deanevans1992

[deanevans1992]

C'est fini

I love food and honestly, I don’t think you could find a single person on this earth that does not love food in some way.  Some of my favorite things include cheesecake, steak, and French fries.  Being the foodie that I am I often spend a fair bit of time watching the Food Network and about 5 year ago now I came across a new show called “The 100 Mile Challenge” and little did I know this show had stemmed from the very book I was required to read for my final Plants and People blog entry.  I will admit now that I did not have the chance to read this book yet I still feel connected to the concept through my explorations with the Food Network.  The premise being that you only eat local foods that can be sourced within a 100 mile radius.  The show itself was a result of the bestselling book entitled “The 100-Mile Diet” by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon who decided to eat locally for a year.  In the show Mackinnon and Smith recruit the people of Mission BC to challenge themselves to local living for 100 days.  Initially the interests are high but only 5 families complete the challenge. 

The point of eating local isn’t just for fun but for the good of the environment.  It makes sense to eat food you can grow in your backyard rather than have it come all the way from China or the states.  Beef, fish, dairy, chicken, fruits, and vegetables can all be sourced locally depending on the time of year.  What becomes difficult is that things such as spices, beer, rum, and coffee are all not local.  This would be a problem for me.  My two favorite alcoholic beverages are not made from local products so I would not be able to indulge in a drink here or there.  NO COFFEE!  ARE YOU CRAZY!  How is someone to survive without coffee?  I think the idea around the 100-diet is great but I don’t think it is realistic for a lot of people.  Living in Kamloops for example would make the diet very difficult.  I am not saying people shouldn’t try, I think people should eat as locally as possible but not limit themselves only to local food. 

With that being said, I conclude my Plants and People blogging.  It has been an enlightening journey learning about how much humans rely on plants and how much plants rely on humans.  There are so many things I get to take away from this experience including a much greater appreciation for plants and even a greater appreciation for the creative side of science even if it puts me outside of my comfort zone……………

[deanevans1992]

Where does your food come from?

Glover, J. D., C. M. Cox, and J. P. Reganold. 2007. Future Farming: A Return to Roots? Scientific American. August 2007 Issue. p 82-89.

With the ever growing human population and its detrimental effects on our environment, advances in sustainable agriculture become important. According to Glover et al. many of the food crops are annual crops that drain the top soil of nutrients and need to be replanted each year.  These crops are tedious to maintain and do untold damage to our land.  Perennial plants in comparison can last numerous years and have much deeper roots making nutrient use much more sustainable.  Perennial plants also make weed control much more manageable as once they get established weeds have a great difficulty starting up.  I know from firsthand experience for this to be true as I worked for Agriculture Canada last summer where I did a lot of weed control in our timothy hay fields.  Due to the fact that timothy hay is a perennial there weren’t too many weeds within the hay that had to be taken care of, however, the weeds at the edges and surrounding the cash trees that were growing within the timothy were a nuisance to say the least.  The ability to have food crops transition to perennials would greatly benefit not only the farmer who has to remove weeds but also our environment.

Pollan M. 2006. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York (NY). The Penguin Press. p. 239-273.

Do you know where your food comes from?  Personally, up until a few years ago I was completely unaware where my fruit, vegetables, and meet came from.  My awareness was brought upon by my choice in part time job rather than interest.  About three years ago now, I landed what I thought was a pretty good part time job working as a general clerk at the local Save on Foods.  What I didn’t know was I was about to become an expert on local products.  A lot of my work was in the produce department which at first was quite scary because I did not know there was that many fruits and vegetables to remember!  Slowly throughout my summer I had learned a lot and this included where the products were coming from.  There’s something about the locality of a fruit or vegetable that seem to draw customers to the product.  It might be to provide support for local farmers or perhaps it has to do with the idea of freshness that can be attained from a product being grown so close to home. 

In Pollan’s the Omnivore’s Dilemma, he takes us to a chicken farm who provides locals with fresh chicken.  The practices here are known as “transparent” and this is because consumers are able to come and see where their food comes from.  For Pollan the process of chicken slaughter appears to be unpleasant.  He describes their slaughter: “It was hard to watch. I told myself the spasms were involuntary, and they probably were.  I told myself that the birds waiting their turn appeared to have no idea what was going on in the cone next to them.” (pg. 231).  Pollan began to annoy the shit out of me at this point.  Here Polyface is doing something good in regards to chicken processing and Pollan describes the whole process and inhumane.  Where did he think our chicken came from and how did he think they went about getting them onto our plate?  He was almost condescending in a way I can’t really put my finger on.  However, Pollan was still able to convey the message that we should all have an idea where our food comes from.  This knowledge of where our food comes from may change what foods we buy today. 

[deanevans1992]

There’s No Place like Home

Turner, N.J. 2005. The Earth’s Blanket: Traditional Teachings for Sustainable Living. Vancouver (BC). Douglas & McIntyre. P 19-39, 127-145.

There’s no place like home, but what if your home is always changing?  A common theme that arises in today’s society revolves around the conservation and preservation of our ecosystems.  Throughout the past century scientific evidence has accumulated in mass amounts suggesting environmental damage has much larger repercussions.  Unfortunately, the idea of conservation comes quite late to modern societies after much European settlement across North America.  In Nancy Turner’s The Earth’s Blanket we are put in the point of view of British Columbia’s First Nations as they watch their home change along with invasion from the settlers of the east.  With my interests on conservation, Nancy Turner really opened my eyes to the many changes to what I would consider my home. 

