Reflection for Week 3/10-3/14

Last week in biology we learned about some of the basics of ecology. Ecology is the study of interactions between living organisms and their physical environment. Ecologists study many levels of organization. From smallest to largest the levels are labeled as individual, population (group of species living in one area), community (groups of different populations living in one area), ecosystem (interactions between a community and its environment), biome (group of ecosystems with the same climate), and biosphere (part of Earth in which life exists). We covered the topic of ecosystems. Within an ecosystem there are abiotic, non-living, and biotic, living, factors. Examples of abiotic factors are rocks, water, and temperature. Between living organisms you can find energy relationships. Producers, also known as autotrophs, make their own food through photosynthesis or by using chemical energy. The niche, or job, of a producer is to capture energy and transform it into organic energy that can be used by living organisms. Producers can be photoautotrophs meaning they use light energy, or chemoautotrophs in which they use chemical energy. Consumers, or heterotrophs, on the other hand feed off of other living organisms. There are different levels of consumers, or trophic levels. The first level consists of herbivores who only feed off of plants, or the producers, and are called primary consumers. Carnivores (only eat meat) and omnivores (eat plants and meat) make up the secondary and tertiary levels. These levels can be shown in a food chain which is a diagram showing the flow of energy in feeding relationships. Energy in ecosystems flows in one direction, from the producers to the consumers, and each level depends on the one above it for energy. Food chains can then be combined into a more realistic and complex path called a food web. Another topic we covered is the cycles of matter. There are four main cycles consisting of nutrients and matter that recycle throughout the ecosystem. One of the most common cycle is the water cycle. The water evaporates or transpires into the atmosphere, and then condenses as it becomes colder. Once the water vapor cools and condenses into a liquid it will precipitate. After the water falls to the ground, seepage or runoff will occur leading back to evaporation and transpiration. The carbon cycle is important because every living thing is made up of carbon, and alike to water, it cycles between and within many ecosystems. The nitrogen cycle allows plants and animals to obtain this protein creating device through nitrogen fixation and nitrification. The fourth important cycle is the phosphorus cycle, and this recycled nutrient is used to make DNA.

Weekly Reflection : Ecology

For the week of 3/10/2014 - 3/14/14, I learned about ecosystems.
     An ecosystem is the interaction of a community with its environment. I also learned about abiotic factors (physical, nonliving parts of an ecosystem{aka rocks, water, air, temperature}.), and biotic factors (relationships between living things {organisms}.). Within biotic factors there are energy relationships between organisms. Producers or autotrophs make their own food and other food, there are the green plants. Then there are the consumers that feed on other organisms. One example of that is a heterotroph because they can not make their own food. There are three different types of consumers. One type is the herbivore that feeds on only plants, they are primary consumers. Another type is the carnivore which feeds on other animals. Secondary consumers feed on herbivores, and tertiary consumers feed on secondary consumers. The last type of consumer is the omnivore, which eats both plants and animals. There are also decomposers which break down dead organisms meaning recycled materials in the ecosystem. Producers, consumers, and decomposers are all part of the food chain. The food chain shows the feeding relationships within an ecosystem.
     Energy within an ecosystem orginally comes from the sun. Energy flows from producers to consumers. A couple types of producers or autotrophs are phototrophs (use light energy), and chemoautotrophs (use chemical energy). Next in energy flow is detritivores or scavengers that feed on dead plant and animal remains. Then its is decomposers which are fungi and bacteria. One subheading from energy would be the feeding relationships. Energy flows in one direction from producers to various levels of consumers. Two charts that show feeding relationships are the food web and the food chain. The food web is a more realistic and complex path through the ecosystem. While a food chain is a simple energy path through an ecosystem. Each different level within those two charts is called a trophic level. There are four different cycles of matter. Water is the first and then it is carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous.

