Pictures 6-10

 Picture 6 - Item #76: Pollinator
This little bee in the center of the dandelion is a great example of a pollinator. Many angiosperms rely on pollinators like bees to (inadvertently) carry  pollen from other plants to fertilize their own seeds and start the development cycle of a whole new plant! Pollinators, especially bees like this one, are essential to plants and their ecosystems because they literally carry on their little bee/bird shoulders the final key to reproductive success.

 Picture 7 - Item #84: Seed Dispersal - Wind
These 'helicopter seeds' are good examples of how plants adapt to disperse their seeds. The 'helicopter wings' allow the seed to be carried to faraway lands (or the neighboring field) on the winds, spreading the plant's seeds (and genetic influence/success) far and wide.

 Pictures 8 - Item #6: Animals that have a Segmented Body
This earthworm belongs to the phylum annelida (the segmented worms). As is characteristic of that group, it is made up of repeating body segments. This contrasts to the segmentation of insects like this dragonfly (below), which have three distinct segments (the head, thorax, and abdomen). Segmentation was an important development in organisms because it allowed for more differentiation of regions of the body (or, in the case of the annelids, repetition), allowing for specialized and advanced functions (organs!).

Picture 9 - Item #86: Sporophyte
The tall, thin projections from this bit of moss are actually more accurately defined as the moss' sporophyte structures (sporangium). Mosses belong to the bryophytes, one of the earliest groups of plants to develop. Characteristically low to the ground and moisture-dependent, bryophytes are unique in that the dominant stage of their life cycle (the plants' alternation of generations) is the haploid gametophyte (gamete-producing) generation. Most plants are sporophyte-dominant, or go through the majority of their lives in their sporophyte (diploid, spore-producing) form. In bryophytes like this moss, the sporangium are nutritionally and structurally dependent on the moss itself (hence their submission). These sporangium will produce the spores that will grow into more haploid gametophytes like the moss.

Picture 10 - Item #11: Autotroph
This fern (seedless vascular) is a good example of an autotroph, or an organism that produces its own sustenance through photosynthesis. The fern absorbds sunlight through its leaves and, through the chemical processes that make up photosynthesis, eventually produces the glucose necessary for the plant's survival. Autotrophs makes up the base of the trophic pyramid and are essential to its stability. Without the autotrophs, primary consumers (herbivores like insects, mice, or deer) would have nothing to eat and no energy to gain, and, as such, neither would the higher trophic levels (secondary, tertiary, and quaternary consumers like us!). We need the autotrophs. That's all there is to it.

Week 2, Photos 6-10

Image 6: #86 - Sporophyte

This patch of lichen has several sporophyte structures, the protruding stem-like structures with red tips. Sporophytes generate spores, which are the male haploid cells of the organism creating them. These spores are then spread to organisms for fertilization and the reproduction. 

 Image 7: #7 - Anther & filament of stamen
May I direct your attention to the center of the flower to the yellow and green structure. This is the stamen, the male reproductive organ of the flower. The anther is the yellow part of the structure at the tip of the stamen that holds the spores, the male reproductive gamete that are spread to other flowers. The filament is the stalk of the stamen that supports the anther and other structures of the stamen.

 Image 8: #58 - Lichen
This is a patch of lichen I found growing on the wood railing outside our house. Lichen can grow on most any type of surface and most commonly on almost desolate surfaces, such as the barren face of a rock. This particular lichen was growing on nonliving wood with little water for hydration.

 Image 9 & 10: Category #12 - Organisms on different levels of the same food chain
These are the first two photos of the category of organisms on different levels of the same food chain. I will complete the category the next posting.
This first photo is of a patch of grass is on the first level the food chain I am documenting. The grass is a primary producer, which means it is an autotrophic organism that captures energy from sunlight and uses it in its own processes. It traps this energy and stores it within itself which is how energy enters a food chain in the first place.

 This ant is a primary consumer, or an organism that consumes primary producers in its diet to supply itself with energy. It digests the molecules of energy stored within the grass and expends them in movement or any other metabolic process it requires. This continues the flow of energy through the trophic levels in the food chain, but the ant only absorbs about 10% of the energy stored in the grass, so it needs to eat much more of the grass to supply itself with the necessary energy.

Week 2 Photos 6-10

 This is a picture of artistic eggshell carvings I saw in China. The shells are from the amniotic eggs of chickens. 

32. Enzyme

 This is a photo I took in China when encountering a group of high school graduates celebrating. It represents an enzyme because many of these individuals do not possess the proper enzyme that breaks down ethanol, causing their faces to grow red as they may grow somewhat nauseous. This enzyme deficiency is more common in Asia than other continents.

75. Pollen

 This is a photo of a flower that has obviously been pollinated.

