# Ask The Biologist! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625 "2003-11-11T15:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/41 "2003-11-12T12:37:43Z")
So are California’s native treefrogs more properly placed in the genus _Hyla_ or the genus _Pseudacris_? Do you prefer Sporozoa or Apicomplexa as phyla names? _Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus_ - best darned blackbird ever? Tautonyms being allowed under the zoological code of nomenclature - aargle bargle or foofaraw? What species concept do you adhere to with the religious fervor of a thousand fanatics? _Ophiodon elongatus_ - best combination of ugly and tasty? How many behavioral ecologists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? What’s your favorite marine snail? What’s the vector of _Plasmodium mexicanum_ in California? _Eumeces_ - overrated or underappreciated ;)? - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/42 "2003-11-12T13:03:10Z")
For **Mach Tuck** Here is a link that gives a litttle bit of information about dwarf elephants of the past, and the ecological conditions that probably made them that way: [http://www.dallasdino.org/exhibits/elephants/tiny\_elephants.asp](http://www.dallasdino.org/exhibits/elephants/tiny_elephants.asp) They were apparently even smaller than I thought, more like the size of a large dog. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/43 "2003-11-12T13:35:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you prefer cladograms to binomial nomenclature? Apples and Oranges, but I like Linnaean taxonomoy. Got a soft spot for it. > [@](#): > > Behavioral ecology, I’m curious. Can you give an example? Quick and dirty, I’m studying the differential effects of species interrelatedness against envirionmental variables in lizard mating behaviors. > [@](#): > > Sorry, but I pester all biologists I meet with this one: > > What is the difference between a plant and an animal? Other than a host of physiological differences? What specifically are you getting at? Endosymbiotic monerans? Does the Trivers-Willard effect exist, or has it been disproven? > [@](#): > > I hope you are not saying that organisms that reproduce asexually can’t evolve. No. However, sexual reproduction allows for genetic recombination several orders of magnitude above parthenogenetic animals. > [@](#): > > Who is your favourite writer on the topics you specialize in? Ditmars, Klauber, Collins, Conant. > [@](#): > > (As an aside, I read one of the books suggested in the CS thread about this - I loved it! This looks like it could be a topic that takes up much more of my reading time in the future.) Good. 😉 [QUOTE] So are California’s native treefrogs more properly placed in the genus Hyla or the genus Pseudacris? Do you prefer Sporozoa or Apicomplexa as phyla names? Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus - best darned blackbird ever? Tautonyms being allowed under the zoological code of nomenclature - aargle bargle or foofaraw? What species concept do you adhere to with the religious fervor of a thousand fanatics? Ophiodon elongatus - best combination of ugly and tasty? How many behavioral ecologists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? What’s your favorite marine snail? What’s the vector of Plasmodium mexicanum in California? Eumeces - overrated or underappreciated ?[/QOTE] Treefrog=Hyla Pseudacris=Chorus Frog Apicomplexa No. Red wing blackbird. Who uses Latin in birds? I like tautonyms for their historical interest… None. More Later. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/44 "2003-11-12T14:24:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > > Treefrog=Hyla Pseudacris=Chorus Frog Now, now - that doesn’t answer the question :). Is it _Hyla regilla_ and _H. cadaverina_ or _Pseudacris regilla_ and _P. cadaverina_? > [@](#): > > Apicomplexa I always thought that Sporozoa was more euphonious. > [@](#): > > No. Red wing blackbird. Tsk. Wrong :). Though I do have a soft spot for Red-wings as well. > [@](#): > > Who uses Latin in birds? Almost nobody. I just like the name - ‘Yellow-headed Yellow-head’. > [@](#): > > I like tautonyms for their historical interest… I like 'em cause cuz you can then name something the ‘Yellow-headed Yellow-head’ :D. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/45 "2003-11-12T14:57:00Z")
