American Crow: Corvus brachyrhynchos; Crows seem to have done pretty well for themselves, at least here in the US, although I did see some species of crow in Asia when I visited Thailand in 2003. I see lots of crows everyday at work when I go on my walk, they hang out at the garbage bin. As far as I can tell they are omnivores as they seem to eat almost anything. They also feed on carrion. I think our relationship with crows is mutualistic (they eat our garbage and dead animals after all) and we have been co-evolving with crows as they seem to thrive in areas where people are, whether it's in the city or more rural like a farming community.
Dust mites: Scientific name is Dermatophagoides farinae. This picture grosses me out and my daughter was scared of it. Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live on dead skin cells. I learned that about 100,000 mites can live in one square yard of carpet, yikes. Even worse, tens of thousands live in the average mattress! A problem with dust mites is the can cause serious allergy problems. The website I got this info from state that dust mites are not parasites in the typical sense, but if I am understanding the Power Point correctly they actually are parasites as we can be harmed by them in the form of allergies. I guess we have co-evolved with dust mites as they seem to thrive on our dead skin cells.
Eyebrow Mites: Demodex folliculorum and D. brevis; We have lots of mites and bacteria that live on and in our bodies, many do not actually harm us. That is the case with the eyebrow mite which lives in our eyebrows. The interaction is commensal as the mite benefits and we do not even know it is there. It is not domesticated in the traditional sense but I guess that you could say it has co-evolved with us and must have adapted over time to detergents and soaps as they don't seem to be washed off easily.
Bacteria on Skin: Propionibacterium acnes; This is a bacteria that lives harmlessly on our skin in which case the interaction would be commensal. However, sometimes an excess of oil on the surface of this skin can cause an overgrowth in this bacteria which can result in acne. Sometime this is brought on by stress or hormones and even diet. Often upsets in the balance of bacteria in different parts of the body can lead to a change in the normal environment causing a bacteria or fungus to proliferate which in turn leads to infection. Overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial soaps have sometimes led to these types of problems.
Little Black Ants: Monomorium minimum; Every summer these creatures attempt to invade our home. It seems like no matter how careful I am they find a way in. Eventually I resort to insecticide along my windows and door frames, although I hate it, and this usually stems them off for a time. I would say the interaction is commensal up until I kill them at which time I become the predator. Personally, I find them disgusting but they actually do not do us any harm as far as I know.
Willow Tree: Salix pendulina; We have this huge willow tree at the corner of our yard. I like it, it provides shade, but I hate cleaning up after it.I guess it is a mutualistic relationship. We both benefit. I water it and take care of it and therefore get to enjoy it. I think it is sort of domesticated. People seem to like the look of Willow trees and so they are cultivated for that reason.
Common King Snake: Lampropeltis getula; Our cat caught this snake back in September, we rescued it and let it loose in our back yard where we discovered several baby king snakes. Personally, I am not afraid of snakes (I grew up around them) and I consider them a good thing to have around as they eat small rodents which are dirtier animals. I think it is a common king snake although it may be a California King. Our interaction is commensal, with humans benefiting. However many people are afraid of snakes and will kill them whether they are dangerous or not. King snakes have been domesticated as pets and I think we do co-evolve together because of the fact that king snakes will live where food is available, which is often close to where humans are.
Javelina: Pecari tajacu; We have a lot of these near our home. They like to eat plants, especially prickly pear. I have come across them while walking but give them a wide berth as I have heard they can be aggressive. I don't like that they eat my plants. I would say that javelina are prey to humans. We are infringing on their habitat for sure. They are not domesticated in any sense that I can think of.
Prickly Pear: Opuntia phaeacantha; The prickly pear is an interesting plant that has adapted to its environment quite nicely. I think it is interesting that you will have them in the Mojave desert as well as here in the mountains of the Prescott area. Of course both are arid climates. Many Arizonians plant prickly pear because it is easy to grow and takes little water. It also produces beautiful fruit and flowers. I guess in some sense it has been domesticated, but I don't think it is really co-evolving in the sense that the PowerPoint talked about. I would also say that the Prickly Pear seems to be prey to javelina.
Nobel Fir Christmas Tree: Abies procera; Our family prefers the Nobel Firs as Christmas Trees as they seem to be easier on my son's and husband's allergies. In the sense that Professor Frolich was describing in his PowerPoint, I guess you could say that we have domesticated the Nobel Fir in a way that has been a benefit to its species. These are considered the "highest quality" Christmas trees by many and are therefore being cultivated more and more. I guess our relationship is mutualistic although some would argue the point since we chop them down.
Tomatoes: Solanum lycopersicum; This year we grew our own tomatoes, they were delicious. I chose not to use insecticide and grew them from organic compost from my own compost heap. This was somewhat of an experiment. They did not look as beautiful as those in the supermarket, but they tasted much better. Still I wondered what little bugs I may have ingested. The interaction is mutualistic, although we ate the fruit of the tomato I took care of the plants and expect them back next year.
Tomato Worms: Manduca quinquemaculata; I hate these and they are definitely predators to the tomato plants. One plant died because of these little critters. I was unable to find a way to get rid of them without insecticide. If you know of a way let me know. I guess my interaction with tomato worms is as a predator because I mean them harm. They are not domesticated as far as i can tell although they are adapted to feeding off of tomato plants.
Aphids: Aphis gossypii; Aphids are little bugs that love to eat plants, particularly my roses. They are definitely a parasite for plants but I don't think they do humans any real harm. I guess normally our interaction is commensual, but because I don't like them harming my plants I become predator.
Ladybugs: Coccinella septempunctata; Actually beetle not bugs, ladybugs are beneficial to any garden, mainly because they eat aphids. These creatures were my solution to my aphid problem. You can buy them at Home Depot cheap. Anyway, they did not kill all the aphids but they did a good job of controlling the problem. This was definitely a symbiotic relationship.
Dogs: Canis lupus familiaris; We don't own a dog ourselves but all of our neighbors do. I would say that my interaction with dogs is symbiotic as it is with most humans. We feed them, play with them etc. and we benefit from the interaction. There have recently been studies done showing how interaction with dogs is beneficial for the terminally ill. Some hospitals even purchase dogs for this purpose. Dogs are domesticated and it is obvious that this has been a good relationship for them as a species.
Domestic Chicken: Gallus domesticus; Lately we've been eating a lot of chicken. My husband was practically raised on a chicken farm as his grandmother worked on one. My interaction with chicken is as a predator as I eat it. Chicken are domesticated and are therefore found in abundance.
Spinach: Spinacea oleracea; Spinach is one of my favorite foods, I buy it every week and eat it raw in salads. Spinach is supposedly good for a lot of reasons including its benefit as the "broom of the stomach." The interaction I guess is predator prey but the fact that it is being cultivated more and more is a benefit to the species.
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