The term “Earth’s Blanket” comes from the writings of a man by the name of James Teit who lived with the aboriginal people of the southern Interior of British Columbia in the late 1800s to early 1900s.  The blanket consists of grasses, flowers, trees, and other wildlife that inhabit the land.  European views of wildlife was very much skewed as they saw wildlife as something that needed to be controlled and conquered.  As a result much of the earth’s blanket was viewed as “untilled fields, buried minerals or standing forests [that] are of now value except for the wealth which, through industry, can be produced therefrom.” (p. 22).  The European view saw wealth in the resources they could exploit whereas aboriginals saw wealth in the ecosystem diversity in which they lived off of.  Much of their beliefs revolved around sustainable use of the land.  For example the use of abalone on the coast of British Columbia was made sustainable by harvesting only the largest individuals leaving the smaller ones to continue to thrive.  Today the abalone are no longer there.

As I began to read about the ancient stories about the repercussions of messing with nature, I began to assimilate the aboriginals to being the very first ecologists of our time.  Nancy Turner soon made this connection as well when talking about Mary Thomas: “Her people understand these ecological connections long before ecology was a recognized science.” (p. 138).  The Cariboo Wagon Road is an example of the ecological impacts of disturbing earth’s blanket.  Turner says “the Native peoples may well have worried about the landslides and other destruction Nature often wreaks as a result of the earth being opened and scarred by a large disturbance, just like a wound that once inflicted becomes more vulnerable to infection.” (p. 36).  Such events as landslides were attributed spiritual beings or powers which now have been shown to be due to ecological processes. 

Nancy Turner does a really nice job of gathering historical evidence to show the reader the vast changes we have initiated on our ecosystems.  From the massive declines in sockeye salmon, bitterroot, and even abalone, the evidence is compelling.  It really makes me wonder why we aren’t trying to learn more from aboriginal peoples when implementing conservation planning. It also saddens me that many of our current conservation practices are actually harmful to traditional aboriginal ways.  For example the coastal first nations of BC are no longer allowed to harvest abalone like their ancestors once did.  I once read a paper by Nancy Turner and Ann Garibaldi that revolved around the idea of Cultural Keystone Species.  The idea puts conservation in context with species that help define a culture.  By restricting (conserving) First Nation’s use of certain species you are essentially denying them of their identity.  We have really made quite a mess of everything, so much so that what we call home today may not be the same home tomorrow. 

[deanevans1992]

The Nature Conservancy of Canada: A Deeper Look

Background:

Thanks to a group of naturalists located in Ontario the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) was formed in 1962 with the goal of protecting nature and promote conservation.  The organizations first project began in 1968 in Cavan Ontario with the protection of Cavan Swamp and Bog.  The Cavan Swamp and Bog is about 1,340 hectares in size and consists of bogs and wetlands that provide habitat for an abundance of wildlife.  It wasn’t until 1974 that the NCC’s efforts reached British Columbia with the preservation of Mud Bay.  This location is especially important as it is rich in invertebrates and used by a large number of migrating shorebirds and waterfowl within the “Pacific Flyway.” Today the NCC holds a vision to “protect areas of natural diversity for their intrinsic value and for the benefit of our children and those after them.” Their mission is to “lead, innovate and use creativity in the conservation of Canada’s natural heritage [and] secure important natural area through their purchase, donation or other mechanisms, and then manage these properties for the long term.”

Current Projects:

The NCC currently has numerous ongoing projects that are in addition to maintaining their already preserved areas.  A current project that is getting national attention is the “Moose Sex Project.”  This impressive project aims to conserve the critical land bridge between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick known as the Chignecto Isthmus (Figure 1).  This narrow and natural corridor serves as a passage for wildlife species that preserves gene flow and thus, genetic diversity between populations.  The main problem being that New Brunswick has a population of about 29,000 moose compared to a Nova Scotia which now only has about 1,000 individuals.  The thinning of Nova Scotia’s population is so extensive that it has led to the species being listed as endangered in that province.  The NCC is currently in the process of securing properties within this Chignecto Isthmus area and has already secured 13 properties with a total of 830 hectares being preserved. 

Figure 1. The land bridge connecting New Brunswick to Nova Scotia also known as the Chignecto Isthmus.  Picture retrieved from: http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh473/4thBattalion/ChignectoIsthmus.jpg

A more local project is the conservation of British Columbia’s heritage grasslands at Frolek Ranch.  The grasslands within the southern interior of British Columbia serve as vital habitat for numerous endangered species.  In addition to being home to these endangered species the grasslands of BC are also endangered due to threats from development and fragmentation.  The NCC was approached by Ray Frolek in 2007 with aims to work together to conserve the ecological integrity of his family’s ranch near Kamloops.  Today the project successfully covers an area of 3,168 hectares in which one third of this area is owned by the NCC and the other portion remaining under the ownership of the Frolek family.  As a result this partnership allows for continued ranching while conserving biodiversity.   

Word Count 458

Work Cited:

Frolek Ranch. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Toronto, Ontario. Available from http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/british-columbia/featured-projects/frolek_ranch.html#.Uyiwpu-PLIU (accessed March 2014).

Mission and Values. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Toronto, Ontario. Available from http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/who-we-are/mission-values/ (accessed March 2014).

Our Story. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Toronto, Ontario. Available from http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/who-we-are/our-story/ (accessed March 2014).

The Moose Sex Project. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Toronto, Ontario. Available from http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/new-brunswick/featured-projects/help-moose-cross-the-chignecto.html#.Uyhwsu-PLIX (accessed March 2014).

[deanevans1992]

The Blunt Truth

Pollan M. 2001. Desire: Intoxication, Plant: The Marijuana. In: The botany of desire. New York (NY): Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. 113-179.

Intoxication, or the act of impairment as a result of a toxic chemical, doesn’t sound as pretty when defined yet the majority of humans today partake in the act.  I couldn’t even begin to describe the number of times I have been intoxicated, however, this can mostly be attributed to alcohol.  My experience with marijuana is much like Pollan’s, limited and full of paranoia.  Pollan’s chapter on marijuana in his book The Botany of Desire is a story of the relationship between intoxication and humans. 

