Everyday Evolution, Evolution Every Day

By: Kalyani Twyman, Stella Martinelli, Devin Kiley, and Joe Monteiro (Stonehill College, BIO323: Evolution, Spring 2020)

This study aimed to investigate the morphological differences, or the differences in the form and structure of an organism, in three closely related dolphin species within the context of geography. The three species that were investigated were Delphinus delphis,the short-beaked common dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, the striped dolphin, and Tursiops truncatus, the bottlenose dolphin. These dolphins all belong to the same dolphin subfamily, Delphininae, and are all widely distributed. They can be found in both the tropical and temperate waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and in most of the world’s seas, including the Mediterranean. This study investigated the morphological differences in the dolphin’s mandible, or its jaw, across three species and a geographic gradient. This geographic gradient was from the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean. These two bodies of water are very different: the North Atlantic has dense, cold water that is characterized by low salinity, and the Mediterranean has warm water that is characterized by high salinity and variability in both ocean productivity and seabed structure. Previous studies have looked at both genetic and morphological differences in the three species within this area and have found significant differences when comparing Atlantic to Mediterranean dolphins within their species. This study aims to test two main hypotheses: (1) the three dolphin species show significant differences in the structure of the mandible when comparing organisms from the Mediterranean versus the Atlantic, and (2) these morphological variations follow a similar pattern across the discrete geographic areas in the three species. The scientists hypothesized that the three species of dolphins have experienced the same pressures from the outside environment in each of the distinct geographic locations and have evolved similarly. 

By: Wafae El-Arar, Brandon Haffner, Grace Pickering, and Andrew Williams (Stonehill College, BIO323: Evolution, Spring 2020)

Due to rising sea water temperatures, a life-sustaining ecosystem in our oceans is under threat. Coral reefs are dying at a daunting rate, and climate change threatens many species that rely on the reefs. The coral species that are the architects of the reefs, such as Astreopora, or star coral, and Acropora, or stony coral, are some of many under threat. Researchers Yafei Mao and Noriyuki Satoh have been studying these species in order to determine their evolutionary history, and how more information on their evolutionary history can help to better understand coral reef biodiversity and support conservation efforts.  

By: Kelsey DaSilva, Lauren Quintiliani, Cara Reynolds, and Mia Romano (Stonehill College, BIO323: Evolution, Spring 2020)

Welcome to the blog “What’s All the Buzz About,” serving you your daily buzz so prepare to be(e) amazed. This article examined honey bee queens of the species scientifically known as Apis mellifera. The common name for the species is western honey bee, and it is the most common honey bee species in the world. These bees are social insects, which means they exhibit a high level of societal organization. This is seen in their overlapping generations within a colony of adults, division of labor, and in the way broods, or groups of bees, work together. These characteristics make honey bees a model organism for studying social evolution. The article aimed to explore differences in observed egg size and the cause of egg size variation. Plasticity plays a large role here and is defined as the ability of an organism to be flexible and to change in various aspects based on factors in their environment. Plasticity occurs in organisms for evolutionary beneficial reasons. Understanding plasticity and variability in genes, specifically seen in the egg size of honey bees, is important because it serves as a model to understand life on earth, it can increase fitness, generate novelty, and facilitate evolution. This article helps to further understand evolution in a social context and provides a practical application of plasticity.