God, I screwed up the coding. I was in a hurry. I was confusing tautonyms with junior synonymy. :o It’s been a long time since I’ve drilled on that shit. > [@](#): > > Ophiodon elongatus - best combination of ugly and tasty? How many behavioral ecologists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? What’s your favorite marine snail? What’s the vector of Plasmodium mexicanum in California? Eumeces - overrated or underappreciated ? Nope, that’d be the oyster. Two, but how will they fit? _Conus_ sp. WGASA? _Eumeces_ are my raison d’etre. Why the ;)? Do you know me? As for _H. regilla_, my professional opinion would be that that is a _Pseudacris_ if there ever was one; someone needs to do a workup on them and whoever named it _Hyla_ needs to be slapped around a little bit. That thing is a freakin’ twin of _P. ornata_. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/46 "2003-11-12T15:02:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Still mostly serious here. > > But I’ll pose my question in another way since you are an evolutionary biologist. > > Under what environmental conditions might elephants or other large animals evolve into tiny versions of themselves? And how long will it take - I really want my pet elephant. I would say that the pressures that would result in the elephant that you want would most likely cause extinction, rather than 18’ high elephants. As for Trivers-Willard, a cursory glance at the literature doesn’t reveal any hard and fast rejections of it. ---
**Author:** ![mrsam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@mrsam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsam)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/47 "2003-11-12T15:05:36Z")
Why do females have orgasms? Why are the sexual organs of _homo sapiens_ so large when compared to other primates? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/48 "2003-11-12T15:07:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Why do females have orgasms? > > Why are the sexual organs of homo sapiens so large when compared to other primates? Positive reinforcement. Do they? ---
**Author:** ![mrsam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@mrsam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsam)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/49 "2003-11-12T15:44:15Z")
Positive reinforcement? Please explain. I’d agree that the male orgasm is important from an evolutionary perspective, but I don’t quite get why the female orgasm has come about. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/50 "2003-11-12T16:08:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mrsam \* > \*\*Positive reinforcement? Please explain. I’d agree that the male orgasm is important from an evolutionary perspective, but I don’t quite get why the female orgasm has come about. \*\* If it’s not fun for the woman, what reason has she to do it? We aren’t exactly a lekking species, but females have final choice. Thus the need for positive reinforcement. Basically, women have them for the same reason males do. Baleen is keratinous, and is more analogous to fingernails and hair than teeth or gills. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/51 "2003-11-12T19:02:48Z")
do you agree with the selfish gene theory? and what is reptile semen like? is it the same as mamal semen or is there some big difference (other than the obvious ones)? ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/52 "2003-11-12T20:28:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > Depends on what you mean by good paying. I have a BS in Molecular Biology and make in the high 5 figures, although I have been working in industry for years. My definition of good paying is probably above what most people consider good paying. i make mid-5 figures, and have only been doing this for under 3 years (it is that high partially because it was a condition of my transferring employment to san francisco). How long did it take for you to start making what you considered a good salary, if you don’t mind my asking. > [@](#): > > As far as general job prospects go most predictions I have seen for biologists expect the job market to grow at least as fast as the general job market, or faster, in the forseeable future. And industry jobs do tend to pay better than jobs in academia, although there is overlap. biology stuff seems to get more and more funding, despite cuts in other areas of government study, and more biotech places are forming. I am wary of fly-by-night places, which is why i worry of a repeat of the dotcom bubble burst (which would lead to many more people competing for the same jobs and grad school positions i am) > [@](#): > > Even in areas like Sales or Purchasing a Biology degree can come in handy if you are working for a biotech or pharmaceutical company. a lot of the salespeople for our lab have bio degrees and went into sales because it was the fastest way to make a lot of money. since i hate dealing with people, there was no way i’d consider that, so i don’t know how difficult it is. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/53 "2003-11-13T13:33:06Z")
