The Super Bowl of survival – Which North American sports team comes out on top?
Keywords:
Sports, Biology, Ecosystem, Trophic levels, SuperbowlAbstract
This paper creates a hypothetical scenario where animal-based teams from the 4 major North American sports leagues are placed into an ecosystem together. After determining the likely predator/prey interactions between these organisms, the apex predators of this fantasy habitat are established. While 8 teams can claim ecological dominance and feature no natural predation, only the Toronto Maple Leafs are capable of long-term survival.
References
damnallusernamesaretaken (2017) Terrible Tiger vs Confession Bear. Imgur. Available at: https://imgur.com/gallery/vjpyC [Accessed 12th March 2018]
NFL (2018) Teams. Available at: https://www.nfl.com/teams [Accessed 8th March 2018]
NBA (2018) Team Index. Available at: http://uk.global.nba.com/teamindex/ [Accessed 8th March 2018]
NHL (2018) Teams. Available at: https://www.nhl.com/info/teams [Accessed 8th March 2018]
MLB (2018) Teams. Available at: http://m.mlb.com/teams/ [Accessed 8th March 2018]
Chang, K (2016) Visions of Life on Mars in Earth’s Depth. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/science/south-african-mine-life-on-mars.html [Accessed 9th March 2018]
Blocksdorf, K. (2017) Safe Trees for Your Horse’s Pasture. The Spruce Pets. Available at: https://www.thespruce.com/safe-trees-for-your-horses-pasture-1886494 [Accessed 10th March 2018]
National Geographic (2018) White-Tailed Deer. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/w/white-tailed-deer/ [Accessed 10th March 2018]
Keeping A Family Cow (2012) What leaves are safe for cows to eat. Available at: http://familycow.proboards.com/thread/58175 [Accessed 10th March 2018]
Texas Parks and Wildlife (2018) Learning About Bison Classroom Activities. Available at: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/resources/resources/lesson-plans/terrestrial-ecology/bison/learning-about-bison-classroom-activities [Accessed 10th March 2018]
Orkin (2018) European Hornets. Orkin.com. Available at: https://www.orkin.com/stinging-pests/hornets/european-hornet/ [Accessed 10th March 2018]
Knox, L.J. (1995) The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. RQ, 34(3), pp.373-374.
Cornell University (2017) Blue Jay Identification. iThe Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All about birds. Available at: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/id [Accessed 10th March 2018]
Lindeman, R.L. (1942) The trophic‐dynamic aspect of ecology. Ecology, 23(4), pp.399-417. DOI: 10.2307/1930126
Richens Myers, V. (2018). Meet the Many Species of Maple Trees. The Spruce. Available at: https://www.thespruce.com/thirteen-species-of-maple-trees-3269671 [Accessed 9th March 2018]
Rising, J. & Flood, N. (1998) Baltimore Oriole: The Birds of North America. 384, pp 1–32.
Pocock, R.I. (1929). Tigers. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 33, pp 505–541.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. All content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC-BY 4.0).