Clara DeMagalhaes
Current Event Article #1
AP Biology
9/10/18
Citation:
Greenwood, Veronique. “Parasitic Vines That Feed on Parasitic Wasps That Feed on Trees.”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/science/parasitic-vines-wasps.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ftrilobites.
The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/science/parasitic-vines-wasps.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ftrilobites.
Parasitic Vines That Feed on Parasitic Wasps That Feed on Trees
Author: Veronique Greenwood
Lately, scientists have been studying the existence of a parasitic type of vine that feeds on a parasitic
wasp, which in turn feeds on an oak tree. The oak leaf gall wasp is a parasite that uses oak leaves to make
galls, or swollen bits of plant tissue, which is where a wasp larva resides. The young wasps grow by
consuming the nutrients provided by the plant. However, in one area scientists found vines, called
parasitic love vines, that wove among the trees and the galls. The vines were usually growing into the
galls, and when the scientists dissected the infested plant tissue, many of them had the body of an adult
wasp. The researchers deduced that the vines interfered with how the nutrition was transferred to the
growing wasp, allowing the insect to grow to adulthood but not be able to leave. As for the state of the
trees themselves, gall-forming wasps typically have negative effects on them, such as causing them to
produce less acorns. But the trees that serve as the host for the oak leaf gall wasp and the love vines
were flourishing just fine and there was no decrease in acorn production.
wasp, which in turn feeds on an oak tree. The oak leaf gall wasp is a parasite that uses oak leaves to make
galls, or swollen bits of plant tissue, which is where a wasp larva resides. The young wasps grow by
consuming the nutrients provided by the plant. However, in one area scientists found vines, called
parasitic love vines, that wove among the trees and the galls. The vines were usually growing into the
galls, and when the scientists dissected the infested plant tissue, many of them had the body of an adult
wasp. The researchers deduced that the vines interfered with how the nutrition was transferred to the
growing wasp, allowing the insect to grow to adulthood but not be able to leave. As for the state of the
trees themselves, gall-forming wasps typically have negative effects on them, such as causing them to
produce less acorns. But the trees that serve as the host for the oak leaf gall wasp and the love vines
were flourishing just fine and there was no decrease in acorn production.
Parasitic plants and insects have been studied for many years so far, but this is the first time anyone
has found a parasitic plant that feeds on another parasite, which in turn feeds on a plant. So far,
scientists don’t know how common this occurrence is, but they want to investigate it further. I believe
that this could be beneficial to society because if they do find more parasites using other parasites as
hosts, then organisms like the love vine could be used to control things in the same position as the
wasps. For example, if a type of insect was using an important crop as a host and was severely
damaging it, then people could use plants like the love vine to get them under control without causing
harm to the crop. The plant controlling the other parasite won’t stick around when its food source gets
depleted, and will die off when it is no longer needed.
has found a parasitic plant that feeds on another parasite, which in turn feeds on a plant. So far,
scientists don’t know how common this occurrence is, but they want to investigate it further. I believe
that this could be beneficial to society because if they do find more parasites using other parasites as
hosts, then organisms like the love vine could be used to control things in the same position as the
wasps. For example, if a type of insect was using an important crop as a host and was severely
damaging it, then people could use plants like the love vine to get them under control without causing
harm to the crop. The plant controlling the other parasite won’t stick around when its food source gets
depleted, and will die off when it is no longer needed.
The article as a whole was very interesting and presented its information clearly. It was fast paced and
got straight to the point while providing enough background information for the reader to fully
understand. It also included pictures that showed what the wasps and the galls they made looked like.
That being said, one of its drawbacks was that it fails to highlight the importance of this discovery or
say what the researchers wanted to do next other than looking to see how common this kind of thing is.
As a result, the existence of this type of relationship seems more “cool” than it does “significant”,
and the reader isn’t too sure what researching more instances of this will accomplish for us or for the
ecosystem. In order to improve, I’d suggest adding in what the scientists think they could do with this
knowledge and how it could benefit the human race or the rest of the world. If they said this, then the
readers could be more invested in further discoveries concerning this topic.
got straight to the point while providing enough background information for the reader to fully
understand. It also included pictures that showed what the wasps and the galls they made looked like.
That being said, one of its drawbacks was that it fails to highlight the importance of this discovery or
say what the researchers wanted to do next other than looking to see how common this kind of thing is.
As a result, the existence of this type of relationship seems more “cool” than it does “significant”,
and the reader isn’t too sure what researching more instances of this will accomplish for us or for the
ecosystem. In order to improve, I’d suggest adding in what the scientists think they could do with this
knowledge and how it could benefit the human race or the rest of the world. If they said this, then the
readers could be more invested in further discoveries concerning this topic.
Jordan Hoang
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
13 September 2018
Citation:
Greenwood, Veronique. “Parasitic Vines That Feed on Parasitic Wasps That Feed on Trees.”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/science/parasitic-vines-wasps.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ftrilobites.
I thought Clara’s review was engaging and I liked how she included her scientific view on the topic. She gave a fascinating perspective, mentioning how “love vines” could be used as a mean of controlling invasive and destructive species. Additionally, I liked how she indicated that the article failed to talk about the importance of this discovery. Any findings need to followed up with questions or ways to advance science moving forward. Rather, I believe her opinion on how this research could be utilized was more insightful than the article was. I also thought her last paragraph that mentioned how “the existence of this type of relationship seems more “cool” than it does ”significant” was especially well-written and clear.
