Sunday, February 13, 2011

Animal Adaptation Project Part 3

The trait that I’m going to build on is camouflage. If seahorses have very efficient coloration camouflage it won’t be seen from predators, ensuring its survival and reproduction.

1.
I would make the hedgehog seahorse live in artificial aquatic bed where there is coral and seaweed. I would mutate the genes of the seahorse with the chameleon’s coloration adaptation. This would make the seahorse regenerate chromatophore cells. Chromatophore cells are pigments in the cells containing light-reflecting cells. I would be able to do this because a chameleon and seahorse’s outer layer (skin) isn’t a dead tissue, and both organisms have muscles under their skin. Other organisms have dead tissue in feathers, furs, and human fingernail. Chameleons have cell signaling on their chromatophore cells from hormones controlled by physiological disturbances (mood, temperature, and stress) so that the chromatophore cells increase or decrease in size which causes the cells to blend with the color of the surrounding. Chromatophore cells are responsible for generating eye color during embryonic development. This would mean that the seahorse would be able to reproduce with this dominant genetic engineered trait. After the experiment we would test it by placing an oval plastic shell on the seahorse where there is enough water to extract oxygen from, and place large crabs that can live in the same climate to try and target the seahorse. This will physiologically send messages to the chromatophore cells, and they will increase size changing the color of the seahorse so that it blends with its surroundings. This genetic engineered trait could also be used as an offensive trait because chromatophore can make the colors darken or lighten therefore making a viscous kill to their targets.

2.

 I chose this trait because the number one reasons seahorses are being killed are because they’re seen too easily, and they’re slow. I had the option to choose both of these, so I chose camouflage because it’s cooler when seen.

3.

The time it takes to complete 100 generation depends on when it reaches sexual maturity. For hedgehog seahorses there are types.

Size:
Small 7-8cm
Medium 8-10cm
Large 10-12cm
Xlarge 12-15cm

Sexual Maturity 
6-15 months for size S,
15-24 months for size M,
24-26 months for size L, and XL


Size Small: 6-15 months                x 100 = 600-1500 =                 50 years- 125 years
Size Medium: 15-24 months        x 100 = 1500-2400 =               125 years – 200 years
Size Large: 24-26 months             x 100 = 2400-2600 =               200 years – 217 years
Size Xlarge: 24-26                            x 100 = 2400-2600 =              200 years – 217 years

Therefore a hedgehog seahorse would need to be measured first to know how much a generation would be.

4.
The hedgehog seahorse shape would look the same as before but this time it will have chromatophore cells, so it color would vary like a chameleons. I could have sink textures as the ones shown below, compared to the original.

Original 


These original skin textures of hedgehog seahorses are different, because of the bright light the camera used to take the pictures. Over all they look similar to the first snapshot shown.

Transgenic skin




These skin textures could be the outcome of transgenic hedgehog seahorses.

The differences are that the transgenic skin have bumps on them. There could be more if the experiment was to work, because the hedgehog seahorse could blend to its surrounding and have colors like coral, sand, and seaweed.


References

Information from these sites


Images from these sites

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Animal Adaptations Part 2

Animal Adaptations project part 2

1.
Japanese seahorse -Hippocampus mohnikei: This Japanese seahorse reaches a maximum length of 8 cm. The Japanese seahorse’s colour is usually dark brown, has a long tail, and flattened spines. It lives near the seas of japan as written in the name.


The Dwarf seahorse - Hippocampus zosterae: This seahorse is found in the Bahamas and the US. Its habitat is aquatic beds, and it’s threatened by habitat loss. It is the slowest fish in the world traveling at about 152 cm per hour, according to Guinness world records.

