1.
Select only ONE of the following environmental
stresses: (a) heat, (b) high levels of solar radiation, (c) cold, or (d) high
altitude. Discuss specifically how this environmental stress negatively impacts
the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis. (5 pts)
The cold can disturb our homeostasis by making us
colder than our normal body temperature. During the winter when it is cold, if
felt a slight wind or some sort of cold air one fels frozen, when during the
summer when feeling this cold air it is refreshing. This is because our body
can only adapt to a certain degree and going below that you start to find heat
and shiver.
2.
Identify 4 ways in which humans have adapted to
this stress, choosing one specific adaptation from each of the different types of adaptations
listed above (short term, facultative, developmental and
cultural). Include images of the adaptations. (5 pts each/ 20 pts total)
SHORT TERM: When feeling cold one will cover up
or blow on their hands a bit of hot air to warm up.
FACULTATIVE: When having to live for a longer
period of time in a climate not accustomed to, one has to change their way of
thinking and their body will start to adapt to the change for the time being.
DEVELOPMENTAL: The way one develops when living
in colder climates is different the one living in a warmer climate. The body
will know how to adapt, for example, by conserving more fats in ones body in order
to produce more heat for one
CULTURAL: Different cultures learn to survive in
the cold by relying on one another for heat. They keep each other warm and it
would be difficult to move out of cold climates because they would not be use
to it.
3.
What are the benefits of studying human variation
from this perspective across environmental clines? Can information from
explorations like this be useful to help us in any way? Offer one example of
how this information can be used in a productive way. (5 pts)
This information would be very useful to see how
different people could adapt to any different environment. We as people tend to
not look outside of the box and just focus on our environment. We don’t think
of how others adapt, in California we should consider ourselves lucky to have a
variety of climates because our bodies could adapt to different climates.
4.How
would you use race to understand the variation of the adaptations you listed in
#2? Explain why the study of environmental influences on adaptations is a
better way to understand human variation than by the use of race. (10 pts)
I don’t think there is a way to use race to
understand these adaptations. I believe it could be based on culture more than
anything and what and how these cultures will adapt to different environments.
Good on the stress description.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the adapations, the short term one you listed is not really biological, it is cultural or behavioral. How does our body respond in a short term manner to the cold? This applies to your facultative adaption as well. There is no "thinking" involved as this is a biological response, not a mental one.
Okay on the developmental trait to a certain extent as cultures in cold climates tend to have thicker body fat layers. But this isn't something that the body does off and on. This is a body shape controlled genetically and produced at birth.
Can you be more explicit on the cultural adaption(s) to cold? How do they keep each other warm?
Missing images?
Good final section. Yes, race is a culturally based concept and doesn't tell us much about why humans are diverse.
What stands out first to me is that you're missing images. Beyond that, it seems that your developmental and facultative traits may be mixed up. For the cultural adaptation, I think you're answer would have been more accurate if you had mentioned fires or heaters. Overall, this was a very interesting post.
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