| Author | Message | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 230 Registered: 7-2009 |
Larry saw his favorite food. He snuck up on it and took a bite. "Yuck!" he thought as he spit it back out, "this tastes awful!" You might not realize it, but something very important just happened. What happened, and why is it important?" I'm going to try something here. As an ecologist, I am regularly struck by fascinating adaptations that represent unique -- and one might even say lateral -- creations of the evolutionary process. Some of them seem like they would make good lateral puzzles, and I'm going to try one now to see how it goes. But for this to work, let me lay out a few guidelines: (1) This is not a "what am I." I'm not looking for you to figure out what species I'm describing. Figuring out things about the organism(s) involved will probably be helpful, but identifying the organism(s) is in no way a required part of the puzzle. (2) The goal is to figure out what's going on from the clues given, not to see what you happen to recall from the Discovery Channel or school. Just like with any other type of puzzle, if you've already heard of the adaptation, please don't $poil. (3) Googling is neither necessary nor encouraged. There should be no specialized knowledge required to solve this. Have fun, and good luck! | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 180 Registered: 8-2009 |
Was it actually his favorite food? Or was it something else that looked like it? Was there anything wrong with the favorite food? Is the food (its species, that is) going through a change? Is the favorite food endangered? Or dwindling in that area? Does Larry's species risk dying off if they continue to rely primarily on that food? Does Larry represent a mutation? Do we presume Larry will find another, new "favorite food"? | ||
| Ozymandias (Ozymandias)
New member Username: Ozymandias Post Number: 69 Registered: 6-2003 |
"biological mystery".... hmmmmm.. Is Larry a non-human animal? If so, is his favourite food suddenly awful as an effect of some action of humans? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 231 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was it actually his favorite food? no Or was it something else that looked like it? yes Was there anything wrong with the favorite food? no Is the food (its species, that is) going through a change? no Is the favorite food endangered? possibly, but irrelevant Or dwindling in that area? possibly, but irr. clarification: Larry is a member of one species within a group of species for which this scenario would apply equally well. For some of them, the favorite food is rare, but for others, it's common. Does Larry's species risk dying off if they continue to rely primarily on that food? possibly, but irrelevant. Does Larry represent a mutation? no, if by "mutation" you're asking whether there's anything unusual about his genes. He's typical for his species. Do we presume Larry will find another, new "favorite food"? yope Is Larry a non-human animal? yes If so, is his favourite food suddenly awful as an effect of some action of humans? no | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 189 Registered: 8-2009 |
Was the "thing that looked like his favorite food" a fruit? Nut? Animal? Relevant exactly what it was? | ||
| Ozymandias (Ozymandias)
New member Username: Ozymandias Post Number: 82 Registered: 6-2003 |
Is Larry in a place filled with other beings of his same species? Is he the first one of his species to ever experience such a contact with this "false food"? Does this occur in the past? Present? Future? Before homo sapiens? | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 191 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is the false food "trying" (in an evolutionary sense) to become the "new favorite food" of Larry's species? | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 194 Registered: 8-2009 |
Does the "false food" represent a mutation of its species? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 234 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was the "thing that looked like his favorite food" a fruit? Nut? Animal? this one Relevant exactly what it was? yes, but you don't have to figure out the species to solve the puzzle Is Larry in a place filled with other beings of his same species? most likely Is he the first one of his species to ever experience such a contact with this "false food"? no Does this occur in the past? Present? Future? Before homo sapiens? all of the above (well, hopefully future) | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 235 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is the false food "trying" (in an evolutionary sense) to become the "new favorite food" of Larry's species? no, but explore. Does the "false food" represent a mutation of its species? It's typical of its species, if that's what you're asking. (As a biologist, I'm having a hard time answering this type of question because all biological features were a mutation at some point. But I don't think that's what you're asking.) | ||
| Ozymandias (Ozymandias)
New member Username: Ozymandias Post Number: 85 Registered: 6-2003 |
Is the "false food" not just disgusting, but also poisoning or dangerous to Larry's species? Is Larry's species also some other species' favourite food? Relevant? Has the "important" thing meant a change to Larry? To his species? To the false food's species? To the true food's species? Is the similarity between true and false food in physical features? Smell? behaviour? Place where it can be found? Is the "false food" already dead when Larry tastes it? | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 196 Registered: 8-2009 |