What is marijuana?  I have to admit I am quite familiar with this drug due to projects I have done in the past.  This supplemented with Pollan’s depiction has given me a pretty detailed knowledge. Marijuana is a drug that is used both recreationally and medically.  Crosses between Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica (closely related relatives) has allowed for optimum recreation production with high THC content.  THC is the active psychoactive component in cannabis that is contributed to getting you “high.”  Pollan makes a good point in saying thatTHC most likely did not arise in the cannabis plant with the purpose of getting people high but rather “to protect cannabis plants from ultraviolet radiation… [or for] antibiotic properties…Lastly, it is possible that THC gives the cannabis plant a sophisticated defence against pests.” (p. 156).   I think all of these possibilities are valid and makes sense for the explanation of the initial rise of THC within these plants.  Today artificial selection plays a huge role in THC evolution for cannabis plants. 

Why get high? Well there really appears to be no simple answer for this question.  Firstly, the medical properties associated with THC intoxication supply probably means to get “high.”  Pollan outlines the medical benefits of THC: “it has been used to treat pain, convulsions, nausea, glaucoma, neuralgia, asthma, cramps, migraine, insomnia, and depression.” (p. 152). The range of medical uses for marijuana are huge and have been used for centuries.  Another interesting thing I learned about marijuana toxicity is that it effects all areas of the brain except the brainstem which is needed for essential bodily functions.  This supports the well-known argument that getting high never killed anyone.  With marijuana use comes adverse side effects.  By far the most common side effect is the loss of memory.  I never really thought of this but Pollan explains that this side effect might actually be what accounts for making you high.  “It is the relentless moment-by-moment forgetting, this draining of the pool of sense impression almost as quickly as it fills, that gives the experience of consciousness under marijuana its particular texture.” (p. 162).  This process potentially allows for heightened senses that is attributed to getting high.  I am not sure about you but this is pretty fascinating.  The fact that we have these mechanisms built into our brain pose as purpose to getting high.  Chemicals similar to THC are actually released during child birth and perhaps help you “forget.” I wouldn’t condone going out and smoking a joint but I invite you to open your mind to the biology of getting intoxicated; its evolutionary purpose.

[deanevans1992]

Deserting the Desert

Nabahan, G. P. 1990. Gathering the Desert. Tucson (AZ). University of Arizona Press.  p 3-19.

Imagine a world without supermarkets, drug stores, box stores, convenient stores, and malls.  Agriculture does not exist.  Where do we get our food?  How do we cure a cough?  The answers lay in our backyard. Nabahan brings us to the Sonoran Desert and introduce us to the native people and the plants they once survived off of.  Sadly “we recognize that these indigenous foods and medicines make up but a small portion of what even the most traditional desert family now put in their mouths.” (p. 7).  This transition is inevitable with the pressures of society and the convenience of superstores.  I begin to wonder the side effects urbanization has on culture and lifestyle of these people.  Nabahan explains something I found startling “the demise of native plants in their diets has been tentatively related to the upswing of the incidence of certain diseases.” (p. 7).  I would say if it isn’t broken why fix it?  I guess I can understand that at least for the desert people a great deal of their food sources are rare and that going to a supermarket indeed may be easier.  Even though the reliance on native plants has evolved for these people some are still prevalent today and this says something.

The creosote bush is one such plant that still has an important role in the lives of these Native American groups.   Its primary use is of medicinal value helping with “colds, chest infections or lung congestion, intestinal discomfort, stomach cramps associated with delayed menstruation, constipation, cancer, nausea, wounds, poisons, swollen limbs due to poor circulation, dandruff, body odor, distemper, and post nasal drip.” (p. 14-15).  Why the heck can’t we buy this at the drugstore? Its chemical properties have not yet been determined to actually have widespread medicinal value.  This makes sense to me as there are regulations for what can and cannot be sold as pharmaceuticals.  One cannot simply patent this plant as a drug and thus there is no money in selling it on our shelves.  If a chemical can be isolated from the plant and then resynthesized a patent is much more likely.  That’s one of many problems I see with society today.  If a drug that could cure cancer exists but doesn’t make anyone money how is it going to be made? 

Overall I must say that I enjoyed Nabahan’s writing.  He uses storytelling as a method to convey a message.  Rather than boring us with facts he has a nice way of putting us within his story by the use of dialogue.  I think he sets a good example of what can be achieved through creative non-fiction writing.  With that I will leave you with something I learned by reading Nabahan.  With the chaos of human civilization our relationships with plants will change.  Plants are special and Nabahan describes creosote as having “one quality that humankind still lacks, one which we still are struggling to obtain: persistence.” (p. 19).  I think this statement applies to all plants and I truly believe there will be a time when we no longer exist on this planet leaving only plants to persist. 

[deanevans1992]

The Great Basin Gopher Snake

Background

The Great Basin Gopher Snake is one of three subspecies of Pituophis catenifer which includes the pacific gopher snake and the bull snake.  Today Pituophis catenifer deserticola is listed as threatened in Canada along with being on the British Columbian Blue list.  They can be characterized as a relatively large snake that can reach about 1.8m in length (COSEWIC 2002).  Its coloring consists of a tannish yellow background with dark black or brown dorsal blotches.  A noticeable dark line runs across the head between the eyes.   Another distinguishing feature is the connection between the dorsal blotches at the front of the snake.  They can often be described to have similar resemblance to rattlesnakes.  

