Final Post

Here's my last standard, SP5. It sure has been one crazy ride!
https://sites.google.com/site/michelleshonorsbio/webb-science-practices-standards/5-using-mathematics-and-computational-thinking
I really hope this counts!

STANDARDS UPDATE

I changed some of the standards around on my website so that each assignment only went for two, and all the standards are on there (except for SP5, which was on a test) Here's the link if you wanna check out my new and improved standards!
SP 4: https://sites.google.com/site/michelleshonorsbio/webb-science-practices-standards/4-analyzing-and-interpreting-data

SP 9: https://sites.google.com/site/michelleshonorsbio/webb-science-practices-standards/9-progress-of-own-learning-self-analysis

Also for all my HBs, I only have one 4, and it's 4/1 (because I wrote down a different answer than I circled on a test):
I can apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.
And since I think I understand Mendelian genetics, I thought I'd just talk about them for a second. So most traits have multiple alleles, or genes that code for a specific phenotype (physical trait). The two alleles, or the genotype, work together to influence what something like eye color or ear shape would look like. So there are dominant and recessive traits. For example, in cats, a dominant trait could be black fur (B) and a recessive trait could be yellow fur (b). The dominant trait will show up even if there is just one allele for it, but the recessive needs both alleles to show. If a cat homogeneous for yellow fur (bb) mated with a cat heterogeneous for black fur (Bb) mated, there would be two distinct genotypes for their kittens: Bb and bb. This cross can be done with a Punnett square, and you would find out that 50% of the kittens would be bb, and 50% would be Bb. It's that easy!

Transpiration Online Lab

(Please ignore the horrible formatting)

Journal questions:
Describe the process of transpiration in vascular plants.
Xylem pushes the water through the stem up to the leaves using cohesion. The water evaporates from the leaves, and adhesion moves the next water molecule to the surface so it can evaporate next.
Describe any experimental controls used in the investigation.
Controls would be the time used for transpiration.
What environmental factors that you tested increased the rate of transpiration? Was the rate of transpiration increased for all plants tested?
The environmental factors are wind, temperature, and light. The rate increased for all of the plants with the fan and heater, but didn't for Dieffenbachia, Rubber Plant, the Weeping Fig, and the Zebra Plant with the lamp.
Did any of the environmental factors (heat, light, or wind) increase the transpiration rate more than the others? Why?
The wind increased the transpiration rate the most because it blows the water off of the leaves.
Which species of plants that you tested had the highest transpiration rates? Why do you think different species of plants transpire at different rates?
Rubber Plant had the highest transpiration rates because the experimental conditions are closer to its ideal environment. Plants transpire more slowly to conserve water, so its an adaptation to dry environments, while plants with fast transpiration come from more wet environments.
Suppose you coated the leaves of a plant with petroleum jelly. How would the plant's rate of transpiration be affected?
It would be slower because there would be something between the leaves and the air that makes it harder for the water to evaporate.
Of what value to a plant is the ability to lose water though transpiration?
It's very important, because it provides energy, cools the plants, and provides water throughout the stem and leaves.

Plant Hormones

Auxins:
Auxins are a class of plant hormone that stimulate cell elongation. Auxins are growth hormones that make the dark sides of plants grow so the plant moves toward its light source. They also are responsible for: cell division, differentiation between xylem and phloem, fruit abscission, setting, growth, and ripening, and flower growth. It also plays a part in the labs were are currently doing (phototropism and gravitropism) because it controls which way plants grow.
In response to: light source
AUXIN=GROWTH

(this information from here and here)

Abscisic Acid:
Abscisic acid, or ABA, helps plants react and adapt to stressors like temperature. ABA is responsible for keeping the plant alive by keeping cells hydrated, stimulating root growth, regulating bud growth, seed maturation, and fruit abscission (which is what the hormone was named for). ABA basically exists to inhibit growth and make sure the plant can survive whatever harmful conditions its in.
In response to: environmental factors
ABA=STRESS REACTION

(this information from here)

Ethylene
Ethylene is produced by mature fruits and makes them ripen.  Ethylene controls the abscission of fruits, drooping of leaves, and seed germination, as well as some different functions in various plants (such as stem elongation in rice).
In response to: fruit maturation
ETHYLENE=FRUIT

(this information from here)

Transcendentalism

We had to observe flowers and their characteristics (male or female, bugs around them, etc.)
Let's talk about that.

