Botany of Desire

Bees are the key to life.


(berkeley.edu)

Plants stem from each other to create different variations. We use these for different purposes.

Predator/ Prey Lab

Above is a graph which displays the data from our Predator and Prey lab. We started with a white paper, symbolizing an arctic tundra biome. We also had three different variations of rabbits, each different colored which could help them with camouflage in their biomes (an adaptation). Three random rabbits were chosen and added to the board. A wolf (another type of paper) is dropped. If it touches any, it kills them, but if it doesn't touch three, it also dies of starvation. If it survives, it multiplies, as well as with the rabbits, which double after each round. One may be able to see, as the rounds progressed, the Dark Green took a spike, and then later faded off as the White continued to rise. I think if we would have done more rounds, we would have seen the white continue to die off while one of the other species fell (almost) all the way to extinction.

Biome-part 2

A natural disaster has hit the freshwater lake biome of the Pacific Northwest. Deforestation. A logging company has come in and clear cut a patch of trees on a slope just above a lake. The effects are not seen immediately, but in 2 to 3 seasons, they will be very relevant. As the trees are cut, the slopes are left bare and exposed to the elements. As you may know, the Pacific Northwest has a primarily rainy climate. These two factors, an exposed slope and rain, lead up to erosion. Large sediment loads are washed into the lake. The first and greatest impact the erosion will have is on Salmon. Salmon effect numerous species in the freshwater lake biome, both terrestrial and aquatic. They are a keystone species.  On land, Grizzly bears' diet of Salmon will be completely eliminated. The increased sediment load in the lake and surrounding streams makes it impossible for the salmon to survive. The other aspect which Salmon will effect is the nutrient movement throughout the river and streams. When Salmon go up-stream to spawn, they die, and their carcasses decay providing nutrients for everything from micro organisms to plants, and all the way up to juvenile salmon.

Biome Tour- Freshwater Lakes/Ponds

Here I will tell you everything you need to know about visiting some of the most disregarded biomes in existence: freshwater lakes/ponds. Every lake or pond is different, so I will give a general overview of what you can expect at any, as well as some of the highlights in some specific places.

Abiotic Features

• The sun- A lake in Alaska will receive much different amounts of light than a lake in Ecuador. The Sun gives energy to algae and other plants to carry out photosynthesis. This is the start of the food web. 
• Oxygen levels- The higher in elevation you go, the less oxygen is in the air. This can affect the rate of growth for different species of plants as well as what species of fish are able to live there.
• Temperature-Again, it is regulated by the location of the lake as well as the surrounding natural features. A lake in the desert will be hit with much more sunlight than one surrounded by trees or mountains. Also, temperatures tend to vary based on elevation and latitude. 

Biotic Features

1. Producers-These can include a wide variety of plants from algae to Water Lily's to different species of reeds. All depends on what works for that specific location. These plants all serve many purposes with the primary ones being to provide a food source and shelter for the consumers. This level of the food pyramid uses the highest amount of energy and has the highest population. Sharon Barrotz
2. Consumers-Again, each location throughout the globe has its own region specific species which inhabit its waters. These can range from small bait fish including different varieties of shad, all the way up to alligators or bald eagles, and everything in between. Josh VelocityPhil Degginger
3. Decomposers-Fungi and bacteria exist in many different lakes. The role of both is primarily to break down organic material such as wood, leaves, algae, etc. All species of freshwater decomposers are microscopic. 
4. Humans-Of course, humans love recreation, especially at lakes. Almost any human contact at a lake can change something in the biome. What I am mainly talking about is pollution. Trash, oil from motors and fishing line are all types of pollutants that can damage an ecosystem. Some other causes which don't actually take place at the lake are sewer or farm runoff. These can start a process called eutrophication, which begins with a spike in organic material such as phosphates or nitrates. These cause there to be rapid growth of algae, which eventually dies and is decomposed by bacteria. The bacteria absorb all the oxygen in the area thus creating a dead zone. 
5. 

Food Web/Pyramid

Evolutionary Adaptations

• Animals- Many animals have a symbiotic relationship with a type of plant. One example is a water lily and a frog. The frog uses the lily pad as a place to hide as well as a food source. Other types of plants help fish with the same types of things (i.e. shelter, etc.).
• Plants-Plants such as the Water Lily have special floating pads on the surface of the water to be able to absorb enough sunlight for photosynthesis. 