In B.C. there appears to only be 5 populations of Great Basin Gopher Snakes with the most northern population being in the Thompson/Fraser region.  Its range in Canada is limited due to the availability of habitat.  They can primarily be found in the bunchgrass biogeoclimatic zones within the southern interior valleys.  Hibernacula are typically in rocky outcrops or the base of rocky slopes where the snakes can burrow down through cracks and crevices in the rock.  These dens are often shared with other snake species such as rattlesnakes and garter snakes and are important for protection from freezing and dehydration.  Foraging occurs in areas of high rodent abundance making their overall home range quite large due to the dispersal of essential habitats. 

Problem

Current population estimates are unknown in BC which is why they are only on the blue list.  The biggest threat to Great Basin Gopher Snakes is habitat loss.  Suitable habitat is present in only a very small area of the province and these areas are rapidly being effected by urbanization and cultivation.  The valleys of the southern interior are considered to be prime locations for settlement.  Another problem for these snakes are a more direct threat from humans who may accidently run the snakes over on roadways or even mistake them as rattlesnakes.  Mistaking gopher snakes for a rattlesnake can actually be quite common to someone who is unfamiliar with snakes.  Gopher snakes not only resemble rattlesnakes but they mimic their behavior by flattening their head and flicking their tail.  This will often result in human caused deaths of the snake.

Current Solutions

In order to monitor populations radio telemetry has been employed to track female gopher snakes in BC to investigate their survivorship, habitat use, dispersal, and life history parameters.   This information is being used to provide and protect habitat for the basin gopher snakes.  Education is the best method for preventing direct human mortality.  Knowing the differences between rattlesnakes and gopher snakes can reduce the killing of gopher snakes by the public.

Do you know the difference?

Rattlesnakes: have a triangular head that extends larger than their neck, dull body, and blunt tail often with one or more rattle present

Basin Gopher Snake: head not triangular and only slightly larger than their neck, slender body, pointed tail, and distinct line between their eyes

Word Count: 502

Work Cited:

Waye, H., and C. Shewchuk. 2002. COSEWIC status report on the Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer in Canada in COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-33 pp.

Available at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/CW69-14-338-2003E.pdf

Picture available at: http://bonnevillemariner.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/si853735.jpg

[deanevans1992]

The apple of my eye

Pollan, M. 2001. Desire: Sweetness, Plant: The Apple. p. 3-58.The Botany of Desire. Random House Trade Paperbacks, New York, New York

The sweet aroma of cooked pastry, cinnamon, and apples often floods my senses every fall almost on cue with the beginning of fall.  My grandma and aunt both live in the Okanagan valley and as a consequence the end of summer is symbolized by a box of mackintosh apples at our door.  It is not the apples that I desire but the product they produce:  Apple pie.  This is my story of the apple.  Pollan’s story of the apple in The Botany of Desire is one of American history and begins with a man by the name of John Chapman AKA Johnny Appleseed.  I have to admit I was curious to learn about this Appleseed guy.  I have heard of his name before but really being Canadian it has not diffused into my education until now. 

The man in the burlap coffee sack, a canoe, and a ton of apple seeds.  Chapman’s story was far more complex than I could have imagined.  I have to admit that this story kind of fell apart on me much like Pollan describes himself “tuning out a touching story about Chapman buying a new set of china for a family who’d just lost all their possessions in a fire.” (p. 37).  I found much of this chapter to be a great deal of fluff about the uncertainty of who this Chapman guy was.  Some people see him as a saint while others describe his interest in a 10 year old girl.  It also got the point where things were getting too preachy.  I myself am man of facts and I find it hard to believe when Chapman is described as the “bringer of both the seeds and the word of god” (p. 27).  What I got out of this story was the description of a man of opportunity and nature.  Chapman to me was a brilliant businessman planting apples ahead of the western movement of settlement.  In addition to this he was also a man of diversity, a diversity of nature and culture.  He is much like his apples where “every seed...contains the genetic instructions for a completely new and different apple” (p. 10).   Every new seed is like a new beginning which can inhabit a vast array of environments.

Today many of the apples we eat don’t come from seed.  Take the mackintosh for example which has descended from the graft of a single tree.  Pollan describes a trip to the Plant Genetic Resources Unit where around 2500 apple varieties are displayed.  I was astonished to learn that there are so many variations out there yet so few we see in our stores today.  It isn’t surprising though that “the domestication of the apple has gone too far, to the point where the species’ fitness for life in nature (where it still has to live, after all) has been dangerously compromised.” (p. 52).  This seems to be a common trend in the domestication of most species: we select for what we desire and thus take control of nature just to have nature retaliate once again.  At least for now I will still be able to enjoy the apple of my eye, apple pie, thanks to the mackintosh.          

[deanevans1992]

Biodiversity Hotspots

One of the major problems associated with conservation would have to be the lack of funding.  With limited resources to focus on conservation efforts the question becomes where and what to conserve?  Some conservation efforts can be seen as a waste of money such as California Condor.  Myers et al. (2000) suggest that conservation efforts should be focused on biodiversity hotspots.  These hotspots can be defined in a multiple of ways but it is suggested that important biodiversity hotspots should be ones where there are exceptional concentrations of endemic species that are experiencing a great loss of habitat.  Using this criteria they found that as many as 44% if all vascular plants and 35% of all vertebrate species can be found in 25 hotspots that only occupy 1.4% of the land surface of earth (Figure 1).  The areas of greatest concern appear to be Madagascar, the Philippians, and Sundaland.  If areas such as these are focused on rather traditional methods a greater outcome of conservation could be seen. 

Figure 1. The 25 hottest biodiversity hotspots from Myers et al. (2000).