White flowers:
-soft petals
-pollen in center (yellow)
-dark stems
-no smell? (my nose was plugged up but I tried)
-compared to the surrounding flowers, big petals
-male part: pollen
-female part: I didn't explicitly see one, but I'm going to guess that it's under the pollen

Pink flower:

-velvety petals

-fuzzy-looking stem

-no smell? (again, the plugged up nose)

-sticky in center

-male and female part in center, where it's sticky and there's pollen

Cute little tree flowers:
-red outside male parts
-green inside female parts
-sticky, sweet inside
-grow in little bunches

Coevolution Pinterest

Lucky for me, I already had an account, so here it is!
http://www.pinterest.com/toolazytodothis/biology/

Wolves and Rabbits

   In our experiment, a pack of wolves was hunting four types of rabbits in an arctic environment.  The white rabbits had the obvious advantage, since they blended in with the snow, but since what the wolves ate was random (our paper throwing skills were not that great) the fact that they were white was not necessarily advantageous.  However, certain wolves had advantages in this experiment, simply because they were bigger and could cover more rabbits (and thereby eat them).  This size variation was essential to their success or failure, while the differences in rabbits were less important.  Every few generations, a type of rabbit would go extinct, simply by bad luck or the growing number of wolves.  As the number of wolves grew, the number of rabbits fell, until there were not enough to sustain the wolves, which would then go extinct as well, and a new generation of both rabbits and wolves would have to immigrate.  The population of wolves would rise and fall in accordance with the population of the rabbits, and when they both reached their maximum, the wolves would begin to starve and die.  This created a graph of almost sine-like curves, which would intersect every couple generations.

Generation	White	Yellow-Green	Teal	Green	Wolves
1	1	1	1	1	1
2	2	2	2	0	1
3	4	2	4	0	1
4	8	4	6	0	1
5	12	6	10	0	2
6	20	12	10	0	4
7	20	14	16	0	8
8	8	8	10	0	16
9	4	0	0	0	6
10	0	0	0	0	0
11	1	1	1	1	1
12	2	2	2	0	1
13	4	4	0	0	1
14	2	8	0	0	2
15	1	10	0	0	2
16	0	18	0	0	1
17	0	30	0	0	2
18	0	46	0	0	4
19	0	50	0	0	9
20	0	22	0	0	16
21	0	0	0	0	6
22	1	1	1	1	6
23	0	0	0	0	0
24	1	1	1	1	1
25	2	2	2	0	1

Population of wolves and rabbits over 25 generations
X axis: generation, Y axis: population number

Meteor Impact?!

Every science fiction novel has come to life: there was a meteor impact in the arctic!

Not only is this bad news for the meteor, but the fragile ecosystem is in trouble too!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8494145/Giant-asteroid-heading-close-to-Earth.html

Abiotic:

When anything large falls to the earth, it releases mass amounts of energy.  This energy creates huge gusts of wind that would knock over anything in the surrounding area.  Of course, there aren’t that many tall trees in the arctic, but this could potentially create a blizzard.  In addition, this impact would create a huge crater and destroy the surrounding layer of permafrost.  The collision would kick up dirt and debris in order to create what is called an impact winter.  The dust in the air blocks the sunlight (which wouldn’t have much effect in winter, but in summer could be disastrous) and drives down the temperature.  In addition, this debris paired with the energy sends chemicals into the air, which causes acid rain. 

Impact winter:

Addison Wensley

Biotic:

Everything in the path of the meteor would instantly be vaporized in the explosion.  What does survive will have to deal with the aftermath, including but not limited to: loss of shelter, scarcity of food sources, and declining temperatures.  Since the arctic is already desert-like, it would be close to impossible for animals to survive unscathed.  Many would be unable to survive in the colder, darker environment, and most would struggle to find food, as many plants would be destroyed.

The animals in best shape would be those adapted to the coldest and darkest environments.  Of course, arctic animals have a particular advantage, but that doesn’t make them immune.  Animals able to turn to multiple sources of food and migratory animals would be the best suited to this disaster.  For example, caribou can just leave and find more favorable environments in boreal forests.  Predators like bears can eat almost anything (grizzly bears are omnivores so they would be best suited, while carnivores like polar bears would have a little harder time), so they could probably survive a shortage of food.  On the other hand, herbivores would have to compete for a dwindling food source, since most plants would barely be able to survive.

http://www.sfu.ca/geog/geog351fall06/group03/Leah's%20Pages/Pages/Grizzly_Bear.htm

http://www.clg-pagnol-bonnieres.ac-versailles.fr/sciences/spip.php?article356

At a large scale, the minuscule number of organisms in the arctic will fall even more.  Many animals would die of starvation, and plants wouldn’t receive enough sunlight or water to survive.  Overall, the whole ecosystem would be ravaged, and it would take months, if not years, to return to a semi-normal state.

Thanks to:

The BBC

NASA

Astronomynotes.com

Arctic Tundra Biome

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8283268/Pole-to-pole-Daniel-J-Cox-photographs-Arctic-polar-bears-and-penguins-in-Antarctica.html

The summer before 5th grade I took a trip to Alaska, and finally it has paid off! For my biome, I am doing the arctic tundra, so I'll present you with some pretty dull facts paired with some pretty interesting life experiences (you won't wanna miss this!). Life comments will be in purple, factoids will be in boring old white.

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tundra.htm

Abiotic Features

Soil type/minerals: The soil is lacking in nutrients, which barely matters since hardly anything can grow in the tundra anyway.  Under the soil is a layer of permafrost, or a layer of ground that is permanently frozen, all year long.  Since this layer is close to the top of the soil, there isn’t much room for plants to take root.

