Casey McKhann
Mr. Ippolito
March 9th, 2020
AP Biology EF Even
Segarra, Curtis. "A new map shows where ‘murder hornets’ could spread in the U.S." Science
News, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/asian-giant-murder-hornets-new-map-habitat-united-states
In this article by Curtis Segarra, the potential dangers of the invasive Asian giant hornets is described in detail. The author discusses the presence of the murder hornents in the Pacific United States, stating, that on the North American continent, the hornets only reside in British Columbia and northern Washington state. These hornets which are renowned for invading and destroying honeybee hives. These malicious attacks on honeybees have earned the giant hornet the nickname “Murder Hornet.” The author then continues to discuss the possible habitats of the hornets and the conditions which the invasive species finds suitable. These “murder hornets,” (Vespa mandarinia), tend to reside in warm and moist environments. The article states that the most suitable habitats for the Hornets can be found along the West Coast of the United States, with other suitable areas being found on areas of the East Coast. According to the article, the current dangers of the hornets are quite low because there are only a few nests within the United States; however, if these hornets are not stopped soon there is a large potential for future inhabitants along the entire West Coast. This would be detrimental to the survival of Honeybees. Currently, scientists are attempting to track these hornets back towards their nests to eliminate the young population, but attempts have been unsuccessful. The dangers are presented through the fact that researchers do not know that much about the hornets. For example, these murder hornets nest underground, this raises questions to scientists about their ability to spread. The good news currently is that it is predicted that it will take the hornets 10 years to reach Oregon from their current location, so there is time to find a solution.
The spread of these hornets is relevant to the modern day ecosystems of much of the West Coast, and potentially the East Coast as well. Murder Hornets earned their name because they destroy honeybees and their hives very easily. This is important because honeybees are very important to our ecosystems. They play a large role in the pollination of flowers and the production of goods. Many individuals rely on honey as a source of income and would be impacted greatly by the introduction of a highly invasive predator. These hornets would also be a danger to humans, as their sting is incredibly painful, and in rare cases, can cause death. The good news is that these dangers are not immediately relevant, and that there is time to stop the spread. This article is incredibly relevant because the time to act is now, while the population of these hornets is small. If the problem is handled properly right now, the dangers of these hornets could be mitigated.
This article was very interesting, informative, and relevant. It detailed necessary information regarding an ongoing issue in the United States, and discussed how crucial it was that the problem was handled immediately. I think this article did a very good job of delivering its message and creating interest around the issue. I think this article could have done a few things better. First off, it would have been interesting to hear more about the negative effects of the spread of the murder hornets. I also wish more was detailed on how the murder hornets arrived in the United States. I think going forward, this author should provide additional background information and also focus on describing the impact of the issue more thoroughly.
Nate Kim
ReplyDeleteMarch 15th, 2020
AP Biology, Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 16
Segarra, Curtis. "A new map shows where ‘murder hornets’ could spread in the U.S." Science
News, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/asian-giant-murder-hornets-new-map-habitat-united-states
Mckhann, Casey. “‘A new map shows where ‘murder hornets’ could spread in the U.S..’” Blogspot.com, 15 Mar. 2021, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2021/03/current-event-16-japanese-murder-hornets.html
Casey’s deep dive into "A new map shows where ‘murder hornets’ could spread in the U.S." is a brilliant display of analytical genius that is able to properly inform his audience on the topic of murder hornets and their recent emergence in the United States. Casey does a great job of weaving in his own personal commentary in the intro paragraph where he gives a summary of the article. As a result, there is great flow between ideas and the summary becomes more cohesive as a result. I loved the way Casey gave clear reasons as to why he chose this article to do a current event on. It really gives us great insight into his thoughts and creates a connection with the audience that makes him seem more trustworthy and reliable. Lastly, I liked his connections and extrapolation of ideas. Casey does not just regurgitate the ideas from the article. He adds to them with original and unique thoughts of his own.
Although I really enjoyed reading Casey’s analysis, I believe that there are places that could be improved. Casey uses sophisticated vocabulary that could make his writing a little hard to understand for readers that are not well-versed in the field of biology or science in general. This is easily remedied by just defining more terms or using simpler language. For example, in the intro/ summary paragraph, Casey uses the word “invasive .” If this term is not known by a reader, the rest of the paragraph will be confusing. Casey doesn’t describe the word, while not extremely advanced, could still be confusing for some readers. Casey could have also added some statistics in the second paragraph after further research. The reader is left to wonder, how many murder hornets could come to the U.S.?
In conclusion , Casey’s article review is fantastic and clearly demonstrates a high level of understanding of the topic at hand. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Casey’s review because of the breadth of knowledge that Casey possesses on this topic. I learned about murder hornets and their negative affects on humans and ecosystems. For Casey to improve his articles' reviews, I would recommend doing extra research to bring more ideas into the review so that the reader is left with a more holistic understanding of the topic. Managing our ecosystems and the organisms in them is set to become one of the most important environmental issues in the future. I’m grateful that Casey has brought this idea to my attention at such an early stage so that I can do my own research and attempt to learn more.
Olivia Cevasco
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology - C Even
16 March 2021
Current Event 16 - Comment on Casey McKhann's Review
Segarra, Curtis. “A New Map Shows Where 'Murder Hornets' Could Spread in the U.S.” Science News, 27 Oct. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/asian-giant-murder-hornets-new-map-habitat-united-states.
McKhann, Casey. “Current Event 16: Japanese Murder Hornets.” Bronxville AP Biology, 8 Mar. 2021, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2021/03/current-event-16-japanese-murder-hornets.html.