In my opinion this idea appears to be on a pretty big scale and would involve the cooperation of numerous countries, which is known to be difficult.  I begin to wonder how effective this could be done on a local scale for example in Kamloops or B.C. or even Canada.  Criteria for National parks require the preservation of unique landscapes which is great but are these unique landscapes providing the habitat for the majority of our endangered species?   I know I have used this statistic numerous times but about one third of B.C.’s endangered species rely on only 1% of our land area, the grasslands.  To me areas such as these should be of huge conservation concern.  Coastal areas should also be of high concern with the impacts of barges and fishing.  If every community, province, and nation held the obligation of conserving their biological hotspots a lot could be accomplished for a little amount of work.  It all has to do with scale.  With the vast amounts of extinctions occurring in today’s world I think conservation needs to be overhauled and soon.

Words: 351

Myers, N., Mittermeler, R.A., Mittermeler, C.G., da Fonseca, G.A.B., and Kent, J. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853-858.

Available from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.tru.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=27e341a7-89e9-4318-a9a7-2f314e5bd448%40sessionmgr4004&vid=2&hid=4107

[deanevans1992]

Attack of the killer potato?

Pollan M. 2001. Desire: control / plant: the potato. In: The botany of desire. New York (NY): Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. 183-238

When I think of potatoes much comfort comes to mind.  From the white and fluffy volcanoes on my dinner plate that spew the steaming hot gravy to the luscious golden sticks of salty awesomeness that must accompany every cheeseburger, potatoes are a special part of our diet.  It’s hard to imagine that such an remarkable food item could be wreaking havoc on life as we know it.  In the chapter entitle “Desire: Control/Plant: The Potato” Michael Pollan explores the realm of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  His test subject: The Potato

Originally cultivated by the native people of the Andes, potatoes of all varieties were often planted all together.  Simply this allowed for variations of potatoes best suited for different environments to grow in accordance to the pressures exerted on them that year.  To me this sounds like a wonderful idea.  Unfortunately this isn’t how things are today for most farmers who follow the method of monoculture or growing a single species in a large field.  The loss of insurance in this method is its most fatal flaw.  An example of this is the Irish potato famine where “in the summer of 1845, when Phytophthora infestans arrived in Europe, probably on a ship from America.  Within weeks the spores of this savage fungus, borne on the wind, overspread the continent, dooming potatoes and potato eater alike.” (pg. 206).  The solution to this madness is chemicals.  On page 218 Pollan describes the many chemicals that are applied to a potato field to insure its success: “soil fumigant...a chemical toxic enough to kill every trace of microbial life...a herbicide...insecticide... a second herbicide...” the list is extensive and a lot of these chemicals are applied numerous times.  Makes you wonder what all of these things can do to humans.  Pollan also states that it cost a farmer “roughly $1950 an acre (mainly on chemicals, electricity, and water) to grow a crop that, on a good year, will only earn him maybe $2000.” (pg. 219).  This is why to no surprise many farmers praised the introduction of the NewLeaf potato: a GMO which produces its own pesticide.

The gene comes from Bacillus thuringiensis and allows the plants to produce the very same toxin as these bacteria.  The actual science behind creating something like this fascinates me but the whole topic of GMOs is a lot more than just fascinating, it is completely controversial.  I agree with some of the arguments that Pollan describes, such as the need for GMOs to sustain the growing population.  Also the problems associated with new pesticide resistant superbugs often are going to lead to repercussions.  My whole problem with the GMO controversy is how there is often two sides, the good or the evil of GMOs.  It’s a lot more complicated than this.  It almost seems inevitable that we are going to use our knowledge to edit the genome of organisms for our own use.  I think people need to be educated on what kinds of modifications are being made to these organisms.  For example I would have no problem eating golden rice which has been modified to help me get a good source of vitamin A.  I would, however, have huge problems eating these NewLeaf potatoes.  The arguments and examples could go on forever. 

Pollan uses this case of the NewLeaf potato as an example of our control on nature.  Before GMOs we did have some control in choosing what already existed in nature.  Now we have a choice to create things that are not already in nature, we have full control now and this can be very scary.  Attack of the killer potato can be taken in numerous ways.  Many people see the introduction of GMOs as an something bound to doom humanity and it quite possibility can.  We are entering a new world full of unknown consequences for our simple desire for control.      

[deanevans1992]

What a Cornundrum!

Pollan M. 2006. Industrial corn. In: The omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals. New York (NY): The Penguin Press. p. 15-119.

“Read the ingredients on the label of any processed food and, provided you know the chemical name it travels under, corn is what you will find.  For modified or unmodified starch, for glucose syrup and maltodextrin, for crystalline fructose and ascorbic acid, for lecithin and dextrose, lactic acid and lysine, for matose, and HFCS, for MSG and polyols, for the caramel color and xanthan gum, read corn.” (pg 18-19)

Upon looking through my cupboards I marveled at the excessive amounts of processed food neatly packaged into individual time capsules protecting them from microbial attack.  With further investigation it was seen that each of these items contains remnants of a single species of plant: Zea mays also known more commonly as corn.  I had barely made it 10 pages into Part 1 of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma before making my impromptu fieldtrip to my kitchen where I left with more questions than answers.  How was it possible corn had been such a big part of my diet and I hadn’t even known it?  Part of this answer comes from my ignorance.  I honestly don’t look much farther than the nutritional value of a product, but even if I had glanced at ingredients occasionally I wouldn’t have guessed a lot of them could come from corn.  Why corn?

Pollan answers this question whilst taking the reader on an adventure beginning with the origin of the species in Central America and following its success to the average American farm.  Corn has become so successful that it has “pushed the animals and their feed crops off the land, and steadily expanded into the paddocks and pastures and fields.” (pg. 40).  This rise has not been solely due to corn itself but with a guided hand of the federal government.  Leftover ammonium nitrate from the war was found to be a good source of nitrogen for plants and resulted in an industry for chemical fertilizer symbolic of a government transition to peace.  With fertilizer came greater yields that were soaring by the middle of the 20th century which lead to the appeal to give it more land.  Unfortunately, most farmers thought this way resulting in huge declines in the price of corn.  Ironically the way farmers think caused them to make more corn in light of the decreased cost rather than planting less.  Pollan explains this phenomenon: “whenever the price of corn slipped they planted a little more of it, to cover expenses and stay even.” (pg. 39).  This process accompanied by what I would call faulty government policy has lead to a huge excess of corn being produced today.  Where does all this corn go?