You understood right, I meant did the false food's resemblence to Larry's favorite represent a new change for its species... Can we expect the "false food" to replace the real favorite food in that environment? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 237 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is the "false food" not just disgusting, but also poisoning or dangerous to Larry's species? no Is Larry's species also some other species' favourite food? probably Relevant? no Has the "important" thing meant a change to Larry? yes To his species? no To the false food's species? to some members of the species, yes To the true food's species? no Is the similarity between true and false food in physical features? yes Smell? no behaviour? yes Place where it can be found? yes Is the "false food" already dead when Larry tastes it? no You understood right, I meant did the false food's resemblence to Larry's favorite represent a new change for its species... Can we expect the "false food" to replace the real favorite food in that environment? no | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 199 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is Larry in a "new" place? Meaning, did he (and some friends) stray from where his species usually lives? Will Larry no longer look for his former "favorite food" because of this bad experience?? | ||
| Ozymandias (Ozymandias)
New member Username: Ozymandias Post Number: 87 Registered: 6-2003 |
Is Larry from this moment on able to distinguish between true and false food without having to taste it again? Has he learned something from the experience anyway? Is the "false food" expected to survive the experience? Had it been true food the one involved in the experience, would it have been expected to survive? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 242 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is Larry in a "new" place? Meaning, did he (and some friends) stray from where his species usually lives? no, but worth exploring Will Larry no longer look for his former "favorite food" because of this bad experience?? no Is Larry from this moment on able to distinguish between true and false food without having to taste it again? Hmm, good question. It would depend on the exact set of circumstances and the exact species involved. I would guess that, in any case, it would be a temporary ability. Let's just say it's irrelevant, for simplicity's sake =) Has he learned something from the experience anyway? see previous answer Is the "false food" expected to survive the experience? yes, good question Had it been true food the one involved in the experience, would it have been expected to survive? no | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 204 Registered: 8-2009 |
Was there a change in Larry's environment? Did this change bring this new false food with it? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 243 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was there a change in Larry's environment? Did this change bring this new false food with it? no to both | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 205 Registered: 8-2009 |
Was the false food "mimicking" the real favorite food? | ||
| Ferrets101 (Ferrets101)
New member Username: Ferrets101 Post Number: 38 Registered: 8-2009 |
Did Larry die as a result of the incident with the "false food"? Did the "false food"? did any other organism? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 245 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was the false food "mimicking" the real favorite food? yes Did Larry die as a result of the incident with the "false food"? no Did the "false food"? no did any other organism? it's possible that some other members of the false food's species died, but investigating this further might send you down the wrong track. I know it sounds strange, but no deaths that might have resulted from the incident are important. That said, the fact that both Larry and the false food survived is important. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 207 Registered: 8-2009 |
Can we presume that Larry, and others of his species, will again mistake the "false food" for the real favorite food? Relevant? Will Larry's species likely... incorporate the "false food" into their diet? ...develop a taste for it? Will the false food continue to change in appearance? ...to look more like the real food? Less? Will the false food learn to avoid Larry's species, to avoid being eaten? | ||
| Alhucema (Alhucema)
New member Username: Alhucema Post Number: 680 Registered: 11-2008 |
Is Larry a mammal? Bird? Fish? Insect? Same question for the real food/false food. Does it change Larry's feeding habits towards the "real food"? Does he stop eating it? | ||
| Gourami (Gourami)
Moderator Username: Gourami Post Number: 466 Registered: 10-2008 |
I think I get the answer to this, so I'll stay back, but interesting idea for a puzzle. Also, high five on being an ecologist. That's what I want to be if/when I grow up. =) | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 247 Registered: 7-2009 |
Can we presume that Larry, and others of his species, will again mistake the "false food" for the real favorite food? yes Relevant? yes Will Larry's species likely... incorporate the "false food" into their diet? no ...develop a taste for it? no Will the false food continue to change in appearance? ... maybe over the course of thousands of years, but not in the near term to look more like the real food? if it eventually changed, it would be this one Less? no Will the false food learn to avoid Larry's species, to avoid being eaten? definitely not Is Larry a mammal? Bird? Fish? Larry and real food are this. Insect? this is closest for false food, but not correct. Same question for the real food/false food. Does it change Larry's feeding habits towards the "real food"? no Does he stop eating it? no | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 248 Registered: 7-2009 |
I think I get the answer to this, so I'll stay back, but interesting idea for a puzzle. Also, high five on being an ecologist. That's what I want to be if/when I grow up. =) Neato. It's a fun thing to be. =) Feel free to chime in later if this situation ends up not being what you think it is. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 238 Registered: 8-2009 |
