J.X. and Circadian Rythum

During my recitation sections this week, students raised interesting questions regarding the case study of J.X., presented to our class in lecture on Monday (Miles et al., 1977).  If you wish to read the original article, Rutgers' students may access it through JSTOR.

Here are the results from research (Sack et al., 2007) into the topic, with respect to (some) of my students' questions:

• Yes, circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSDs), may change as a person ages.  
• No, CRSDs do not only affect the blind, but the free-running disorder is common in people who are totally blind.  It should be noted that for humans and many other organisms, sunlight is the most important circadian cue.
• Research suggests that gender may affect susceptibility to, and severity of certain CRSDs.
• Recent genetic research has linked "clock gene" mutations to families exhibiting a predisposition to CRSDs (i.e., heritable trait).  

For reference, a "normal" circadian cycle (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

Works cited (Note: Students, do not follow this blog's citation formatting):

Miles, L. E. M.,  Raynal, D. M.,  Wilson, M. A.  1977.  Blind Man Living in Normal Society Has Circadian Rhythms of 24.9 Hours.  Science 198: 421-423.

Sack, R., Auckley, D., Auger, R.R., Carskadon, M.A., Wright, K.P., Vitiello, M.V., Zhdanova, I.V.  2007.  Circadian rhythm sleep disorders: Part II, advanced sleep phase disorder, delayed sleep phase disorder, free-running disorder, and irregular sleep-wake rhythm. SLEEP 30(11): 1484-1501.

Week 2 Recap

This week in recitation we discussed... 

• Course expectations (mine and yours)
• Course Packet (order one if you have not done so!)
• Content and questions from Dr. Ehrenfeld's first two lectures
• Field Report 1 (Due in lecture Thursday, February 2)

Within the next week and half, you have a lot to do!  

To help you prepare, please do the following:  

 

1) Visit my webpage: Understanding Scientific Articles. 

      Read, and preferably print out, "How to read and interpret a graph" 

      Review at least one of the resources about how to approach reading.

2) Read your field report directions and begin observing possible subjects.  

      By next recitation, you should have identified your organism, hypothesis,   

      and experimental design.

3) Read and be prepared to discuss in recitation these papers from the Packet:

      The Problem With Speciation by E. Myr & J. Diamond

          * Review speciation terms/concepts at Berkeley's Evolution 101 website.

      Attraction of kestrels to vole scent marks in ultraviolet light by Viitala et al.

          * Reviewing (1) will help you identify/understand the experimental design & results.    

Welcome to the blog for Laura's Principles of Ecology recitation students!

This blog is geared towards students enrolled in Laura's Monday and Tuesday recitation sections, however, students from all sections are welcome to use it as a resource.
 
What to look for and expect in the coming semester...

• Links to helpful resources and difficult topics.
• Some recitation assignments for Laura's sections will be submitted via this blog.
• Sign up to recieve email alerts of new blog postings (right sidebar).
• Review the calendar for important dates.

This week's homework assignment?  Order the required Principles of Ecology 2012 Packet at UPublishing.com