Unit 4 Lab Project: List of Species

Beetle

Yellojacket

Staphylococcus Epidermidis

Spider Mites

Moth

Mosquito

Iceberg Lettuce Field

Housefly

Dust Mite

Black Widow

Definition of Domestication: A population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, that becomes accustomed to human provision and control, or care.

1.
- Common Name: Dog
- Scientific Name: Canis Lupus Familiarus
- Interaction: Symbiotic. Our family benefits from this relationship because we receive love, entertainment, and protection from our dogs. The dogs benefit because they receive all of this from us, plus food, water, etc.
- Domesticated.
- We have been co-evolving ever since man decided to domesticate the wild dog. They have assisted us in hunting, protection, etc., and we have come to depend on them for these things.

2.
- Common Name: Cat
- Scientific Name: Felius Domesticus
- Interaction: Symbiotic. Our family benefits from this relationship because she is sweet and loving, and has been known to catch a mouse or two. In fact, some humans "use" cats just for that purpose: hunting of rodents in barns, etc. The cat benefits because it has a warm, safe environment, and we provide it with food, water, and love.
- Humans have co-evolved with this species in the same way as with dogs.

3.
- Common Name: Dust Mite
- Scientific Name: North American Dermatophagoides Farinae
- Interaction: Parasitic. Dust mites feed on dead skin cells of humans. At first, I thought that maybe that benefited humans in the fact that they are, in a way, cleaning up our beds, etc. from dead skin cells. But I figure that we can easily throw a sheet in the washer, vacuum, dust, etc., so we don't need them to do that and the effect of them doing it is surely very minimal. I learned that dust mites are the most common cause of allergies, so they are harmful to humans.
- Not domesticated. Since we can't see them with the naked eye, our interaction with them is "blind".
- Humans have co-evolved with them because there is really nothing we can do to totally eliminate them. Yes, you can vacuum everyday, but you can't get them all. Basically, we hardly notice that they're there, and even if we have allergies, we medicate ourselves, and our interaction with them is unchanged.

4.
- Common Name: Willow Tree
- Scientific Name: Salix Salicaceae
- Interaction: Symbiotic. The tree benefits because it depends on us to water it, fertilize it, and take care of it. (Especially here in the desert.) We benefit because we can enjoy its beauty and shade.
- Domesticated. As I said, here in the desert, the tree has become accustomed to humans caring for it and depends on them. Also, humans "farm" trees.
- We co-evolve with them very easily; we enjoy them and they need us. They also help the environment through photosynthesis. Unfortunately, we sometimes cut too many down, but they keep growing (after we plant them), and we co-evolve.

5.
- Common Name: Red Ant
- Scientific Name: Formicidae Solenopsis
- Interaction: Parasitic. I am unaware of any benefits to other species from red ants. Contrary, other species are harmed by the red ant. Humans can be stung, and they kill crickets and plants to eat.
- Not domesticated. We do not come into contact (voluntarily) with red ants, and they are not accustomed to humans.
- Humans don't always co-evolve with this species well. Many times, we have pest control come out and spray the ant hills in order to avoid our pets or children getting stung by the multiple numbers of ants in a colony. We try to avoid them.

6.
- Common Name: Whiptail Lizard
- Scientific Name: Teiidae
- Interaction: Commensal. I think that we benefit, because we see them outside in our yard all the time and my kids love watching them and admiring them. The lizard is unharmed.
- Not domesticated. They are not accustomed to humans.
- We co-evolve by mostly ignoring each other. The lizards around our house are skittish, yet they remain right around the door, in the yard, etc. I do not think that they are accustomed to us, yet we can get close enough to them at times to admire them from close range, so they are obviously not harmed by us, either.

7.
- Common Name: Peach
- Scientific Name: Prunus Persica
- Interaction: Mutualistic. Peach trees are planted and cared for by humans, but I believe we benefit more, because we get to enjoy them when we eat them.
- Domesticated. Farmers plant and raise the trees, then sell the fruit.
- We co-evolve in that manner: purchase the seeds, baby trees, plant them, nourish them, pick the fruit, and sell it. However, we can grow them in places outside of their natural environment, so we co-evolve together nicely.

8.
- Common Name: Housefly
- Scientific Name: Musca Domestica
- Interaction: Hmmm... this one is more confusing. I suppose humans benefit because flies decompose certain nasty dead and decaying materials. Yet, they can make us ill (they carry over 100 pathogens), and are horribly annoying. So, we usually swat them. They definitely do not benefit from humans. I think this relationship would be parasitic, b/c we benefit from their ability to decompose, and they are often harmed by humans.
- Domesticated, in a way, but undomesticated, too. They have become accustomed to humans, to a degree, but we do not control or care for them. Unless, of course, "control" can be understood as pest control, in that we eliminate them when we can.

9.
- Common Name: Bird
- Scientific Name: Aves
- Interaction: Mostly commensal, but can be symbiotic. We benefit from their beauty, their song, the fact that they eat insects, etc. Most of the time, the bird is unharmed. Sometimes, however, they benefit too, (symbiotic), like when we provide bird baths and bird seed for them.
- Not domesticated. They are mainly wild (the ones I come in contact with, anyhow.) However, some people own them as pets, and those would obviously be domesticated.
- We co-evolve with them naturally. Since they are airborn, most people do not come into direct contact with them.