Different Plant Divisions
Bryophytes

 This is a picture of a mossy like plant that grew alongside a path in China.

Seedless Non-vascular Plants (ferns and whatnot)

This is a picture of ferns and whatnot at the hostel in China.

Jonah Goldblatt 6-10

6. Seed Dispersal(84)- This dandelion is an example of seed dispersal by wind. These seeds are easily taken off the plant by wind and spread about, hopefully allowing the dandelion to reproduce.

7. Redox reaction(82)- This rusted chain shows a redox reaction in progress. Redox is a chemical process in which one substance is reduced(gains electrons) and one is oxidized(loses electrons. In rust Iron is oxidized and oxygen is reduced. Fe+H20+02-->Fe203.

8. Gymnosperm cone(46)- The seeds of this gymnosperm pine tree are enclosed in these young cones. These seeds are exposed on the surfaces of the pine cone and can be dispersed by wind.

9. C3 Plant(17)-  This dogwood tree is a C3 plant meaning that it uses the C3 carbon fixation pathway in which rubisco is used to fix carbon. Rubisco is will combine with O2 or Co2 making C3 plants in hot weather areas susceptible to photorespiration. Rubisco turns Co2 into a 3 carbon molecule which is then brought into the calvin cycle in photosynthesis.

10.Anther and Filament of Stamen(7)- The stamen located in the middle of the flower is the male fertilizing organ(pollen) of a flower. The anther is the top part of the stamen and it contains pollen. The filament is the stalk of the stamen and it supports the anther of the stamen.










By Jonah Goldblatt

Lydia - Items #6-10

ORGANISMS OF THE SAME 
GENUS BUT DIFFERENT SPECIES

All three of these images show different types maple trees. All three have the genus Acer, but differ in species. The first image is of an unknown, introduced species of maple that is clearly neither of the other two. Unfortunately I could not find any more information about its species except that it is different from the other two trees. The second image is of Acer saccharum or the sugar maple. The third image is of Acer platanoides or the Norway Maple. These maples are of different species, so it is impossible for them to produce fertile offspring with each other in the natural world. They are however closely linked and share many characteristics such as their distinct leaf shape with five points. 

BILATERAL SYMMETRY

This flower shows bilateral symmetry as it would only be possible to cut it down the middle to produce equal halves. This type of symmetry is sort of like a mirror image or refection. However, a closer look will usually show imperfections in the symmetry as veins or coloring may not be identical on both sides.

CALVIN CYCLE

The Calvin cycle is a metabolic pathway where carbon enters the cycle as CO₂ and leaves (no pun intended!) as sugar for the plant. The Calvin cycle is constantly occurring in this sugar maple. The tree must breath, and therefore inhales CO₂ (‘oxygen’ for trees) and although some of the CO₂ is exhaled as O₂, other CO₂ is converted into sugar for the tree to use as food (or for us to tap and turn into maple syrup).

CELLULAR RESPIRATION

This clover uses cellular respiration by extracting energy that is stored in chemical bonds of its cells and then transforming that energy into fuel (ATP) that is necessary for life-sustaining functions. It is sort of like the reverse of photosynthesis: the plant is breaking down the chemical bonds of energy-rich molecules to release the energy that went into creating those same bonds during photosynthesis when the energy of the sun was captured and used to create the molecules of sugars etc.

CUTICLE LAYER OF THE PLANT

The cuticle layer of a plant is what covers most plant’s leaves to make them water proof. The waxy hydrophobic layer over the leaves prevent viruses, bacteria, and fungi from infiltrating the delicate leaves. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the cuticle layer prevents evaporation of water from inside of the leaves.

Jane Merrow's Photos: 6-10

#6: They're a little difficult to see, but this clump of moss has growing on it little sporophytes! These diploid (with both sets of chromosomes) structures will, through meiosis, release haploid spores which will form a gametophyte (the green part of the moss from which the sporophytes are sprouting). Through mitosis, the gametophyte will produce gametes and the process will begin over again.

#7: I apologize for the grossness! My skin is an example of stratified (layered) epithelial tissue. That nasty gash is a result of a dance move gone wrong in rehearsal, but it also serves as an example of homeostasis: the formation of platelets to help heal a wound is a positive feedback reaction, meant to keep my body within a certain range of conditions.

#8: This is the auxin-producing area of a plant. When a new bud forms, a concentration of hormones (auxin) helps it develop and drives the developing behavior of the new plant.

#9: This is the cuticle layer of a plant. This waxy overcoat helps prevent that plant from dehydrating on hot days and serves as a barrier to unwanted particles. Also, stomata, found on this layer, regulate gas exchange.

#10: This lichen almost completely covers a tree in my front yard. It doesn't seem to be harming the tree, so the relationship is most likely an example of commensalism (I ruled out parasitism, because lichen can live on its own on a bare rock).