Reflection Blog on Ecology

Last week I learned about the ecosystem. The ecosystem is the interaction of a community with its environment. I learned about abiotic factors, which are physical, non-living parts of an ecosystem. Examples of abiotic factors are rocks, water, air, and temperature. Biotic factors are relationships between living things. I also learned about producers, that produce food. Autotrophs make their own food. Consumers feed on other organisms. Heterotrophs cannot make their own food, and herbivores feed only on plants. A carnivore feeds on animals. I also learned about decomposers. Decomposers break down dead organisms, and recycle materials in the ecosystem. Examples of this is bacteria, mold, and fungi. Food chains are a diagram showing the feeding relationships. For example grass, mice, and hawks. Last week I also learned about energy flow in an ecosystem. Energy comes from the sun. Energy flows in one direction from producers to various levels of consumers. A food chain is a simple energy path through an ecosystem, while a food web is a more realistic and complex path through an ecosystem of many food chains. There are tropic levels. Each level in a food chain or food web is a trophic level. Producers are always the first tropic level. The second tropic level are the herbivores. Carnivores and omnivores make up the remaining tropic levels. The Cycles of matter are water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle. The water cycle is evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, seepage, and root uptake. I learned also about nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation is nitrogen molecules converted into ammonia. Nitrification is nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates. The roots of the plants then use these nitrates in the soil to make proteins. Denitrification is bacteris converting the nitrates in the soil back to nitrogen gas, releasing gas back into the atmosphere.

Week 6 Reflection

This week in science we learned about Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution.  Charles Darwin was an English scientist who studied the natural world on the HMS Beagle. His 5 year voyage brought him to South America, the South Pacific, and most importantly the Galapagos Islands. Darwin made many observations on the diversity of the flora and fauna on these islands, and noticed that although the species were unique to the environment, they were similar to species in other parts of the world. Darwin noticed that so many plants and animals were well suited to the environment they inhabited. Artificial selection are breeding experiments allowing us to select specific traits, and Darwin wondered if there was a force in nature similar to artificial selection. He then came up with the hypothesis of natural selection and "survival of the fittest." Natural selection stated the changes in population occurs when organisms with favorable adaptations reproduce and pass on the traits. An adaptation is any trait that aids in the chance of survival and reproduction of an organism. Evidence that Darwin's theory of evolution exists are fossil records, anatomical records, molecular records, and artificial selection. Along with learning about Darwin, this week we learned about the evolution leading up to modern man. We have learned about the various stages such as the Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and the Homo ergaster.

http://www.biology-online.org/images/darwin_finches.jpg                   

Week 6 Reflection: Evolution

This week I learned about Evolution. Evolution is the change in a kind of organism over time. Charles Darwin was an English scientist and was the founder of the modern evolutionary theory.  He studied the natural world on a voyage of the HMS Beagle. The voyage was to South America and South Pacific. There, he studied plants and animals, recording observations in the Galapagos Islands. He found many species of plants and animal life unique to the island, but similar species in other parts of the world. He specifically studied turtles and birds. Charles Darwin came up with Natural Selection, which is the change in populations that occur when organisms with favorable variations for an environment survive, reproduce, and pass these variations on. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution can be applied to explain the evolution of adaptations in organisms. I also learned about gene pools. A gene pool is the combined genetic information of all the members of a particular population. I also learned that the two main sources of genetic variation are mutations and the genetic shuffling that results from sexual reproduction. Genetic drift is the random change in allele frequency.

Week 6 Reflection

For the week of 2/10 - 2/14 I learned about evolution. Evolution explains how modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms. Charles Darwin was an English scientist who founded the modern evolutionary theory. He studied plants and animals on a five year voyage on the HMS Beagle. His observations were on the Galápagos Islands. He found many species of plants and animals unique to the island but also seen throughout the world. Darwin's explanation for evolution was natural selection. Natural selection is the change in populations that occurs when organisms with favorable variations for an environment survive, reproduce, and pass these variations on(adaptations). Adaptations are any trait that aids the chances of survival and reproduction of an organism. Darwin's theory of evolution can be applied to explain the evolution of adaptations in organisms.

Week 4 Reflection: Pedigrees and Family Tree

This week in science we learned about pedigrees and family trees. A pedigree is a family tree that shows the genotypes of family members. By looking at a pedigree, you can determine the genotype of all family members by knowing only one or two genotypes. In a pedigree there are different symbols that represent gender, whether the person has or does not have the trait, and in x-linked cases if the female is a carrier. Typically on a pedigree, females are represented by circles and males are represented by squares. If the figure representing a person is shaded in they have the trait and if it is not they do not have the trait. In the case that the pedigree shows a x-linked trait a female's figure could be half shaded in meaning that the female is a carrier of the trait or disease. Each pedigree shows one trait, whether it is autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, x-linked recessive, or x-linked dominant. Autosomal dominant is shown as two dominant alleles or one dominant and one recessive allele (AA or Aa), autosomal recessive is shown as two recessive alleles (aa), and x-linked is shown by the two alleles connected to the x chromosomes. Not only can you determine genotypes with a pedigree, but you can also determine whether a pedigree is showing an autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, or x-linked trait by just using the figures and what they represent.

https://migrc.org/Library/AutosomalRecessive.gif