The first of two main locations is the feedlot, home to your modern day steak.  In a rather appalling manner Pollan opens up the eyes of the reader, especially my own, to the difficult life of cattle on a feedlot.  The process of raising cattle on a feedlot differs tremendously from farming and is often referred to as a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO).   The name really says it all.   I won’t go into all the detail about how bad the cattle have it but I will say it was quite a depressing reading.  Sticking to the story of corn, Pollan describes that the “urbanization” of cattle (or livestock in general) has helped corn it two ways.  Firstly, by removing them from the farm this allows more room for farmers to grow corn and increase their yields.  It often became unreasonable to compete with CAFOs so focus turned to corn.  Secondly, because of the excess of corn it ended up being supplemented into the diets of animals, cattle in this case, the expansion of CAFOs meant more corn was needed.  I am sorry but something seems wrong here…Removing the livestock from farms allow for more corn production (when plenty is already being made) yet the massive amounts of corn end up being fed to the very cattle it pushed out.  Pollan says “It cost a farmer more to grow feed corn than it cost a CADO to buy it, for the simple reason that commodity corn now was routinely sold for less than it cost to grow.” (pg. 67).  Sounds like a pretty crappy deal to me. 

If the corn doesn’t end up in the feedlot it most likely heading to be processed.  I was actually surprised by the many process corn can be broken down into its core chemicals just to be added to our processed foods of today.  This process does have some advantages such as a longer shelf life.  As Pollan says “The dream of liberating food from nature is as old as eating.” (pg. 90).  I understand this premise but it gets a little hard to understand when you don’t even know what you are eating in products like Cheez Whiz or Tang (which has no real fruit juice in it).  Little did I know this new world of processed foods has lead to many problems.

 The biggest problem with processed foods today is obesity.   I know just from the news and other general knowledge that obesity is a problem especially in the United States.  I did not know or even think to link this problem to corn.  But Pollan makes a point in saying “Corn accounts for most of the surplus calories we’re growing and most of the surplus calories we’re eating.” (pg. 103).  I did a little looking around on the web and found that the United States spends around 23 billion dollars a year on foreign aid.  Instead of subsidizing farmers who don’t make what they spend to grow corn why can’t the government begin to solve many problems associated with the overproduction of corn and buy some of the excess corn to use in aid for malnourished countries..?  

Pollan ends his journey in the perfect place: McDonalds.  I know for me when I think of the obesity issue I almost immediately picture those gold curves in the shape of an M representing one of fast-food’s biggest chains.  I will admit I do enjoy the occasional fast-food outing from time to time I just believe it should be in moderation.   As I continued reading I became shocked by this statement: “Of the thirty-eight ingredients it takes to make a McNugget, I counted thirteen that can be derived from corn” (pg. 112-113).  How could there possibly be so many ingredients in a chicken nugget?  Sadly I think we are going to see more “steps from nature” in the food industry unless something can be done with all this dang corn. 

[deanevans1992]

The people of the ________

Keystone species: a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance

For many people who study biology (like myself) the concept of a keystone species is most likely not a new one.  For those who are not familiar with this idea it stems from the architectural keystone which is the last stone placed in an arch locking all the other stones in place allowing the arch to function as a weight bearing entity.  Keystone species have been documented in the literature many times since the concept was first coined by Robert Paine in 1969 (Garibaldi & Turner 2004).  The existence of such species has huge implications for conservation and restoration projects due to their huge impact on ecosystems.  Why do we care?  The dependence of humans on other living organisms is absolute and requires healthy ecology for continued sustainability.  Many problems today stem from the overuse of certain organisms which often can have indirect effects on others.  What happens when these species are ones that are culturally connected to society?

Until reading this paper by Garibaldi and Turner I never really considered that certain plants and animals can have huge associations with the identity of certain groups.  An example of this is the coastal First Nations of British Columbia who are sometimes referred to as the People of the Cedar.  Red-cedar wood is a highly valued resource for the First Peoples of the pacific coast.  The characteristics of the wood and its abundance have allowed for multiple uses in technology (canoes) making it culturally significant.  Western red-cedar is seen as a sacred tree to these people which is reflected through the rituals, history, and language of the people.  The authors would account such a species as being a “cultural keystone species” as opposed to an “ecological keystone species” due to its ability to mold the identity of these people.   The main difference being that an ecological keystone species shape an ecosystem and a cultural keystone species shape a culture.  Are people not a part of the ecosystem?  We too are living and have impacts on the ecosystem while the ecosystem has impacts on us. 

You may be wondering how this relates to conservation.  A big message from this paper was when conserving landscapes we must also conserve the people inhabiting this landscape.  Take away the red-cedar and the First Nations of costal British Columbia lose their identity and become “The People of the______.”  This concept of a cultural keystone species allows for the identification of culturally important species which will show immediate reward of conservation efforts due to its value.  The value these species have for communities allows for a clear investment in their sustainable return.  Once an investment has been made, progress towards a healthier ecosystem becomes more attainable.  This concept of cultural significance is extremely important when it comes to endangered species.  Rather than limiting a culture from using a species and striping away their identity, work should be done with that community to achieve sustainability.

Words: 503

A. Garibaldi and N. Turner. 2004. Cultural keystone species: implications for ecological conservation and restoration. Ecology and Society 9:1-18.

Available at: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss3/art1/print.pdf

[deanevans1992]

It’s a long way to domestication

Diamond, J. 1999. Guns, Germs and Steel (Digital Copy). New York (NY). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. p 77-104, 120-142.