Casey’s review of “A New Map Shows Where 'Murder Hornets' Could Spread in the U.S” explains how the spread of “Murder Hornets” can introduce more predators into honeybee habitats and have potentially harmful effects on our ecosystem. First, Casey does a wonderful job describing the Murder Hornets’ habitat, saying that “These ‘murder hornets,’ (Vespa mandarinia), tend to reside in warm and moist environments. The article states that the most suitable habitats for the Hornets can be found along the West Coast of the United States.” This descriptor enables the reader to form a connection between the habitats of bees (often warm and moist) and of Murder Hornets. Further, telling us that this is a West Coast issue suggests that this problem has a limited scope at the moment. Casey does a great job addressing the threat to honeybees if Murder Hornets continue to spread. He said that “Murder Hornets earned their name because they destroy honeybees and their hives very easily… Honeybees are very important to our ecosystems. They play a large role in the pollination of flowers and the production of goods.” Contextualizing this problem enables the reader to understand the potential severity of this issue because many food products and other items rely on plants that have been pollinated by bees, so a life without as many bees can negatively affect our health and lives. Casey also maintains an optimistic tone throughout his review which leaves the reader with a sense of optimism that this problem can be solved before any real damage is done. He noted that “the time to act is now, while the population of these hornets is small. If the problem is handled properly right now, the dangers of these hornets could be mitigated,” giving the readers hope that our bee population can remain intact if more scientific research is conducted to assess the Murder Hornet population’s location, underground hives, spreading patterns, and to kill the Murder Hornets.
To improve his review, I would encourage Casey to quote the main article to increase his credibility as a writer posting a review from a credible source. Often, the main articles will include quotes from scientists, so including their words can corroborate multiple perspectives and perhaps raise new ideas to consider. Second, if possible, I’d encourage Casey to find more statistics to include in his review. He mentioned that there isn’t a lot of information about Murder Hornets and that scientists are working on it. Casey said that “The good news currently is that it is predicted that it will take the hornets 10 years to reach Oregon from their current location, so there is time to find a solution,” and including the 10-year figure enables the reader to understand the slow pace of this problem. Having more numbers would be helpful for the reader to see the severity of the issue. For instance, what is the relative population size of Murder Hornets to honeybees?
I chose to comment on Casey’s review because I’ve heard about “Murder Hornets” on the news and wanted to become more informed on the topic. I enjoyed reading this review because I learned a lot about the Murder Hornets’ habitat, spread, and threat to Honeybees and now share Casey’s optimism that this problem can be solved before its severity increases drastically. Casey’s review changes my perception of this issue, because the phrase “Murder Hornets” makes the problem seem larger than it is, but it is quite fixable once scientists come up with a plan.
Holden D’Avico
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio
3/16/21
Segarra, Curtis. “A New Map Shows Where 'Murder Hornets' Could Spread in the U.S.” Science News, 27 Oct. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/asian-giant-murder-hornets-new-map-habitat-united-states.
McKhann, Casey. “Current Event 16: Japanese Murder Hornets.” Bronxville AP Biology, 8 Mar. 2021, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2021/03/current-event-16-japanese-murder-hornets.html.
Casey’s review of “A New Map Shows Where ‘Murder Hornets” Could Spread in the U.S.” is very informative. The first aspect that was well presented is in the very beginning where Casey discusses how the term ‘Murder Hornet’ first came about. This piece of information not only hooked the reader, but also was interesting to read about. The second aspect that was well presented occurs in the second paragraph where Casey describes the significant dangers that these hornets present to society. He mentioned that they kill honeybees and this can be very harmful to ecosystems because honeybees play an essential role in their communities through pollination. The final aspect that was well presented is in the third paragraph where Casey critiques the review. I agree that it would have been beneficial for the author to explain how the Murder Hornets spread to the US in the first place. If we know how they spread to the US in the first place, we can prevent further spread.
My first suggestion is to explain in greater detail why including more of the negative effects of the spread would be beneficial. Casey critiques the original article and mentions that “it would have been interesting” for the author to explain why the spread of the Murder Hornets would be so harmful but “interesting” is pretty vague. My second suggestion is to describe the hornets characteristics more. I wanted to know more about the hornets and if they have poison or not or how deadly their stinger is, etc.
The fact I was most impressed by is that it will take 10 years for the hornets to spread from the West Coast to Oregon. This surprised me because it seems as if just a few months after the hornets were discovered in East Asia, reports came out in the US that they were spotted. The fact that it will take 10 years for the hornets to spread is hopeful because by that time we will know more about them and how to contain them.
Angelinna Faisca 3/17/21
ReplyDeleteSegarra, Curtis. "A new map shows where ‘murder hornets’ could spread in the U.S." Science
News, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/asian-giant-murder-hornets-new-map-habitat-united-states
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2021/03/current-event-16-japanese-murder-hornets.html
Casey’s review of this article was really in depth. First he discusses the residence of the hornets, describing the residence to be British Columbia and the northern part of Washington state. He also gives background on the nickname that these hornets were given, mainly because of their malicious ways of killing honey bees, sometimes chopping off the heads of said bees literally. He then gives the temperatures that these hornets like to reside in, which are warm and moist environments. These environments are mainly found in the West Coast, providing the invasive species with even more breeding grounds. Overall, not much is known about these hornets, but mainly that their presence is detrimental to the Honeybee population.
Casey did a good job in explaining mainly how their presence is detrimental, but I think going into more depth about describing the hornets more. Describing if they have similar characteristics to regular honeybees is crucial as well. Another good thing he mentions is that these hornets will, or should, be in their current spot for about 10 years,which is good news since scientists will have some time to discover more about them.
Overall, this article was good to know about since these hornets are a real threat to us, especially if they attack our honeybee population deliberately. However a 10 year stop in their main damage can help us with finding out more about these hornets.