The Current

September 1, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 4 Features Coconuts aren’t mammals: The confusion behind morphology and convergent evolution If you’re interested in nature, you may find it easy to point at something and identify it while out on a walk, but what if that locust you just saw was really a grasshopper? There is a debate within the scientific community on how heavily scientists should rely on identifying an organism based on its characteristics now that we have access to genetic testing -- or if they should even rely on it at all. In the past, there have been vague descriptions to define species, and while those definitions have been updated, it has led to some confusing and sometimes humorous examples. Such a small amount of genetic information determines an organism’s phenotype, otherwise known as the observational characteristics of an organism, that some believe identifying an animal just by its phenotype could not only cause confusions, but gather incorrect data altogether. One of the biggest things leading to confusion over species identification is convergent evolution. Convergent evolution is something that happens when species that are not related evolve to have similar characteristics, often as a result of Leafy is an eco-friendly, vegetarian- friendly and gluten-free friendly authentic Vietnamese restaurant 15 minutes south of NSU that mixes in Asian fusion and specializes in aesthetic drinks and exotic dishes. Mainly, Leafy is known for the teddy bear ice cube drinks, which they only make 100 of a day, so it’s important to go earlier in the day to be able to try it. Upon arriving, I was blown away by the decor of the restaurant. While outdoor seating is currently available, the tables are pretty small. However, there are larger tables inside and masks and social distancing are enforced with only 17 people allowed in at a time. Inside Leafy, there are beautiful and deep inspirational quotes on the walls and a swinging chair, perfect for pictures. They also had “Dragon Ball Z” playing on the TV, adding to the good vibes already established. Leafy is a waiter service restaurant where you order at the counter and have your food served. We ordered the chicken sticky rice and Vietnamese fried chicken wings with strawberry and mandarin sodas -- and ice bears, of course. The drinks were brought out first and the first thing I did was take tons of pictures. They were large in size and the bears were cute and colorful. If you wanted to, you could even purchase a little beanie to put atop your ice bear and take more pictures. The drinks themselves were good -- my favorite being the mandarin orange soda as it tasted just like the fruit. The mandarin the environment that they thrive in. Omar Tonsi Eldakar, an associate professor in the department of biology at NSU, offers an example. “Individuals are converging on similar characteristics, so you might have these different species, but then, all of a sudden, they look alike. It’s like a dog and a dolphin, right? Both are mammals, but no one is going to mistake a dolphin for a dog. A dolphin looks more like a fish because, ultimately, that environment favors those characteristics. The organisms in that environment sometimes will converge on very similar attributes,” said Eldakar. Such is the example of a coconut. By a dated definition, a mammal is defined as something that has hair and produces milk. The coconut does in fact have hair-like structures and produces milk, but is it really a mammal? J. Matthew Hoch, an associate professor in the department of marine and environmental sciences at NSU, explained that identifying an organism by just its characteristics can not only be confusing, but can actually be harmful to the organism. “It could be harmful if you have cryptic species, and amongst that cryptic species might be a subspecies that is endangered, and ice bear also tasted great, again, just like mandarin oranges. As for the strawberry soda, while it was not my favorite, I did enjoy the chunks of strawberries in the drink (the mandarin soda had chunks of mandarin oranges too), but thought the ice bear tasted too artificially like strawberries. However, the person I went with loved the strawberry soda and bear, so I see how it’s viewed as one of the most popular drinks on the menu. The food was unexpectedly amazing. There was so much flavor in the chicken of the chicken sticky rice and the Vietnamese fried chicken wings were out of this world. The cilantro, spinach and onions (raw and caramelized) really did help to bring out even more flavor in the chicken sticky rice, where the chicken was truly flavorful on its own because of the visible seasoning on it. I ate every last bite. The Vietnamese fried chicken wings were absolutely great. They were the perfect blend of sweet and spicy and the crunchy breading added some great texture. It was like your regular yummy fried chicken wings, but so much better. As for portions, the plates were definitely shareable, offering enough food for two people to eat and be fully satisfied. While Leafy got their big breakthrough because of their aesthetic and unique ice bears, the food is really what drives this place home in my heart. I’d eat those Vietnamese fried chicken wings with a mandarin soda reading those deep quotes on the wall while “Dragon Ball Z” plays on the TV any day. if we’re only using phenotype, we might not recognize that. On the other hand, if you’re only using phenotype, there are occasionally different populations of species that might look different enough that you might mistakenly think they’re different when actually they’re the same species with just a geographical phenotypic variation,” said Hoch. Sometimes, characteristics are all scientists have to go off of. For centuries, scientists did not have access to genetic and molecular testing, so they did their best and made educated guesses. Even before there was organized science and scientific studies happening, human beings relied on observations to survive. “From an evolutionary standpoint, recognizing something by the shape of it was kind of essential for our survival. It let us know what was good to eat and what was about to eat us so we could avoid it. I think there is a natural human tendency for us to categorize things based on the shape and appearance,” said David Kerstetter, an associate professor in the department of marine and environmental science. Even if some genetic testing was available, there were oftentimes conservation concerns about dissecting an animal just to identify it. “If it flew and it looked like it had wings, maybe it was a bird!Who knows? It just required a different level of examination than we’re used to,” said Kerstetter. While using genetic testing may be the most solid way to identify something, using an organism’s phenotype can still be a useful tool, especially if you’re in the field and have nothing else to go on but your research and your observations. The question still stands, though: is a coconut a mammal? “I would not agree that a coconut is a mammal, primarily because it lacks bearing young, leaving aside the definitional issues of monotremes,” said Kerstetter. “It’s a vegan animal! Plants do sometimes develop hair-like structures that are supposed to reduce the amount of evaporation that comes out of the leaves and some people think it’s fuzzy. No, it’s not,” said Eldakar. “Yeah, definitely not. This is a good illustration of why modern taxonomy doesn’t just rely on morphology. The acceptable definition of mammal now is based on ancestry and not morphology. Physical characteristics are things we can use as clues to identify ancestry, but they’re not the only evidence to identify animals,” said Hoch. Gill Out: Leafy By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor By: Flor Ana Mireles Copy Editor Leafy $$$$ 641 NW 100th Pl Pembroke Pines, FL 33024 2:00 pm - 10:00 pm Monday- Sunday (Closed on Tuesdays) PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM F. MIRELES PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM F. MIRELES PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM F. MIRELES