How the Brown Rat Conquered New York City (and Every Other One, Too).

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/science/brown-rat-new-york-city.html

Zimmer, Carl. "How the Brown Rat Conquered New York City (and Every Other One, Too)." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

            For my current event review, I read the article "How the Brown Rat Conquered New York City (and Every Other One, Too”) by Carl Zimmer. As the title would suggest, the article covers the rise of brown rat populations in New York City – a subject pertinent to population ecology and ecological niches. The rats are a major in problem, as they are a source of contamination and spread harmful viruses and bacterial that can potential threaten other species with extinction. Generally, the species is a pest. According to the author, the scientific community has been unable to pinpoint the rise of the brown rate from a wild rodent to its current standing as an unwanted companion to humans across numerous cities. Recently, Dr. Jason Munshi-South of Fordham University has completed a genetic study on brown rats, and has found surprising results. The new study suggests that once brown rats settle a city, they repel additional species from inhabiting the area; this finding has significant implications for human health. In his study, Dr. Munshi-South obtained DNA samples from brown rats across the world and compared them with those native to New York City. In his findings, Dr. Munshi-South published the origins of the brown rat. The brown rat is native to northern China, and once fed on wild plants and small animals in the cold plains region. As farming became prevalent in China, the brown rats adapted and began to live on farms and villages. At some unknown point in time, the rats began to migrate initially to southeastern Asia according to the study. The rats ultimately began to spread in all directions across the globe, in slow and scattered waves. Their spread picked up speed as a result of European imperialism and expansion: the rats spread across the globe on European ships. One major finding of Dr. Munshi-South’s study was a lack of genetic mixing, which implies that there are few migrant rats arriving and reproducing as the result of some force – this force quite possibly being the territoriality of brown rats. The main theory derived from this research is that the first brown rats to arrive in a city rapidly fill it up, and eventually defend the city from later arriving brown rats.

            Though seemingly insignificant, this study revealed important information regarding population dynamics and the ecological role of brown rates. The main finding from the study – described in the last sentence of the first paragraph – suggests that brown rats in fact protect cities from the emergence of new diseases. As such, the preservation of brown rat populations in major cities may be of paramount importance. Furthermore, it is important to be able to analyze the population dynamics of a community and the spread of a community in order to be able to make predictions regarding the future of an area’s ecological composition. Furthermore, the ability to make accurate predictions regarding an area’s future ecological compositions allows scientists to better maintain ideal conditions for an area, as they are more aware of imminent threats to an area. More specifically, in some instances scientists may be able to prevent the harmful spread of a certain species in an area. Population ecology is an important branch of science that is all too often overlooked.

            The author wrote a generally well written article. The content was concise and to the point, and the author did not stray at all from the main focus. However, I thought that the article was lacking in depth. Zimmer failed to make connections to society and explain the importance of the study, instead opting to merely review the broader points of the study. Aside from this one flaw, however, Zimmer accomplished his task and left no questions unanswered.