I think some of the areas Clara could improve on is making her writing more concise. While I thought her last points were easy to follow, I had trouble understanding her first two paragraphs. While I realize that the topic is a bit difficult to explain, a few of her descriptions were lengthy and consequently, hard to interpret. Additionally, I wish she talked about her personal connection to this topic and why she ultimately decided on reviewing this article. Since the article was lacking in how this discovery benefits society, I believe she could have compensated for this by including her own interest in this subject.
I had never heard of this parasite plant and wasp relationship occuring in the ecosystem, so it was intriguing to learn about. To hear that “this is the first time anyone has found a parasitic plant that feeds on another parasite” is so fascinating to me. There are so many relationships, behaviors, or even species on Earth that are unknown to us. It makes me realize how science is a never ending series of discoveries and that we will always have questions about how the world works around us.
I like how Clara explained the terms that other people may not have known, I also found it really interesting how she included a little background about the parasite. Lastly, I thought she did a really good job emphasizing the point that this is an overlooked topic later in her writing. I did not like the fact that she was stating and explaining facts and was using I in the paragraph I felt that using I was not necessary, especially when stating facts. Also, I was not a fan at the fact that she did not give too many examples, I felt she could have used more examples throughout the essay. Although she did a good job throughout the essay explaining points, I felt she could have been more consistent.
ReplyDeleteLayla Brinster
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Mr. Ippolito
Current Event #2 Review
9/16/18
Greenwood, Veronique. “Parasitic Vines That Feed on Parasitic Wasps That Feed on Trees.”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/science/parasitic-vines-wasps.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ftrilobites
After reading Clara’s review on Veronique Greenwood’s “parasitic Vines that Feed on Parasitic Wasps that Feed on Trees” I thought that she summarized the information in a concise fashion, incorporated her opinion nicely, and highlighted the downfalls of the piece well. Reading Clara’s review of the article cleared up any confusion I had after reading the actual article, and was straight to the point. She described how the wasps feed off the trees, and in turn the vines feed off the wasps well, and explained the relationship between the gall wasps and vines. Her presentation of the information was direct and left little room for questioning or confusion. Furthermore, I enjoyed how she was able to take a step further- integrating her opinion on how this discovery could be utilized in other areas of study such as crops or agriculture. Lastly, her critique was well worded and thought out. Initiating the idea that scientists should advance upon the relationship between the love vine and the wasps, was an interesting point. Before reading her review, I had not really considered that idea, however she opened my eyes to the possibility the discovery entials; will scientists chose to take the next step and see if they can benefit humanity?
Although Clara’s review was well crafted, I believe she could have incorporated statistics to further back her summary. I would have included that “When the researchers dissected 51 love-vine-infested galls from one wasp species, they found that 45 percent contained a mummified adult wasp, compared with only 2 percent of uninfested galls” This information strengthens her point about the relationship between the love vines and the galls, and the effect that the vines have on the wasps. Without some statistical reasoning, readers could be skeptical of the information’s accuracy. Additionally, Clara could have connected the article more to society. Her point about using the connection in agriculture was interesting, however, it would have been intriguing to view how else she thought the discovery and research could have an impact on society. Also, I wonder if they introduced such vines onto crops, would the crop be able to withstand the nutrient depletion, or will it die- could it have a possibly detrimental effect?
I enjoyed reading this article and review because it opened my eyes to the numerous relationships between organisms that we have no idea exist yet. It was also interesting to witness how types of plants and organisms interact with each other, and the effect they have on one another. After reading the article and Clara’s review, I am curious as to the other benefits such a discovery could have on science and society. The article has made me want to become more aware of nature and the world around me- maybe stop for a minute and observe how different species interact with one another.
Greenwood, Veronique. “Parasitic Vines That Feed on Parasitic Wasps That Feed on Trees.”
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/science/parasitic-vines-wasps.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ftrilobites.
Alisa Kanganis
AP Biology
September 18, 2018
I enjoyed reading Clara’s review of the article “Parasitic Vines That Feed on Parasitic Wasps That Feed on Trees” by Veronique Greenwood. I like how she included a lot of information and detail in her description of the relationship between the parasites, wasps, and trees. I also found her paragraph concerning the potential benefits that this vine could have on crops very interesting, and it would be something that I would want to learn more about in the future. I especially liked how she mentioned that, Parasitic plants and insects have been studied for many years so far, but this is the first time anyone has found a parasitic plant that feeds on another parasite, which in turn feeds on a plan,” putting emphasis on the importance of the discovery. Lastly, I thought her final paragraph did a very good job of wrapping up her review. I like how she touched upon the author’s failure to, “highlight the importance of of this discovery,” which in turn leads people to believe that, “this relationship seems more cool than it does significant.”
While the review included a lot of good detail, it was also a little confusing. The last paragraph was very clear but the first two were kind of hard to follow. I think it would be better off if it were more concise. I also wish Clara included more information on where exactly this vine is found and what type of environment it thrives in.
I never knew that there was a parasitic vine that feeds on parasitic wasps that feeds on trees, so this article was very new to me. I found it very interesting that this vine could potentially be used to protect crops from insects. It’s also crazy to think that relationships like this exist out in the world, many of which we have not discovered yet. This article makes me look forward to new discoveries.