Cnidarians

Cnidaria is a phylum containing over 10 000 species of of animals found in the water that include jellyfish, anemonies, and similar animals.
Feeding:
All cnidarians are carnivores. They can filter food particles out of the water, they can obtain food by predation, they can absorb dissolving organic chemicals. But the majority of cniderians obtain their food by predation.

Respiration:
Cnidarians do not have a respiratory system and do not use the typical trachae, gills, or lungs to respire. They absord oxygen through cell layers and expel carbon dioxide into the surronding water.

Circulation:
Firstly a circulatory system is needed to transfer oxygen and nutrients to all cells of the body. Therefore, cnideria's have no need for a circulatory system as all their cells are constantly intact with water which contains all the oxygen and nutrients the simple animals need.

Excretion
Cnidarians have one cannal-like cavity in their layered bodies that is used for ingestion and excretion. Gaseous wastes are eliminated by diffusion and solid wastes in dissolved or un-dissolved form pass out through the opening in their body.

Response
Cnidarians have no brain or even a central nervous system. Instead they have nerve nets that consist of sensory neutrons that react to stimuli like odors that tell the muscles to contract.

Movement
Hydras and anemonies can slowly creep like snails, crawl like inchworms, or somersault over top of rocks. Jellyfish on the other hand swim by jet propultion. muscles, especially inside the rim of the bell, squeeze water out of the cavity inside the bell, and the springiness of the mesoglea powers the recovery stroke.

Reproduction:
Cnidarians can reproduce both sexually and asexually. In asexual reproduction, new individuals arise from bits of tissue that are budded off from a parent, or by a parent dividing lengthwise or crosswise into two smaller individuals. In sexual reproduction larva known as planula develops from a zygote.

 

 

Snails!

Alright so a new species of the ever so lovely snail was found recently and its got a translucent shell! This new species named Zospeum tholussum is tiny and was found 3,000 feet underground and appears to be blind, which is not surprising as it was found in on of earths deepest darkest caves

Scientists only found this one alive but found shells of over snails.

The species was found in the Lukina Jama-Trojama cave system in Croatia. The snail seems to have a limited ability to move around and spends most of its time in the mud near water. As of yet scientist do not know what it even eats yet.

MORE SNAIL TALK!

Dutch designer Lieske Schreuder has made a new flexible material out of SNAIL POOP,  yes, she adopted hundreds of snails from a breeder and fed them colored paper. The byproduct is a unique and malleable material that can be used to make a variety of cool products.


This is the thread created by putting the waste into a machine and grinding it to make these colourful threads. Obviously the time it takes to make these is a while, it takes an hour just to make a meter. But still, who would have thought that snail poop could make flexible materials.

Snails? Slugs? They're both great :)

The Wise Owl

He's found a nice home perched on my wall :)

Flower Dissection

These are the lovely petals, there are 6 petals and they are neither male nor female, they are simply petals. Since there are 6 petals and 6 is a multiple of 3 it makes the flower a monocot . You can also see on the leaves that the veins run parallel which is a trait of monocot plants.

This is the stamen of the flower.The fillament supports the brown pollen producing anther. Both the anther and filament are male flower parts

The stem part of this flower structure is called the style and the small brown part at the top is called the stigma. Along with the ovary these parts make up the female part of the plant called the pistil.

This is a picture of the flower ovary under a microscope. They almost look like peas in a pod!

* This is a cross section of the stem of the flower, this just shows that the plant is a monocot as the vascular bundles are all over the place.

Here is what the flower's pollen looks like under the microscope. Funny, to me it looks like a lot of grains of rice.

 

This flower is a monocot because of its parallel veins, number of petals, and its stem.

