Interesting Simple Animal Phyla

PLATYHELMINTHES : FLATWORMS 

Pseudoceros pardalis, or the leopard flatworm (in the video) is one of the most colorful and extraordinarily diverse marine flatworms.

I chose  to do the flatworms because I am both astonished by their beauty while being a bit grossed out with the fact that they are still classified as worms. I found out that they live in coral reefs, hidden under rocks or rubble. It swims using the edges of its body which are also the layers of muscle. As you can see, it is a very flat creature hence the name flatworm. They have very small hairlike cilia that cover their body to help them glide the ocean floor. They do not have eyes, but they can sense light.The interesting thing is that these flatworms don't really have a predator to watch out for, but are actually predators themselves. They feed off of injured animals, dead animals, bryozoans and soft corals. They can also absorb nutrients through the skin. 
Fun Fact: the female leopard flatworm is attracted most to the males with the biggest spots. 
Some more pictures of interesting flatworms:

Gymnospern lab

Arts and crafts

Our arts and crafts project. It started off as an owl on a branch but it gradually turned into a penguin with earmuffs and scarfs.

Interesting Plants

A cool plant I found is called Dracunculus vulgaris (Dragon or Voodoo Lily).

This flower is originally from Greece and goes by various names.Things such as: 

Dragon Arum, the Black Arum, the Voodoo Lily, the Snake Lily, the Stink Lily, the Black Dragon, the Black Lily, Dragonwort, and Ragons. The Greek thought it resembled a dragon hiding in the spathe. The plant can be 2 m high. This plant is known for it's striking beauty but it has a nasty smell of rotting meat is designed to attract flies for pollination. Fortunately the smell usually lasts for only one day. It is a poisonous plant that animals do not approach. 

 

Pinecone vs acorn

The difference between an acorn and a pine cone is that pine cones are produced from oak while acorns are produced from oak. Also pine cones have multiple seeds while acorns just have one. Another important difference is that acorns are dispersed by animals (either bury them or they eatvthem and grow once they go to the washroom). Pine cones disperse themselves by releasing pollen into the atmosphere. 

 

Moss Compared to Fern Project

Jaime, Nica and myself decided not to do a poster for this assignment but a google doc instead. We found this much easier to do our divided parts in the comfort of our homes without having to meet up somewhere. Hope you like it :) 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Juj9KS3d4lZyaaOveNVAvyKILcUL-m_6NB0bFutuyD0/edit?usp=docslist_api

Midterm Evaluation

Biology 11 topics- What I am proud of:

Classification and Taxonomy: For this I chose the big project of creating our own animals and naming them> This showed my creativity as well as my understanding of Taxonomy (names). 

Also, I would like to add the blog post of the 5 different animals we had to choose, and then comparing their domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. 

Post of the different animals.   My comparison of the animals.

For Evolution, The main project I am proud of Is the Evolution Video we made. This might actually be one of my best projects in Biology so far because of all the effort and information me and my partner put into it. 

( unfortunately, I don't have a link for this because it failed to upload to YouTube many times)

For the virus section, I am really proud of a research blog I did. It was the Virus Questions as well as Information on Smallpox. I was so genuinely curious about this virus that I continued to research it after.

Virus Questions and Answers  Smallpox Research 

Finally, for Bacteria and Protists, I chose the quiz that we did. I feel like I tried my best and tried to put in as much information as I could.

Just because this is a general quiz, I'm also going to mention the play dough cell lab as well as our protist microscope lab. I loved making the play dough cell because I'm a hands-on learner, therefore it was an excellent way for me to understand and engrave the names onto my brain. Looking at the protist on the microscope was really interesting. I thought everything looked so cool and beautiful in a weird microscopic way (especially the volvox) 

 

Play Dough Cell blog post

I think that I am a good student. I finish my projects in time and try to engage with the class in my own way. I really do enjoy this class and put a lot of effort into my work and projects. I think that just being in this class has been a powerful learning experience. I am a learner that likes to be on my feet, using my hands and stimulating my brain. Sitting in a classroom copying notes from a Powerpoint everyday doesn't help very much. This class is great because not only are we doing all these activities, but were learning by discussing in class and voicing our opinions. I feel that everything we do in this particular class has so much effect on my learning outcome (in a good way). So as you can see, its really difficult to chose a specific event when the whole experience has been full of learning, but if I had to, I would chose searching up for things we pass by everyday. For example, how slugs mate or why does a goldfish turns white in the dark, or even the fact that people name organisms after celebrities.  I also feel like I'm doing very good in this class and learning so much. Because of this, I want to give myself an A or specifically 90-95%. The rest is all up to Ms.Phillips. One thing I definitely don't want to do is push my mark where it shouldn't be but from all the projects and labs, this is what I hope to receive as my midterm report card grade for Biology 11. :) 

Celebrity bugs

My bug is named after Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's called Agra Schwarzeneggeri and it doesn't have a lot of information because there have been a minimal amount of appearances in the past 3 decades. It is a species of the Carabid Beetle. The main reason it's named after this fit actor/ boxer is because of its markedly developed middle femora which resembles the actors built physique. So in other words, the bug looks like it's really fit and built so it resembles Arnold's abs. :) 

Pictures From the Pond and the Microscope.

