User:GermanShortHair/sandbox

Article Evaluation: Primitive (phylogenetics)

• All facts in the article relate back to the original title and topic - the definition of the word primitive in biology.
• Article seems neutral - very clear that primitive is only describing the original condition of a trait, not that the trait is less important than what is derived from it.
• This article is mostly just the definition of a word, so there aren't many other views that could be had about the word. However, because the article states that a primitive state does not mean that the trait is evolutionarily beneath a derived trait, they should link to the article Scala Naturae which shows the opposite viewpoint of that thought.
• All citations are cited in the correct format, the links work and the sources relate directly to the topic and support all claims in the article. Some of the sources are old and new ones may be simple to find, but the definition of the word has not changed so the sources are still relevant.
• The first introductory part of the article does not include any sources - this part is the actual definition of the term, so some citations could be useful here. The citations from later in the article seem to come from unbiased, reliable websites and books.
• I did not notice any instances of plagiarism.
• The information seems up to date and unlikely to change, because it is mentioned so frequently (well, the opposite is mentioned)- Scala Naturae could be defined within the article, but is not necessary for reader comprehension.
• The talk page shows that there was a major rewrite because the article did not at first read like a wikipedia article, but more like an essay. It was also almost removed and added wiktionary because there was not enough information to allow for an entire article.
• The article does not have an importance or quality rating, however it is a part of the wiki project :Evolutionary Biology.
• This article explains the concept in a similar way to what we have discussed in class, and what is said in the textbook, but provides a more specific definition.
• I think the article could be expanded, with more examples, and more ways to determine whether a characteristic is derived or primitive included. These additions could help to solidify the understanding or a reader. Also, many synonyms are used interchangeably in the article which make it somewhat difficult to follow, however, they are defined in a chart, so the material is decipherable so it is not a necessary change.

Adding to an Article

I will be adding the term Scala Naturae to the article "Primitive (phylogenetic)" with a definition, and I will be citing our textbook as my source of information. ````````````

Top Three Dissection Choices

My first choice would be to dissect the Skate. I think the shape of them is unique and would love to know how that effects their digestive system. There are articles on wikipedia about several different varieties of Skate that seem to lack some information including Arhynchobatidae. My second choice for a dissection would be the moray eel - I am curious as to how their body is similar to that of the lamprey considering the eel seems to have a double jaw and the lamprey doesn't even have one. An article related to the Moray Eel article that I may enjoy editing is Pharyngeal jaw; I also found that there could be information added to some of the articles about specific species of Moray Eels including Anarchias leucurus. My third choice is a turtle, because I have seen the skeleton of a turtle in lab and it makes me wonder how all of their organs are arranged as well as how it retracts its head into its body.

Week 5: Assigning Gar Contributions

1. Topics
   • There's nothing really explaining how the Gar(fish) fits phylogenetically with other species of fish, and other species in general, so that might be beneficial to add a section about where it came from, from an evolutionary standpoint, as well as what's been derived from it.
     • Looks like it's an Actinopterygii, so include an image of phylogeny (see number 3 below)
   • For the subsection "Distribution", there are no references citing where this information came from. Add references
     • I'll add references (see number 2 and 3 below)
   • Under the subsection "Species", there are so many sites that need reference!! It's hard to tell what is actually believable, because there are so many blanks. Find sources that supplement what is being displayed.
     • I'll find a few references (see number 2 below)
   • I feel like the section "significance to humans" is severely underdeveloped; consider adding more pictures of arrowheads/plate armor
     • I'll link a few sites with some favorable images, I'm not sure about copyright infringement so I won't add the pictures directly, just where they're located (Number 3 below)
     • I read that there's also an industry in gar scale necklaces, going to look into that
       • Adding pictures below (see number 3 below)
       • Some of the sources on the Gar page are really old and may be outdated. There are also some that are in foreign languages and some of the links do not work. Specifically the sources used to claim that some Gar species live in fresh and marine waters.Which of the species reside in fresh water versus the ones that live a marine life?
       • Find sources that may include knew or more relevant information.
       • What advantage does having the swim bladder function as lungs give the Pike? Why did this system develop?
       • Why are Gar eggs toxic to humans? Source only says they are, not why.
2. Articles
   • Distribution (Doctor Velvet)
     • This link showcases an example of how the information in the first sentence of the Distribution subsection might be supplemented.
     • Here is where the second sentence in that subsection can be supplemented.
   • Species
     • There seem to be more extinct species of Gar according to this article
     • I haven't found any supplemental information about any of the extinct species listed in the article, but from poking around a few sites they definitely seem to be a thing. Little to no research has been done on any of the unsupplemented regions
   • Significance to humans (Doctor Velvet- how their distribution affects commercialisation)
     • According to this article, they serve some significance in sport fishing, as well as for bait
   • Morphology and Anatomy (Jac1702)
     • I would add more details in this section related to the swim-bladder being able to be used as lungs as well. This link [1] has some good information on the specifics.
     • The same link above also has good information on the reproduction and development of the gar fish, which I think is important to a
     • Alligator Gar
     • This article has some information that is relevant to the general Gar article, but is not present   

