Co-evolution of rattlesnakes and squirrels

Select one of the following three topics for your primary post. In a primary post of at least 125 words, address the issues listed in the instructions. Also, make a substantive reply to a fellow student on any subject.

(1) Co-evolution of rattlesnakes and squirrels.Read at least one of the following articles (Crane, 2016) and/or (Kaplan, 2016). Please address the following questions: (a) How do squirrels adapt to rattlesnake venom? (b) How do rattlesnakes adapt to squirrel’s defenses against rattlesnake venom? (c) What do the results of this research tell us about evolution?

(2) Climate change and Bergmann’s rule. View Dr. Cox’s video on climate change and Bergman’s rule (10 minutes) in the Instructor Insights area. Then, address the following issues: (a) Describe three things you learned from the video. (b) Explain what type of evidence you would accept as evidence of genetic evolution in response to changing climate conditions.

(3) Into Thin Air. Watch Dr. Cox’s video entitled “Into Thin Air” (5.5 minutes). Address the discussion question he poses in the last minute of the video.

REFERENCES:

Cox, J. F. (2016, June 5). Climate change and Bergmann’s rule. [Video]. Retrieved from Instructor Insights in this course (in Week 7).

Cox, J. F. (2017, November 13) Into thin air. [Video]. Retrieved from Instructor Insights in this course (in Week 7).

Crane, M. (2016, May 19). How is rattlesnake venom like fine wine? Both have regional varieties. Retrieved from http://news.osu.edu/news/2016/05/19/snakes-vs.-squirrels

Kaplan, S. (2016a, May 20). Snake venom evolved to kill specific squirrels with shocking precision. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/20/snake-venom-evolved-to-kill-specific-squirrels-with-shocking-precision/