Scribe Post 3/9/12

Today in class we:

-Measured/watered Fast Plants
- Researched in IMC for Wildlands project

HW: 1. Read CH 28 by Monday
2. bring TEXTBOOK to class ALL next week!
3. wildland project
4. STUDY


Chapter 16 Overview:

*The required pages for Chapter 16 are pages 320-334 & 340-341

Why should we study plants?
Provide us with Oxygen, food, clothing, paper, supplies, energy, and sustain life.

Plant Kingdom is: -Multicellular
-Eukaryotic
-Autotrophic (by photosynthesis)

Land Adaptations: 

1. Mycorrhizae: root-fungus combinations-fungi absorb water and minerals from soil, plant sugar nourishes fungi

2. Stomata: Microscopic pores through leafs surface exchange CO2 and O2

3. Cuticle: Waxy layer coating leaves and other aerial parts to help retain water

4. Lignin: Chemical which hardens cell walls

5. Roots and Shoots

6. Xylem tissue: (transports water up) and Phloem tissue (transports food around)

7. Protected Embryo: gametangia -a jacket of protective cells surrounding a moist chamber where gametes can develop without drying out

8. Seed Dispersal: Rely on wind or animals

Origin of Plants from Green Algae

Charophyceans: group of multicellular green algae; closest to plants (in evolution)

Four Major Periods of Plant Evolution:

1. Bryophytes (mosses)

2. Ferns

3. Gymnosperms (conifers)

4. Angiosperms (flowering)

1. Bryophytes- Mosses (many plants growing in a tight pack)

Key Characteristics:

• No cuticle
• Need water to reproduce 
• Flagellated sperm
• No vascular tissue
• Like damp/shady places

Green Spongy plant = Gametophyte (male & female are separate plant shoots)(n)

Taller brown shoot with a capsule; grows out of gametophyte = Sporophyte (2n)

Alternation of Generations:

• 2 Generations that "take turns" producing each other
• Gametophytes produce eggs and sperm; unite to form zygote which then forms new sporophytes
• Sporophytes produce spores
• Spores develop new organism without uniting
• New organism produces gametophytes again
• Process repeats
• ***Gametophyte = Larger more obvious plant in mosses

2. Ferns

Key Characteristics: 

• most in tropics/temperate woodlands
• vascular tissue present (Xylem and Phloem)
• Sperm flagellated
• ***seedless (have spores)

Alternation of Generations:

• Sporophytes are diploid and gametophytes are haploid

• ***Sporophyte is the dominant stage in ferns (Gametophyte for mosses)
• Heart Shaped gametophyte = prothallus

3. Gymnosperms:

Key Characteristics: 

• Cone Bearing
• Life cycle on dry land
• oldest organisms on earth
• retain leaves throughout year
• thick cuticle
• source of wood and paper

Reproduction: 

• Pollen contains cells that develop into sperm
• Wind carries pollen to female cones
• Eggs develop in female cones
• ***Evolution of a seed- a plant embryo packaged along with a food supply without a protective coat
• Bear seeds naked on cone scales
• Seeds germinate under favorable conditions
• 2 types of cones
• Female cone is most familiar (hard, woody, scaly)
• Male cone is smaller; lower on the tree; release pollen

4. Angiosperms:

Key Characteristics:

• Dominate most regions
• 250,000 Species
• Vascular tissue
• ***Evolution of a flower = Responsible for unparalleled success
• Flowers display male + female parts
• insects/animals transfer pollen
• Flower: Short stem with modified leaves: sepals, petals, stamens, carpels

Parts Of A Flower + Function:

Sepals: green, enclose flower before it opens

Petals: Attract insects 

Stamen: Filament (stalk) bearing a sac called anther (male organ in which pollen develops)

Carpel: Sticky tip traps pollen (stigma), 

Ovary: Eggs develop here

Angiosperm Life Cycle:

• Pollen lands on stigma, tube goes down to ovule
• Deposits 2 sperm nuclei within female gametophyte = double fertilization
• One sperm cell fertilizes egg making zygote, developing into embryo
• Second sperm cell fertilizes another female gametophyte cell which develops into a nutrient-storing tissue called endosperm

Hope this helps summarize chapter 16 and the notes we did in class.