Goldfishes turn white?

My interesting fact today is that goldfishes turn white in the dark.

As goldfish owners might have noticed, your goldfish turns white sometimes. You may ask why in the world is this happening? I learned that goldfish change color in response to light levels. Just like many other animals, they have pigment production which is the same thing as us getting a sun tan. The fishes have cells called chromatophores that produce these pigments and either give coloration or reflect the light. Goldfishes that are kept indoors are much lighter than goldfishes who are exposed to sunlight.If you keep the fish in the dark all the time, the chromatophores wont produce any more pigments so the fishes color will start to fade. This causes those chromatophores who have the natural color, to die and the new cells won't be stimulated enough to form the new pigment. So, to sum this up short and sweet, just like us losing a tan in the winter time, goldfishes get much paler, or a whitish color when they are not exposed to light.

Mid- Term Reflection

1) I love biology this year. There are so much interesting things to learn and know about.  This year in Biology, I'm most proud of the evolution video project I completed with Jaime. This particular project is important to me because I put so much time and effort into it. I'm glad that in the end, it turned out a success. Another project I'm proud of is the different creatures project. That project required a lot of creativity and was really fun to do. I as well as my partner, put our brains to work and tried to think of a way we could combine all these different creatures together, but creatively. Last but not least, I'm extremely proud of my virus blog post. I worked hard to find out the history of the small pox epidemic and found it quite interesting at the same time. I honestly enjoyed learning a bit more about biology as well as a bit of our history, no matter how disgusting the smallpox pictures were. 

2) My binder is generally clean ( well as clean as a teenagers binder can get.) I have all out "talk and write" papers and all the assignments. I like to keep everything I am given just in case I need it for a test or a quiz. I have been a bit late on maybe one or two blog posts but I'm usually on time with every other blog post and assignment.

3)  The blog post that means a lot to me is the Hammerhead Shark post. I love this one just because of the fact that I was so interested on the reason they are shaped that certain way. I love learning interesting facts so I was determined to figure it out. 

4) To me, engaging in class means that you are participating and are well aware of what is going on. I'm not much of a person that speaks up when I'm not called in class. Whenever I have a question, I raise my hand and ask it. I do listen to everything that is going on and engage in my own quiet way. When we get out of the classroom and go to the forest, pond, etc... is where I excel in engaging. I really like our class and have no problem saying my opinion and giving advice. I really enjoy when we get out of the classroom it gives me a chance to learn in a different environment actually witnessing things instead of looking at pictures of them in the overhead projector. 

5)  My goal for the rest of the semester is to continue my work ethics, if not, improve them. I also want to try something new and get out of my comfort zone a little bit. Overall, I want to be successful in this class and learn lots of new things in Bio 11.

Play dough cell

For the first shapes and arrangements photo:

A: staphlococcus

B: coccus

C: streptobacillus 

D: bacillus 

E: spirillum

The labeled cell photo: 

A: endospore - Used for survival in harsh conditions 

B: genetic material - Basically the DNA clumped up in a part of the cytoplasm

C: plasmid - Made of DNA

D: ribosomes - Where protein synthesis occurs

E: cytoplasm - Holds everything up in the cell

F: flagellum - Used for movement 

G: capsule- Used for protection of the cell. Extra defense before the cell wall. 

H: cell wall - Also used for protection. 

I: pili - Exchange of genetic material (via. conjugation)

Bacteria Lab

Some of the pictures from the bacteria lab today. It was really interesting to see how it looks like up close. It was nothing like I expected. 

Part 2 Virus

1) Smallpox is somewhat unique in having no animal or insect carrier. Exposure to infective material from humans was the only known for of transmission. It's usually person to person. When a person coughs or sneezes and a person inhales, there is a high chance that they now have the virus ( called variola) meaning that it is VERY contagious. 

2) The symptoms start 7 to 17 days after exposure. The initial symptom is a very high fever following with body aches. People are usually too ill to get out of bed. Within 24 to 48 hours, a rash begins to appear everywhere on the body, especially on the arms, legs, mouth and face. The eyes are affected as well. This could lead to potential blindness among survivors. The lesions ( red dots or rash) resemble a cold sore or blister filled with pus. After a week or two, the lesion with fall off leaving a deep scar. this can lead to death.

3) One out of three people infected died of smallpox. 

