Zimmer, Carl. "Fast-Paced Evolution in the
Andes." New York Times. New York Times, 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 17
Nov. 2013.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/science/high-above-sea-level-evolutionary-hot-spots.html?ref=science&_r=0
This article was about how the Páramos blanket in the Andes in Venezuela, Ecuador and
Colombia has proven to be one of the most fast paced places for evolution on
earth. Dr. Madriñán, an expert on the Páramos, says that because the climate in
the Páramos is so extreme, plants there need to find ways to adapt and survive,
which causes the fast paced evolution. The Páramos is sometimes cold and
covered with mist, and then the climate quickly changes to hot and sunny. The
plants need to be able to protect themselves from the cold and the heat. One of
the species only found in the Páramos is the Espeletia uribei, a daisy
the size of a tree that has hairs on its flowers to protect it from the sun and
a covering of dead leaves on its stem to keep it warm. According to Dr. Madriñán, the Páramos only started forming
its diverse plant species 2.5 million years ago, and that is a very short time
for all the evolution there to take place.
This article shows us how this event effects humanity because the Páramos is giving us a deeper look into how evolution takes place. This can give us clues as to how evolution happens in other places around the world. Another place where fast paced evolution is taking place is the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin did his famous experiment about evolution with the finches on the island. These “evolution hot-spots” can help us predict new evolution and learn more about evolution around the world.
Overall, this article thoroughly explained how the evolution in the Páramos is happening and why. I would have liked if it gave more examples of other plants evolving in the Páramos and other places around the world where fast paced evolution is taking place.
Maggie's review was very good and very interesting. She did a very good job displaying the information she learned to the reader. She gave enough background information for the reader to understand what the article was about but not too much information to make the reader bored and want to stop reading. She talked about what the main topic was and where this took place. Another thing Maggie did very well was give details from the article and views from scientists. She gave examples of how the daisy protects itself in the climate and how this relates to fast evolution. Lastly Maggie did well was say how this article effects humanity. She explained how this will help us look at evolution around the world and it can help us predict new evolution.
ReplyDeleteAs good as this review was Maggie could have improved a few things. Maggie didn't specify if this fast evolution is bad for the plants. Could the fast evolution cause a faster extinction? I think she could have not only said how it effects humanity but whether it effects anything else in the world severely. Another thing Maggie could have improved was say a few more thoughts she had about the article. All she said was she thought it could have more examples but didn't say whether she liked it overall or not.
I found this article extremely interesting. I never knew that a region of the world could have a faster evolution process than another region. I also was never aware that a climate could be so variable. Be extremely cold at one time and then hot at another is unbelievable. Overall I liked Maggie's review and was fascinated to learn about this.
This article was a very interesting topic, mainly because I have never heard of evolution being faster in one place over another. I liked how Maggie included background information such as where this is taking place and that this fast paced evolution is occurring due to rapid changes in whether. I thought that the example of the Espeletia Uribei was a great way to show how being in this region effects growth, and ho this plant manages to survive. I found it very interesting that it is covered in dead leaves to keep it warm, and the flower is covered with hairs for protection from the sun. Finally, I liked how Maggie talked about another place where fast paced evolution is occurring, and a scientific experiment that was conducted there. This information helps the reader to know that it occurs in other places besides Paramos, and also how it can help predict new evolution, similar to Darwin’s experiment in Galapagos that was briefly discussed.
ReplyDeleteI thought there could have been a little more clarity on a few topic within this review. Maggie stated in the review that this specific plant species began forming 2.5 million years ago, and said that that is considered a short period of time for evolution. I thought it would have been helpful to know what an average time for evolution is and how it differs to have a comparison to something the reader is familiar with. I also thought that Maggie could have said more regarding the overall quality of the article. She neglected to mention whether it was informative of whether the author explained things well or not.
Overall I was very impressed with this choice in topic, and I found it very informative, as well as interesting. I never knew that some places evolved faster than others. I wonder how the evolution where we live compares to other places around the world. I have heard about some places where whether rapidly changes, like when people go mountain climbing, and one minute its warm, but there could also be a blizzard. I found it interesting how an unusual weather pattern such as this affects evolution.
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ReplyDeleteMaggie’s review was great! She did a fabulous job of giving interesting facts and providing detail all at the same time. I like it how she included an experts opinion. She backed her information up with history about the topic. She did a great job in explaining how what is happening effects humanity.
