VIDEO QUESTIONS - Movie Review Example

BSC1005 Fall (Term ____________________________ Lecture Time: _________________ _________ Evolutionary Arms Race (go to YouTube and look for Evolutionary Arms Race PBS 57 Min.) Video Questions1. What is co-evolution? – It is the process of change in a living biological object (animal, plant, etc.) triggered by a change in another related biological object. Each party exerts pressure on the other to somehow evolve, such as between a predator and prey or between a host and a parasitic organism.

It is in effect a feedback mechanism. 2. Why has the newt developed a level of toxicity much higher than that necessary to kill most predators? What selective pressure is the newt exposed to? - A newt is engaged in escalation of evolutionary change against its lone predator which is the common garter snake. This species of snake is not killed by the high level of toxicity in the newt’s skin so the newt has to evolve and increasing its own toxicity to finally be also able to kill the garter snake which has developed a unique resistance to its poison, unlike what a newt does with its other predators. 3. What is the trade-off for the snake in developing greater resistance to toxicity?

- The snake is temporarily paralyzed or slowed down for a few minutes after eating a newt but does not die. The snake moves slower as a trade-off for developing a higher resistance but then becomes more vulnerable to its own set of predators because it cannot move fast enough to get away.4. Since the dawn of civilization what is human’s only predator? - Man’s only predators are the microorganisms which cause disease and consume the human body as food from the inside. 5. Why are antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria so prevalent in prisons?

The drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis were of low quality and in inadequate amount or the regimen was not followed strictly so the TB microorganisms are not killed off entirely and started to evolve into new strains or variants or hybrids which were more resistant to antibiotics.6. How can evolution domesticate a disease? – Misuse, overuse, and widespread use of antibiotics had effectively made many disease-causing microorganisms seen in the world today to become highly-resistant.

But evolution can also domesticate a disease by making it less virulent by reducing its level of toxicity through some means, such as making its spread easier. 7. What does mutualistic symbiosis mean? Give an example. Mutualistic symbiosis means different species of animals or living organisms living together which benefit them both which is opposite to the usual evolutionary picture of constant competition or the so-called biological arms-race. A group (a type of fish) is cleaned by a tiny shrimp of its numerous parasites on its skin. 8. Describe the relation among allergies and asthma among children of farmers and non-farmer.

– Children who lived on farms and in contact with farm animals have developed sort of a natural immunity against allergies and asthma (which are in turn the human body’s over-response to a perceived biological threat). Children who lived on farms and especially those who go to the barns at an early age were not susceptible to asthma and allergies. However, children of non-farmers did not develop this immunity as they lived on antiseptic or overly-clean surroundings.Work CitedPublic Broadcasting Service.

The Evolutionary Arms Race. YouTube, n.d. Web. 28 June 2014. .