Module 1; Lecture 5, evolution and you Flashcards
Symbiosis
Relationships that have evolved between individuals
There are how many categories of symbiosis? name them
3 ( that we will talk about)
1. Parasitism
2.Commensalism
3.Mutualism and Co-evolution
What is parasitism?
A relationship between individuals where one individual benefits (parasite) to the harm of the other ( host) Examples:
1. Parasitic wasps who lay their eggs inside of caterpillars, caterpillar dies but it serves as a nice home for the offspring of the wasps
2. Particular parasites that live inside the mouth of fish
3. tics
4. bedbugs
5. mosquitos
6. a crazy example ( video example) are snails who eat a parasite turning them into a zombie, parasite take over brain and all components, snails become possessed. Now snails look like maggots the favourite food of birds, the bird attacks and the parasite attacks. life cycle of parasite in snails never end because the other snails feed on bird poop which is full of parasites.
Examples of Parasitism?
- Parasitic wasps who lay their eggs inside of caterpillars, caterpillar dies but it serves as a nice home for the offspring of the wasps
- Particular parasites that live inside the mouth of fish
- tics
- bedbugs
- mosquitos
6.
What is commensalism
A relationship between individuals where one individual benefits and the other is unaffected.
Examples of commensalism?
- Sharks are often surrounded by other fish that will eat what the shark doesn’t finish but the shark isn’t bothered by them necessarily.
- Similarly, Polar bears might be followed by Arctic foxes eating the left overs
Mutualism and Co-evolution
A relationship between individuals ( usually from different species) where both individuals benefit.
Examples mutualism and co-evolution
1.Hummingbird and flowers / bees and flowers
2.The relationship between humans and bacteria.
Microbiome
The totality of microbes in an environment ( us humans can be included as the environment)
How many different species per person? Forearm/behind the ear?
- On human skin, close to 200 different species per person
- 44 on forearm
- 19 behind the ear
- even more species in the gut/intestines
How many enterotypes are in humans and apes ?
3 enterotypes in humans and apes ( don’t need to remember the group names)
How are the enterotypes defined?
These are defined by the dominant bacteria type
Why mutualism and not parasitism ?
turns out that bacteria is super useful for us humans
Bacteria has an influence on what?
1.Metabolism
2.Physiology
3.Maturation of the immune system
4.Energy balance
5.Susceptibility to disease
6. Behavior
How much more food do mice living in sterile environments need to consume?
They will need to consume 30% more food in order to get sufficient calories.
Why do mice eat less in the wild?
Because they would contract gut bacteria, those bacterias help with digestion (pulling out more nutrients out of the food), so the mice don’t have to eat as much because they can get the same out of less.
When do we start acquiring bacteria?
Babies begin acquiring bacteria in the Utero, continuing to gain bacteria over the first few years of life.
TRUE OR FALSE; THE GUT CAN BE REPOPULATED
TRUE, The gut can be repopulated ( For example, after an illness, stomach flu for example) by the appendix.
How did darwin explain the appendix
Darwin described as something not selected for or against but acquired by common descent ; just kept getting passed down from generation to generation for reasons that he couldn’t explain.
What does the appendix do?
Likely evolved to repopulate the gut with “Good” bacteria.
How many times does the appendix like structure seem to have evolved?
2 independent times; An appendix-like structure seems to have evolved at least two independent times**
1.Once in marsupials Tree shrews Lemurs
2. Once in the ancestor to rodents and primates (then lost in tree shrews and lemurs
Primate evolution and appendix
During primate evolution:
–Individuals lived in low density social groups
–Individuals occasionally alone
–Could be useful to have a reservoir of bacteria in case of illness because not always guaranteed that you could get more
What has Urbanization resulted in?
-Urbanization has resulted in greater probability of encountering bacteria.
-sanitation/hygiene issues
- ex; increased population density ( like montreal before and now)