Monday, August 24, 2015

Vestigial

                                                    25. Vestigial
Vestigial refers to an organ that is not functional anymore, but used to be used by ancient ancestors. Vestigial organs provide a clue to what ancestors that animal or human was derived from. On my dog, his dew claw is a vestigial organ. A dew claw is the fifth claw on most dogs paws that is higher up on the leg than the other four claws. Most of the time his claw does not touch the ground and is useless is providing traction to the dog. 

Hydrophobic

                                                    24. Hydrophobic
This bottle of oil represents the term hydrophobic. Hydrophobic means repelling  water or insoluble in water. Oil is considered hydrophobic because when you try to mix it with water it will never mix. There will always be little bubbles of oil floating within the water. This is also because water is polar and oil in non polar. The water and oil molecules are not attracted to each other.

Adaptation of a plant

                                                    23. Adaptation of a plant
This is an apple and it represents the adaptation of a plant. Seeds are protected inside the flesh of the fruit. Animals then eat the fruit and the seed goes through their digestive tract. The seed is then dropped in another location to then grow into another plant. Many plants have adapted to this way of reproduction especially those that live on land and have no other way of dispersing their seeds for reproduction. 

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Lipids for energy storage

                                                    22. Lipids for energy storage
This is a picture of butter which represents lipids. Lipids are fatty acids that are used for energy storage, hormones and vitamins, and forming the membranes around cells. Butter is an example of a lipid because when it is consumed by humans it adds to fat which holds and stores energy. 

Unicellular organism

                                            21. Unicellular organism
This is a picture of a toilet which often contains the bacteria E.coli. E.coli is a unicellular organism. A unicellular organism only contains one cell and all of its functions are carried out within one cell. E.coli is a bacteria that is often found in human colons.

Exoskeleton

                                                    20. Exoskeleton

This is a picture of a crab. Crabs have an exoskeleton which is a skeleton on the outside of the body. For example, when the crab dies it often will leave behind its exoskeleton. That's why on the beach one might find what they think is a crab but it will actually just be a the exoskeleton of a dead crab.

Predation

                                                   19. Predation
This is a picture of a dragon fly. Dragon flies are an example of the term predation because they eat smaller insects. Predation is a symbiotic relationship between two organisms where one acts as a predator and captures and feeds on the prey. This is a mechanism of population control. When predators are scarce the population of prey should be large and vice versa. When the number of predators decline they change their hunting patterns and then predators rise again. As predators rise preys decline which leads to food scarcity for predators.

Auxin producing area of a plant

                                                     18. Auxin producing area of a plant
This is a picture of buds on a tree, which represents an area of a plant that is high in auxin. Auxin is a hormone in plants that promotes growth and development of buds. Auxin is often found in buds because it helps with the elongation of stems, differentiation, the growth of roots, fruits and flowers, and branches. 

Bilateral Symmetry

                                                   17. Bilateral Symmetry
This is a picture of my dog, that represents bilateral symmetry. Bilateral symmetry describes something that is divisible into two mirror halves on one plane only. For example if I was to cut my dog front to back both sides would mirror each other. But if I cut hum side to side or horizontal through the middle the halves would not mirror each other.

Phloem

                                                    16. Phloem
This is a picture of leaves from a tree which contain a phloem. A phloem is a tissue in a plant that functions in transporting organic food from the leaves to the rest of the plant. In leaves, photosynthesis happens and sugars are produced. These sugars made from photosynthesis need to be transported, so the phloem is used. The phloem is always alive, and the sap that normally drips from a tree is the product of the phloem. 

Friday, July 24, 2015

Spore

                                                   15. Spore
This fern plant represents the term spore. A spore is a dormant reproductive cells formed by organisms. It is thick walled and is made to survive in unfavorable conditions. In a fern plant the leafy braches are called fronds and the small leaflets on the frond are called pinnae. Under the pinnae one cal find  spores. 

CAM plants

                                                    14. CAM plants
 CAM plants are plants that grow in an arid evironment. They use a carbon fixation pathway that allows them to cloase their stomata during the hottest part of the day to prevent water loss. Instead their stomata are open at night to allow for the storage of CO2. Then during the day the CO2 is released to be used in the calvin cycle. This cactus represents a CAM plant because they are normally found in dry and arid environments. 

Glycogen

                                                   13. Glycogen
This is a picture of a potato which represents glycogen. Glycogen is used for secondary long term energy storage in humans. When the body is in need of energy glycogen is broken down into glucose using glucagon. It is mainly produced in liver and muscles cells. Potatoes are high in starch which adds to your glycogen storage.    

