Planning to add a picture of labeled facial muscles of a dissected rat that are involved in mastication including the temporalis and masseter muscles.
A diastema found in a rodent skullWill be adding this media to the beginning of the 2nd paragraph in the Characteristics section.
Content Edits of 2nd Paragraph in Characteristics Section:[edit][edit]
Changing 7th sentence about facial muscles of Myomorpha to include massester muscles.
"The Myomorpha, such as the brown rat, have enlarged temporalis and masseter muscles, making them able to chew powerfully with their molars."[1]
Adding a new sentence following the 7th sentence to explain the event of eye boggling in rodents
"In rodents, masseter muscles insert behind the eyes and contribute to eye boggling that occurs during gnawing where the quick contraction and relaxation of the muscle causes the eyeballs to move up and down."[1]
Adding a new sentence following 3rd sentence to explain the importance of the masseter muscle in rodents
"Among rodents, the masseter muscles plays a key role in chewing, making up 60% - 80% of the total muscle mass among masticatory muscles and reflects rodents herbivorous diet."[2]
Adding another new sentence following the 4th sentence to differentiate gnawing and chewing actions among rodents.
"Rodents have two methods of feeding including gnawing that uses incisors and chewing that uses molars, however, due to the cranial anatomy of rodents these feeding methods cannot be used at the same time and are considered to be mutually exclusive."[3]
-Plan on adding this to the laboratory rat page under the "used in research" category.
Scientists have also spent time studying the thermoregulation of the rat's tail in research. Rat tails are highly vascularized. It acts as a heat-loss organ, which helps the rat's body release excess heat. Studies, it showed that countercurrent heat exchange happened within the rat's tail. When the rat's body temperature rises the blood flow goes to the tail area causing the vasodilation. The warm blood from the tail is released can returns to the rats body at a lower temperature. Then vasoconstriction happens if the rats body temperature drops allowing for body heat to be conserved.
Plans to add in the first sentence of the paragraph: "Scientists have bred many strains or "lines" of rats specifically for experimentation...due to their measurable intelligence which has been found to be similar to humans, rats have aided the understanding of different cognitive factors which make rats a good model organism"
Plans to add in 3rd or 4th paragraph: "In addition, laboratory and wild rats have both intended in the studies, they have noticed that there have been changes in the morphological and physiological changes. Although they are both the same organisms, it has been discovered that they differ in counterparts and behavior during the course of inbreeding. This results in an impact in research relating to the Morris water navigation task when under a stressful environment and the[5]" This talks about the interbreeding between laboratory and wild rats that impacts in research studies
Muridae Reproductive section-
"The social behavior of murids has an impact on their reproduction while some murids are highly social and others are solitary. During the breeding season, Females display proceptive phase, one of which initiates males to mate with the female[6]. Females commonly produce several litters annually. In warm regions, breeding may occur year-round commonly producing an average of 8 to 18 pups [7]. The lifespans of most genera are less than two years, murids have high reproductive potential and this tends to result in an exponential increase in the population. In contrast, when a stressor is introduced, it results in a drastic decline in population. One of the factors that contribute to are limitation of food resources. This is often seen in a three- to a four-year cycle. In addition to reproduction, behaviors in nesting materials may affect the performance of the breeding season"
[8]
Rat-baiting practice in 18th Century Europe
Images on the right (Somehow I cannot move them to the left side of the page) are my revised captioning for the images
Add embedded link to brown rat in first sentence. -BC
Alyza- "Research" section, I would incorporate the idea of why rats are great model organisms (would have to look for links relating to that) and provide a picture of our rat (before the dissection) to show that rats are great organisms to study the anatomy of a mammal/rodents. Also adding information on what makes up a lab rat. This section is clear but needs a hint of revision and clarity.
adding "Scientists have bred many strains or "lines" of rats specifically for experimentation...due to their measurable intelligence which has found to be similar in humans, rats has aid the understanding of different cognitive factors which makes rat a good model organism."[9] (exact format like this)
In the beginning of the Characteristics section, the article goes in depth into the dentition of rodents so here is another place where I could possibly add a picture of the teeth of our mice as a form of media if I can capture a clear and high quality photo. There is a drawing of incisors, but not of diastema so maybe I will try to capture that aspect. -BC
Alyza- "Mating among rodents can vary from monogamy, to polygyny, to promiscuity" -Quotes from the second paragraph, the idea of sexually transmitted disease/infections ( add context behind that)
Alyza- In the "reproduction" section I could expand more information about the anatomy of the female and male reproductive systems and the function of each part they take. Using the rat in the lab, I could show the picture of the genitalia area of the male and provide context whereas, in the female reproductive system of the rat, I would look for links and pictures to provide information for that section
Alyza- *Murids' social behavior have an impact in the reproduction. Females displaying proceptive phase which initiate a males to mate with the female[10]* perform Some murids are highly social, while others are solitary. Females commonly produce several litters annually. In warm regions, breeding may occur year-round commonly producing an average of 8 to 18 pups[11].Though The lifespans of most genera are generally less than two years, although murids have high reproductive potential and their inpopulations tend toresulting an exponential increase in the populationincrease rapidlyand then drastically decline .In contrast, when a stressor are introduced, a drastic decline in population is resulted, one the factors are limitation of food resources have been exhausted. This is often seen in a three- to four-year cycle. In addition to reproduction, behaviors in nesting materials may affect the performance of the breeding season"
I am planning to take a picture of our rats teeth in lab to add to the diet and dentition section of the article in the form of media. I could also try to show how it features a diastema as well which the article already mentions. -BC
I could expand more on the tail by adding more about its functions. Also, take a picture of the tail from our laboratory rat and maybe do some cross-section photos. I would add this to the characteristic section on the Wikipedia page. -JK
Added embedded link for Tail in the characteristics section. -JK
Alyza- shows that the page needs more medical references. The article needs more pictures. On the bacteria of the infection, providing pictures of Spirillosis and Streptobacillosis
I found a source explaining how S. moniliformis is a bacteria found in the microbiome of a rat's respiratory tract and is found in healthy rats with no signs of deleterious symptoms. -BC