1. Images (GermanShortHair)
   • Found here is a phylogeny of the Actinopterygii in relation to the other species (see bullet point one from [1.]).
     • I don't know about copyrights and whatnot, but this image provides an understanding of its phylogenetic relationship
   • Here is an example of Gar arrowheads that was mentioned in the article (see bullet point four from [1.]).
     • Add the picture(s) found there
   • Here are some cool necklaces that are from Gar scales, available for purchase, if you're into that sort of thing (bullet point five from [1.]).
     • Top picture is the best, the rest are colored differently and appear unnatural
   • [2] Picture of Gar fin names and visual for seeing the differences and shapes between the fins.
2. Bibliography
   1. Photograph by Brian Montague/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Gars, Gar Pictures, Gar Facts - National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/gar/ (accessed Mar 9, 2018).
   2. Yamamoto, K.; Bloch, S.; Vernier, P. Development, Growth & Differentiation 2017, 59 (4), 175–187.
   3. Gars https://primitivefishes.com/gars/ (accessed Mar 9, 2018).
   4. California's Invaders: Gar https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species/Gar (accessed Mar 9, 2018).
   5. Primitive Archer http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=22292.0 (accessed Mar 9, 2018).
   6. The Zen Cart® Team and others. Arrowheads Direct http://arrowheadsdirect.com/gar-fish-scale-jewelry-gar-fish-scale-necklaces-c-61_62.html (accessed Mar 9, 2018).
   7. Rudy, B. 2003. "Lepisosteus osseus," Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 09, 2018. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepisosteus_osseus/
   8. “Gar Species of New York.” NYF, nyfalls.com/wildlife/fish/gar/.
   9. Echavarria, Carlos. Alligator Gar, Atractosteus spatula.https://www.fws.gov/warmsprings/FishHatchery/species/alligatorgar.html Accessed 3/9/18.
   10. Givinsky, S.; T. Meade; D. Paulette and J. Albert 1999. "Lepisosteus oculatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 09, 2018 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepisosteus_oculatus
   11. Fuller, P., 2018, Lepisosteus oculatus Winchell, 1864: U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=756, Revision Date: 4/18/2006, Peer Review Date: 4/1/2016, Access Date: 3/9/2018

Comments from Dr. Schutz:

1. Very good start. You have identified some good gaps and found some potentially good references.

Begin your work for next week by considering the following.

1. Next steps:

• What is a good reference? Some of the primary literature you cite is great. The Animal Diversity Web pages are also a good place to go for ideas and to help you find primary sources. However, the material is not peer-reviewed. That is your gold standard.
• Who will focus on which sections? Put your names (real or Wiki) on the sections of this gameplan that each person will become responsible for.
• See week 2 for links to sample sandboxes.
• How will you integrate each others edits?
• What kinds of images/illustrations will be useful for you to find (see info on the appropriate use of images)/produce and contribute?
• Many images can come directly from the dissections you will do, so think about how you want to approach that. Also, look ahead to week 11. The description for that assignment has numerous links to useful information for the appropriate use of images etc.
• Start drafting some content as you prepare for next week.
• Ask me in lab for your study animal so that you can make a plan
• Make sure all team members complete all training.
• When asking for help (which is great) you will have better outcomes if you ask for specific feedback.

