The Lorax was one of three films that I watched in preparation for the film nominations, and I have to say it is my personal favourite (although I didn’t end up nominating the film because I felt Don’t Look Up was more related to the course). All three films that I viewed had similar themes- the effects of a capitalist society on the environment, why the environment needs to be saved from human activity, and how greedy corporations affect everyone and everything (all of this is allegorical in the case of Don’t Look Up). In the Lorax, the protagonist Teddy lives in a town with fake vegetation. Not a single real tree exists in the town, and the world outside the town is barren with no trees or plants. SPOILER ALERT: This situation arose because a character called the Once-ler made a product that harvested too many trees and vegetation in a forest (protected by the Lorax) for profit, resulting in pollution and eventually the last tree being cut down (sound familiar?). I felt that this film was relevant to the themes of this course because through our lectures and our talks, we are ultimately not only learning about plant ecology, but also how to preserve all the vegetation as scientists without letting the corporations destroy everything for profit. We are trying to rebuild the world and slow the effects of climate change, if I may be dramatic. The Lorax is very relevant to our feelings of dread over what seems inevitable, but ultimately I have the faith that we can overcome the effects of pollution and deforestation if we pursued the right methods and we work hard as ecologists to save the world. 

Are viruses alive? Are they simply non-living? Is their status simply neither alive nor dead? This question has haunted microbiologists for years, and possibly ever since they were discovered. Viruses contain genetic code (DNA or RNA) much like living things inside a capsid, they can reproduce, and they can insert genetic material into a host cell. However, viruses also cannot replicate without a host cell, as they do not contain the features required to carry out reproduction without usurping the host cell’s equipment. Viruses also have an evolutionary history much like every other living thing on the planet. However, this does not mean that they are considered alive- in that case, even DNA molecules could be considered alive, but they aren’t. Conflicting opinions on this topic is very confusing, and whether viruses are considered alive or not will change depending on the biologist/microbiologist/virologist you are asking. But from what I have read so far, I think that viruses should be considered as live beings simply because of the evidence discovered for their capabilities as living things (the DNA/RNA code, the ability to reproduce albeit within a host cell, and the evolutionary history). The fact of the matter is that there is so much more that scientists still have to learn about viruses, and I believe that the more we discover and learn, the more the opinion against viruses will change and the more likely it is that they will finally be considered as fully living beings. Justice for the virus!

References: 

Emiliani, C. 1993. Extinction and viruses. BioSystems 31: 155-159.

Bhella, D, and Brown, N. 2016. Are Viruses Alive? Microbiology Society: What is Life?

Broeker, F, and Moelling, K. 2019. Viruses and Evolution- Viruses First? A Personal Perspective. Frontiers in Microbiology.

Whenever we write something for school – whether it is a lab report or a literature review – we always have to use the help of literature that is written by other people to back up our own content. However, navigating through the different types of literature sources can be quite the head-scratcher. But worry no more, because I will be walking you through the basic fundamental differences between primary, secondary and tertiary literature. 

Peer-reviewed primary literature is the type of literature that our teachers encourage the most for us to cite in our papers for school. Primary literature always conveys the firsthand, contemporary accounts of an event. This type of literature can be described as the sources that are the closest to the origin of the information. In the world of science, this translates to meaning that primary literature consists of original research where the researchers conducted their own experiments or collected their own data and interpreted the results to answer a research question. The work is also reviewed by experts of the same field before being published in a scientific journal, hence why it is called peer-review. An example of a peer-reviewed journal article is: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.32.081501.114037

On the other hand, secondary literature consists of information that originated elsewhere. Secondary literature conveys a secondhand account of events. They interpret, summarize, analyze and draw conclusions from original work, that is, the work done in primary literature. Secondary literature can be quite similar to primary literature as they both can have similar structures (introduction, methods, discussion and conclusion sections), but the key difference lies in that fact that secondary literature will not be about original research work. Secondary literatures are usually literature reviews and books, such as the eBook: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/invasive-species-what-everyone-needs-to-knowrg

Last but not least is Tertiary literature, which consists of summaries and condensed information that has been derived from primary and secondary literature. Tertiary literature does not contain any additional interpretation or analysis of the information, but rather it expresses the information in a generalized manner usually for education and for aiding in providing more simplified information such as key terms. Tertiary literature are usually textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias such as the wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species

