Piter Boll

Questions and Answers (4) View all

• Answer added in Ecology
  6 Does speciation affect an ecosystem?
  By Daniel Purganan · Ateneo de Manila University
  Piter Boll · Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

  Despite indeed affecting ecosystems, speciation, as it usually occurs slowly through a long time of reproductive isolation and gradual changes in nich... [more]

  Despite indeed affecting ecosystems, speciation, as it usually occurs slowly through a long time of reproductive isolation and gradual changes in niche, may not be as evident as a factor changing the dynamics of an ecossystem than other more rapidly changing aspects, like migrations, extinctions and climatic changes, since those may change predatory and competitive pressures, as well as population size, more evidently.
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• Answer added in Animal Nutrition
  16 Is it possible for a species to completely alter their feeding methods (herbivory, carnivory) when faced with food scarcity during their lifetime?
  By Keth Reston · Ateneo de Manila University
  Piter Boll · Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

  I think she is asking if an INDIVIDUAL can alter their feeding during its lifetime and not if a species can evolve to do that. As was mentioned, in so... [more]

  I think she is asking if an INDIVIDUAL can alter their feeding during its lifetime and not if a species can evolve to do that. As was mentioned, in some hard conditions some species may feed on things they don't usually include in their diet, but I cannot remember any case in which such a situation persisted for the rest of the organism's life, except if it is forced to do so in captivity and even so it would be difficult to keep it alive with a completely different diet. In generalist species it can happen, of course, that an individual, if put in a different environment or condition, change its diet, not preserving any of the food items it used to eat previously, but it wouldn't mean it altered its natural food, only abandoned some of it and focused on another, since as a generalist, a diet can vary a lot without crossing the individual's "natural feeding borders".
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• Answer added in Astronomy & Astrophysics
  12 Can anyone explain in simple terms the concept of spacetime?
  By Sruthi Sasi · IHRD College of Engineering Poonjar,Kerala,India
  Piter Boll · Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

  I think the wikipedia article explains it very well. Spacetime is simply the idea of time being a fourth dimension of space, so that you can locate ev... [more]

  I think the wikipedia article explains it very well. Spacetime is simply the idea of time being a fourth dimension of space, so that you can locate events in time and space with a single system of coordinates. I.e. you locate an event in coordinates of length, width, height and time.
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