Maddy's Photos 1-5

These are female gymnosperm cones. These cones contain ovules which eventually become seeds when the pollen produced by the male pine cones fertilizes it. This is how conifers reproduce.

This is a picture of an amniotic egg. The outer shell layer protects the egg. It also allows for gas exchange but holds in essential fluids like water for the egg to develop. Inside of this egg there is an embryo and a yolk which is nutrient rich.  

These are lobster legs and are an example of an exoskeleton.  Lobsters have an exoskeleton which is the external skeleton that supports the animals bodies. This is unlike humans who have endoskeletons.

The ovary is the innermost part of the flower and is the female reproductive structure. The ovary contains ovules which will eventually be fertilized by pollen. The ovules will turn into seeds and eventually the ovary turns into a fruit.

This is my hand which is covered with epithelial tissue like the rest of my body. My skin is what separates the internal and the external of my body. Some uses for epithelial tissue are protection, secretion (we sweat to cool off), and water tight.

Lydia - Items #1-5

Sorry I am so late with starting off my posts... I have been very busy this summer!
My personal item is a clothes pin (it is always there, but sometimes it is hidden...that may or may not be on purpose for added challenge).

AUXIN PRODUCING AREA OF THE PLANT

The newly formed tomatoes in this picture (still green) are full of auxin, a plant hormone that is essential in the growth of plant bodies and new buds/fruit. Auxin is transported from cell to cell throughout the plant and is responsible for acting sort of like the nervous system or regulator of the plant so that it knows how to react to the outside and changing environment appropriately. Auxin can also help the plant to determine whether or not the plant will add new root to its system or a bud or leaf. This helps the plant to become the biggest and healthiest it possibly can!

AMNIOTIC EGG

Amniotic eggs (such as this lovely blue-green araucana chicken egg) are characterized by their hard shells and water-tight membranes. These features make it possible for amniotes – reptiles, birds, and some mammals – to lay their eggs out of the water yet not let the eggs dry out! Amphibians and fish are limited to laying their eggs in the water so that the egg is constantly moist.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN MONOCOTS AND DICOTS

Monocots, such as this grass (sort of in the background), have parallel veins, whereas dicots (the maple leaf) have veins that connect at many places, cross each other, and spread out in different directions…aka NOT parallel. Monocots have lost the ability to have secondary growth, therefore they are not capable if expanding their size and producing wood or bark like dicots can. A third distinguishing characteristic between these two would be their root structure. Monocots form roots clustered around the bottom of the stem at nodes. Dicots form roots from the lower end of the embryo called the radicle. The roots continue to grow and expand in a complicated network with the help of the apical meristem which produces root tissue for the duration of the plant’s life.  

ORGANISMS IN DIFFERENT KINGDOMS

Although at a first glance it would appear that both images depict living ‘things’ from the kingdom Plantae, a second look will show that this adorable mushroom is actually part of a kingdom of its own called Fungi. Fungi are different from other plants in many ways, but one distinguishing factors to many scientists is that the cell walls of fungi contain chitin instead of cellulose (which plants in the kingdom Plantae have).

STIGMA AND STYLE OF CARPEL (FEMALE PART OF THE FLOWER)

This beautiful purple flower clearly displays its carpel which is made up of the stigma (tip) and style (‘stick’ attached to the tip). These parts of the flower are the entrance to the female reproductive system. When sperm (in a pollen grain) lands on the stigma, it is accepted into the flower’s style where it germinates and produces a pollen tube which grows downwards until it reaches the ovary. The stigma and style, along with the ovary and ovules make up the carpel, or the female part of the flower.

Torieana St. Pierre Photos 1-5

1. Flamingos adapted to their environment which allows them to stand in very deep water. Flamingos also have broad webbed feet which allows them to remain stable of uneven or soft grounds. Their webbed feet allows flamingos to float above the water for a short amount of time when the waters are too deep. Their strong webbed feet help steer them to food.

22. Like humans, amphibians or plants, cellular respiration in fish occurs the same way. The one thing that makes fish different is that they get their oxygen from the water through their gills. Cellular respiration is one of the main ways that fish and all other living organisms gain useful energy to aid cellular activity.

11. An autotroph is a producer, which creates its own food, which is then transferred into carbohydrates which are energy rich molecules. The plants survive by using energy from the light (photosynthesis). Autotrophs are very important in both the food chain and balancing out the ecosystems of the world because autotrophs are used as food for other organisms which are used for energy and raw materials. 

4. The ostrich eggs shown in this photo are and example of an amniotic egg. These eggs are fertilized which gives the future baby ostriches both nutrients and protection from the other animals in the Disney Safari!

49. The giraffes we spotted while in Disney are heterotroph's because they eat leaves from the trees shown in the background giving the mommy and baby energy that keeps them running.