See you in class,

Mark

Next Scribe:
 Charlie

Scribe Post: Monday January 23, 2012

UNIT 7- HOW DOES LIFE EVOLVE?

Today in class we: 
-Went over semester grades (posted on door by ID number)
-Received sheets on course recommendations
- Candy Evolution
-Saw videos from the PBS Video Series- Evolution (UP pgs 7-8)
-Notes Chapter 1 Obj # 1-6 (We didn't get to the notes today)


The theory of evolution is attributed to Charles Darwin (pictured below)

The videos talked a lot about Charles Darwin and his ideas. He was a naturalist born in the early 1800s and was intelligent with a good family reputation. Although he was trained and went to school to go into the medical field he pursued a different path. He was most interested in "the common ancestor" or explaining how things became to be what they are today. He went on a voyage for 5 years collecting samples that ultimately led to his later publications. The path he took when collecting these samples is shown below.

 If you would like an overview of Charles Darwin BBC has a good one http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml

If you missed the video in class or would like to view it again for studying purposes I have tracked it down on YouTube. Here is the video on Charles Darwin:

HW: 1. Read CH 1 p. 8-13
2. Read CH 13
3. Start UP p. 5 (Internet)
4. read Darwin article
5. course req's
**Note: Some of the reading homework assigned was already done when we studied Ecology, however it wouldn't be a bad idea to refresh yourselves with the information again.

Thanks,

--Mark

Next Scribe: Charles

Scribe Post: Monday November 14

Hello Class:
Today in class we:
1. Stamped & went over UP p. 55-57
2. Learned about dihybrid crosses
3. Got started on lab #34

The main topic for class today was learning about dihybrid crosses:

Here is a walkthrough of a sample dihybrid problem from biology.arizona.edu which we use often for our web quests.

 http://www.biology.arizona.edu/mendelian_genetics/problem_sets/dihybrid_cross/03t.html

( The amount of images used in the explanation were to much for the blog, it wouldn't let me insert that many pictures.)

If you are more of a visual/audio person, I found this animation to be very helpful in understanding dihybrid crosses.

http://www.siskiyous.edu/class/bio1/genetics/dihybrid_v2.html

Remember to use FOIL (First.Outside.Inside.Last)

If you used the walkthrough/animation for help then you should be well off.
I'm sorry I couldn't include lots of pictures, but since Dihybrid crosses involve so many steps (and pictures) I wasn't able to get them into the blog directly.

Our homework for today was:
UP pgs 59-62 (dihybrids)
Lab #34 (probability lab)


Thanks,
Mark

Next Scribe: **Siddharth**

Scribe Post- 9/13/2011

Today in class we: -Turned in Biome maps

- Went over UP pages 55-64

-Filled in notes on chapter 19 and started on chapter 20.

HW: QUIZ - Thursday CH 18 & 19

Unit 1 TEST on 9/19

Eco issue due 9/23

Read CH 20

Ecology Video on Succession

* Many factors impact an ecosystem

* Ecological succession is a process where a community transforms itself until it is a stable

community

* 2 types of succession

* Primary Succession: No previous vegetation or growth

* Secondary Succession: Previous vegetation/growth

An example of PRIMARY succession:

The image above is PRIMARY succession because there WASN'T previous growth or vegetation.

Here is an example of SECONDARY succession:

The image above is SECONDARY succession because there WAS previous growth/vegetation.

Early Colonizers

* Biotic/Abiotic factors influence succession

* Early colonizers are fast growing forms of vegetation

* Can adapt to amount of sunlight

* Wind dispersed

* Some early colonizers have symbiotic relationships with environment

Thanks,

Mark

Next Scribe:**Will**