2.
The general habitat of the Hedgehog seahorse are aquatic beds, usualy because some light can reach them. The Hedgehog seahorse has a narrow niche because it depends on very few resources like Mysis, and small shrimp.
3.
The reason why Hedgehog seahorses are endangered is that there is an increasing population of predators such as penguins, mantees and crabs. Penguins have been increasing because there are less whale and a decreasing population of seals. Whale and seals are both hunted over the last decade. Less than 2 year ago the European uninon started banning seal products which have statistically shown that killing number of seals has went from 300,000 a year to 60,000. This was made to regulate seal population. Mantees population has been slowly increasing because there are now more search teams to save mantees such as "Save the Mantees Club". Crabs population have increased over the last 5 years because Virgina and Maryland have band crab fishing. After this banning there has been an increase of 60% population for Cheaspeake Bay's crab. Hedgehog seahorses are also endangered because there are more search for these seahorses to know more about them, and that some areas in China hunt seahorses to eat them on skewers.
4.
If the Hedgehog seahorses went extinct there would be a slight increase in Mysis, and shrimp. There also could be a very little decrease to penguins, mantees, and crabs. The other similar seahorse species living in the same area wouldn’t have to compete as much as they would use to.
5.
A possible zoo habitat for the hedgehog seahorse could be the Calgary zoo. The Calgary zoo could keep the hedgehog seahorse in a artifical aquatic bed with decoration and corals so that it feels in its habitat. The artifical aquatic bed could also have artifical waves so that the seahorse thinks it's getting stromy or windy. They could have filter system to clean the water while leaving the same distribution of seasalt. Food can be given to it by automatic feeders. Calgary zoo keeps lots of protection for its species and can make limitations to viewers if it’s to improve the species condition - if it's getting scared or feels violated. Another possible location could be the London zoo as they too keep lots of protection for their animals and species and can buy the correct material for the structure of the hedgehog seahorses habitat.

Refrences

Information from these sources


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_seahorse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_seahorse
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_the_population_of_seals_decreasing
http://www.hsus.org/protectseals.html
http://www.physorg.com/news190528199.html

Pictures from these sources

http://www.starfish.ch/photos/fishes-Fische/seahorses-Seepferdchen/Hippocampus-mohnikei1.jpgmohnikei1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Hippocampuszosterae.jpg



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Hedgehog Seahorse - Hippocampus Spinosissimus

Structural Adaptations


- They have long tails that allow them to wrap around seaweed and coral, to hang on when there is stormy weather, or when wave currents rise.

 
- They have a swim bladder that lets them control its buoyancy.

Number 5 is the swim bladder


- They have tube mouths so they can suck up small living food like Mysis. (Type of organism that seahorse eat)




- They have eyes on the sides of the head which work independently, so they can see predators from behind while looking at a good camouflaging spot at the same time without moving its body.




Behavioral Adaptations


- Camouflaging from predators against similar backgrounds near its habitat.


- Being able to release pheromones (a type of chemical) to find a mate.

- Female seahorses deposit fertilized eggs into a males pouch, and male seahorses carry those in their belly and the female starts courtship with his tail and the female's tail entertwined, making various dances. It usually lasts for 12 hours and more. After, the eggs would hatch in about ten days to six weeks depending on the conditions of water. (If the water is dirty, it might take more time.)


Hedgehog seahorse heavily pregnant


- Female seahorses can start daily courtship to show its loyalty to the male as he takes the eggs.

Refrences:

Images from these sources

http://www.daveharasti.com/Seahorses/Hippocampus_spinosissimus/index.html
http://www.arkive.org/hedgehog-seahorse/hippocampus-spinosissimus/
http://cdn.wn.com/ph/img/05/82/051c11be6d8b7cf6d5447bd46768-grande.jpg
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/breakthroughs/photos/W07R01d.jpg
http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/search/pro.phpall_words=hedgehog+seahorse&x=0&y=0
http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/thumb/2/2b/PotbellySeahorse_TNAquarium.jpg/200px-PotbellySeahorse_TNAquarium.jpg

Information from these sources

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=25974
http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/10084/0
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071015082059AAkDn6a
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070810023741AAp5q3w
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/breakthroughs/break_rj_wi07.php
http://www.aquarium.org/seahorses/faq_reproduce.htm