VDA#7

1. What is the benefit of checking feces (poop, scat, dung, droppings) for hormones versus checking the blood of the animal? The benefit of checking feces because it contains important information about the animal’s travels, diet and health.Where as the checking the blood of the animal only has information about ancestory or how the body functions.

2. What four things can you learn from an organism's droppings?

you can learn about animal’s travels, diet, health and when an animal poops, the droppings contain cells from the creature’s own digestive tract. Those cells contain DNA, a molecule unique to each animal.

3. What hormone is produced when some animals are stressed or starving?

The hormone is called glicocorticoid (GLU ko KOR ti koid).

4. What did the researchers conclude contributed to the higher stress in orcas and how did the scientists come to that conclusion? When the number of Chinook salmon, a favorite food, dropped, GC levels in the orca scat rose. The scientist concluded this because in  August, there were plenty of fish for the whales to eat  Around that time, GC levels in the whale poop dropped to their lowest levels.

5.  Give two reasons why dung beetles climb atop the balls of dung.

An individual beetle rolls the dung to where it can eat in peace and they also climb atop their balls of dumg  to keep their feet cool when its hot .

6.  What is the relationship between the Kakapo and the Hades flowers?  In your answer, be sure to include how each species benefits the other. The flower fed the bird, the bird probably also helped the flower. Kakapos have whiskerlike feathers just right for picking up pollen when they feed on a Hades blossom. When the parrots transferred that pollen from flower to flower, it would have pollinated the plant.  kakapos could help the Hades flower thrive again.

7. Why is the Hades flower called "Hades" flower?
This flower was memes after the Greek god, Hades, 'god of the underworld'. It was named after him because this flower grows underground.