4) The origin of the smallpox is uncertain but it is believed that it originated from Africa, then spread to China and India thousands of years ago. The first recorded smallpox epidemic was is 1350 BC during the Egyptian- Hittite war. Smallpox reached Europe between the 5th and 7th centuries and was present in the major European cities by the 18th century.  In North America, the big epidemic occurred in the 17th and 18th century. After a while, smallpox was a significant disease in every country of the world except Australia and a few small islands killing hundreds of millions of people.

5) The circumstances were uncertain but it didn't help that these people did not have any hygiene therefore making themselves even weaker and ready for the virus if they weren't in that position already. This disease was spread from travelers that had gotten disease from another country and brought it into their country, infecting everyone.   

** I would add a photo but the disease is so disturbing I can't bring myself to do it... 
 A documentary on the history of the smallpox epidemic in the world: 

Part 1 Virus

PART 1
1) A virus particle is a nucleic acid (DNA, RNA) and is enclosed in a protein shell/coat

2) Viruses can have a double-stranded DNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA, or a single-stranded RNA. These are only found in particular viruses. They are also covered in a protein coat so they are not exposed.

3) (pictures at bottom of post)

4) Tobacco Mosaic Virus- infects tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and tobacco

5) This is a hard topic because the question if a virus is living or nonliving can go either way. Even though there are some great facts on the fact that a virus is nonliving, I think that a virus is a bit more towards the living side because it contains DNA or RNA genetic material. Not only that but they can reproduce ( with the help of a host) which also means they can mutate. In addition, they are made of proteins.

6) Yes there are some beneficial viruses. For example, there are viruses that kills bacteria. ex. phage

3) 

The Truth

I found out that a hammerhead sharks head is shaped the way it is because it improves their ability to find prey. Their wide-set eyes give them a good 360-degree vision on the vertical plane, meaning they an see above and below them at all times. Because their head is so wide, they have highly specialized sensory organs that are able to fit in there. This gives them the advantage to scan the ocean floor more thoroughly for more food. For example, they use their head to attack stingrays, pinning them to the sea floor. More importantly than all these reasons though, the hammerhead sharks head looks the way it does because the unusual structure of its vertebrae is instrumental in making the turns correctly. 

Hammerhead shark

Why does a hammerhead shark's head look the way it does?

I think that a hammerheads shark's head looks the way it does because maybe it improves the way he sees based on position. Also, maybe the head makes it easier for them to pick up things without having their long nose to get in the way.

Variation Lab Questions

1) A trend I noticed was that in each graph, there was a big group with the same size, or the average size. For example, one graph bar was always much larger than the rest.

2) Overall, only about 3 people had extreme traits varying between below average and above average.

3) A trait with most variation was probably the hand span.

4) Having variation benefits species because if they were all the same, they would not only require a tremendous amount of the same food but it would also only take one thing to weaken or even kill all of the population of that species.

5) Having extreme traits can be very beneficial to the species because they are able to accomplish what a average could not do. It adds variety. For example, there are giraffes with long necks, average necks and short necks. this means that the tall giraffes can get the tall trees while the short giraffes can get food closer to the ground.

6) I have the characteristics I have because of the genes my parents gave me. These genes result to the way I look and the way I act. For example I am tall because both my parents are tall, I have big brown eyes from of my mother, and I have thick brown hair from my father.

7) A gene is a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent gene to an offspring. 
A DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self- replicating material located in the cell nucleus and is in 

humans and almost all other living organisms. DNA controls the amount of enzymes and protein which makes humans functional. Mot only that but they are the reason humans are individual in their own way.

Comparing My Animals

      All the animals that I chose were just animals that I liked and attracted me most. To be completely honest, I didn't think that any of these animals would have as much in common as they did. All of my animals obviously come from the Animalia kingdom but also have the Chordata Phylum as well as have a Mammalia class. For the Order, I only have one Carnivora, Monotremata, and Primates. Both my Red Kangaroo and my Koala have the Order in common which is called Diprotodontia. Apparently, one of the few reasons these animals are in the same category is because all members of Diprotodontia exhibit a large pair of incisors on the lower jaw. Also, they have fused fingers which means the second and third digits of the feet are completely fused together, except for the claw. Who knew that all the Kangaroo and Koala had in common was a part of their teeth and their toes? Other than those two, the other animals are special in their own individual way.

All the different kinds of animals

Gray wolf - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Canis lupus 

  

Platypus - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Monotremata Ornithorhynchidae Ornithorhynchus anatinus 

Golden lion tamarin - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Primates Callitrichidae Leontopithecus rosalia 

Red kangaroo- Animalia Chordata Mammalia Diprotodontia Macropodidae Maropus rufus 

Koala - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Diprotodontia Phascolarctidae Phascolarctos cinereus