It has been a teeter-totter few weeks for me and technology. I ruined my laptop a couple weeks ago by throwing my morning cereal all over it. I then got a copy of Windows 7 from the University to reformat the hard drive of my desktop (which had been rendered out of commission due to virus'). My desktop now works just fine, and that computer is where I write this message from.
Today I installed Arc GIS on my PC and began working on a side project for the Sutton Avian Research Center. This is actually the beginning of an exciting time for me and my career as I plan on publishing several papers over the next 6 months or so. The work I am doing for the Sutton Center is with White-tailed Ptarmigan, a species of grouse which lives at high elevations in the Rockie Mountains. I will also be reworking my thesis data to get at a wider array of deeper questions for publication. I have also been introduced to several new modeling programs over the past few weeks, and I already see differences between those programs and niche modeling programs which have not been explored in the literature. I am sure I will touch more on this later.
The new programs I speak of (I don't remember the names without my notes handy) are used to separate existing maps into categories based on color patterns within the maps. These programs require a map of much higher resolution and quality, which can be quite expensive. They do, however, offer results at a very fine scale, which is important when attempting to identify patches of habitat via aerial photos. This process can be done without these programs, in a VERY time intensive process. I have known graduate students who have worked on projects such as this and spent weeks processing a few hectares of geography by hand. I am very excited to try out these new methods and see what they can contribute to the field of ecological modeling.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Backtracking
After the aside from my last post, let's get back to my 2 part sciencey introduction.
As I said, I recently finished my Master's degree in a bit of an odd situation. I had to cram the research and writing of a degree that some people never finish into about 6 months. My Plan B actually came from my desired Plan A. About a year ago I decided that I wanted to forgo getting a Master's to simply roll my existing work into a PhD. In an odd turn of events the Department (of Zoology) accepted me to the PhD program but wanted me to finish my Master's degree before beginning this fall.
I had already planned out my PhD with my advisor (Michael Patten) and niche modeling (more appropriately called habitat suitability modeling (HSM)) was to be part of that work. So, I proposed a change of focus to my committee, knowing that I had little time to finish a thesis and that my genetics work could not possibly be finished with my current time and funding constraints. After lengthy discussion I was now faced with learning the HSM software and writing a thesis by the middle of this summer.
The program MaxEnt was my weapon of choice, and the basics of the program were simple enough. The difficulty was within Arc GIS. I struggled with the program for weeks before finally processing my data to the point where it could be run through MaxEnt and models could be created. There were a few issues that I never truely resolved and had to work around in the end, but my results supported most of my proposed hypotheses. (I would be happy to discuss my findings with you if you are interested, but since this data is what I will be publishing I imagine the topic will come up over the course of the semester)
The writing of the thesis is another tale unto itself, one which I likely won't be sharing here for personal reasons. Suffice to say, it was an odd time in my life for multiple reasons, and it was very stressful on both me and those around me. I did come out the other side though, turning in my 3 signed copies a full day before the deadline even. And with that part of my academic career now behind me I am hopeful for the future and what I can make of this new period of my life.
As I said, I recently finished my Master's degree in a bit of an odd situation. I had to cram the research and writing of a degree that some people never finish into about 6 months. My Plan B actually came from my desired Plan A. About a year ago I decided that I wanted to forgo getting a Master's to simply roll my existing work into a PhD. In an odd turn of events the Department (of Zoology) accepted me to the PhD program but wanted me to finish my Master's degree before beginning this fall.
I had already planned out my PhD with my advisor (Michael Patten) and niche modeling (more appropriately called habitat suitability modeling (HSM)) was to be part of that work. So, I proposed a change of focus to my committee, knowing that I had little time to finish a thesis and that my genetics work could not possibly be finished with my current time and funding constraints. After lengthy discussion I was now faced with learning the HSM software and writing a thesis by the middle of this summer.
The program MaxEnt was my weapon of choice, and the basics of the program were simple enough. The difficulty was within Arc GIS. I struggled with the program for weeks before finally processing my data to the point where it could be run through MaxEnt and models could be created. There were a few issues that I never truely resolved and had to work around in the end, but my results supported most of my proposed hypotheses. (I would be happy to discuss my findings with you if you are interested, but since this data is what I will be publishing I imagine the topic will come up over the course of the semester)
The writing of the thesis is another tale unto itself, one which I likely won't be sharing here for personal reasons. Suffice to say, it was an odd time in my life for multiple reasons, and it was very stressful on both me and those around me. I did come out the other side though, turning in my 3 signed copies a full day before the deadline even. And with that part of my academic career now behind me I am hopeful for the future and what I can make of this new period of my life.