**Tars Tarkas** : I don’t mind you asking at all but with my sieve-like memory take this with a grain of salt. I have been at the same company for over 13 years now, it was my second job out of college. It was a start up, and in the beginning the salaries were barely competitive, but the stock options were quite generous for the early employees like me. It was about 3 to 5 years ago that they really “normalized” the salaries to industry levels, since for various reasons the stock options were no longer as big an incentive. I recognize your concern about a dotcom like bust in biotech but I am not as worried. I think it is much harder in general to start a biotech than a dotcom, you really need to have a longer timeline and a further horizon in mind, so there is less of a “gold rush” mentality, and consequently less people and resources rushing in (I hope). BTW I hate dealing with people too. But sales can be extremely lucrative for the people who are cut out for it. I just wanted to reinforce that I fully agree with your main point, which is (I think) that rising above a certain level in the Biology/Biotech sector more or less requires an advanced degree of some type. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/54 "2003-11-14T13:55:10Z")
I understand that in science there are hypotheses, theories, and laws (or principles). Are there any labels for ideas inbetween, say, a hypothesis and a theory. Are laws and principles the same? When do the terms change from one to another? Do today’s biologists consider Darwin’s Theory a principle yet? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/55 "2003-11-14T16:39:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > > Nope, that’d be the oyster. Reasonable, but since I hate them, not on my list. > [@](#): > > Two, but how will they fit? Very good :D. > [@](#): > > _Conus_ sp. Again, reasonable. Got to love cones. But I’m partial to Lewis’ Moon Snail, myself. > [@](#): > > WGASA? Saurian malaria species that victimizes Sceloporine lizards. The vector was always assumed to be Phlebotimine flys in my day, but was never confirmed. But I am at least a decade or two out of date in terms of recent research. > [@](#): > > _Eumeces_ are my raison d’etre. Why the ;)? Do you know me? Nope, I doubt it, just observant :). > [@](#): > > As for _H. regilla_, my professional opinion would be that that is a _Pseudacris_ if there ever was one; someone needs to do a workup on them and whoever named it _Hyla_ needs to be slapped around a little bit. That thing is a freakin’ twin of _P. ornata_. Yeah, I’m inclined to come down on the Hedges/Silva side, rather than Cocroft. I liked Hedges’ paper, especially as at the time I was a fan of Brooks and McLennan’s “historical ecology” approach, which I thought he sort of applied to back his electrophoretic analysis ( jeez, I haven’t thought about this stuff in _ages_ ). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/56 "2003-11-14T16:56:03Z")
They need mitochondrial workups on the whole complex. I’m betting that the north american Hylids and chorus frogs are paraphyletic. > [@](#): > > I understand that in science there are hypotheses, theories, and laws (or principles). Are there any labels for ideas inbetween, say, a hypothesis and a theory. Are laws and principles the same? When do the terms change from one to another? Do today’s biologists consider Darwin’s Theory a principle yet? 1)I don’t think so. 2)Kinda. 3)Just over time. 4)Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/57 "2003-11-14T18:20:29Z")
I’m reading a biology book and there is a joke I don’t get. Can you help. The chaper is about binomial nomenclature and what funny folk biologists can be. For example, moquito epithets include: punctor, tormentor, vexans, horrida, abominator, excrucians, etc. A group of bugs include Polychisme, Peggichisme, Dolichisme, and Ochisme. A wasp named Lalapa lusa. A beetle named Ytu brutus, and the one I don’t ‘get’ a horsefly called Tabanus balazaphyre. Do you know what the joke is? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/58 "2003-11-14T18:28:07Z")
Balls Of Fire. You reading E. O. Wilson’s “The Diversity Of Life?” Tabanus is the fastest known fly. Hence, balls of fire. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/59 "2003-11-14T20:05:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ca3799 \* > \*\*I’m reading a biology book and there is a joke I don’t get. Can you help. > > The chaper is about binomial nomenclature and what funny folk biologists can be. For example, moquito epithets include: punctor, tormentor, vexans, horrida, abominator, excrucians, etc. A group of bugs include Polychisme, Peggichisme, Dolichisme, and Ochisme. A wasp named Lalapa lusa. A beetle named Ytu brutus, and the one I don’t ‘get’ a horsefly called Tabanus balazaphyre. Do you know what the joke is? \*\* Insect taxonomists name so many species they end up going a little nuts. My favorite (though a spider not an insect) is _Mastigophora dizzydeani_, named by a colleague of mine. It’s a bolas spider, which catches flying insects by hurling a ball of sticky silk at them (still attached by a strand to the spider) and then reeling them in. The name honors the Hall-of-Fame Cardinals pitcher. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625/60 "2003-11-14T21:52:35Z")
Oh, thanks so much! I hate to miss a joke and I said ‘Tabanus balazaphyre’ all day and didn’t get it. The book is Curtis and Barnes ‘Biology’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-biologist/212625.md?page=4)