Osquaesitor (talk) 23:52, 11 March 2018 (UTC)

Week 6: Proposed Image additions and Assigning Paragraphs (3-16-18)

I would like to add information and images to the Gar page reguarding the toxicity of Gar Roe. The information should be added to each of the Gar species pages because some of the species have toxic eggs, and the other species have eggs that can be prepared to be eaten safely. I have been unable to find images that show Gar eggs, but I would like to figure out which chemical in the eggs causes the toxicity in some species, take pictures of Gar eggs during the dissection if our group is lucky enough to get a female, and add all of that information to the relative wiki pages. There are several picture of Pike Roe available on Creative Commons, and all of them are being used as food.[3]

Swim Bladder

The gar's swim bladder has been extensively studied to find the mechanics of this organ, as it is used multi-purposely within the fish. Such research has shown that the temperature of the water seems to affect the gar, as they will increase the aerial breathing rate as temperature of the water is raised. Gars can live completely submerged in oxygenated water and remain healthy while also being able to survive in deoxygenated water if allowed access to air. This adaptation can be the result of environmental pressures and behavioral factors.

Anatomy

The gar has paired appendages, including pectoral fins, pelvic fins, while also having an anal fin, caudal fin, and a dorsal fin. I want to add a picture with these terms pointing to the correct anatomical fins on the fish. I found a free domain picture that I will edit to create arrows with corresponding fin name.

(Additions as made by Doctor Velvet)

I've noticed that under the distribution section, there is only information on the distribution of fossilized gar; there is nothing that points out the distribution of gars of today's day and age. My research this week will focus primarily on the modern Gar and its distribution.

1. The Gar can be found primarily on the coasts of the European and African Continents, as far North as the United Kingdom and as far South as Senegal; it can also be found in the temperate waters surrounding the equator in the Mediterranean Sea. In America, its distribution lies mainly in the coastal waters off of Texas and Louisiana, and off the eastern coast of Mexico.
   • I would like to add the images found the above-two sites, but I am unsure if that is allowed due to copyrights; if the material is copyrighted, I would love to edit an image with Photoshop or something that effectively displays that distribution!
2. Bibliography
   1. (see 4 and 5 above)

Peer Review Week 7

Rabbit:

I think this draft is put together really well. There were no unfinished thoughts or grammatical errors that jumped out at me. What types of pictures do you plan to use to emphasize your points? Also, there are many places in this draft that could be linked to another wikipedia page that helps to explain terms that the reader may not know at first glance. For example - you could link Pinnae, and any of the bones mentioned in the legs section as well as the specific muscles mentioned. Also, there is a portion that says rabbits have "muscled hind legs" that give them power and speed, it explains which muscles are used later, but maybe put the specific muscles at the beginning of the paragraph - that suggestion is only a stylistic suggestion but it may help the reader better understand WHY the back legs are so important to the rabbit. The sources you used are reliable and informative.

Skate:

Reproduction: The content is concisely written, informative, and free of any plagiarism from sources provided. It is also free from grammatical and spelling errors. There are a couple more things I would like to know though - how many females to each male during mating? Where are the nursery grounds located? What percentage of the young actually survive? The section is good as is, but some more detail would be great! Anatomy: This section is also well written and mostly free of grammatical errors. I found that some of the sentences I had to read a couple of times before I could understand what was being said. There is a part where you say the placoid scale is composed of the same materials as teeth - maybe link to a teeth wiki article that tells what those components are so the reader gets a better idea of how the two are related? I do agree the previous reviewer that this section should be put before reproduction to provide a better flow of the article. Overall, very good start. I hope you get some good pictures from lab to amplify some of the points you have made!

