Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Commensalism


This is an Ivy vine growing on an oak tree. Ivy growing on trees is an example of Commensalism. Commensalism is when two organisms are in a relationship where one benefits and the other isn't harmed but it also doesn't gain anything. The Ivy on the Oak tree benefits by being able to have support for itself so it can get sun better, while the Oak tree doesn't benefit, but it also isn't damaged by the Ivy.

Ectotherm


This is a Blue Tailed Skink, he is a reptile. Reptiles are part of a collection of animals that are Ectotherms. An Ectotherm, also known as a cold-blooded animal, is an animal that relies on outside sources of heat to warm their bodies up. Ectotherms have no internal way to regulate their body heat which is why they require an outside source of heat. Most Ectotherms are seen sunning out in the open during the day to help create body heat.

Flower ovary


This is the base of a flower, this is where the flower's ovary is located. Most flower ovaries are located there. Flower ovaries are the base of the pistil, which is the female part of a flower. The ovaries hold things called ovules, which develop into seeds when they are fertilized. The ovary of a flower is usually what ends up turning into fruit on a fruit tree.

Cuticle layer of a plant


This is a leaf, as you can see in this picture. If you look at the leaf you can see that it is kind of shiny. This shiny part of the leaf is called the Cuticle. The Cuticle of a plant is a water resistant layer that protects the epidermal cells.

The Anther and Filament of Stamen


This is the Stamen, the male part of a flower. The Stamen of a flower consists of two parts, the Anther and the Filament. The Anther of a flower is the pollen producing part of the Stamen. The Filament of a flower is what supports the anther of a flower, it holds the anther up so pollinators can get to it.

Pollinator


This is a Bumble Bee on a flower. Bumble Bees are the most widely known pollinators. A pollinator is an animal that helps spread pollen from flower to flower. Pollinators help fertilize the seeds of flowers by transferring pollen from the Anthers, to the Stigma. Pollinators help flowers reproduce since they are unable to move by themselves.

Animal with segmented body


This is an ant, although the picture is a little unclear due to the minuscule body size of an ant. Ant's have three main segments on their body a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. An ant is what most people would consider an animal with a segmented body. Animals with segmented bodies were built this way to allow flexibility and they tend to have repetitive segments.

Pollen


This is a flower, on the flower you can see little yellow specks. The little yellow specks on the flower are pollen. Pollen is produced by the male part of the flower, also known as the stamen. Each of the small yellow specks of pollen contains a male gamete, which can fertilize the female part of the flower, also called the pistil.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Mating behavior


These are two bunnies, and although they are domesticated and have no genitals, they still feel the need to do this. Mating behavior is something that an animal does to attract a mate and repopulate. This behavior is sometimes a thing that animals will do to show dominance over another animal (like with the bunnies in this picture). Most animals do not enjoy the process of mating, unlike humans, so their main goal with these kinds of actions is to reproduce.

CAM Plant



This is a cactus, which is considered a CAM plantCAM plants usually reside in hot dry climates, like a desert. CAM plants have adapted themselves to avoid water loss during the long hot days by only opening their stomata at night. This means that this plant is only able to get CO2 at night, which delays the photosynthesis process for these plants until daylight. The CAM plant group consists of all succulent plants, so not just cactuses are in this group.