Was the fake food put there deliberately? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 249 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was the fake food put there deliberately? yes | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 250 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is the fake food bait? Is it a worm? Is it on a hook? Does Larry live in a "natural" environment, or something like a fish hatchery? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 252 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is the fake food bait? yes Is it a worm? Is it on a hook? no to both | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 256 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is Larry caught in a trap? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 255 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is Larry caught in a trap? no, Larry swims away freely after the incident | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 256 Registered: 7-2009 |
Does Larry live in a "natural" environment, or something like a fish hatchery? Sorry, I missed these ones earlier. Larry lives in a natural environment. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 257 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is the fake food attached to anything? A larger animal? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 258 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is the fake food attached to anything? yope (see next) A larger animal? yope. It actually is only part of an animal, so the animal as a whole is larger than the fake food | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 259 Registered: 8-2009 |
Okay, I think I've got an idea, but it's something I "recall from the Discovery Channel or school", so I'm not sure if I should proceed. Plus I'm not sure I can put it all together to solve the puzzle... | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 259 Registered: 7-2009 |
Drop, go ahead and proceed with with what you have. I just didn't want anyone spoiling it early because they happened to already know it, but you've been working towards this one for a while. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 261 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is an Angler Fish (or something similar) involved? I believe it has a stalk with an end that resembles a small fish, which it uses as bait to catch prey (other fish). I'm just not sure I get what "important" event happend, so i guess I'll have to investigate further... Is it the fact that the larger fish evolved a mechanism to 'go fishing'? That it actually grew an appendage to mimic other fish? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 260 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is an Angler Fish no (or something similar) yope - see below involved? I believe it has a stalk with an end that resembles a small fish, this is similar - the "fake food" is an appendage that resembles a small fish. which it uses as bait yes to catch prey (other fish). but it is not used to catch prey - Larry survives, and is meant to survive I'm just not sure I get what "important" event happend, so i guess I'll have to investigate further... Is it the fact that the larger fish evolved a mechanism to 'go fishing'? That it actually grew an appendage to mimic other fish? yes, both of these are important. The appendage is the "fake food." You don't need to know anything else about the appendage itself other than it looks like a fish, Larry tried to eat it, and it's part of an animal. PS...don't forget that the animal with the "fake food" appendage isn't a fish. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 262 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is the animal with the fish-like appendage (AWFLA)... ...a crustacean? ...a mollusk? ...a reptile? amphibian? Does the AWFLA... ever eat Larry's species? ...primarily eat other fish that aren't Larry's species? ...know the difference, visually? by smell? Wait - if AWFLA tried to eat Larry, would it give away its location? Is part of the "important" aspect - that the AWFLA learned "stealth" or "strategy"? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 262 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is the animal with the fish-like appendage (AWFLA)... ...a crustacean? ...a mollusk? this one ...a reptile? amphibian? Does the AWFLA... ever eat Larry's species? no...primarily eat other fish that aren't Larry's species? no...know the difference, visually? by smell? irrel Wait - if AWFLA tried to eat Larry, would it give away its location? no Is part of the "important" aspect - that the AWFLA learned "stealth" or "strategy"? no I feel like you're getting off track with this line of questioning. The "important" thing that you're trying to figure out is what happened when Larry tried to eat the mollusk's appendage. Not what happened in the mollusk's past or evolutionary history. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 270 Registered: 8-2009 |
I guess I'm stuck, not sure where the right track is... Did Larry make a point of avoiding the Mollusk's appendage thereafter? Did Larry travel to look for his real favorite food? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 263 Registered: 7-2009 |
I guess I'm stuck, not sure where the right track is... Did Larry make a point of avoiding the Mollusk's appendage thereafter? Did Larry travel to look for his real favorite food? no to both hint: stop focusing on Larry. As far as he is aware, nothing happened other than that he tried to eat something and it tasted bad. Other than food, what kinds of needs motivate organisms to do what they do? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 264 Registered: 7-2009 |
Also, I think it's my fault that you're paying so much attention to Larry, because I gave him a name - I only did so to avoid pronoun confusion, not to deliberately mislead. So to even things up a bit, let's give the mollusk a name too: Shelley. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 271 Registered: 8-2009 |
