The Super Bowl of survival – Which North American sports team comes out on top?

William Edward FARMER

Abstract


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.


Keywords


Sports; Biology; Ecosystem; Trophic levels; Superbowl

Full Text:

PDF

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.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.