I would like to provide you with an overview of my project so you have some things to look forward to reading. My study has 2 parts, one part anatomy (looking at the shapes and sizes of organs with the naked eye) and one part physiology (using laboratory techniques to measure hormones in tissues of those organs). The organs of primary interest are ovaries. Ovaries are of course those egg-producing-machines mammals of all species possess! Let me show you a walrus ovary so you can have an idea of the image burned in my mind that I fall asleep picturing. These 2 parts serve as 2 chapters of my thesis. I am currently focusing on the anatomy chapter. This chapter asks, "how has reproductive capacity of the female Pacific walrus changed over the past 40 years?" Yeah...it's a bit daunting. To answer this question will will be looking at ovaries from 3 time frames: 1975, 1994-99 and 2008-2010. And to make this question more manageable we will be measuring 3 things in our definition of "reproductive capacity": ovarian volumes, weights and the number of scars from ovulation. My chapter on physiology will be focused on building an understanding of the factors that influence reproduction on a fine scale. I will be looking specifically at progesterone and lipids. Progesterone is the hormone responsible for sustaining pregnancy and lipids are fats. Later this week I will post a blog about my findings from measuring ovarian weights and volumes, so stay tuned!
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AuthorHi, I'm Jenell. Biologist, student, outdoors woman and author of Mother Walrus. Archives
March 2019
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