TPO 14 Lecture 2 Biology
Narrator:
Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
Professor:
Almost all animals have some way of regulating their body temperature; otherwise they wouldn't survive extreme hot or cold conditions---sweating, panting, swimming to cooler or warmer water; ducking into somewhere cool like a burrow or a hole under a rock; these are just a few. And that's body is colder or warmer than the surrounding environment, because it's a microclimate. A microclimate is a group of climate conditions that affect the localized area, weather features like temperature, wind, moisture and so on. And when I say localized, I mean really localized, because microclimates can be, as the name suggests, pretty small, even less than a square meter. And microclimates are affected by huge number of other variables. Obviously weather conditions in the surrounding areas are a factor. But other aspects of the location like, um… the elevation of the land, the plant life nearby, and so on, have a substantial effect on microclimates. And of course the human development in the area, eh, a road will affect a nearby microclimate. It's also interesting to know that microclimates thither or near each other can have very different conditions. In the forest for example, there can be a number of very different microclimates close to each other, because of all the variables I just mentioned.
Student:
So how does a hole in the ground, a burrow, stay cool in a hot climate?
Professor:
Well, since cold air sinks, and these spots are shaded, they are usually much cooler than the surrounding area. And these spots are so important because many animals rely on microclimates to regulate their body temperature. Hmm, for instance, there is a species of squirrel, in the Western part of the United States that can get really hot when they were out foraging for food. So they need a way to cool down. So what'd they do? They go back to their own burrow. Once they get there, their body temperatures decrease very, very quickly. The trip to the burrow prevents the squirrel from getting too hot.
Student:
But squirrels are mammals, right? I thought mammals regulate their temperature internally.
Professor:
Mammals do have the ability to regulate their body temperature, but not all can do it to the same degree, or even the same way. Like when you walk outside on a hot day, you perspire, and your body cools itself down, a classic example of how mammal regulates its own body temperature. But one challenge that squirrels face, well many small mammals do, is that because of their size, sweating would make them lose too much moisture. They dehydrate. But on the other hand, their small size allows them to fit into very tiny spaces. So for small mammals, microclimates can make a big difference. They rely on microclimates for survival.
Student:
So cold blood animals, like reptiles, they can't control their own body temperature, so I can image the effect of microclimate would have on them.
Professor:
Yes, many reptile insects rely on microclimates to control their body temperature. A lot of reptiles use burrows or stay under rocks to cool down. Of course with reptiles, it's a balancing act. Staying in the heat for too long can lead to problems, but staying in the cold can do the same. So reptiles have to be really precise about where they spend their time, even how they position their bodies. And when I say they're precise, I mean it--- some snakes will search out a place under rocks of a specific thickness, because too thin a rock doesn't keep them cool enough, and too thick a rock will cause them to get too cold. That level of precision is critical to the snake for maintaining its body temperature. And even microscopic organisms rely on microclimates for survival. Think about this, decomposing leaves create heat that warms the soil; the warm soil in turn affects the growth, the conditions of organisms there. And those organisms then affect the rate of decomposition of the leaves. So a microclimate can be something so small and so easily to disturbed that even a tiny change can have a big impact. If someone on a hike knocks a couple of rocks over, they could be unwittingly destroying a microclimate that an animal or organism relies on.
TPO 14 Conversation 2
Narrator:
Listen to a conversation between a student and his faculty adviser
Advisor: Hi ，Steven I schedule this appointment, cause it has been a while since we touch this.
Student:
I know I have been really busy--- a friend of my works on a school a paper. He asks me if I would like to try to reporting so I did and I really love it.
Advisor:
Hey…that's sounds great!
Student:
Yeah… the first article I wrote it was profile of the chemistry professor---the one whose name teacher the year. My article ran on the front page. When I saw my name, I mean my byline in print, I was hooked. Now I know this is what I want to do--- be a reporter.
Advisor:
Isn't it great to discover something that you really enjoy? And I read that the article too? It was very good.
Student:
To be honest, the articles got a lot of editing. In fact I barely recognized a couple of paragraphs. But the editor explained why the changes were made. I learned a lot and my second article didn't meet nearly many changes.
Advisor:
Sound like you got a real neck for this.
Student:
Yeah… anyway, I am glad you schedule this meeting because I want to change my major to journalism now.
Advisor: Um，the university doesn't offer major in journalism.
Student:
Oh no…
Advisor:
But….
Student:
I… I mean… should I transfer to another school, or major in English?
Advisor: Er… wait a minute. Let me explain why the major isn't offered. Editors at the newspaper… editors… um… I mean when you apply for a reporting job, editors look at the two things--- they want to see clips, you know, some of your published articles, though also want to try out, though give you an assignment like… covering a price of conferences some other event, then see if you can craft the story about it, accurately, on dead line.
Student:
So they don't even to look at my major?
Advisor:
It is not that they don't look at it… it is… well, having a degree in something other than journalism should actually work to your advantage.
Student: How?
Advisor:
Most journalism specialized these days. They only write about science or business or technology for example. Is there a type of reporting you think you may like to specialize then?
Student:
Well… I think it can be really cool to cover the Supreme Court. I mean… their decision affects so many people.
Advisor:
That is really a goal worth striving for. So, why not continue major in political science? And as elective, you could take some Pre-Law classes like Constitution Law, and as for you work on the student newspaper paper, maybe they let you cover some local court cases--- once that the student and professor here would want to read about.
Student: Do you know of any?
Advisor:
I do. Actually, there is case involving this computer software program that one of our professors wrote. The district courts decide in if the university entitle to any of our professors' profits?
Student: Wah…. I will definitely follow upon that!
