Thursday, May 15, 2008

Unit 4 Project

1. Rhizopus Mycelium
Mold

Interaction: commensal
Domesticated: no


2. Lilium Pensylvanicum
Lily

Interaction: Mutualism
Domesticated: no


3. Ithomiini Senecio
Butterfly












Interaction: Symbiotic
Domesticated: yes

4. Acrididae
grasshopper
Interaction: Symbiotic
Domesticated: no


5. Tetramorium Caespitum
Pavement ant
Interaction: Commensal
Domesticated: no

6. Arbutus Undeo
Strawberries

Interaction: Mutualism
Domesticated: yes

7. Allium Cepa

Onion

Interaction: Mutualism
Domesticated: no

8. Zizania Aquatica

Wild Rice

Interaction: Parasitic

Domesticated: yes

9. Arthrobacter

Bacteria









Interaction: Parasitic
Domesticated: no

10. Apodiformes

Humming Bird









Interaction: Symbiotic
Domesticated: yes

11. Canis Lupus












Domestic dog

Interaction: symbiotic

this is my dog jax and he loves us as much as we love him

Domesticated: yes


12. Achaearanea Tepidoriorum

House spider






Interaction: Symbiotic

Domesticated: no

13. Canis Latrans

Coyote






Interaction:Predation

Domesticated: no


14. Escherichia Coli

E Coli

Interaction: Parasitic

Domesticated: no


15. Streptococci

Strep Throat












Interaction: Parasitic

Domesticated: no

16. Equus Caballus

horse







Interaction: Symbiotic

Domesticated: yes


17. Lycopersicon Esculentum

Tomato






Interaction: Mutualism

Domesticated: yes


18. Acinos Arvensis
Basil




Interaction: Mutualism

Domesticated: yes


19. Homo Sapiens

Humans


Interaction: Symbiotic

Domesticated: yes


20. Molinifera

Cottonwood Tree










Interaction: mutualism

Domesticated: no


















































































































































































































17.

Online Fertility Lab

My high fertility country was Africa. The fertility rate was 5.90 children.




My low fertility rate country was Italy. The fertility rate was 1.40 children.


Higher fertility rates result in more young people for population because the higher the fertility rate the more babies. Especially in countries like Africa where most people don't have access to birth control options, so a lot of younger people get pregnant which results in a larger population with younger people. If places like this don't change and get aid then the population will keep growing.

Countries with a low fertility rate have more middle aged people because they have control over the amount of births and birth control options. This is because people have less children and make sure they don't have more than they want or can handle. Since people are having fewer children then there are more adults compared to children.

Ten phrases for with lots of children around:

1. a lot of homeless people

2. not enough jobs

3. people having the I don't care attitude

4. people barefoot

5. young children having to work for food

6. the streets would be dirty

7. not enough food to feed all the people

8. people living in dumpy houses

9. people sleeping on the ground

10. people can't afford heat or running water

Ten phrases for middle-aged people:

1. a want to work attitude

2. people can afford things

3. nice cars driving around

4. children going to school

5. streets are clean

6. more retired people

7. nice environment

8. still be homeless people

9. things might be very corporate

10. a lot like they are in Prescott

Online Reproduction Lab

The first significant thing is when the heart and circulatory system starts to form and the heart beats for the first time. This happens in week 5. I think this is important because it is a big step towards your baby being able to develop other areas. Your baby isn't really alive if it doesn't have a heart beat.

The next one is in week 6 when the nose, mouth, and ears start to develop. This is good because your baby can hear you when you talk and this is a good way for the baby to start listening to you voice. When I was pg I read to him all the time. The eyes are also starting to form. Picture below

Next I would say week 9 because this is when the organs, muscles, and nerves start to work. Also all of the basic body parts are here. You can see the eyes, the nose, the ears, arms, legs, and mouth. I think this is when it really starts to look more like a person and not a bean. Picture below.


