This is a reposted article from November 21, 2011

As a biologist I feel I really must reply to the Blog on behalf of the sheep. I don’t know how many biologists read these Volcanic blogs and I wonder if geologists and physicists have a true concept of the science of Biology. I decided to write my first blog-post to introduce some philosophies and facts from a biological perspective.

Yes! Biology is the study of living things. Plants, animals and microscopic organisms that are a confusing mix of Animal, Vegetable and mineral.

I hear you muttering. “Earthquakes and Volcanoes belong in the realms of the Mathematicians and Earth scientists, what is a Biologist doing here? “

My philosophy is simple. No science is in isolation from all the others.

So my first Blog-post will hopefully demonstrate my philosophy and hopefully give some incentive for deeper study and encouraging wider scientific thinking. Many of you remember biology from school. Boring experiments with pea seeds. Watching with morbid fascination as bacteria multiplied on a Petri dish, (Yet still washing hands was/is a chore) and only getting 100% interested when the word sex appeared on the black board.

Humans are animals. As a species it is in debate whether humans are a successful species or not. Yes! We have colonized the earth but how long before a population crash? This is not doom-mongering. It is based on a basic biological fact. A species is only successful if it has enough food to support its population by being beneficial within it’s habitat and ecosystem.

In my view sheep are more successful than humans.

Physiology of sheep

Sheep belong to the family of Ruminants. They have four compartments in their stomachs. This enables the sheep to graze on the roughest, toughest plants and get the maximum nutrition from the poorest pastures. First the sheep eats the grass and fills the first compartment. It will then lay down and spend a few hours regurgitating this semi digested food, chewing again to break down the high cellulose structure of the plant and swallowing this allowing it to pass into another compartment for further digestion. The food is then fermented thus causing the sheep to produce plenty of methane gas from front and rear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlN3MOfsiv8

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123561039911777481.html

http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/herbivores/rumination.html

Sheep can be found in all Earth’s climatic zones. They are particularly well adapted to arid zones of all latitudes. Although the equatorial jungles are not conducive to sheep they can be found in the arid regions of the equatorial, tropical and sub tropical zones. (More about the introduction of domesticated sheep to tropical areas can be found here.)

http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/X6517E/X6517E02.htm

Sheep have a skin that grows strong hair over all it’s body. This hair (Fleece) is a natural protection from sun, wind, rain and snow. It is dense and protects from minor blows such as falling rocks. It provides incredibly good insulation from heat and cold. Sheep have good eyesight and this does not deteriorate with age unlike humans.

http://priory.com/vet/lens.htm

Humans, like sheep can live in all climatic zones and because they are omnivores they can find food in tropical Jungles. However they have skin that needs protection and is easily damaged, They need more water and so must live where water is readily available. They do not digest vegetable matter efficiently and so are dependent on domesticated plants if they choose to be vegans. In times of crop failure, death and disease ensues rapidly. Sheep provided humans with food, body protection and by products such as oils which have been an essential part of civilization. (Tallow for heat, light and cleaning. Lanolin for medicinal and cosmetic use.)

Domestication of sheep

Sheep are docile, intelligent and sociable. In the wild they will only become aggressive if attacked or to protect their young. I have seen a fox surrounded and attacked by four highly aggressive ewes at lambing time on the Pennine moors in England. The fox eventually escaped from the ring of angry mothers. They form groups and the young learn from the older sheep where the best food and water can be found. It is believed that they have been in a relationship with humans for around 11,000 years.

I propose that initially sheep formed a mutualistic relationship with humans as this provided the sheep with protection as the humans moved from area to area in search of water and grazing. Their fleeces were removed as the weather became warmer thus giving the sheep instant relief of parasites and heat. The humans sustained the appropriate number of sheep to the available grazing. This benefited the flock, despite individuals being killed for human consumption. As anyone who has kept sheep will know they are great escapologists. This leads me to suspect the sheep stayed with the humans for their own benefit.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3145132/

Sheep and Volcanos

In many volcanic regions it is sheep that are able to seek out food in a post eruptive landscape. Without the sheep’s ability to graze and thrive on the most poor of pastures humans would be unable to return and make use of the ravaged land. Sheep provide via their waste products nutrients to the soils, wool for nesting materials for other animals and birds and of course sheep unwittingly carry plant and bacterial spores and seeds thus aiding the spread of numerous plant species. Sheep enrich volcanic ecosystems.

I could write so much more. I do hope this first Biology blog-post will initiate more discussion, argument and study. I also hope I have demonstrated that the science of biology is inter-twined with other sciences such as meteorology and geology.

Sheep are an important part of the human psyche. Sheep provide a foundation for many religions. They are an essential part of folk memory, classical literature and sociological patterns. Without sheep there would be no Golden Fleece, no Christmas shepherds and no desirable fashion statement provided by the celebrities.

DIANA BARNES