 

Pollination:
Pollination is needed for fertilization of the plant. It occurs when pollen from the anther is transfered to the stigma of a plant. Therefore the plant parts involved in pollination is the pollen producing anther and the sticky recieving stigma. There are two types of pollination. Self-pollination, when a plants pollen pollinates its own stigma. The benefit of this is that if is easy and fast, the pollen does now have to "fly" to another plant. But there would be no variation of species this way. The other type is cross-pollination, when a plants pollen lands on another plants stigma. This benefits the species better than self pollination as it allows for more variation in the genes.

Monocots vs Dicots

This is a dicot root, you know this because the vascular bundals are lining the perimeter as aposed to the monocot root where they have a "x" formation on the centre

This is a dicot stem as the vascular bundals are clearly seen on the edge forming a circle and not randomly placed like in a monocot stem.

This is a picture of a root cross section, it is monocot. We know this because the vascular bundles are clearly visible meaning that they are running perpendicular to the cut. This means that they are running parallel down the plant leaf.

Gymnosperm Lab

This is a needle cross section under medium power 

This is a pollen cone

Death by Tree

This the strangler fig, a commen name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species. This one in particular is a Ficus aurea. Now i'm pretty sure this plant is something out of one of my sci-fi novels as it sucks the host trees nutrients. This plant starts as a seed on top of a tree and grows its roots down descending along the tree eventually reaching the ground and soil. This tree is ruthless, it digs its roots with the host trees roots and competes for water and nutrients, it squeezes the trunk of the host tree and cuts of its flow of nutrients, and it makes a large canopy of leaves to block sunlight going to the host tree. Eventually the host tree will die an aganozing death watching this predator grow on it for dozens of years.

 

A BBC Worldwide video on strangler figs

Acorns and Pinecones

An Acorn is the nut of an oak tree and contains one seed. For the pinecone, the familiar "craft cone" is the female which produces seeds and the male produces pollen, there are both from a pine tree. On a pine tree, the female cones are located higher on the tree, this is thought to improve chances of cross-fertilization. The female cone seeds then have small "wings" that allow them to floar through the air to a likely fertilization spot. Acorns on the other hand are much to large and heavy to be carried through the wind therefore they rely on animals such as squirrals to desperse them. The small animals will pick up the seeds and carry them to other locations.

The Poisonous Pitcher Plant

The pitcher plant is a carniverous plant that lures its prey into a deep cavity filled with liquid know as a pitfall trap.

Click to watch video

A Macabre Appearance

This is the Antirrhinum, a normal looking garden variety flower. It is commently know as a Snapdragon for its resembalance to a dragons head. When laterally squeezed the flower will open and close its so called mouth. But once the flower has died it leaves behind something a bit more creepy, The dragon which is a visual metaphor seems to leave behind a skull.

Its no surprise that ancient cultures held the snapdragon to possess supernatural powers. They were though to offer protection from witches and their curses, and conceilling one on your body was suppose to make a person seem gracious and fascinating.



Vascular Plants

Vascular plants also known as tracheophytes are a large group of plants that have a xylem and phloem for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant.
Looking under a microscope we can see the roots, stem and leaves of vascular plants.
Roots
Roots have 4 major functions in serving a plant, 1) The absorbtion of water and nutrients, 2) Supporting and anchoring the plant in the ground, 3) storage of food and nutrients, and 4) in some cases producing vegetation.
The specialized structures that allow roots to perform these functions are the xylem and phloem. The xylem being the tube that transports water and the phloem being the tube that transports nutrients, sugars, and amnio acids.

Magnification : Medium

Stems
Stems have 4 major functions in serving the plant, 1) Support for the leaves/flowers, 2)Transport of fluids from the roots to leaves, 3)storage of nutrients, 4)Production of new living tissue.
The difference between woody stems and herbaceous are that woody stems are above ground and covered in thick bark. They are adapted to survive from one year to the next. Woody plants form new tissue each year.
Herbaceous plant are plants that die down after the growing season. They die completely when they have flowered or fruited and then grow again from seed.



