have to make sure it works out.
9. Evolutionarily could mate copying be why some women always seem to only want men when they're in a relationship?
10. "Female birds and reptiles may invest up to 50% of their body mass into production of a single clutch of eggs"- Holy cow. How do they survive?
11. If monogamy evolved out of the need for biparental care in order for the offspring to survive why would some species that very similar be different in this regard? (California mouse v. regular mouse, coyotes v. dogs)
I can definitely confirm the Cicadas. The few times they've come out of the ground in my life have been about a little more than a decade apart. Because I live in the country there tend to be a lot around and it gets so loud outside sometime that even after I've shut my window the noise they create to find mates almost drives me out of my mind. Needless to say I'm not very fond of that bug.
ReplyDeleteAs for the male Willow birds having long tails, the bones of birds are filled with hollows and air sacks so that it's easier for them to fly. The tails are probably very light weight even given the length.
I think Dr. Foerder answered someone's question in class about the carotenoids saying that no, it wouldn't have that affect on humans. I think the closest we get is when eating berries or something similar which just "dyes" our lips or tongue blue or a darker red.
Lol, it's funny the question you bring up at 9. I had a similar thought of how humans seem to be more attracted to an individual when said individual is dating someone else, regardless of being male or female because that interaction seems to occur both ways.
I've always wondered about the seahorses too! I think in class, it was mentioned that they have bigger pouches and thats why they carry the fetal seahorses (I think that's what I heard). #9 is a really goes question that I had never thought of before! I wonder what kind of research could be conducted to find out more!
ReplyDeleteHere's you another question...Are humans the only animal that has sex not only breeding purposes, but just for the simple pleasure of it? We have all seen the crazy dog that running around trying to get busy with everything including your neighbors leg,think this might be a fixed action, but not sure.
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