The ability to go to the grocery store to purchase almost any food item we desire is often something we take for granted.  It wasn’t always this simple which meant either having to go hunt and gather and/or produce your own food.   The reason I used the words “and/or” is because there was no fine line between the transitions from hunting and gathering to producing food via domesticated crops and animals, it was a multistep process composed of chance and opportunity.  Diamond describes much of this process in chapters 4, 5, 6, and 8 of his book Guns, Germs and Steel, exploring topics such as the battle between the two types of food acquiring methods and the timeline of domestication around the world. 

Before I dive into all of the big ideas Diamond has about the transition to agriculture I feel like I should warn any outsiders about this section of reading.  For those of you who read my previous blog entry about Diamond’s writing ability you will already know he is not the most poetic of writers.  I actually took the time to do some background checks on him and found out that he is a scientist who received his PhD from the University of Cambridge for gall bladder research.  In this regard I have to give him a little bit of credit for his writing ability since he isn’t a literary expert.  What Diamond is really quite good at, which he should be considering his background, is his ability to relay a great deal of facts to the reader in a concise and sometimes intriguing way.  I could critique his style and writing ability for a very long time which is not what my focus is for this blog entry. 

Let’s begin with chapter 4 “Farmer Power” which begins with teenage Diamond in 1956 Montana where he is working on a farm for a man by the name of Fred Hirschy.  Here he happened to be working with a member of the Blackfoot Indian tribe whose name was Levi.  Diamond goes on to describe how he admired Levi for his politeness, ability to be responsible, and his sobriety.  His interactions with Levi essentially lead to a revelation of sorts when Levi surprises him by showing up to work cursing and still drunk from a Saturday-night out drinking.  Diamond goes on to explain “Among his curses, one has stood out in my memory: ‘Damn you, Fred Hirschy, and damn the ship that brought you from Switzerland!’” (pg. 77).  This statement brought the author to recall the American conquest of the west which stole not only the land but the hunting and gathering lifestyle from Levi’s tribe.   The remainder of the chapter goes on to divulge the numerous mechanisms farming can lead to the defeat of old ways.  The most obvious means for the success of a farming lifestyle come with increased masses of food which allows for increased populations.  Agriculture also allows for a sedentary life where food can be produced and surpluses stored in the same location.  According to Diamond it is this surplus that can feed the professional soldiers needed for conquest. 

Chapter 5 “History’s Haves and Have-nots” is quite literally about discovering the history agriculture.  This chapter also explores some of the science behind figuring out this history such as radiocarbon dating.  The big picture from this chapter is that food production arose in multiple places at multiple times each independently.  Sometimes the idea behind domestication of food items would spread to neighboring regions and sometimes areas with the prime ecology for food production never discovered it.  That being said the earliest records of agriculture date back about 10,000 years ago and through time have evolved to be the most important source of food items today.

“To Farm or Not to Farm” (Chapter 6) that is the question!  You don’t really think to ask these kinds of questions today because farming is something that has been a part of our history for a very long time.  In this chapter Diamond really does a good job at looking at the possible reasons why food production didn’t start sooner or why not every civilization did not trade in the hunter and gatherer life to produce their own food.  Such ideas include constraints within society: “...men hunters tend to guide themselves by considerations of prestige: for example, they might rather go giraffe hunting every day, bag a giraffe once a month, and thereby gain the status of great hunter...” (pg. 99).  It begins to be a lot more complicated than I could ever have imagined and Diamond says “we must consider food production and hunting-gathering as alternative strategies competing with each other.” (pg. 100).  It is quite obvious which strategy has succeeded over the last 10,000 years or so and many of the possible reasons why are not surprising to me.  Much like problems of today, natural recourses of the past would have been subject to depletion due to excessive exploitation making food production more rewarding.  Furthermore, with the onset of food production came the development of tools which would have increased the reward as well.  Diamond raises an interesting question: “did a rise in human population density force people to turn to food production, or did food production permit a rise in human population density?” (pg. 102).  An intriguing question if I do say so myself.  It makes me wonder where society would be today without agriculture and what would exist of domesticated organisms without society?

The last chapter (8) entitled “Apples or Indians” returns to the question of why agriculture didn’t arise in areas like California which were ecologically prime real-estate.  Wild apple species managed to be domesticated in Eurasia but in North America many related wild apples which would have been useful to Native Americans weren’t.  This is where Diamond’s chapter title comes from, was the problem due to the apples or the Indians?  The answer itself is not really answerable as Diamond express that “North American Indian farmers were like Eurasian farmers, and North American wild apples were like Eurasian wild apples.” (pg 141).  Ultimately, to my surprise, the problem appears to be the entirety of the wild animal and plant species in which the Indians had access to.  If more time had permitted no one is to say the Indians would have not taken to food production and it becomes unfortunate for them that: “The peoples of areas with a head start on food production thereby gained a head start on the path leading toward guns, germs, and steel.” (pg. 94).

[deanevans1992]

Concern for British Columbia Grasslands

Living in Kamloops my entire life I have become familiar with a landscape dominated by grasses, sagebrush, and forbs.  The grasslands of British Columbia surprisingly only make up about 1% of the province’s land area and are restricted to the hot valleys of the southern interior (Wikeem & Wikeem 2004).   Not only is this ecosystem endangered and highly vulnerable to disturbance but is also home to many endangered species.  Of B.C.’s endangered species the grasslands are important for survival to approximately 33% of them.   Red flags should be going up when 1% of B.C.’s land area is associated with one third of the province’s entire endangered list.  A great deal of this problem is due to the loss of habitat from settlement and development.  For example, about a third of the grassland ecosystem in the Okanagan Basin has been developed.  Growing populations and the human desire to be located in areas of warm climate will continue to put stresses on endangered wildlife. 