(Doctor Velvet's Contributions):

Stingray:

• Consider being more concise with the venom paragraph; seems wordy and could be more concise! Consider reading it over and cutting unnecessary words
• In the original article, there are no cites for the reproduction. Consider adding some sources and adding to that section?
• I think that your cites are awesome! Three cites for such a small article, well done.
• I think that adding a picture of the actual stinger would be super beneficial- I have no idea what it looks like.

Amphiuma:

• Be sure to accurately describe they way in which they respirate, supplement this with your dissection!
  • Research does a lot, so you know what to be looking for/at, some preliminary research would be beneficial before the actual dissection.
• The original article has no pictures about the differences in sexes, some photos about the sexual dimorphism would indeed be helpful to include.
• The amount of sources is good, but I'd re-read and re-edit for conciseness. I know it's difficult, but think back to the one-sentence summaries we submitted earlier; the more concise, the better.

Week 9: Peer Review Responses; Plan for Draft 2

Dr. Velvet: For my part, I will include an original picture of Gar distribution, clearly and concisely showing where they are located around the world. This seemed to get good feedback, and there isn't an image in the original Gar wikipedia site, so I feel like it would be a helpful image to include. However, for the explanation part, it was suggested that I go more in-depth, and that the explanation was a little shallow for their distribution (pun intended?). One suggestion was to see if any adaptations had occurred, depending on the locations of the fish. I think this is an interesting approach that I hadn't thought of, and would be super fun to research! I definitely need to do some more research on their specific locations, and utilizing more reliable sources is going to be necessary as well, as was suggested.

GermanShortHair: Most of the feedback on my part, the toxicity, was due to incomplete details. I was able to find many sources that claim Gar eggs are toxic to eat, but none of them had details as to WHY. Most of the websites that made that claim were from fishing magazines and they do not see reliable. I spent several hours researching and looking through research papers and found nothing related to the toxicity of Gar roe, except that it is, in fact toxic. So instead of explaining the mechanism I will just explain that some species have edible eggs and some of them are toxic. The images I found on creative commons will be helpful when showing which species have edible eggs because all of the images are of caviar like food dishes.

Jac1702: As for organization, I think we should arrange it from distribution, to anatomy/functions of fins, then eggs, then swim bladder. In this order I believe it flows better going from general to specific details on the gar. While doing this I will add more tags to other Wikipedia topics, such as the swim bladder for readers to have reference to outside pages. As for images, our gar fish was very difficult to show a good picture of the fins as they were dry and cracking off as we tried to open them up. Because of this, I feel a generic picture might show a better representation of the fins. As for expanding the discussion on the anatomy of the fins I agree that I can expand more on the bones and talk about the evolutionary advantages and comparisons of these appendages while including pictures of our own dissection for the bone section. I really liked the suggestion of comparing our gar with other gar species so I will definitely include more research on that. Secondly, for the swim bladder I agree I can remove the annotative sentence. It's not needed and I can go straight into the facts. I plan on including this section into the gar page and tagging "swim bladder" to the separate post. I'm hoping to use our gar for images, I'm planning on taking them with it inside the body cavity and possibly removing the bladder entirely for individual images. Some peers commented that I should expand more on the research results of the aerial breathing versus aquatic respiration so I think I'll add a sentence to explain the significance of this adaptation.

Comments from Dr. Schutz:

• Great job of organizing your responses and addressing comments. Some suggestions below:
• As you work through your drafts, be sure to use the rubric I provided
• One thing you might examine instead of WHY some of the fish are toxic is to examine the mechanism of toxicity. What sorts of toxins are they and what kinds of effects do they have?---This might be relatively easy since: a. you have a chemist on your team and b. once you find the chemicals that produce the toxicity, there are likely other pages on Wikipedia that discuss effects already and you may be able to link those and simply discuss anything specific to gar eggs.
• swim bladder: So will you be adding that info to the gar page or to the fish anatomy page? Why? Which one will work best?