Leaves
The major function of the leaf is for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy into chemical energy and storing it in the bonds of sugar. The formula for photosynthesis is 6CO₂ + 6H₂O (+ light energy) C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O_{2. The stoma is used to control gas exchange. Air containing oxygen and carbon dioxide are enters the plant though this opening and is used in photosynthesis. Which obviosuly benefits both the human and the plant.} 

Magnification: high

Jedi Training - Report Cards

Classification

I am proud of this poster project for the classification unit. Firstly because it was an incredibly fun project and I worked hard on the drawings and had fun with the binomial nomenclature. I also think the quiz on classification demonstated my learning very well as I recieved full marks.

                                                      Taxonomy
The following blogpost was also fun and demonstrates my learning because I was able to look into animals that always peecked my interestes and learn about their classification while comparing them and reflecting on their similarities and differences.
http://jessicatootsie.blogspot.ca/2013/09/classifying-and-comparing.html

                                                      Evolution

For this unit the assignment I am most proud of is the sock puppet video that was done by myself and Cathy. I feel like it showcased my understanding in a straight forward way that let me just explain what I know and to talk about it in a way that I found comfortable.
I am also proud of the evolution poster project. It required some honest to god thinking and a lot of "it can't evolve like that!" It was a nice visual way to see something evolve.

                                                      Viruses

                                                    
I believe the viruses quiz demonstrated my learning as I recieved a perfect score on it. I also think the questions answered on my blog about viruses demonstrated my learning because they were more fact based questions and helped me to understand viruses better
http://jessicatootsie.blogspot.ca/2013/10/viruses.html

                                                  Bacteria/Protist

I believe the bacteria and protist quiz shows my understanding of the unit as I recieved full marks on it.
The following blogpost also shows my understanding of bacteria and the functions of its parts by writing and defining all those functions with a labelled play dough bacteria structure.
http://www.jessicatootsie.blogspot.ca/2013/10/play-dough-bacteria_7621.html

Overall:

I know that my level of assignement completion and blog posts are constantly up to date.And on top of that I have begun to enjoy updating my blog when the oppurtunity arrises. I feel that I could participate in class more by offering my opinion on topics that are being discussed and by joining in on class wide discussions. But overall I feel my quality of work is consistent and that I always work diligently and hard when completing tasks.

My most powerful learning experience was when we looked at the different types of protist under a microscope through the slides. I thought it was amazing to see these amazing types of protist (Volvox!) under a microscope and then to calculate how small they actually are, It really puts all these things into perspection and makes you really think about how small they actually are.

Grades:

 After all is said and done this biology class has truly been something different and because of it I can look around my house and neighbourhood and look at things differently (I will never look at slugs the same way!)and for this report card I would want an A (specifically a 96%).

The Toughest Creature On Earth

This is a Tardigrade. A microscopic invertebrate animal, also know as a water bear or a moss piglet, it is what is know as a polyextremophile. Meaning an organism that can survive in environments that would normally be detrimental to most life on Earth. This little critter can live for over 100 years without food or water by taking a hibernative state called crytobiosis.

“They roll up into a dried little ball, and just stay dormant, with no sign of life whatsoever. Scientists have rehydrated them from a piece of moss in a museum collection that was a hundred years old. They’ve been frozen and defrosted, put under pressure, subjected to very high temperatures, and zapped with X-Rays. They come out alive and well. Just add water.” – How to Find Tardigrades, by Michael Shaw.

Now, Tardigrades are able to survive temperatures such as absolute zero and up to 300 degrees farenheight. But with these types of abilities what is their purpose? How do they benefit the Earth? They don't. They do absolutly nothing. They aren't know to cause any diseases, or benefit the human race in any way. But they are good at space travel. Yes, these cute little bears have been thrown into space multiple times to see how spaceflight effects organism on a molecular level. They are the first known animal to survive in space. For 10 days they were exposed to the vaccum of space and the majority of them survived to be healthy and reproduce back on Earth.
Tardigrades could also be able support the idea of Panspermia. When organims that can survive that vaccum of space are somehow ejected of Earth to land on another planet in order to activate the process of evolution.