Bacteria- The Ingoldian Hyphomycetes are a species of bacteria that are specificly shaped long and narrow to be able to move in running water. Although lakes and ponds are standing water, any water movement at all is a lot for these microscopic organisms. Huzefa A. Raja

Animal Behavior Lab Report

Abstract- In this lab, my partner and I tested three variables of animal behavior through three different tests. We used cold vs. room temp., clear vs green ground, as well as dry vs wet. All three produced data which rejected our hypothesis.

Introduction

Question- How do Armadillidiidae react to dry vs. wet, clear vs. green, and room temp vs. cold environments?

Background- Behavior, specifically in animals, is the scientific study of everything animals do. This can include an animal’s relationship to its surrounding environment as well as other animals. Animal behavior can include, but is not limited to, “how animals find and defend resources, avoid predators, choose mates and reproduce, and care for their young” (animalbehavior.org). A proximate cause is linked to the closest reason for something happening where the ultimate is the actual reason, but more distant. Proximate Question: What triggered the brain to make the bird make a sound? Ultimate Question: What evolutionarily or genetically gave the bird the ability to make the sound? A fixed action pattern is when one animal does something which triggers a sign stimulus or releaser in another animal which causes the animal to do something in response. An example is, “Some moths instantly fold their wings and drop to the ground if they encounter ultrasonic signals such as those produced by bats; see ultrasound avoidance” (wikipedia.org). Imprinting is a way in which animals acquire a trait or traits based on a memory which they gain at a young age. Proximate Cause. Geese follow their mother because she will nourish and protect the goose. Ultimate cause: Geese follow their mother because it is the first large object which they are able to see, thus leaving an imprint in their mind. Taxis is controlled motion and kinesis is random motion. An example of taxis is when a dog smells its food, it will walk toward it. An example of kinesis is when a dog hears a loud noise near it, it will bolt in a random direction. Classical conditioning relies on stimuli connected with a behavior or object, where operant conditioning relies on punishment or consequences associated with it.

Hypothesis- If one side is wet and another is dry, more Armadillidiidae will move to the wet side because they prefer to be in wet, shady areas. If one side is colored and the other is not, the Armadillidiidae will not be able to tell the difference because they are colorblind. If one side is cold and another is room temperature, the Armadillidiidae will try to move to the room temperature side because they will not be able to move fast in cold conditions.

Methodology

Materials

• 10-12 Armadillidiidae
• a two part plastic viewing dish
• ice pack
• handful of clear beads
• handful of green beads
• paper towel
• pipette
• water

Procedure

1. Set up your chosen variable, whether it be the ice pack on one side, wet on one side or green beads on one side.
2. Add all the Armadillidiidae to the viewing dish randomly. Make sure to record immediately how many are on each side.
3. Cover the dish with a notebook.
4. Start a timer and check every 30 seconds. Record how many are on each side and note anything significant.

Results

Time (minutes)	# on cold	# on room temperature
0	4	6
0.5	5	5
1	5	5
1.5	5	5
2	6	4
2.5	6	4
3	6	4
3.5	6	4
4	6	4
4.5	6	4
5	6	4
5.5	6	4
6	6	4
6.5	6	4
7	6	4

Time (minutes)	# on dry	# on wet
0	5	5
0.5	3	7
1	3	7
1.5	4	6
2	5	5
2.5	6	4
3	5	5
3.5	5	5
4	7	3
4.5	6	4
5	6	4
5.5	6	4
6	6	4
6.5	6	4
7	6	4

Time (minutes)	# on green	# on clear
0	0	10
0.5	2	8
1	2	8
1.5	2	8
2	2	8
2.5	2	8
3	2	8
3.5	2	8
4	2	8
4.5	2	8
5	3	7

Conclusion- In our lab, my partner and I found that our experiments including the wet/dry, the color and the cold/warm all produced data which rejected our hypothesis. In the color test, we found that so few moved from the clear to the green (majority on the clear) that it was true, color did not make a difference. In the wet/dry, our data produced a steady fluctuation between the two sides, but it must be noted that we observed different  Armadillidiidae moving rather than the same ones. If the lab was to be repeated, my partner and I may try to start all the Armadillidiidae on one side to produce more reliable data. In the cold/warm, an error occured. The cold side became so cold that the organisms were beginning to freeze. They all stopped moving completely, only to resume movement when moved away from the cold environment.

Citation

htp://www.animalbehavior.org/ABS/Guides/Careers.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_action_pattern