Week 10 is next because this is when it starts to make red blood cells. The kindeys, intestine, liver, and brain are now starting to function. This is very important for the body to further develop and function properly.

Next is week 11 because this is when some of the bones start to harden. Which is important because it protects the baby once it is born.

Week 14 is next because the baby starts to make faces which means that the brain is working. The liver makes bile and that means that it is working properly and the spleen is starting to help make red blood cells. Picture below.



Week 15 is a big milestone for some parents because they get to find out if they are having a boy or a girl. This was a big deal for me because everything finally seemed real, we were having a boy and not just a fetus.

Week 19 because the senses are starting to form. The brain is designating areas the smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. This is important for when they are born and the first time that you hold them.

Week 20 is important because the protective substance that covers the skin and helps during delivery is now visible it is called vernix caseosa. This is good because it helps the baby slide down the birth canal easier, which helps the mom.

Lastly is week 36. I think this is important because you are considered full term and anyone who has been pregnant knows that this is the time you start counting. The baby's head starts to get in position. Picture below.



It is actually very hard to pick the ten most important weeks of a pregnancy. I know that when my son started kicking and I could feel that was a big deal for me, but no one could really say when that was going to happen. I think that every month has a something important happening.








unit 4 overview

The human life cycle starts when the male produces sperm and the females produce eggs. The sperm exits the penis and the female transports eggs to the tubes in the uterus. The uterus allows the female to fertilize the eggs that develop into a baby. In order for all of this to happen the ovaries and the testes must produce sex hormones. Every cell has 46 chromosomes. The sperm is very small compared to the egg. Without meiosis cells would no longer be able to function.
The male reproductive system starts with the penis which is the organ used for sexual intercourse. The testes produce sperm and also sex hormones. The scrotum is where the testes are located. The epididymides are ducts where the sperm mature and is where some is also stored. The vas deferens conduct and also store the sperm. The seminal vesicles contribute nutrients and fluid to the semen. The prostate gland also contributes fluid to the semen. The urethra conducts the sperm. The bulb urethral glands contribute mucus containing fluid to the semen. An orgasm in males is when semen is ejaculated from the penis. Testosterone is the main sex hormone in males. It is essential for normal development and functioning of the organs. It also is responsible for better muscular development in males.
The female reproductive system consists of the following. The vagina which receives the penis during sexual intercourse, serves as the birth canal, and is where menstrual flow exits the body. The ovaries produce eggs and sex hormones. The oviducts conduct the eggs and lead to the uterus. It is also where fertilization takes place. The uterus is where the fetus develops. The cervix contains the opening to the uterus. The orgasm culminates in uterine and oviduct contractions. The follicle balloons out of the ovary and bursts, then releases an egg that enters the oviduct.
The female hormone goes through a monthly cycle. The ovaries contain follicles and each one contains an immature egg. Females are born with two million follicles but are reduced by puberty. The hypothalamus has control over the ovaries sexual function. During the first half of the cycle FSH is released and promotes the development of follicles. The second half LH is released and promotes the development of corpus luteum and secretes progesterone. When the person is not pregnant corpus luteum regresses. Estrogen is responsible for the sex characteristics such as body hair and fat distribution. Menopause occurs when the ovarian cycle stops.
When the sperm fertilizes an egg, the egg becomes a zygote. An embryo becomes implanted in the lining for several days. The placenta sustains the developing embryo. The placenta also produces HCG. Progesterone maintains the uterine lining where the embryo is located. When a person uses birth control pills it makes the body think that is pregnant. Birth control pills also thicken the cervical mucus which prevents sperm from entering the uterus. Birth control pills can cause a person to skip menstruation. Menstruation should not be skipped regularly.
There are many different types of birth control. Birth control pills, intrauterine device or IUD which is a small piece of molded plastic inserted into the uterus. A diaphragm which is a soft latex cup that lodges behind the pubic bone and fits over the cervix. A female condom is a large polyurethane tube with a flexible ring that fits onto the cervix. Then there are the male condoms. Contraceptive implants utilize synthetic progesterone. Then there are contraceptive injections and vaccines. Or for the extreme measures there is a vasectomy which is the cutting and sealing of the vas deferens on each side so that the sperm cannot reach the seminal fluid. And there is tubal ligation which is the cutting and sealing of the oviducts.
Infertility is when a person is unable to get pregnant after one year of unprotected intercourse. In males it could be due to low sperm count or abnormal sperm. In females weight can be a big factor in infertility. Infertility can be fixed by medication or fertility drugs. People can also use assisted reproductive technologies which is fertilization in the lab. There is artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, gamete intrafallopian transfer. Or the couple could use a surrogate mother or intracytoplasmic sperm injections.
