Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

Definition: any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. 

Connection: Bananas are prone to the disease Black Sigatoka which slowly kills the entire fruit. Bananas are genetically modified so they are able to grow without the threat of this disease.

Enzyme

Definition: any substance produced by a living organism that cause a specific biochemical reaction

Connection: Dairy products all contain enzymes that can be found in the cow the milk used to create the product came from. Some enzymes that can be found in milk are lipases (which breakdown fat), professes (breaks down protein) and lactoperoxidase which turns into a type of bacteria when mixed with another substance found in milk. 

Sources Cited

Milk Facts." Milk Enzymes. Milk Facts, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2013. <http://www.milkfacts.info/Milk Composition/Enzymes.htm>.

Seed Dispersal

Definition: the transport of movement of seeds away from the parent plant; seed dispersal relies on biotic(living)  and abiotic(non-living) factors , because of this the mobility of the seeds released by the parent plant is limited. 

Connection: In the picture you see cotton like material attached to a small brown seed. This particular plant reproduces by wind seed dispersal and heavily relies on the wind (an abiotic factor) to reproduce. 

Dominant vs Recessive Phenotype

                                    

Definition: observable characteristics of an organism caused by its genotype's interaction with its environment. In the organisms genome (where chromosomes are held) the recessive trait is only noticeable if their are two copies of the gene. If there is a dominant gene that gene will automatically be visible because it is a dominant trait. 

Connection: In the picture you can see the buds of a tree outside of my house. A majority of these buds are green but if you look closely you can see that some are a bright orange. The color of the bids is one phenotype of the tree; the dominant trait would be the green buds and the orange buds are the recessive trait. 

Commensalism

Definition: a type of relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits the relationship and the other is not affected. 

Connection: Moss growing on a tree is a good example of commensalism. By growing on the tree the moss escape the clutter of leaves on the ground floor that block its source of light; and although the moss is growing on the tree it doesn't harm or benefit the tree at all. 

Phloem

Definition: Phloem is living tissue inside of plants that transports nutrients where they are needed.

Connection: In trees, phloem is located in the the inner-most layer of bark; here soluble organic material made during photosynthesis is transported throughout the rest of the tree.  

Sources Cited

Wikipedia contributors. "Phloem." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.

Auxin Producing Area of a Plant

Definition: Auxin is a plat hormone that promote plant cell growth and is involved in regulating plant growth.

Connection: Auxin can be found in areas of new growth on a plant; this includes flower buds. 

Autotroph

Definition: any organism that is able to nourish itself from using inorganic material as a source of energy.

Connection: Flowers are one example of an autotrophic organisms. They are able to use carbon dioxide (through the process of photosynthesis) as a source of energy.

Pollinator

Definition: any organism that carries pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization (pollination).

Connection: Bees are one example of a pollinator. They use the hairs on their body to hold pollen grains from male anthers on a flower then carry them to a female stigma, accomplishing fertilization. 

note: I couldn't get my identifier in the picture because the bee kept flying from flower to flower.

Heterotroph

Definition: An organism that is unable to produce its own energy and needs to consume organic matter or other organisms to survive.

Connection: In this picture you can see a Sandhill Crane standing on the other side of the river. Unable to produce its own energy Sandhill Crane's feed on grains, small invertebrates and insects.

Source Cited

https://www.savingcranes.org/sandhill-crane.html

Stigma & Style of Carpel

Definition: The stigma of a flower in the receptive tip of a carpel; this is where the flower receives pollen and where the pollen germinates.The style is a tube like structure in the flower that connects the stigma to the ovary. 

Connection: In the picture you can see the stigma and style of carpel of this flower. The stigma would be the yellowish-black part at the top of the yellow string which is the style of carpel.

Sources Cited

Wikipedia contributors. "Stigma (botany)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 May. 2013. Web. 27 Jul. 2013.

Tropism

Definition: When an organism, or one of its parts, turns or bends away from an external stimuli. 

Connection: In this picture you see a snail, usually when you touch a snails eye, the eye will quickly pull back into the snail's body which is an example of tropism.

