Blog Post Module 9: Reflection Prompt

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 There are so many different strange organisms on earth! We are surrounded by a changing world and it's interesting to look at some of the evolutionary traits that have taken off and become a part of a species way of survival. There are many different organisms that fascinate me but the one that has always stuck out is the yeti crab. The crab lives in the most horrific environments (thermal vents reaching 720 degrees Fahrenheit) and doesn't use vision. The thermal vents are near Antarctica but the crabs have adapted to live at extreme temperatures. The white coloring and hair on their legs allowed them to survive, they have adapted to survive in freezing temperatures and boiling waters. The hairs on their legs attract bacteria and create an ecological system for them to feed on. The adaptions have allowed it to become self-sufficient on the harsh seafloor and survive to reproduce. The females are able to withstand more extreme temperatures and they venture out to the cold waters to lay eggs with less sulfur in the water so offspring can survive. Often times though, the females do not make it back because of starvation. There have been hypothesises about larger crabs having a better chance of survival but in many cases, the smaller females were superior overall. The yeti crabs were a more recent discovery and unfortunately, it is hard to test their species due to the fact they are on the seafloor at extreme temperatures but one could explore the adaptive function of traits in many ways. There could be studies regarding their hair because that is what is thought to keep them alive. One could study if longer or shorter hair is ideal. Or if leg length makes a difference. In addition, water temperatures could be studied more to see what traits are best for survival in extreme colds and hots. Overall, there are so many different studies one could run to see the adaptive traits in the yeti crabs to see what mating traits and survival traits are needed. 








Comments

  1. Haley BurnsOctober 26, 2021 at 9:57 AM

    WOAH! Super cool choice! I also chose an animal that can live in horrific conditions. Why do you think the females can live in harsher conditions? I think they are kind of cute with their hairy legs!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Evolution: Haley JonesOctober 26, 2021 at 10:13 AM

    Hi Madison,
    This is a really interesting organism that I have never heard of before! It is kind of crazy to me that their hair is used to attract their food to them so that they dont have to go looking for it. It is also really interesting to hear that they can survive in two completely different extreme environments. I would also be curious to see how hair length alters their ability to obtain food.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emily DavorenOctober 26, 2021 at 10:34 AM

    What evolutionary advantages do you think are conferred by a smaller size for females? Also I think it is so cool that they actually have a bacterial ecosystem in their fur that they can feed on. Its like having a buffet with you wherever you go haha. Super fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jenna ThompsonOctober 29, 2021 at 6:29 PM

    I also chose a super weird animal for my post, i did the blobfish! It's fun to see why and how these weird animals are able to withstand such extreme conditions.

    ReplyDelete

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