Water: There is little to no precipitation in the tundra, so it’s almost like a desert.  Only about 6-10 inches of rain fall in the tundra every year.  This precipitation can create small ponds, similar to the ones created when the weather gets warmer and the frost on the ground melts.

http://climhy.lternet.edu/documents/climdes/arc/arcclim.htm

Air: The elevation of arctic tundra ranges from 300-10,000 meters, so the air pressure varies depending on location, but is generally on the higher end of the spectrum (low elevation means high pressure).  Since the tundra is basically a desert, it is not very humid, with usually 5-10% humidity.

Temperature: During the winter, the average temperature is about -30° Celsius, with the lowest temperatures reaching -78°.  During the summer, the average temperature is between 3° and 12° Celsius. 

So like, the tundra is cold right? We knew that, but we figured since it was summer we'd be okay. Yeah no. My dad loved the cold (about 50-60° F), but it was definitely not what I expected out of my summer. Us Californians are not adapted to that weather, and I was never as painfully aware of that as I was that week. (The cute husky picture may be a little unrelated, but I think it properly expresses the coldness, see his little sweater?!)

http://peanutpumpkinpie.blogspot.com/2013/01/peanut-economics-exploring-arctic.html

Sunlight: During the short summer, the sun is up almost 24 hours a day, giving the tundra the name “land of the midnight sun.”  However, during the winter the sun only rises for several (if that) hours a day, so it is almost always dark.

Prior to this trip, I was rarely up until even 11 PM. I maintain this is what made me a night owl, because it was literally only dark for like two hours a night, so I could NEVER sleep. Not that I really minded, since it was pretty interesting to see the "night" life.

Shelter: There is not much shelter for animals, since the ground is relatively flat.  There are some caves, but more animals use snow caves for shelter during hibernation.

http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101fa09/doamaral/Land.html

Biotic Components

Producers: There are only 1700 species of plants in the arctic tundra, ranging from flowering plants to shrubs.  The growing season is only about 90 days long, so these plants do not have much time to take root.  Some examples of tundra plants are: arctic willows, bearberries, arctic poppies, and cotton grass.  Like bearberries and pasque flowers, some arctic plants are covered with fine, silky hairs.  These hairs provide the leaves and stems with insulation from the cold, which allows them to grow and continue photosynthesis despite the freezing temperatures.

Apparently there is an equivalent of poison ivy in Alaska. I was not aware of that. You can assume what happened. The arctic flowers are really surprisingly pretty though, and the Native Americans had so many uses for them!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Papaver_radicatum

Consumers: There is not much biodiversity in the tundra, and many animals are migratory and only reside there for the warmer parts of the year, such as birds and caribou because of the relative lack of predators.  Some tundra animals are: polar bears, arctic foxes, snowy owls, and arctic hares.  Of course, these animals need some defense against the cold, so they have evolved short ears to reduce heat loss, thick coats, and many hibernate during the coldest winter months in order to conserve energy.

Bears! We saw bears! And birds of prey. And musk oxen, which smell...not as pleasant as you would expect them too. Also everything has this white fur that looks super soft and really pet-able...Look at this arctic fox! If that's not the cutest thing ever, you're wrong.

http://www.zoo.org/view.image?Id=469

Decomposers: The decomposers in the arctic work very slowly, because the cold slows down their metabolism.  In the summer, mushrooms can grow, but for the rest of the year decomposition is almost at a halt, so bodies of dead animals can still be around years after their death.  Some decomposers are arctic moss, mushrooms, and bacteria.  Microorganisms like bacteria have genes that allow them to survive in cold environments and can die in warmer environments.  These genes have properties similar to antifreeze to give them the best capacity to survive, and their genes have been useful in created human vaccines.

Yeah, that medication could have been useful. My dad got pneumonia (it started as a sinus infection, you know the curse: can't go on vacation without getting sick!).

Food Web

http://hwood6.wix.com/arctictundrabiome?_escaped_fragment_=arctic-tundra-food-web

Symbiotic Relationships

The most common symbiotic relationship in the arctic is lichen, a combination of a fungus and algae.  The algae provide sugars to the fungus, and the fungus protects the algae so it can survive.

http://www.aitc.sk.ca/saskschools/arctic/Aplants3.html

Human Influence:

One very obvious risk to the arctic tundra is global warming, a problem created by modern society.  Because the rising temperatures have caused ice flows to melt, animals like polar bears often find themselves displaced.

Another problem created by modern society is a growing need for oil, much of which happens to be found in the arctic.  Drilling for oil not only disrupts the environment, but leaves potential for pollution and takes homes away from animals.

So, to plan my next trip to the arctic tundra, I guess I should reference this map!

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tundra.htm

Thanks for going on this trip with me! Hope you have more biology-themed adventures of your own!

Sources/Sites to check out!

University of California Museum of Paleontology 

Biomes of the World

Worldbiomes.com

USA Today Travel Tips

Blueplanetbiomes.org

Ohio State University-Beyond Penguins

Marinebio.net

Want to help protect the arctic tundra?

Alaska Conservation Foundation

WWF

Want to look at pictures of arctic animals just 'cuz? (I know I do)

National Geographic Kids

NOAA