| Chordate: The main distinguishing characteristics of chordates are that each one has a notochord (for support), a dorsal nerve cord (spinal cord), pharyngeal slits (gills), and a tail at some point his life. I, like all humans, am a chordate. Note: My apologies for the multiple dog pictures previously posted. Ignore the coonhound one. |
| Stomata: The leaves of plants contain stomata on their epidermes. These structures consist of guard cells and a stoma (pore) that allow oxygen to exit and carbon dioxide to enter the leaf. This polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) would die without stomata because it wouldn't be able to use CO2 in the Calvin Cycle. |
| Phloem: Like all vascular plants, this China doll (Radermachera sinica) has a phloem, which transports sugars (in addition to other biomolecules) from leaf cells (where sugars are produced) to flower or root cells. |
| Herbivory Responses: By natural selection, some plants have evolved with mechanisms that prevent or discourage herbivores from preying on them. These include chemical defenses harmful to animals as well as physical defenses like sticky/bad-tasting resins and thorns. This rose bush (genus Rosa) has developed thorns to deter herbivores. |
| Eukaryote: If an organism's cells have nuclei and membranes surrounding organelles (like mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum), then that organism is a eukaryote. All multicellular organisms are eukaryotes, just like this palm tree (Arecaceae). |
| Arachnid: All arachnids are eight-legged invertebrates with jointed-legs. Of course, the most common and well known arachnid is the spider, shown in the top-left corner (blends in with wood floor), but there are others, like the tick, scorpion, and Daddy Longlegs (Harvestman). |
| Angiosperm: Angiosperms produce seeds (spermatophytes) and bear flowers, unlike gymnosperms. The purple New Zealand teatree (top) is an angiosperm. The key is on the corner of the tree box (bottom-left). |
| Behavior: The way organisms behave is how they respond to environmental stimuli. In this case, the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) responded to the internal stimuli of hunger by attempting to get the bait in the mousetrap. (Note: The rat was not killed specifically for the purpose of this assignment; it would have died either way.) |
| R-strategist: Organisms that use the r-reproductive strategy produce many young, but none of the progeny receives much parental investment. Chances are that at least a few fortunate offspring will survive until adulthood, and organisms like this katydid (family is Tettigoniidae and looks like green splotch near bottom) rely on these odds. |
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Kreb's (citric acid) cycle: The first step of this cycle
combines oxaloacetate (4C) and acetyl CoA (2C) and
the product is citrate (6C). Oranges (shown above-
Citrus sinensis) contain citrate, a key intermediate of
the Krebs Cycle and respiration.
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| Gymnosperm Cone: Gymnosperms are plants that do not flower (not angiosperms), but still produce seeds in the form of cones, so they are spermatophytes. These seeds aren't enclosed, which is how the term gymnosperm came to be (came from a Greek word meaning "naked seeds"). |
| Flock, Herd, or Schooling: Many organisms (usually of the same species) often group together, like these cattle (Bos primigenius) herds, for purposes of protection, territorial gain, and easier access to basic necessities for survival. |
| Gymnosperm Leaf: Gymnosperms produce seeds in the form of cones, and their leaves appear here as pine needles on the Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). The key is dangling on one of the lower branches. |
| Hydrophobic: Hydrophobic molecules, such as vegetable oil, share electrons equally (nonpolar), so no specific atoms have positive or negative charges. Therefore, these molecules will not bind to water, as seen here by the separation of vegetable oil and water. |
| Hydrophilic: Molecules that are hydrophilic, such as sucrose (table sugar--C12 H22 O11), are attracted to water because they are polar molecules, like H2O. Therefore, the positive areas of one molecule attract and bond to the negative areas of the other. |
| Saturated Fat: Saturated fats are fully saturated with hydrogen atoms because there are no double bonds between carbon atoms. Therefore, they can easily stack up, making them solids at room temperature, like this bacon fat from Christmas morning. |
Seed Dispersal Method: In order to produce offspring,
plants must use a variety of methods, one of which consists
of animals consuming the fruit and then spreading the seeds
through defecation. In this photo, the apple tree's (Malus
domestica) fruit has been bitten out of.
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| Fungi: The fungi kingdom includes a large number of eukaryotic organisms that are detritivores, such as mushrooms (shown above near upper-right corner), yeasts, and molds. |
| Lichens: Lichens are a class of composite organisms (mutualistic relationship) that often rely on parasitism or the decomposition of organic matter to gain nutrients for their survival, seen here as green blotches on the fence post. |
| Cellulose: Cellulose is a polysaccharide (carbohydrate polymer) that is the main component of plant cell walls, like those found in grass (Graminoids), because its toughness provides the cell with structure as well as protection. |
| Transpiration: Plants release moisture into the atmosphere via transpiration, in which water from the leaves' surfaces evaporates. The ficus above can release water in this way. |
| Cohesion of Water: Because of water's polar covalent bonds (uneven sharing of electrons=small charges on different parts of molecule), hydrogen atoms (+) of one water molecule are attracted to oxygen (-) atoms of another. These hydrogen bonds allow water molecules to form droplets like those shown here. |
| Autotroph: An autotroph is any organism that can get energy from an inorganic source, like sunlight, rather than organic compounds. They do not need to rely on these compounds because they are able to convert energy from one form to another; this orange tree (Citrus sinensis) is an example of an autotroph. |
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| Competition: In biology, competition describes the way in which organisms of the same (intraspecific) or separate (interspecific) species attempt to use environmental resources for their survival, often at the expense of other organisms. Here, a plum tree (Prunus salicina) and Rosemary bush (Rosmarinus officinalis) have limited space/resources, forcing them to compete. |
| Coelomate: A coelomate is an organism that has a coelom, or a bodily cavity that separates the digestive tract/organs from the rest of the body. Most multicellular organisms have one, including my dog (part Rhodesian Ridgeback, part Labrador). |