10.
- Common Name: Southern Black Widow
- Scientific Name: Latrodectus Mactans
- Interaction: Well, if you can appreciate that they feed on insects, you could say that that is a benefit to the human species. This relationship would be commensal. However, their venom is very potent, and they can be very harmful to humans. They do not benefit from humans at all, other than indirectly, when they come live in your house and get shelter without you knowing it. So, it could be considered parasitic, in this respect: they receive shelter, and we get bit.
- We co-evolve with them by being ignorant of their existence, and when we are made aware of it, we usually squish them.

11.
- Common Name: Scorpion
- Scientific Name: Scorpiones Arachnida
- Interaction: Again, scorpions eat insects, so that could be considered beneficial to humans. Scorpions do not benefit at all from humans. In this respect, the relationship would be considered commensal. However, I would rather see pretty much any insect in the world before a scorpion, and I got stung by one just last week. So in this scenario, I don't think humans benefit from them at all, but they don't benefit either. What kind of relationship is that? :)
- We co-evolve by avoiding them as much as possible, and they co-evolve with us by defending themselves.

12.
- Common Name: Cricket
- Scientific Name: Gryllidae
- Interaction: Commensal: Crickets are omnivores and scavengers feeding on organic materials, as well as decaying plant material, fungi, and some seedling plants. In this way, humans benefit from them, but I can't see any way they benefit from us.
- Not domesticated.
- We co-evolve by mostly ignoring each other. (Except when they're chirping outside your window driving you nuts and you have to go scare them away.)

13.
- Common Name: Mosquito
- Scientific Name: Culicidae
- Interaction: Parasitic. They drink our blood, and make us susceptible to diseases.
- Not domesticated.
- We co-evolve by using bug spray and smacking them when we see them.

14.
- Common Name: Strawberries
- Scientific Name: Fragaria Ananassa
- Interaction: Symbiotic. We plant them and take care of them (at least, the farmers who sell them), and then we get to enjoy them by eating them.
- Both domesticated and not domesticated (some are still wild).
- We co-evolve by growing them, eating them, and then re-growing them.

15.
- Common Name: S. Epidermis (Found on skin and in nasal passages.)
- Scientific Name: Staphylococcus Epidermidis
- Interaction: Parasitic. We receive no benefits from this bacteria. It lives on our skin, and if the skin is punctured, CAN cause disease.
- Not domesticated.
- Humans have always co-evolved with this bacteria. It is invisible to us and does not bother us, unless a wound becomes infected with it, and then it is treated with antibiotics.

16.
- Common Name: Spider Mites
- Scientific Name: Tetranychus Urticae (Plant feeding mite found in dry areas.)
- Interaction: Parasitic. They can cause significant damage to plants because they puncture the plant's cells for food. The plant (nor humans) receive any benefit from them.
- Not domesticated.
- We co-evolve without really noticing each other. They are minuscule. If we were to interact with them at all, it would be to eliminate them with some sort of pesticide.

17.
- Common Name: Rose
- Scientific Name: Rosa Rosaceae
- Interaction: Symbiotic. We plant them, nurture them, water them, feed them, and we enjoy their beauty and scent.
- Domesticated.
- We co-evolve in the same manner as described above under "Interaction".

18.
- Common Name: Yellojwacket
- Scientific Name: Dolichovespula Arenaria
- Interaction: Symbiotic. Humans benefit minimally because they are MINOR pollinators. They only benefit from humans when humans plant flowers / bushes for them to pollinate. However, some might argue that the relationship is parasitic, in the sense that they are only minor pollinators, and can sting humans. They can even cause death if a whole bunch of them swarm a human.
- Not domesticated.
- We co-evolve through avoidance, both ways. We avoid them so we won't get stung. They usually avoid people because there is no benefit for them to interact with us.

19.
- Common Name: Moth
- Scientific Name: Insecta Lepidoptera
- Interaction: Parasitic, though it depends on what kind of moth. Most moths (or their larvae) are extremely destructive to trees, fruit trees, and forests because they feed on them. So, they receive nourishment, but they can kill the trees. However, if you were specifically talking about the silkworm (larvae of a certain kind of moth), you would have to say symbiotic, because humans benefit from their silk.
- Not domesticated.
- We co-evolve (again) by ignoring each other. Humans mostly find them a nuisance, but they really pay no attention to us at all.

20.
- Common Name: Lettuce (in salad)
- Scientific Name: Lactuca Sativa
- Interaction: Mutualism. We plant, nourish and grow it. We also then eat it as a form of nourishment, which seems like the better deal of the two.
- Domesticated.
- Co-evolve by taking care of it and then consuming it.

21.
- Common Name: Ladybug
- Scientific Name: Coccinellidae
- Interaction: Commensal. Humans benefit, because they feed on small insects and they are fun and "friendly" for children to interact with. They do not benefit from us, though.
- Not domesticated.
- They don't bother us, and we don't bother them! :)

22.
- Common Name: Coffee
- Scientific Name: Coffea Canephora
- Interaction: Symbiotic. It is planted and grown commercially, and then humans enjoy it in liquid form.
- Domesticated.
- We cultivate it, sell it, and drink it.

23.
- Common Name: Beetle
- Scientific Name: Coleoptera
- Interaction: Commensal. We benefit from them because they break down animal and plant debris. I don't think they benefit from us, but we do not harm them, either. (Generally speaking.)
- Not domesticated.
- We pretty much ignore each other.