They may one day help us with the future long-term goal of exploring and extending beyond our solar system.

Play Dough Bacteria

A Flagellum: A whip like tail made of thin protein fibres, it is used primarily for movement by creating a propellerlike motion.

B Pili: The small hairlike strands extending from the surface of the cell. They assist in helping to anchor the cell and with exchanging genetic material with another cell via conjugation.

C Capsule: Composed of complex polysaccharides and small proteins. It stores nutrients, is a depot for cellular waste products, and is a shield againts the harmful exterior.

D Cell Wall: Is a rigid structure that helps determine the shape of the cell. It is made of complec organic acids and found in all species of bacteria.

E Plasma Membrane: The layer of the cell that contains the cytoplasm, it is constructed of protein globules suspended in lipids. Is is vital in the transportation of materials in and out of the cell. It also contains many of the cells enzymes.

F Genetic Material: The DNA of the bacteria cell is not held in a nucleus and is instead floating loosely in the cytoplasm.

G Endospore: Ensures the survival of the bacteria through times of stress. It is highly resistant to gamma radiation, temperature, and starvation.

H Plasmid: DNA that is used to be passed from bacteria to bacteria.

I Cytoplasm: The substance that fills the cell. It's main function is to hold all the cells organells in place.

J Ribosomes: Ribosomes are where protein synthesis occurs within a cell. They link amino acids together by mRNA messages and are the catalyst for protien making.

Interim Report Post

Biology 11 with Mrs.Phillips in 5th period has been like no other class I've taken before. Resembling more of a laissez-faire style of learning, I've discovered new ways of learning and displaying my understanding of main topics. In the class so far, I am most proud of the Evolution Videos (Bio Sock Project) that we did to demonstrate our understanding of evolution, DNA, its role in Evolution, and the structure of DNA. I am proud of this project because, given complete creative range, I choose with my partner, to do sock puppets. But mostly because with such broad topics I was able to look deeper and answer the questions with a better level of understanding, even going so far as to learn things not taught in the class or curriculum. I feel I did more than what I thought I initial thought I could accomplish with this assignment. Secondly, I am proud of the two quizzes that we did so far because I got 100% on both of them. Lastly I am proud of the genus project we did earlier in the year. It wasn't a challengning project, but it was the most fun I had doing a project and drawing odd looking species was very entertaining.
If I were to look through my binder to see my work habits (even though most things are online) I would be able to easily say that I have completed all work and that I have no incomplete work, but I do not think my binder is as organized as it could be.
When I look through my blog I am most proud of my paragraph on the spanish flu because I learned so many new things about this pandemic that I had only ever heard about, and I was pleased to know that I retained most of the information aswell. I am also proud of my inquiry about the maned wolf and it's long legs because I learned something new about an animal I had always wondered about.
To me engagment means that you respectivly participate in discussion when the oppurtunity presents itelf. I have contributed by commenting on blog posts and by volunteering my ideas when I am able to.
My goal for this class would be to retain information. Since this class depends on learning by myself I hope that this way I will be able to remember things better. I also want to be better organized for the rest of the semeste.

Incubated Bacteria

Key: 1= door handle

        2=lock on a locker

        3= button on the water fountain

        4=the inside of a used straw

There is no further space for the bacteria to spread. It is mostly the same type of bacteria but in quadrant 4,some of 2 

,and 3 the Petri dish is overrun by what looks like mold. 