By Fabbiha Bushra

The world of science is filled with successful white men who made important scientific contributions. But there are some women of color who did just the same, such as Carolyn Brooks. Carolyn Brooks is an American microbiologist who is well-known for her research in agricultural productivity, nutrition and immunology. Brooks was born on July 9, 1946. She went to high school at the west side of this town using public transportation during an era when racial segregation was at play. Brooks would always take a seat behind the driver, instead of at the back of the bus as dictated by the segregation laws at the time. She was unaware of these laws, and when the first Civil Rights demonstrations began in Richmond, she realized that she had been an activist without even knowing it. Brooks attended Tuskegee Institute (University) in Alabama to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in microbiology. She went on to Ohio State University to earn a PhD. Her doctoral research was about how T cells destroy the malaria parasite Plasmodium. Additionally, she went on to Kentucky State University to study the nutritional needs of the elderly. During her study, she discovered a correlation between trace amounts of minerals in patients’ hair and their diets, which was an important discovery in understanding how a poor diet affects the body and causes medical problems. In 1981, Brooks became a mentor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) and after 13 years, she became the dean of the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences and the research director of the 1890 Lands-Grant Programs. Brooks’ research at UMES was about agricultural productivity. She researched the increase in plant resistance against predators through methods such as the establishment of microbial insecticides and the utilization of agricultural practices such as the use of poultry litter, calf weaning, composting and mutualistic relationships with microbes. Brooks traveled to Togo and Senegal in West Africa between the years 1984 and 1985 to research methods that increase the productivity of crops such as the African groundnut. This was an important contribution, as food productivity is a significant challenge in Africa. The life of Carolyn Brooks and her accomplishments serve as an amazing source of inspiration for women and for people of color in the world of science, particularly in biology. 

By Fabbiha Bushra

Carl Linnaeus is one of the most famous historical figures in the world of science, and particularly in ecology. This is because he made a very important contribution – the development of the binomial nomenclature system of naming all species that is used even today. People know him to be a successful man, but little is known about how he faced financial challenges early in life, despite which he was driven to succeed in science. Carl Linnaeus was born in Sweden on May 23, 1707 and died on January 10, 1778. Linnaeus began studying botany and medicine at Lund University in 1727, but transferred to Uppsala University in the next year. He was not in the best financial situation, so he could not afford to attend more than a few lectures in university. Between the years 1730 and 1732, he funded himself by teaching botany in the garden of the same university he was attending. In 1732, Linnaeus was able to secure himself a position in a research expedition to Lapland through his university. While visiting a friend in Falun, Sweden, he became acquainted with the governor who funded his second research expedition to Lapland. Furthermore, Linnaeus was able to receive an annual stipend that covered medical school expenses in the Netherlands from the royal inspector of the Falun copper mine who was highly impressed by Linnaeus’ botanical and mineralogical abilities. The royal inspector was the father of a close friend of Linnaeus’ known as Claes Solberg, who Linnaeus agreed to take on with him on his trip to the Netherlands  and act as his academic mentor. Linnaeus may have been broke, but he was clearly very determined and passionate about science, which drove him to be quite resourceful. His early life serves as a reminder that challenges, whether they be financial or not, will always persist, but if you are motivated and relentless and have the resourcefulness, you can go a long way in the world of science. 

By Fabbiha Bushra

The mutualistic relationships grasses have with fungal endophytes is quite an exciting story. Throughout history, all organisms have evolved to counter limiting factors in order to maximize their productivity and fitness, including grasses. The two main factors that limit the fitness of grasses are herbivores that remove the important photosynthetic tissue and stressful environmental conditions such as low soil moisture and high temperature. A strategy that grasses have adopted to battle these limiting conditions is by forming mutualistic relationships with fungi. As strange as it may sound, there are indeed very tiny, tiny fungi that reside within the bodies of grasses! Now that’s something to think about everytime you see some inconspicuous grass growing on the sidewalk. These fungi are known as endophytes, which is a fancy name for fungi that live inside of host plants. Endophytes happily reside within the intercellular spaces of host plants from where they absorb nutrients. There is a metabolic cost associated with the grasses hosting these fungi guests inside their bodies and of course the grasses do not undertake this costly task for free, or they would have died off and gone extinct! The grasses receive a number of benefits from the fungal endophytes such as the production of toxins to deter herbivores, tolerance towards drought conditions, promoting seed germination and seedling growth, increasing biomass, and defense against pathogens. While these fungal endophytes are a blessing for the grasses, the same cannot be said for the animals that feed on the grasses. The toxins that are produced can severely reduce the fitness of herbivory animals such as cows. The toxins can cause symptoms such as fescue foot, fat necrosis and ailments of fescue toxicosis. But here’s when another twist comes into this story. Just as the grasses evolved to have the endophytes to counter the herbivores, some herbivores evolved to counter the fungi in the grasses. The saliva of some herbivores can actually inhibit the growth of the endophytes and its release of the toxins! These complex and deep interactions between grasses and fungal endophytes and herbivores tells a very interesting ecological story about how they have evolved to accommodate each other and survive as best they can. 

By Fabbiha Bushra

Sustainable Agriculture refers to a system of food production where energy and water are conserved, resources are efficiently utilized, harmful chemicals are not used, and the biodiversity and health of the environment are protected. One of the most fundamental principles of sustainable agriculture is that it must work towards providing food security to people. Providing food security involves enabling people to have affordability and accessibility to food that not only fulfills their daily total calorie needs, but their daily nutritional needs as well. Healthy diets and proper micro-nutrient intakes are essential for people’s long-term health and in preventing malnutrition and stunted development in children. Another key principle of sustainable agriculture is that it aims to help the environment rather than damage it as most conventional agricultural practices usually do. The ways that sustainable agriculture helps the environment are through decreasing runoff, conserving water, preventing the pollution of lakes and rivers, recycling nutrients in the farm to help the soil’s health, promoting carbon sequestration by soils and perennial vegetation, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, decreasing the usage of harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides, establishing habitats for pollinators and other beneficial insects, increasing energy efficiency of farming operations and decreasing waste, and enhancing the well-being of farm animals while providing space for coexistence with native wildlife.

