Hi Misty,

The ecology of zombies -- interesting! So, what would make them different in their ecological roles/relations than ordinary human beings? Would they be more or less susceptible to specific abiotic conditions? How would their populations change over time? How would they interact with other species and the abiotic environment differently than plain old vanilla [unmutated] Homo sapiens? I wonder whether they would be better or worse at facilitating the perpetuation of threatened ecosystems and endangered species than their unmutated relatives.... And, relative to humans, would you consider them to be predators, competitors or have some other relationship entirely? Insofar as you can come up with an internally consistent set of ecological behaviors and relations for this new subspecies(?) of Homo sapiens, then explore academically their ecological ramifications, you may have a thoroughly educational yet entertaining thought experiment indeed! Any questions before you die-ve into it? ;) Dr. Dann

Hi Mike,

I think your grazing idea might benefit from more geographic specificity, such as you suggest with your Shenandoah idea (which I think would be fun, interesting and accessible to research, given our proximity to it). The wolf reintroduction topic has been of interest to several students in prior cohorts of this class. In fact, I seem to recall they may have already been re-introduced, in which case [if I am recalling correctly] you even might look at the actual impact to date. The Shenandoah topic is of most interest to me as I aim to share with your peers [and the general public] how climate change may impact the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the Shenandoah basin. Of course, it's YOUR interest that should lead the way on your choice of subjects, but I thought I'd share that potential value added if you were to select that topic... I look forward to advising as best I can for whichever topic you select!

Kind regards,
Dr. Dann

Hi Jennifer,

I share your strong interest in #1, particularly the ecological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill, particularly in the context of the impacts over the past 30 years of its eerily similar predecessor, Ixtoc I [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I_oil_spill]. What can we learn from that spill which might inform us of what's to come -- and what might be prevented if we act intelligently hereafter -- in the Gulf now? I am also in discussion with a student from the last iteration of this course about doing a teach in on the subject of DH's ecological impacts this fall. So, your research might result in something we could share with other students and community members at VT and/or Mason later this year. Sounds like a win-win topic to me!

Best wishes,
Dr. Dann

Hey Kathryn,

I think your thought experiment ideas [#1 & 2] might provide you more opportunity to demonstrate your [soon to be] new-found ecological savvy than a game particularly grounded in monopoly... though you might be able to prove me wrong! On item 1 ("bye bye mosquitoes"), I've been pondering in recent weeks whether mosquitoes might possibly play an ecologically important role for primates' horizontal transfer of mobile DNA(!). To see what I mean, try skimming the following, then read between the lines [of their intersection]:

Gilbert, C., S. Schaack, J. K. Pace II, P. J. Brindley, and C. Feschotte. 2010. A role for host–parasite interactions in the horizontal transfer of transposons across phyla. Nature 464:1347-1350. doi: 10.1038/nature08939.

Xing, J., D. J. Witherspoon, D. A. Ray, M. A. Batzer, and L. B. Jorde. 2007. Mobile DNA elements in primate and human evolution. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 50:2. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.20722.

If this hunch were correct, the removal of mosquitos might even have a negative impact on the long-term mixing up of genes across humans [and nearby species?]... So, that could be a wild take on your experiment (though not the only one, to be sure.

On your second item, What if everyone were Lazarus [i.e., able to live a lot longer], as we explore r- and k-selected strategies in the next few weeks, you may have some interesting new insights on this subject. Fascinatingly, there's also a recent research article about a parasite (see Part IV) which may *prolong* the life of its host (and provide some contraceptive power to boot):

Hurd, E. Warr, A. Polwart, H. 2001. A parasite that increases host lifespan. Proceedings: Biological Sciences 268:1749-1753. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1729.

Thinking of infecting humanity with something parallel in your thought experiment? If so, you might also want to review a short story by Kurt Vonnegut about what happens when everyone can live forever on a planet which cannot support any new people...

Enjoy!
Dr. Dann

Hi Danielle,

Sorry I missed your list last [sick] week.

For 1, it seems like you might be doing an actual soil survey. Most soil in our region is capable of sustaining life, as you know, but the additives to sustain the sort of life we desire is part of the challenge -- as you know as well as anyone given your tireless efforts on Mason's first community garden. If you were to ask Mason's landscape chief, perhaps she/he has a map of the different types of soil on campus. Given topology and human intervention are likely to be key factors, you might consider analyzing where would be the BEST soil(s) on campus for some particular type of plant community (organic edamame, anyone? native herb or shurb garden? something else?) ... or to assist in the preservation of a specific rare species found on campus -- you can ask Dr. Andrea Weeks for ideas on that native take.

2. One of the key issues of sustainable ag at the boutique scale appears to be, how can I make a premium product that grows without serious disease, pays for itself, and doesn't require 24-7 attention? Talking to some Master Gardener and/or Master Naturalist in the area might provide some ideas. For instance, I've seen [indigenous?] mulberries thrive on campus -- perhaps such could be upscaled for on-campus purchase/consumption? Other local fruits like passion fruit and pawpaw -- or nuts like filberts or [now hybrid] chestnuts -- are native to this area, but not commercially available. Perhaps you could do a joint, "what could grow here with enough bounty to sell and be profitable" study?)

3. This is probably the easiest to do through a literature review. If you decide to look at Mountaintop removal, there's a wealth of popular and scientific literature out there related to ecological impacts. I'd be happy to make some recommendations if you end up selecting this option. Just let me know.

Good luck!

Dr. Dann

I love your idea misty! Wish I had thought of something that creative. As judging by your abstract, I feel that you will accurately cover the topic, and make it applicable to younger children as well. As all these movies lately predict, will we be faced with a cannibalistic infectious disease in the future? Time permitting, I'm sure that some type of game with the perspective of zombies could be employed. One may not even need to incorporate zombies but use it as a perspective for the students to build their ideas on. From there, maybe they could really assess the good (and bad things) we do to our environment. Certain take home hints could also be used to help children learn about their individual ecological footprint like tips on how to recycle etc. I feel that for the time we have to do this project, that an incorporation with zombies might be easier than addressing the topic of protecting the environment. Maybe randomly hand out impacts on environment of zombies and humans and have the students place them in categories on the board? Work in teams? Hope this helps!