Done by Jaime and Jessica

The Flu of 1918

The flu of 1918, also known as the Spanish Flu, or the Great Influenza, took place in 1918 as World War one was coming to a close and it affected people all across the world even in remote pacific islands and the arctic. The virus infected 500 million people across the globe and killed 50 to 100 million of them ( 3-5 percent of the world population at that time). The flu was a type of H1N1 influenza virus and was spread by person to person contact and by indirect contact with contaminated surfaces or items and from sneezes and coughs. The victims suffered greatly, after feeling the initial symptoms of fever, fatigue, and headaches, the victims would turn blue. Sometimes the blue was so strong that it was hard to see what colour the person was before. There was a harsh cough, and sometimes the victims would cough so hard that they would tear abdominal muscles. Foamy blood came out of their mouths and noses, few people bleed from their ears, some vomited and some became incontinent. Many people died only hours after contracting it and some died days after.

 

A short video is below:

click to see video

Viruses

1. The generalstructure is essentially a nucleic acid enclosed in a protein shell or coat. They are approximately 15-25 nano metres in diameter.

2. The gentic material found in viruses varies depending on the type. It may have double-stranded DNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA, or single-stranded RNA. 

3. 

 

4. Viroids are small single-stranded plant pathogens. They lack a capsid and do not code for proteins.

They cause plant diseases that impact crop production, common plant viroids include:spindle tuber viroid, peach latent mosaic viroid, avocado sunblotch viroid, and the pear blister canker viroid.

 

Satellite Viruses are infectious particles that can affect bacteria, plant, fungi, and animals. They rely on a helper virus to replicate, they cause plant disease by disrupting certain plant gene activity.

 

5.I believe they are non living. They cannot replicate alone, they need a host and they do not have cells, therefore biologically speaking, they cannot be classified as living organisms.

 

6. Firstly, viruses are beneficial in general because without the lesser ones immunization would not have been possible, some viruses kill off more complicated microorganisms which can be harmful to humans.

The Maned Wolf Answered

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a native of central-west and south-east Brazil, Paraguay, northern Argentina, and Bolivia. It is the only species in its genus and more closely resembles a fox rather than a wolf. It is the tallest of the wild canids and stands erect at approximetly 1 metre tall. These longs legs of the wolf's are most likely an adaptation of the tall grass lands of its native habitat. This adaptation allows the wolf to see over the tall grasses to see its prey. It also preys on small mammels such as cuis, and rabbits, which are all fast running rodents, and with the maned wolves long legs it is able to run fast enough to catch them.

The Legs Of The Maned Wolf

The Maned Wolf

The oddly long legs of the maned wolf are its defining characteristic. I believe its long legs are an adaptation to possibly out run its predators, it also looks like it has hooved feet which would further emphasize the idea that it might be adapted for running.

Classifying and Comparing

 

The Booby

 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Suliformes
Family: Sulidae
Genus: Sula
Species: nebouxii

The Squidworm

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Canalipalpata
Family: Acrocirridae
Genus: Tenthidodrilus
Species: T.Samae

Christmas Tree Worm

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Canalipalpata
Family: Serpulidae
Genus: Spirobranchus
Species:Giganteus

Blobfish

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chrodata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Psychrolutidae
Genus: Psychrolutes
Species: Marcidus

Marabou Stork

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconiidae
Genus: Leptoptilos
Species: L.crumenifer

Obviously all the organism I chose share the same kingdom as belonging to the kingdom Animalia. The Booby, the Marabou Stork, and the Blobfish all belong to the Chordata phylum (Same as Humans!) The Marabou Stork and the Booby also share the Aves Class. The Squidworm and the Christmas Tree worm share the same Kingdom, Phylum, Class, and Order.

Just by looking at pictures, I can see that the Squidworm and the Christmas Tree worm are closely related, but I did not expect them to be so closely related as to share 4 out of 7 classes. The marabou Stork and the blue footed booby also look related as they are both birds.

I did not expect the blobfish to share anything other than Kingdom, but it shares the same Phylum as the booby and the marabou stork.

Questions: How can one member of a species (the Spirobranchus giganteus) look so different from each other? (colour wise and shape wise, when other species look almost identical)
How does the blobfish swim?