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Dung Beetle: Nature's Friendly Garbage Man
I know I left my last post with a cliff-hanger of sorts, but I would like to shift gears for this entry. I would like to preface this entry by saying that I am not an Entomologist, nor have I ever actually studied beetles. The closest I have ever gotten to that was working at the same lab bench as someone who was doing meta-population experiments using flour beetles. Regardless, today I will be writing about a family of insects that has fascinated me since I first saw them on Wild Discovery as a kid.
Dung beetles are both sophisticated and majestic. Within this superfamily of insects (Scarabaeoidea) can be found microcosms of ecological principles. Not only are these animals a wealth of scientific knowledge, but they have a mystique about them that has intrigued human beings since the Ancient Egyptians.
Species of this superfamily can be found throughout the world in various shapes and sizes. The species which are best know, however, tend to be those of the African savannahs. In these habitats species of dung beetle use feces (primarily from herbivores) as the foundation for their lives. For these insects, dung comprises 3 of the necessary components for a species habitat: food, water, and shelter.
There are 3 primary kinds of dung beetle and each uses dung in a different manner. Rollers are they kind that we think of instantly when asked about these bugs. These species gather feces, compact it into a manageable ball and roll it to where they need it most (generally to be buried underground and stored for continual use). There are two other typical kinds of dung beetles: tunnelers and dwellers. Tunnelers will bury their treasures wherever they find it. Whereas dwellers will, as you may have guessed, burrow into and live within piles of manure.
One theory to explain rolling behavior is that of competition. When something like an elephant leaves a gift to the world behind that gift can sustain multiple beetles. As in most societies there were individual beetles who figured out that they needed not gather or claim their own dung when they could simply steal it from another beetle who had done their work for them. Thus, intraspecific competition created a need to move dung away from gathering places and evolution took hold from there.
As odd as it sounds these creatures, who feed upon and dwell in feces, attained a revered status in one of the most advanced and sophisticated cultures in the history of mankind. Ancient Egyptians used another name for these insects, scarab, and often used its likeness as inspiration for artworks of all kinds. Their people held the insect sacred as its rolling of dung was likened to Khepri (god of the rising sun) rolling the run across the sky. The origins of its reverence may be a bit more practical, however.
Dung beetles may be most welcome in agricultural settings. A farm full of domesticated and herded livestock may be the ideal setting for the beetles as well. In these situations the bugs natural activities keeps an excess of feces from accumulating in livestock pens. Less standing waste can translate into fewer pests buzzing around the farm as well as less disease transmission between farm animals. Reducing death rates of livestock would give any society cause to worship something.
For these reasons I believe the dung beetle to be one of the most fascinating animals on the planet. Here I have given only a fraction of the information that there is to obtain about these incredible species. Should I ever find myself on the Serengeti I will make sure to seek out and, if I'm lucky, study these fine creatures. I hope we are all so lucky as to find that day.
Dung beetles are both sophisticated and majestic. Within this superfamily of insects (Scarabaeoidea) can be found microcosms of ecological principles. Not only are these animals a wealth of scientific knowledge, but they have a mystique about them that has intrigued human beings since the Ancient Egyptians.
Species of this superfamily can be found throughout the world in various shapes and sizes. The species which are best know, however, tend to be those of the African savannahs. In these habitats species of dung beetle use feces (primarily from herbivores) as the foundation for their lives. For these insects, dung comprises 3 of the necessary components for a species habitat: food, water, and shelter.
There are 3 primary kinds of dung beetle and each uses dung in a different manner. Rollers are they kind that we think of instantly when asked about these bugs. These species gather feces, compact it into a manageable ball and roll it to where they need it most (generally to be buried underground and stored for continual use). There are two other typical kinds of dung beetles: tunnelers and dwellers. Tunnelers will bury their treasures wherever they find it. Whereas dwellers will, as you may have guessed, burrow into and live within piles of manure.