Ah, does Larry's activity somehow help Shelley... find a mate? Reproduce? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 265 Registered: 7-2009 |
Ah, does Larry's activity somehow help Shelley... find a mate? no Reproduce? yes | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 278 Registered: 8-2009 |
Is it sort of like the pollination relationship between bees & flowers? Are there eggs in the "fake fish appendage" that get distributed by Larry? ...sperm? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 268 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is it sort of like the pollination relationship between bees & flowers? Are there eggs in the "fake fish appendage" that get distributed by Larry? ...sperm? very, very close. I probably should have said "yesish" to reproduction. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 296 Registered: 8-2009 |
Does Larry take/carry (stuck to him, I would imagine - or maybe in his mouth?) anything with him when he leaves the mollusk? "Baby Mollusks"? Does Larry's interaction with the mollusk "shake something loose" from the tendril, that the mollusk cannot do on its own? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 271 Registered: 7-2009 |
Does Larry take/carry (stuck to him, I would imagine - or maybe in his mouth?) anything with him when he leaves the mollusk? "Baby Mollusks"? yes Does Larry's interaction with the mollusk "shake something loose" from the tendril, that the mollusk cannot do on its own? no, but ORT you've got pretty much everything except how to connect point A to point B: 1)Larry sees the appendage that looks like a fish 2)Larry bites the appendage 3)X 4)Larry spits out the appendage 5)Larry swims away, carrying baby mollusks. All that's left is X. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 300 Registered: 8-2009 |
In his mouth? Baby mollusks stick to Larry's body? Get lodged in his gills? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 272 Registered: 7-2009 |
In his mouth? Baby mollusks stick to Larry's body? Get lodged in his gills? gills or fins, actually (which is an interesting fact but not something you had to figure out). But what I meant was, what is the connection between Larry trying to eat the appendage and Larry carrying away baby mollusks? | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 301 Registered: 8-2009 |
Does Larry biting down release the eggs/larvae from the appendage? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 274 Registered: 7-2009 |
Does Larry biting down release the eggs/larvae from the appendage? No. The larvae aren't actually in the appendage. They're in another part of Shelley's body | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 309 Registered: 8-2009 |
So does Larry biting the appendage trigger a reaction in Shelley, where he "squirts" the larvae, from wherever they are, at Larry? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 277 Registered: 7-2009 |
So does Larry biting the appendage trigger a reaction in Shelley, where he "squirts" the larvae, from wherever they are, at Larry? yes (but Shelley is a she =) ***************SPOILER*********** What happened: Shelley lured Larry to her using an appendage that looks like Larry's favorite prey. When Shelley felt Larry bite her, she released her offspring into the water. As many of them as possible grabbed on to Larry, and he unknowingly carried them away. Why it's important: As Drop said, it's for dispersal. Shelley is a more or less stationary animal in a river, so she needs a way to (a) keep her tiny offspring from being swept downstream, and (b) help them disperse so that they're not competing with her and one another for resources. Background info: Shelley is a female freshwater mussel. Freshwater mussels are a group of bivalves (similar to and yet only distantly related to oysters, clams, and marine mussels) that are especially diverse in North America, but most North Americans have never heard of them. In addition to being diverse, they're also fascinating. Shelley (and many other freshwater mussels) belong to species that have evolved appendages called mantle lures that look like fish prey items. Some look like fish, others look like crayfish, while still others look like insect larvae or other fish prey items. When Shelley becomes gravid (which roughly means that she's pregnant), she stores the fertilized eggs in her gills until they develop into larvae called glochidia. When the glochidia are ready, she wiggles her mantle lure so that it looks like a fish swimming (or moves like whatever prey item it's supposed to look like). Larry is an unsuspecting fish that swam up and took a bite, which signaled Shelley to release the glochidia into the water. The ones that come into contact with Larry latch on to his fins or gills (depending on the species of mussel). He unsuspectingly carries them away to other parts of the river. This is especially important for mussels because adult mussels might only travel in an area of a few yards radius during their entire adult life, so any dispersal that's going to happen happens during the glochidia stage, when they're catching a ride on a fish. To complicate the situation further, many mussel species can only catch a ride on one or a few species of fish, so the lures they evolve are very particular to the favorite foods of the fish species they are able to ride on. These things are pretty neat to look at. Here's one species, including pictures and videos. http://unionid.missouristate.edu/gallery/L_reeveiana/Reeviana.htm. The top picture shows several real fish and one mantle lure. Can you tell which are which? If you poke around on the whole site (http://unionid.missouristate.edu), you can see examples of other species' mantle lures plus some other similar adaptations. | ||
| Dropofahat (Dropofahat)
New member Username: Dropofahat Post Number: 316 Registered: 8-2009 |
Very interesting. Thanks, Noel. |