Sources Cited

"tropism." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Company 19 Jul. 2013 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tropism

Lichen

Definition: a type of fungus that commonly forms a crust-like patch on trees and rocks.

Connection: In this picture you see one species of Lichen growing on a rock wall in the Arnold Arboretum

Ectotherm

Definition: any animal that depends on external sources such as sunlight or heated surfaces to regulate body temperature.

Connection: This pictures shows a small frog which is an example of an ectotherm. Frogs use their environment to regulate their body temperature as needed.

Sources Cited

"ectotherm". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 19 Jul. 2013
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1516418/ectotherm>.

Parasitism

Definition: parasitism is a relationship between two organisms in which one benefits from and the other is negatively affected.

Connection: the holes in the leaves show that another organism has been feeding off of this particular plant. This is an example of parasitism because the organism feeding off the plant benefits because it now has a source of food, while the plant is negatively affected because it is being eaten. 

Population

Definition: a population is a group of one species that live in the same general area, and are able to reproduce.

Connection: Here you see a group of geese who live in Houghton's Pond; because they live in the same are and are able to reproduce they can be considered a population.

Cuticle Layer of a Plant

Definition: the cuticle layer of a plant is a protective film that covers the plant's outer most layer (epidermis).

Connection: This plants waxy leaves shows it has a cuticle layer. This film protects plants from their surrounding environment.

Sources Cited

Wikipedia contributors. "Plant cuticle." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Jun. 2013. Web. 13 Jul. 2013.

Adaptation of a Plant

Definition: any change in an organisms structure that is result of natural selection and helps the organism survive and reproduce in its environment

Connection: Thorns on a rose stem are an example of a plant adaption. These thorns act as a defensive mechanism that protect the plant from predators, ensuring that it can survive and reproduce in it's environment.

Amniotic Egg

Definition: an amniotic egg contains several fluid-filled membranes that contain nutrients, allowing embryonic development on dry land.

Connection: an example of an amniotic egg is a chicken egg. Chicken eggs contain a yolk that acts as a "nutrient sack" for the developing chick inside.

Photo Hunt Assignment

Photo Hunt at the Arboretum

1) Japanese Stewartia

Adaptation: The tree bark of the Japanese Stewartia peels off to give the tree a "camouflage" look. This helps the tree blend in with its environment.

2) Tulip Tree

Adaptation:  Tulip tree flowers resemble actual tulips (hence the name), this adaptation allows the flowers to  camouflage themselves by looking like another plant leading predators away. 

3) Sassafras

Adaptation:  Their are four different types of Sassafras tree leaves: three lobed, elliptical, two lobed (right side), and two lobed (left side). These particular shapes make the leaves very broad allowing the tree to capture more sunlight (energy). 

4) Korean Dogwood 

Adaptation:  Korean dogwood flowers have "prickly" stems which can be used as a defense mechanism against smaller organisms that feed on the plant. 

5) Climbing Hydrangea

Adaptation: The Climbing Hydrangea is a type of vine; like all vines it has an adaptation to cling to things. If planted with no support nearby it can grow either as a bush or a vine. If there is some form of support nearby it will grow as a vine and cling to it. 

6) Paperbark Maple 

Adaptations: Like the Japanese Stewartia, the Paperbark Maple also has bark that peels off. This gives the bark of the tree a camouflage look and allows it to hide in its environment.

Arboretum Environment
* The arboretum's environment would be similar to the city of Boston's with very humid summers and cold winters. Spring and fall are mild with small showers and winds. It rains sporadically in Boston so there can be times when it doesn't rain for a long time.

Necessary Adaptations
* Boston's weather can be very unpredictable so trees would be have to be able to handle going long periods of time without rain or sunshine. They would also have to be able to withstand long and very frigid winters.

Living Species
*Living amongst the plants and trees of the Arnold Arboretum I noticed bees and chipmunks. The bees were mostly around the plants and flowers on trees and the chipmunks were around the bases of trees and in long grass. 

Introduction

Hi, my name is Mikal Hayden-Gates and I am a rising Junior at New Mission High School. This blog will be used to post pictures I take for my AP BIO Summer Assignment for the upcoming school year, 2013-2014 !!!!