There are many methods of sustainable agriculture, and three of these methods are permaculture, biodynamic farming and urban agriculture. Permaculture is a design system that enables humans and nature to coexist in harmony through the application of principles that are found in the natural world in human settlements. Using permaculture for food production involves replicating how plants in the natural ecosystems function. Some examples of permaculture design techniques are sheet mulching, herb spirals, keyhole and mandala gardens and hugelkultur garden beds. Biodynamic farming is a holistic food production system where a farm is managed as one living entity where all of the farm’s components are interconnected and they all support each other’s well-being. The aim is to make the farm into a resilient ecosystem that has a wide biodiversity of plants, animals and beneficial insects. The health and fertility of the soil are enhanced through utilizing animal manure from the farm and composting, planting cover crops and rotating complementary crops. Inputs from outside, such as chemical fertilizers, are not used. Urban agriculture involves growing food in cities and urban areas rather than rural areas. Urban areas have the higher demand for food and this is expected to grow as more and more people are expected to live in cities. Urban agriculture will increase accessibility and affordability of food, and will also decrease pollution caused by transportation. Some examples of urban agricultural practices include using backyard farms and gardens, community gardens, rooftop farms, urban greenhouses and indoor hydroponic farms. Besides these three methods, there are many other ways sustainable agriculture can be done. If implemented, sustainable agricultural practices can go a long way to enable food security and environmental protection.

By Fabbiha Bushra

Coronavirus, also known as the Covid-19 disease is an infectious disease, that can spread from one person to another through the means of coughing, or being in contact with surfaces infected with the virus. Symptoms of Covid-19 include experiencing fever, chill and even loss of smell. The disease is caused by the virus Sars-Cov-2 and is known to rapidly spread across countries around the globe. Some methods of prevention include social distancing from other people outside, wearing a mask when in public settings, as well as frequently sanitizing hands and personal belonging to get rid of germs. Covid-19 severely impacted me and the lives of many students at my university. It first became severe around March 2020 and a quarantine was initiated to protect the students from getting infected. They had to switch to online methods of learning and also learn and study in isolation from other peers. It is safe to say that this disease was one of the most severe in history, and has impacted many lives around us. Here is a short, multiple-choice quiz, to test your knowledge about the coronavirus disease.

Q 1 What are the possible symptoms of coronavirus disease?

1. Having a fever
2. Experiencing a loss of smell
3. Experiencing shortness of breath
4. All of the above are possible symptoms of the coronavirus disease

Q 2 Sars-Cov-2 is a virus, that causes the disease known as Covid-19. This disease is a type of:

a) Leg disease

b) Genetic disease

c) Respiratory Disease

d) None of the above

Q 3 What minimum percentage of alcohol should an effective hand sanitizer have, in order to be able to exterminate covid-19 germs?

1. 50%
2. 80%
3. 35%
4. 65%

Q 4  Which of the following is not a vaccine, that should be received in order to help build immunity against the coronavirus disease?

1. SARS
2. AstraZeneca
3. Pfizer
4. Moderna

Q 5 Which of the following are considered variants of Sars-Cov-2, that the public should be aware of?

1. Alpha and Beta
2. Cyclo and Meta
3. Delta and Omicron
4. A and C

Answers: 1.d 2.c 3.b 4.a 5.d

Northern Ireland Executive, OGL v1.0OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Reference: Hua, & Shaw, R. (2020). Corona Virus (COVID-19) “Infodemic” and Emerging Issues through a Data Lens: The Case of China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 2309–. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072309

Upon reading the journal article by Tansley,there’s a few things that I noticed that were missing from the article. Firstly, the journal article seems to have no format in terms of how sections are organized. In the present day, our professors give us a standardized outline, to guide us on how to construct a report or article. This outline includes sections such as abstract, introduction, methods, results, conclusion. The sections are written in this order in a journal article. Students are also provided with a rubric, this highlights the important topics that should be discussed in each section. If this rubric is not followed, then the student risks losing marks. Furthermore, the Tansley journal article included no references in the paper. In university, we are taught about the importance of citing our work and giving credit to the authors whose information we have used. I feel that it is essential to cite the references in journal articles, as it also ensures credibility and allows for replication of the experiment.

Moreover, the Tansley journal article also included no statistics. This was because t-tests like fisher t-test was not invented back in 1917. During the present day, students and researchers need to include statistical analysis in their papers. I feel that this is quite necessary, as it ensures that results are valid and allows one to accurately analyze data. Lastly, the article presented their results section in a point-form manner. This isn’t a good way tp present information, as it reads more like an abstract or a summary would read. This is very different from papers today, where the results section is organized in paragraphs. It is also supplemented by graphs and tables to convey information in a more organized manner.

Tansley, A. G. 1917. On competition between Galium saxatile and Galium sylvestre on different types of soil. Journal of Ecology. 5:173-179 (jstor)

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