Week 10 - Draft 2

Jac1702:

Swim Bladder

Research on the swim bladder has shown that the temperature of the water affects the gar's respiration mechanism, as they will increase the aerial breathing rate (breathing air) as temperature of the water is increased. Gars can live completely submerged in oxygenated water without access to air and remain healthy while also being able to survive in deoxygenated water if allowed access to air. This adaptation can be the result of environmental pressures and behavioral factors.

Fin Anatomy

The gar has paired appendages, including pectoral fins, pelvic fins, while also having an anal fin, caudal fin, and a dorsal fin. The bone structures within the fins are important to study as they can show homology throughout the fossil record. Specifically, the pelvic girdle resembles that of other actinopterygians yet still having some of it's own characteristics. Gars have a postcleithrun - which is a bone that is lateral to the scapula, but do not have postpectorals. Proximally to the postcleithrum, the supracleithrum is important as it plays a critical role in opening the gar's jaws. This structure has a unique internal coracoid lamina only present in the Gar species. Proximal to the supracleithrum is the posttemporal bone, which is significantly smaller than other actinopterygians. Gars also have no clavicle bone, although there have been observations of elongated plates within the area.

GermanShortHair

Eggs:

Gar eggs are toxic because of a protein toxin called ichthyotoxins. The protein can be denatured when brought to a temperature of 120 degrees celsius. When cooking roe, the temperature does not typically get that high so the protein stays in tact and causes serious symptoms. The symptoms of an ichthyotoxin poisoning can include headache, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, and many others. It was once thought that the production of the toxin in Gar roe was an evolutionary adaptation to provide protection the the eggs. However, bluegills and channel catfish were fed gar eggs and remained healthy, even though they are the natural predators of the gar eggs. Crayfish were not immune to the toxin and most of the crayfish that ate the roe died. The immunity to the ichthyotoxins in bluegills and catfish suggests that the toxin came about for a reason other than keeping the Gar eggs safe. It may just be a coincidence that the roe is toxic to humans and crayfish.

Doctor Velvet

Distribution

Fossil gars are found in Europe, India, South America, and North America, indicating that in times past, these fish had a wider distribution than they do today. Gars are considered to be a remnant of a group of bony fish that flourished in the Mesozoic, and are most closely related to the bowfin. The earliest gar fossil was found in the Early Cretaceous period, but can now be found primarily on the coasts of the European and African Continents, and as far North as the United Kingdom and as far South as Senegal. It can also be found in the temperate waters surrounding the equator in the Mediterranean Sea. In North America, its distribution lies mainly in the shallow, brackish waters off of Texas and Louisiana, and off the eastern coast of Mexico. A few populations are also present in the Great Lakes region of the United States, living in similar shallow waters.

Week 11: Illustrate an Article: Draft

Map showing Gar Distribution in North America

Lateral view of the Lepisosteidae pectoral girdle

Medial view of the Lepisosteidae pectoral girdle

The image to the right is a contribution from Doctor Velvet

Jac1702:

I added my edited version of a free commons image from Raver Duane of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (I added labels for appropriate fins for readers to reference) and drew my own diagrams of the scapula/pectoral girdle of Lepisosteidae. Once we finish dissecting our gar in lab, we plan on inflating the swim bladder for an image as we believe this will clearly represent the size and respiration capabilities of this organ.

Esox Lucius Image

GermanShortHair

This is a new draft to include on the toxin page, along with the addition to the Gar page.

Ichthyotoxins can be found in Gar eggs and the eggs of several other species’ roe. It can also be found in some species of algae such as Prymnesium parvum. Many toxin producing algal species can be found both in marine and fresh water environments when the algae is in bloom. The toxin is protein based and is poisonous to humans, small mammals, and some fish. An ichthyotoxic poisoning (in humans) can cause symptoms ranging in severity dependent on how much toxin was consumed. The symptoms of an ichthyotoxin poisoning can include headache, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, and many others.

For this I am including a picture of a Gar found on in the public domain portion of wikipedia.

Longnose Gar- a species of fish whose roe contains ichthyotoxins.