Photo taken from Lac du Bois grasslands summer 2013.

Sometimes the effects of development are not always so obvious at having consequences on grassland habitat.  A study by Howe et al. (2014) discusses how habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic structures such as power lines can have impacts on species abundance.  This study specifically looks at 72 Raven nest sites in southern Idaho, a grassland ecosystem that has been subjected to modifications such as the creation of transmission lines, roads, and other human construction.  The reason for focus on the Common Raven comes from the vast increase in population since 1985 which is concerning due to the fact ravens are nest predators which can have effects on sensitive species such as the Greater Sage-Grouse.  They found that every 1 km increment away from a power line there was a 31% decrease in the chance of finding Raven nests.  Furthermore, nest sites were most likely to be found near edges containing human disturbance and big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata).  Findings such as these help explain the adverse effects of development in grassland areas that are not just related to direct habitat loss and should be considered for conservation of endangered species. 

Unfortunately for B.C. it is too late to save the Greater Sage-Grouse which has been listed as extirpated (COSEWIC 2008).  As I look deeper into the literature I become more and more concerned about the fate of our grassland and the species that inhabit them.  The federal government does not appear to be on this side of the matter either, with the 2013 announcement of the closure of the Grassland Applied Technology Centre here in Kamloops.  The centre had been a part of a long relationship between Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada and Kamloops, which in the past has researched grassland vegetation, forage crop production, and cattle management.  Budget cuts over the years lead to the 2011 focus to be on sustainability and management of grasslands which even consisted of a climate change study in Lac du Bois grasslands.  Unfortunately the federal government no longer seems interested in B.C.’s grasslands and this is both frustrating and frightening.   In my opinion I think everyone should become more aware of the importance of our grasslands and the many factors that can impact this ecosystem before it is too late.

Word Count: 535

Work Cited:

  COSEWIC. 2008. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Greater Sage-Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus, Phaios subspecies and Urophasianus subspecies, Centrocercus urophasianus urophasianus, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 38 pp.

 Available at: http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_greater_sage_grouse_0808_e.pdf

 K. B. Howe, P. S. Coates, and D. J. Delehanty. 2014. Selection of anthropogenic features and vegetation characteristics by nesting Common Ravens in the sagebrush ecosystem. The Condor 116:35-49.

Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1650/CONDOR-13-115-R2.1

B. Wikeem and S. Wikeem. 2004. The grasslands of British Columbia. The Grasslands Concervation Council of British Columbia 1-497.

Available at: http://trench-er.com/public/library/files/bc-grasslands.pdf

[deanevans1992]

As they days get longer I  begin to get excited for summer!  I can not wait to retern to long hot days at Shuswap Lake!

[deanevans1992]

Squamish trip summer 2013 :)

[deanevans1992]

Coevolution and Artificial Selection: A relationship between plants and people

Diamond J. 1999. How to make an almond. In: Guns, germs, and steel. New York (NY): W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. p. 114-130

Pollan M. 2001. The human bumblebee. In: The botany of desire. New York (NY): Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. xiii-xxv

The common theme of the assigned reading this week was artificial selection, or the process of breeding animals and plants for favorable traits.  Both authors take a unique approach at describing this process.  Diamond’s chapter “How to Make an Almond” tells a more factual story, much like a history book, about the origins of artificial selection and staple food crops of today.  The introduction to Pollan’s book tells about artificial selection in the eyes of the plant and is presented in such a way to resemble a story.  Both authors touch on a common theme of adaptations being selected for by humans which aids both the plant and us.

How do you make an almond?  Little did I know many of the wild plant forms of today’s domesticated crops posed many problems for their cultivation.  Diamond exposed me to many things I was not aware about regarding our crops today.  Almonds in the wild are most likely poisonous, gosh I had no idea!  Luckily for our ancestors the poisonous ingredient also makes almonds bitter tasting and not very palatable.  Only almonds with a mutation that cancels the production of the toxin are palatable or sweeter.  These better tasting almonds are not only safe but are tasty and would have been the only seeds planted by our ancestors.  I never really thought of this but we as humans are acting against natural selection.  Diamond explains that almonds in the wild without the toxin would be selected against as birds would have no problem eating all their seeds.  I found this example of the almond quite interesting as I am sure Diamond thought the same seeing as his chapter is titled after this idea. 

Although Diamond had many ideas to offer, that I had never once considered, his writing was not my favorite.  I often had to put the book down to take a break before becoming focused once again.  I referred earlier to his writing to be like a history book, which is how I felt when I read his work.  It’s a bit too factual and boring to me.  It lacks imagination and imagery that I look forward to when opening a book.  This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like this section of reading.  I am just saying that the writing style hinders it a little bit.

In contrast to my view on Diamond’s writing methods is Pollan’s ability to convey his thoughts in a story format.  I was instantly drawn into Pollan’s introduction entitled “The Human Bumblebee.”  The very first line depicts Pollan’s captive writing style: “The seeds of this book were first planted in my garden—while I was planting seeds, as a matter of fact.” (pg. xiii).   Not only did Pollan’s writing hypnotize me, but it also took an interesting view on artificial selection, the view of the plant.  Pollan proposes that plants are benefiting from the presence of traits desired by humans who in turn propagate their germline.  Rather than being a one sided relationship it becomes more of a process of coevolution or species reciprocation that affects each other’s evolution.  This idea Pollan describes completely blew my mind because it makes complete sense but I had never thought of this angle before.  I greatly enjoyed this section of his book and look forward to reading more.

As a closing statement for this blog entry I would like to quote Michael Pollan: “the offspring of the ancient marriage of plants and people are far stranger and more marvelous than we realize.” (pg. xviii).