Sexually transmitted diseases or STD’s are very common they can be viral or bacterial. The viral infections include HIV or AIDS, genital warts, genital herpes, or hepatitis. The bacterial infections include Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
Fertilization is the union of a sperm and an egg to form a zygote. The zygote is the first cell of the individual. First the sperm swims toward the egg, then only one sperm enters the egg, when the sperm touches the egg it starts depolarization.
There are four steps involved with embryonic development. The first is cleavage which is cell division that occurs and each cell receives a full complement of chromosomes and genes. Next is the growth stage which is when the cell divides and increases in size of the daughter cells. This is also known as embryonic development. Next is morphogenesis which is the shaping of the embryo. The last stage is differentiation which is when a cell takes on specific structure and starts to function. The first system to develop is the nervous system.
Extraembryonic membranes are outside the embryo and they have four functions:
chorion which is the fetal half of the placenta, provides the fetus with nourishment and oxygen.
allantois is where urine produced by the kidneys starts to accumulate.
the yolk sac is the first embryonic membrane to appear and is also the first site of blood cell formation.
the amnion contains fluid to cushion and protect the embryo. This area enlarges with the fetus.
There are 280 days in a normal gestation period, but only about 5% of people arrive around their due date. Pre-embryonic developments occurs only in the first week. During this time the morula which is a compact ball of embryonic cells becomes a blastocyst. There is an inner cell mass and the layers of the cell walls become chorion. The second week is called embryonic development and this lasts until the second month. The embryo begins to implant itself. The chorion begins to secrete human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG. The inner cell mass becomes and embryonic disk this process is called gastrulation. The brain and the spinal cord start to develop in the third week. The heart also starts to develop in the third week. During the fourth and fifth weeks the umbilical cord is fully formed. The sixth through the eighth weeks the fetus starts to make changes that like more human like. The organ systems are also established during this time. During the third month the gender can be distinguished and fingernails appear. The fourth month the skeleton is visible and hair appears. The fifth month a protective coating is called the vernix caseosa is deposited. During this time the heartbeat can also be heard. The sixth month the body is covered with fine hair and the skin is wrinkled and reddish color. The seventh month the testes descend into the scrotum and the eyes open. The eighth month the hair disappears and fat is depositied. And the ninth month the baby is ready for birh.
Major changes happen to the mothers body as well. Weight gain happens and the uterus enlarges. Stretch marks also appear on the body. Many people experience Braxton hicks contractions which is false labor. The first thing that has to happen is the bloody show/mucus plug. The first stage of labor is when the contractions cause the cervical canal to disappear and ends when the cervix is fully dialated. During the next stage the contractions are 1-2 minutes apart and last about 1 minute each. This is when person feels the need to push as the babies head descends into the vagina. This is also when an episoiotomy is common. The baby is delivered and lastly the placenta is delivered.
Development continues throughout infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Aging encompasses these changes. Aging is genetic and it happens to the whole body. The skin becomes thinner and less elastic. The heart shrinks and the blood supply to the kidneys is reduced. People also start to lose their teeth. People also start to lose skeletal muscle, bone density starts to decline, the metabolism decreases which cause weight gain.
All living things are made of cells and every cell comes from a preexisting cell. Small organic molecules were produced by reactions between the earth’s atmospheric gases. This is where the macromolecules evolved and interacted. Only a macromolecule RNA was needed for the first cell. Amino acids join to form polypeptides when exposed to dry heat. The protocell which is a heterotrophic fermenter lived on organic molecules in the ocean. Chemical evolution could have produced the protocell. The protocell did become a true cell once it had genes composed of DNA and could reproduce.
Biological evolution explains both the unity and the diversity of life. Common ancestors explains the unity of living things. These things adapted to the environmental changes that has occurred. There are four types of evidence. Fossil evidence supports evolution. A fossil record gives us the history of life in general and allows people to trace each fossil to a particular group. Biogeographical evidence is the distribution of organisms on Earth. It is explained by assuming organisms evolved in one locale. Anatomical evidence is when common anatomies and the development of a group of organisms is explainable by the descent from a common ancestor. Biochemical evidence is when all organisms have similar biochemical molecules. Darwin discovered a lot of the evidence for common descent. He also developed a mechanism for adaptation called natural selection. There are three observations: organisms have variations, organisms struggle to exist, and organisms differ in fitness. In the end organisms become more adapted with each generation.
