This past week, in my biology 101 "Genetics and
Evolution" class, we had our first lab. This class examines biology on the
evolutionary scale over time, and urges us to look at evolutionary development
through the lens of genetic makeup's across the spectrum of diversity. Our lab
took place in the Root Glen in the form of a walk, a long, 3 hour walk through
the woods. This was my first time in any of the Glen's on our campus (other
than professor Rayne's tour of the old campus dumping site for his Geo class
last year.) Moreover, this was my first experience with actually getting to see
and touch the true diversity of plant and animal life in our region. The goal of the
lab was to get us thinking about this diversity, not just at the basic level of how
much and how many, but in the sense that everything we were seeing was all part of a bigger picture; a historical tree of genetic evolution. Walking
alongside professor Cramer and professor Townshend was like getting a private,
guided nature tour. They explained to us the origin, genus and species, interesting
facts, and all other tidbits about almost every single example we came across,
whether it was a birch tree or a salamander, goldenrod or even a hornet's nest
at ground level. (Something new to all of us). Needless to say, I was
astonished about how much detail they knew and were able to convey onto us in
such a short period of time.
The
goal of the lab was most certainly accomplished. This walk opened my eyes to
just how incredibly diverse this region is. It almost seems unreal that we are
fortunate enough to attend a school that is so close to the midst of such an
amazing resource as the Adirondack Park. I like to think of that walk through
the Glen as a preview of some what's to come in this course with our eventual
journey into the park itself, where the real "wild" diversity of things will be all around us. Very much looking forward!
Bald-Faced Hornets nest at Knee Height
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