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Gymnosperm

                                                     12. Gymnosperm
This pine cone represents a gymnosperm. On Gymnosperms The seeds of the plant develop on the surface of the reproductive organs. They are often called naked seed plants. Pine cones are an example of this because they are the seeds that grow on the surface of a pine tree.  

Hermaphrodite

                                                   11. Hermaphrodite
This is a picture of a sea snail which represents the term hermaphrodite. A hermaphrodite is an organism that has both male and female reproductive organs. Most snails, slugs, and some fish and other vertebrates are hermaphrodites.

Mating Behavior

                        10. Mating Behavior

This is a picture of two beetles mating( you have to look closely they are hard to see). This represents mating behavior because a male and a female beetle are pairing for the purpose of sexual reproduction leading to the production of zygotes.

Altruisitc Behavior

                                                    9. Altruistic Behavior
This is a picture of a flock of birds which represents altruistic behavior. Altruistic behavior reduces the fitness of the actor and increases the fitness of  other individuals( recipients). For example, birds will often give off a warning call when they see a predator approaching. This warning call helps all the other birds because they now know that they need to hide, but the individual who gave out the warning call is now at risk of being found. 

Stigma and Style of Carpel

                                                   8. Stigma and Style of Carpel
This picture of a hibiscus flower represents a stigma and style of carpel. A stigma is the pollen receptive surface of a carpel. This is the part of the plant that bears a sweet solution that attracts bees. When the bees land they pick up the pollen and carry it to other plants for fertilization. The style of a flower is the elongated part of the flower that is between the ovary and the stigma. The carpel is the center of the flower that bears the ovules in an ovary. 

Parenchyma Cells

                                                   7. Parenchyma Cells
This is a picture of a plant which represents parenchyma cells. Parenchyma cells are thin walled cells that make up the insides of stems, roots, and leaves. They contain a central vacuole  which is used in many plant cells to store important materials and insure optimal pressure inside the plant. This stem is made out of parenchyma cells which help to make the stem firm and upright.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Connective Tissue

                                                     6. Connective Tissue
In this picture I am stretching my Achilles Tendon which is a connective tissue. Comective tissues are the most abundant in the body and are widely distributed. Many different parts of the body can contain connective tissues. For example, fibrous tissues, fat. cartilage, bone, bone marrow, and blood are all connective tissues. Connective tissues bind organs together. In the picture, the Achilles Tendon connects my heel bone and my calf muscles. 

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Niche

                                                    5. Niche
This is a photo of a squirrel which represents the term niche. A niche is a specific area where an organsim inhabits. For example, squirrels inhabit forested areas or communities that lie within a forest. Normally you would not find a squirrel in a desert, Squirrels specifically inhabit forests and areas with a lot of trees.

Fermentation

                                          4. Fermentation
In This photo I am doing push ups which represents fermentation. Fermentation is similar to cellular respiration but the difference is that Fermentation uses glucose to create ATP WITHOUT oxygen while cellular respiration does that same process but WITH oxygen. When you work out a lot your body needs to create ATP to give you energy, but when you do a hard work out and are gasping for breath your lungs cannot supply oxygen to your muslces fast enough to create ATP. That's when fermentation is used instead of cellular respiration to create ATP. During fermentation a waste product is produced called lactic acid. Lactic acid is what causes your muscles to become sore after a workout. 

Cellular Respiration

                                                    3. Cellular Respiration
This is a picture of me running with my dog. This demonstrates the process of cellular respiration because my body is using glucose to create energy ATP (adenosine triphosphate) that my body uses to help me run. Celluar Respiration is a process that turns an organic substance (glucose) into energy (ATP). The ATP produced is then used in to power energy-requiring activities such as running. 

Ectotherm

                                                     2. Ectotherm
In this picture is a lizard. Lizard's are Ectotherms which means that its body temperature varies with the temperature of its surroundings. Lizards are cold blooded which means that their body temperature changes depending on the environment that they are in. For example, If a lizard is in the sun its body temperature with be hotter than when it is in the shade or at night. 

Pollen


                                                   1. Pollen

This is a picture of a flower. Flowers contain pollen. Pollen is a powdery yellow substance that is used in for fertilization in flowers. Pollen can often be in the form of spores, or it can be found in large masses at the center of a flower. In this picture the pollen is clustered in the middle of the flower.