Humans can be traced through their ancestry. Humans are primates and primates evolutionary tree shows that human share a common ancestor with African apes. The first homind or human lived about 6-7 mya.
There are two hypotheses for human evolution. The first is the multiregional continuity which says that humans evolved separately in Europe, Africa, and in Asia. The second is out-of-Africa hypothesis says that H sapiens evolved in Africa but then migrated to Asia and Europe. Neandertals were living in Europe and Asia before modern humans, but they did not look like modern humans. They did have the same culture.
Ecology is the study of interactions of organisms with each other and with the physical environment. Organisms interact with the physical and chemical environment, the result is called an ecosystem. Terrestrial ecosystems are the forests, the grasslands, and the deserts. Aquatic ecosystems are salt water or fresh water. In every community the population has a residence or habitat and a role in that community or a niche. Autotrophs produce organic nutrients for themselves and for others. Heterotrophs are consumers and they consume the organic nutrients. Then there are decomposers who feed on detritus which release the inorganic substances back into the ecosystem. An ecosystem is determined by the energy flow and the chemical cycling. Energy flows through the populations of an ecosystem and chemicals cycle inside the ecosystems.
A food web is interconnection paths of energy flow. A food web shows how various organisms are connected through their eating relationships. Grazing food webs start with some sort of vegetation that are then eaten by a herbivore who is eventually eaten by a carnivore. A dentrital food web start with detritus food for decomposers and for detritivores. The two food webs can be joined together when an above ground carnivore eats something from the dentrital food web. A trophic level is all organisms that feed on a particular link in one of the food chains.
Chemicals circulate through the ecosystems by biogeochemical cycles. These are pathways that involve biotic and geological components. Biogeochemical cycles can be gaseous or sedimentary. It has reservoirs that are available to living things, but are limited. The reservoir of the water cycle is freshwater that evaporates from the ocean. Water that falls from the sky and enters the ground which then surfaces water and evaporates again. Eventually all the water returns to the ocean.
The reservoirs of carbon cycle are organic matter, limestone, and the ocean. The exchange pool for this is the atmosphere. Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Respiration and combustion add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The reservoir of the nitrogen cycle is the atmosphere. Nitrogen gas must be converted to a form usable by plants. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert nitrogen gas to ammonium in a form that plants can use. Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonium to nitrate. Denitrifying bacteria are then converted back into nitrogen gas.
The reservoir of the phosphorus cycle is the ocean sediments. Phosphate that is in the ocean sediments becomes available when sedimentary rocks are exposed to weathering. Weathering slowly makes phosphate available to the biotic community.
Populations have a biotic potential to increase in size. Biotic potential is held in check by environmental resistance. Population size levels off at a certain capacity. There are five resources that are fully used by humans land, water, food, energy, and minerals. These resources are either renewable or nonrenewable. Renewable resources are replenished but are still limited in quantity. Nonrenewable resources are not able to be replenished and are also limited in quantity. Land resources are used by humans for farming, mining, and a place to live. Humans contribute to the pollution, erosion, and loss of biodiversity. Water is used the most by industry and agriculture. Water supplies are increased by damming the rivers. If industries used water conservation methods it could cut the water consumption in half. Food comes from crops, animals, and fishing. Modern farming increases food supply, but it harms the land, causes pollution, and uses fossil fuels. Genetically engineered plants increase food supply and reduce the need for chemicals. Raising livestock contributes to the water pollution and also uses up the fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable sources. Renewable resources are hydropower, geothermal, wind, and solar power. Minerals are a nonrenewable resource that we can mine. This include sand, gravel, phosphate, and metals. Mining cause erosion to the land, this can take up to ten years to recover. Some metals are very bad for our health. We are destroying the ozone shield with hazardous waste. There are billions of tons of waste that has been dumped on the land and in the water that is aiding in the ozone destruction.
Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. Five things can cause losing biodiversity and aslo exctinction. They are losing a habitat or place to live, introduction of a new species, pollution, disease, and overexploitation of the plants and animals. Biodiversity can be a good thing. We make medicines from the plants, we grow crops and raise livestock, and we consume the products. There are also some indirect benefits of biodiversity the ability of our water to purify itself even with waste put in it, how the climate regulates it self by plants taking up the carbon dioxide, and that we are able to enjoy our environment.
We as a society should work towards only using renewable resources. There are many things that we can reuse. For example we can reuse waste by recycling our garbage, we can also reuse the heat materials. Some other things we can use that does not harm our society are solar power and wind power.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Evaluation