One theory to explain rolling behavior is that of competition. When something like an elephant leaves a gift to the world behind that gift can sustain multiple beetles. As in most societies there were individual beetles who figured out that they needed not gather or claim their own dung when they could simply steal it from another beetle who had done their work for them. Thus, intraspecific competition created a need to move dung away from gathering places and evolution took hold from there.
As odd as it sounds these creatures, who feed upon and dwell in feces, attained a revered status in one of the most advanced and sophisticated cultures in the history of mankind. Ancient Egyptians used another name for these insects, scarab, and often used its likeness as inspiration for artworks of all kinds. Their people held the insect sacred as its rolling of dung was likened to Khepri (god of the rising sun) rolling the run across the sky. The origins of its reverence may be a bit more practical, however.
Dung beetles may be most welcome in agricultural settings. A farm full of domesticated and herded livestock may be the ideal setting for the beetles as well. In these situations the bugs natural activities keeps an excess of feces from accumulating in livestock pens. Less standing waste can translate into fewer pests buzzing around the farm as well as less disease transmission between farm animals. Reducing death rates of livestock would give any society cause to worship something.
For these reasons I believe the dung beetle to be one of the most fascinating animals on the planet. Here I have given only a fraction of the information that there is to obtain about these incredible species. Should I ever find myself on the Serengeti I will make sure to seek out and, if I'm lucky, study these fine creatures. I hope we are all so lucky as to find that day.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The Beginning of an Era
So, under "normal" conditions I would start this whole thing off with a bit of an introduction and an explanation of why I think I am important enough for you to want to give a damn about what I think and go through. However, if you are reading this then you know exactly why I am writing it, so I will skip the explanation and stick with an introduction.
My name is Daniel E. Dusang (giving me a set of initials that were always fun to enter into arcade high score lists) and I am currently a PhD student at the University of Oklahoma. This semester marks my first as a PhD student and my 18th as a college student in general (a fact I have been wowing my freshman lab students with all week). In those 17 previous semesters I attained a bachelors degree and a Master's degree. The bachelors is one in Conservation Biology/Wildlife Management from Purdue University. Purdue is back home in Indiana where I was born and raised and I miss it's campus and particulars every day that I inhabit Norman and OU. My Master's degree is in Zoology and I achieved it right here at the University of Oklahoma.
My Master's degree was a bit harrowing, but I went for a Master's instead a PhD for the experience of it, and boy did I ever get an experience. The degree began a bit aimless for the first semester or so, all I knew was that I wanted to work with Lesser Prairie-Chickens (a species of prairie grouse that lives in the southwestern US). I eventually decided that I wanted to work in the field of population genetics and designed and began a project with the collaboration of Dr. Jeff Johnson at the University of North Texas. After a year on that project I began to realize that it's scope was a bit too large for a Master's degree. So, I decided to take the data I had, shelve the project for my inevitable PhD, and begin something that I could finish and write up relatively quickly.
Thus began my work in niche modeling...
My name is Daniel E. Dusang (giving me a set of initials that were always fun to enter into arcade high score lists) and I am currently a PhD student at the University of Oklahoma. This semester marks my first as a PhD student and my 18th as a college student in general (a fact I have been wowing my freshman lab students with all week). In those 17 previous semesters I attained a bachelors degree and a Master's degree. The bachelors is one in Conservation Biology/Wildlife Management from Purdue University. Purdue is back home in Indiana where I was born and raised and I miss it's campus and particulars every day that I inhabit Norman and OU. My Master's degree is in Zoology and I achieved it right here at the University of Oklahoma.
My Master's degree was a bit harrowing, but I went for a Master's instead a PhD for the experience of it, and boy did I ever get an experience. The degree began a bit aimless for the first semester or so, all I knew was that I wanted to work with Lesser Prairie-Chickens (a species of prairie grouse that lives in the southwestern US). I eventually decided that I wanted to work in the field of population genetics and designed and began a project with the collaboration of Dr. Jeff Johnson at the University of North Texas. After a year on that project I began to realize that it's scope was a bit too large for a Master's degree. So, I decided to take the data I had, shelve the project for my inevitable PhD, and begin something that I could finish and write up relatively quickly.
Thus began my work in niche modeling...
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