ReplyDeleteI would have liked it if Maggie added more of thoughts into her review. Also I think she should have included the title and author in her review. She should have included what else this fast pace evolution effects, I am sure it isn’t only humans.
I was fascinated by this article. I never really thought or knew that the evolution speed changed in different parts of the world. I also learned how much impact weather patterns have on evolution. Overall Maggie’s review kept me wanting to read more.
Maggie’s review taught me a lot. One thing that she did well was her transitions from one thought into another. Her sentences flowed nicely and were not random. Another thing she did well was that she gave examples of plants that are evolving quickly which gave me more clarification on what she was talking about. Finally, I liked how Maggie said that the fast-paced evolution in the Páramos could teach us about how evolution happens in other places of the world.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I think Maggie could have worked on in her review was she could have put more science into it and told us how exactly the plants adapt. Also, I think she could have told about us more living things that are evolving there and what is happening to them.
Overall, Maggie did a really good job with this review. Something that impressed me was the fact that evolution can happen faster in some places on the earth than others. I did not know that!
Upon reading Maggie’s Summery about Paramos Blanket in the Andes region of South America, I encountered some facts that I barely knew about and they were presented towards Maggie’s way of writing. One thing that Maggie did very well was her transitions from one sentence to the other not making them boring and long. I also really like the outside info she explained. She also did a good job explaining how it would be affect our environment and our human development.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the article was really well explained there were some more details she could add to make it even better. One thing that she could have done is explain more about how science is attached to the subject. Also she could tell us about what plant, animals, etc. lives in the places.
I really think that Maggie overall did a really good job. The way she explains the what’s being summarized. Also how she explains how this ties in with our environment. I really like reading Maggie summaries.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Maggie did a great job reviewing the article “Fast-Paced Evolution in the Andes” by Carl Zimmer. One great aspect about this review was how descriptive the summary of the article was, This allowed me as a reader to understand the man idea of the article very well without having t oread it my self. Another aspect that was well done in this reveiw was how Maggie gave very good reasons for how the artcile’s topic affects us humans, she also does a good job tieng the place that has fast paced evolution with the Galapagos Islands. One last great aspect of this review was how the review its self flowed quite nicely. Because of this i was able to read the review without being bored, allowing me to give the reviwe my undivided attention.
Even though Maggie wrote a very good review of the article “Fast-Paced Evolution in the Andes” there is still room for improvement. One suggestion i have is for Maggie to have written a critique of how well written the article was written, for at the momento no critique can be found in her review. Another suggestion i have for Maggie is to include more examples of how plants in the Páramos have adapted to the changing climate. This would be highly interesting.
Something that greatly impressed me was how in the Páramos there is a tree sized diasy, which i believe is ridiculous. I almost did not belive it as i read, but i am happy to have learned a new piece of information about the plants that are on Earth.
Maggie’s review of the article Fast-Paced Evolution in the Andes was really good. She gave us a lot of details about the article and what is happening in the Andes. I also thought something she did that was helpful was telling us about how the Galápagos islands are also a fast evolving area. Maggie’s review also told us why these spots evolve so fast and that was something that most people would not have included.
ReplyDeleteMaggie’s review could have been made a little better if she had incorporated the title of the article and the name of the author in the review. Maggie’s review also could have been made better if she had been a little clearer on some of the more complex details.
I was not aware of the fact that there are evolution hot-spots around the world where plant species develop and evolve faster because of the climate in those areas.
In this review, in my opinion, Maggie did a very good job in making the transitions from one idea to the next very clear a decisive. This was very helpful because when a review contains a large amount of fact, sometimes the review can become clustered and confusing. This really helped Maggie keep a nice flow to her review. Another aspect of the article Maggie portrayed well was the facts about the Paramos area. She managed to give a good background on climate and culture as well as when it began to form, all in one short paragraph. Finally, Maggie does a very good job in connecting the evolution in the Paramos region to the rest of the world and stating why this article is important.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would have liked Maggie to explain is how this tells us about the evolution process in the rest of the world. Maggie did a good job explaining the factors that lead to the evolution process in the Paramos, but she refrained from mentioning how those factors relate to the rest of the worlds evolution. Another thing I would have liked to know is what else is adapting in the region and how they’re changing to meet their needs. I would have liked it if Maggie had given us an example of a plant’s evolutions over time as well.
One this that I’m curious about is if the heightened evolution rate is due solely to the climate of if there are other factors involved in the evolution such as geography, nutrition, or distance from the sea. Since this article seems to not mention this I will have to look elsewhere for knowledge on this idea.