Readers'AlternativeHypotheses

Dreaded alternative hypotheses.

You all answered my challenge much more heartily than I guessed you would.  Science and non-science friends rose to the fun.  They are GREAT hypotheses too.

 I’ve simply pasted them into another blog I started called “Alternative Hypotheses”. 

http://billyssabbaticalalternative.blogspot.com/

Not that I don’t want them to “clutter” this blog, but mainly to keep them where I know they are.  Alternative hypotheses have a way of “getting lost”.  Lost hypotheses can haunt you if they turn out to be correct.

Here’s my processing of these very cool gems.  Thank you all for playing this game of science with me.

1.) Among the non-scientists, Jeff suggested higher densities in the reserve makes animals more aggressive, this spills over on their feeding habits.  This is a cool hypothesis that mirrors modern research on the ecological role of “personality” in nature. Way to go Jeff.

2.) Semi wants more information.  She suspects the students want to please me or get a job or something.  That’s all true, and others (see below) bring up observer bias as a possibility.  Nice, Semi.

3.) Rob has two alternatives.  First, he thinks the fact that we are dropping the sea hares “out of the sky” may be artifactual.  First, the sea hares may be changed by that unusual circumstance making them more attractive than their wild, firmly attached brethren.  Good idea.  The sea hares are DEFINITELY not the same as in nature.  They go limp, and spread out their sea hare wings. 

4.) Rob’s second idea:  Crowding makes them more aggressive.  Sounds like Jeff’s idea.  Are you two friends? (answer yes.  Coincidence?)

5.) Rob has a REALLY cool idea about how to test our idea.  He suggests there might be a way to chemically test for sea-hare-specific chemicals in lobsters’ tissue, similarly to how C4 carbon signature in modern humans tells us we eat LOTS of corn.  This is a fucking rocking idea there, mr. Rob.  Not an alternative but a very cool test.  I’m guessing there IS a way to do this.  Sea hares are noted for their unique distasteful, hard-to-break-down compounds.  I’m betting there is a way to test for them.

6.) Dave’s alternative hypothesis was hidden in a cryptic poem.  I can’t figure it out.  Can you?

7.) Only one student bit.  This tells us a lot about students.  His idea is very cool.  Lobsters in preserves are used to getting handouts!  Their shyness of big divers is overcome by this experience of getting handouts.  Way to go, John.  Will you come work for me?

8.) Two scientists contributed.  Klaus from Sweden wants to know why lobsters tend NOT to attack sea hares.  It is because the sea hares sequester lots of nasty chemicals from the red algae they eat into their flesh.  They also actively secrete ink and a gooey yuchy substance called opaline when they are attacked.

9.)  Klaus wonders what happens when we give lobsters juicy, tasty food, like squid or mackerel or something.  Maybe they don’t want anything at all!  His hypothesis is that non-attacking lobsters are just not hungry for anything at all.  This is a GREAT idea.  We’ve been talking about it.  There was a white shark sighted a few months ago swimming around a couple of divers maybe a mile from here.  Gerry says they are definitely out there, at least young 10-12 ft guys.  We are still a bit spooked at night down there.  The morays are scary enough.  We ARE going to do this, but we have to get a courage transplant first.

10.) Klaus doubts that sensitization can really protect a sea hare from a lobster.  I wonder that too.  We are trying to set up a cage experiment to test this question (more later).

 11.) Chris from Chapman wonders about observer bias.  He knows how sweet-natured my students are, and suggests they don’t want to disappoint me, and might be giving sea hares much more gently while in the preserve.  He suggests blindfolding them till they get underwater at particular spots.  I LOVE this idea.  Not sure I will do it, but what fun if would be.

 12.) Chris’ related alternative is that density per se makes lobsters hungry.  Like we all get in a crowded restaurant.  Cool idea.  We will definitely test this one.