Biologists use the term “genetic bottleneck” to refer to a period in which population numbers drop dramatically. The name comes from the shape of the graph used to illustrate the phenomenon. Such an event could occur due to disease, lack of food, or rapid climate change. In the recent history of the world, human decimation of species has also led to population bottlenecks. The reduction in genetic diversity that results from a bottleneck can remain for hundreds of generations andRead more
Posts tagged: #BWOM
Big Word of the Month: Biodiversity
This month’s big word is not that obscure or difficult to pronounce but the concept behind it can be a bit large to grasp. Biodiversity is a word and idea that tries to capture the complex relationships among different forms of life. It came into widespread use beginning in the 1980’s in scientific and political circles as an organizing theme in discussions of conservation. The rise of the word coincided with a change of focus for environmental groups from theRead more
Big Word of the Month: Cryptozoology
This month’s Big Word post will allow me to rant about one of my pet peeves while also reporting on some recent discoveries in Biology. The term cryptozoology is rooted in the Greek word “kruptos” which means “hidden”. So cryptozoology literally means the study of hidden life; sounds pretty cool, huh? Unfortunately, folks who call themselves cryptozoologists usually spend there time looking for animals like Big Foots and Loch Ness monsters. Even more unfortuately, major news outlets spend way tooRead more
Big Word: Microclimate
This month’s Big Word of the Month is not really that big. You can probably figure out what it means even if you have never heard it used. A microclimate is simply a small area that has different temperature and/or moisture conditions than the surrounding area. Many factors can contribute to microclimatic conditions within an organism’s habitat. For instance, south-facing hillsides (in the northern hemisphere) receive more solar radiation than nearby north-facing slopes. Therefore, southern exposures tend to be warmerRead more
Big Words of the Month: Alopecia and Depilation
Alopecia and depilation are big words that refer to hair loss. Depliation is the intentional removal of hair using mechanical or chemical means, while alopecia refers to hair loss due to physiological processes. During the spring and summer there is a lot of hair loss going on at the museum . Many wild animals shed out of a winter coat into a sleeker, cooler summer coat. Our red wolves are transitioning from thick coat to a thin coat and canRead more
Big Word of the Month: Poikilotherm
Poikilothermy is one my favorite words in Biology. The first syllable rhymes with “Boy”, the second part is like “key low” and the last part rhymes with “wormy”. This mouthful is the term scientists use for animals with variable body temperatures (poikilos means varied in Greek). You might have heard the term cold-blooded applied to reptiles and fish but decades of research have shown that these animals are more thermally complex than the name implies. Many poikilotherms have a preferredRead more