For this unit I really focused on the material and getting good notes. I think that I really accomplished this. The projects were okay. The leech lab was pretty interesting and the muscle lab was very simple. The unit project was not any fun for me because I had a very hard time figuring it out. I think in the end that I do understand the basics of this unit. Overall I think that I would give myself a C for effort. I tried but in the end I could have done better.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Model of working limb

This lab will show my interpretation of how a limb works. This materials I used are boards for the bones, plastic bags for the muscles, show string for the neuron, a screw for the joint, and straws as the thick and thin filaments which are shown later. I hope it turns out the way I intended.






Next is the final project. It doesn't look the greatest but it serves the purpose.





This is supposed to be an arm but I didn't have anything for the hand. The bags are the upper arm muscles. The arm does actually move up and down but of course you can't see that in a picture. The neuron tells the arm that it wants to move and while in movement the muscle contracts.

Next I have an example of how the thick and thin filaments contract and relax.


This is when the are in a relaxed state. They are nice and spread out.

This is when the filaments are contracted, they condense and get smaller in size.

My models show how a limb works and is composed and also how filaments work. The part you don't see the process of going through the brain and then contracting. This lab was a little difficult for me beacuse I am not very creative and don't think outside the box very well. I hope that this serves the purpose for this lab. I worked very hard on the idea and how to display everything, even though it doesn't look that good. I have to say that I didn't really have fun doing this lab as I did with some of the other ones.



Muscle function lab

This is the lab where I am going to find out how the muscles work while doing different types of activities.

# of fists normal

24



# of fists ice water

17



squeezing a ball for 20 seconds

1. 32

2. 32

3. 30

4. 28

5. 24

6. 25

7. 24

8. 22

9. 24

10. 22

The following is deminstrating what happens when muscles contract under various circumstances.



1. The three things the muscle did was it got harder, it got shorter as it contracted, and it got bigger as it contracted.



2. When I put my hand in ice water and then made fists it made it harder because my muscles were cold and they had to warm up again. So I didn't do as many as before.



3. After doing 10 repititions the muscles started to get tired and I tried to force myself to keep the reps up there.



As the muscles contract it is releasing impulses to the brain telling it what is going to happen which then allows the filaments to contract as needed.