Blog #11: A Picture of Alteration of Generations and an Explanation

This picture has the same stages as the life cycle of a fern.

The Life cycle of a typical fern:

1. A sporophyte (diploid) phase produces haploid spores by meiosis.
2. A spore grows by mitosis into a gametophyte, which typically consists of a photosynthetic prothallus.
3. The gametophyte produces gametes (often both sperm and eggs on the same prothallus) by mitosis.
4. A mobile, flagellate sperm fertilizes an egg that remains attached to the prothallus.
5. The fertilized egg is now a diploid zygote and grows by mitosis into a sporophyte (the typical "fern" plant).

Blog #10: Why is Dissection an Important Part of a Biology Curriculum?

Dissection is an important part of the Biology because it gives students a chance to see the inner workings of an animal for themselves.

Blog #9: The Different Forms of Community Interaction

• Competition- Competition occurs when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time. An example of this is when two bears compete for a group of fish.

• Commensalism- Commensalism occurs when one member of the association benefits, while the other is neither helped or harmed. An example of this is when a clown fish uses a sea anenome as a home.

• Mutualism- Mutualism occurs when both species benefit from the relationship. An example of this is when a species of ants care for aphids, while the aphids produce a sweet liquid that the ants like to drink.

• Predation- Predation occurs when one organism captures and feeds on another. An example of this is when lions kill and eat a wild ox.

• Parasitism- Parasitism occurs when one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it. An example of this is when wasps lay their eggs on organisms such as caterpillars.

 

Blog #8: What Have I Learned?

Throughout the third quarter, I have learned a lot. This is a list of things that I have learned about.

• DNA Mutation
• Amino Acids
• Fossils
• Evolution
• Half Lives
• Cladograms
• Ecosystems
• Organisms
• Habitats
• Population

Blog #7: Biome Comparison

Desert Biome:

• Hot in the day
• Very little precipitation. The little precipitation comes in rain.
• Tend to be near the equator.
• Plants and animals have evolved for life in the desert.

Tundra Biome:

• Very cold.
• Precipitation is in snow.
• Far from the equator.
• Ground is frozen under called permafrost.
• Plants and animals have evolved for life in the cold.

Blog #6: Which Level of a Food Pyramid is the Most Important?

I think that the plants/producers group is the most important group. It is the first group on the whole pyramid. Without it, the group above would suffer from a food shortage and die off. Therefore, causing a chain reaction all the way up to the top.

Blog #5: Are Humans Impacting the 6th Extinction Event?

Throughout Earth's history, there have been five major extinction events. Because of those events, many species either became endangered or extinct. But all of those events occurred due to a certain cause. There lately has been talk that humans may cause the next extinction event with pollution and such. I think it is completely possible that it could cause a major extinction event in the distant future with the effects of pollution. But that's not the only possibility, I think that another could also be caused by natural events such as major ocean level changes and asteroid impacts.