https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q Lauren Sun Period 1B en-us 2021-03-09 00:25:06 UTC 2026-01-04 20:01:28 UTC hello@padlet.com 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285002228 2021-03-09 00:26:48 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285002228 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285098762 2021-03-09 00:55:30 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285098762 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285181921 -The Longu and the Nimbus seem to be in the genus within the squirrel family.
-So far, there have been 240 attempts to bring the Longu to St. Kitts in order to save the population of the Nimbus.
-My team and I have spent the past few months observing these rodents
-Despite high hopes, the two species don't seem to be mating with each other as we expected.
-Physical attributes have been recorded to determine differences in the species for further understanding.

Signed,
Dr. Gerald

]]> 2021-03-09 01:22:32 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285181921 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285201760 Longu: animal from Nevis
Nimbus: animal from St. Kitts]]> 2021-03-09 01:28:35 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285201760 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285250907 We believe the islands could have been connected at one point but are now separated. More thoughts on this theory later.]]> 2021-03-09 01:44:30 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285250907 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285273158 My team and I believe that we are correct in that the islands were connected by a small plot of land. We have visited both islands multiple times, and we have seen the same species of plants on the areas that are marked on the map.

This split between the islands has likely caused prezygotic reproductive isolation in the form of habitat isolation which contributed to the evolution of the two species. We believe that the Longu was the original species and the Nimbus evolved from them. After the islands split apart, it is highly likely that environment of the island of St. Kitts was not able to sustain as many members of the species. Thus, those on the St. Kitts island had lower chances of reproducing because they were isolated from their original homes. This lead to a smaller population.]]> 2021-03-09 01:50:47 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285273158 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285365536 The difference in habitats may have resulted in mutations that caused the creation of the two different species. My team and I will continue to explore this possibility through more observations.]]> 2021-03-09 02:19:56 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285365536 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285374216 2021-03-09 02:23:02 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285374216 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285393439 We've traveled further inland on St. Kitts and have found many remnants of a tropical storm that the ecosystem has not recovered from. We've seen rotting logs, fallen trees, and more.

After much analysis and discussion, we have come to the conclusion that a genetic bottleneck has occurred that further reduced the ability of the Nimbus animals to survive. The tropical storm must have wiped out many resources that the rodent species needed to survive, such as food, shelter, and clean water. It also must have led to the deaths of many individuals since they are so small. The dramatic decrease in population size and the lack of resources previously relied on would also help explain why the Nimbus are not thriving.

The flood doesn't seem to have affected the island of Nevis, and therefore, the Longu population was not disturbed by the natural disaster like the Nimbus were.

This doesn't explain how the two species could have evolved from one though. ]]> 2021-03-09 02:29:31 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285393439 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285461712 We've done it! We've figured it out! Genetic drift and adaptation are the answers to our questions.

Because of the tropical storm and resulting flood, there must have been a lack of prey and nutrients that the species needed to survive. A mutation must have occurred somewhere during that time which resulted in the Nimbus' ability to jump higher, run faster, reproduce faster and overall be more agile and nimble. This would increase their chances of survival. Because their genes mutated, genetic drift occurred and the frequency of the original genotype of the species on St. Kitts decreased in order to favor the new species of the Nimbus.]]> 2021-03-09 02:54:36 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285461712 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285495263 Lauren Sun
Period 1B]]> 2021-03-09 03:08:36 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285495263 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285509598 Due to habitat isolation, genetic bottleneck, and genetic drift, the Nimbus species has evolved from the Longu species. This was the result over many years and events that lowered the Nimbus' ability to survive and thrive. The Longu species was the original species that has been able to survive throughout these years. However, due to the changes in phenotypes and genotypes, the Nimbus and Longu do not mate together. This makes it much more difficult to find a way to save the Nimbus, but we will continue to look for a way to save them. ]]> 2021-03-09 03:14:47 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285509598 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285543612 Map: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBQxnI_rjCmLrG-KpEqUeuriPTgJP-An/view
Squirrel Image: https://mammalsandmore.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/squirrel-eating-acorn.jpg ]]> 2021-03-09 03:28:55 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285543612 21sunlauren https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285561844 2021-03-09 03:36:26 UTC https://padlet.com/21sunlauren/l9t8bluwgp5cph4q/wish/1285561844