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Mystery of the Buffalo Boom

Topic
  • Microbiology
  • Pathogens & Disease
  • Ecology
  • Populations
  • Science Practices
  • Experimental Design
Resource Type
  • Videos
  • Scientists at Work
Level
High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Duration
00:07:07
Favorited By
11 Users
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Description

In this video, ecologist Tony Sinclair takes us through the steps of how he uncovered that the eradication of an infectious disease in cattle led to a boom in the Serengeti’s buffalo and wildebeest numbers.

When Sinclair arrived in the Serengeti in the 1960s, he was faced with a mystery: why were buffalo and wildebeest population sizes increasing so rapidly? Sinclair considered the two most likely answers: that these animals now had more food or fewer predators. However, the evidence did not support either explanation. Sinclair then discovered that scientists in the early 1960s had developed a vaccine against a virus called rinderpest. Rinderpest infected domesticated cattle, as well as wild buffalo and wildebeest. By examining skulls and blood samples from both buffalo and wildebeest, Sinclair showed that the disappearance of the virus from these animals precisely coincided with their increases in population sizes.

An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player.

Details
Key Terms

epidemic, infectious disease, population growth, regulation, rinderpest, Serengeti, vaccine, wildebeest

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level

This resource and the accompanying documents comply with accessibility standards in accordance with the final rule for Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act.
Version History
Date Published 03.09.20
Date Updated 03.18.20
Curriculum Connections
NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2.A, HS-LS2.C

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-4, SYI-3

IB Biology (2016)

4.1, C.1, C.3

AP Environmental Science (2013)

III.A

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5 

Materials
HD (M4V) 272 MB
HD (WMV) 224 MB
SD (M4V) 59 MB
SD (WMV) 61 MB
Transcript (PDF) 213 KB

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