Logs 22-30

 Big Idea 4: Number 3

Biome (Aquatic)

This photo of the American River demonstrates an aquatic biome.  Once again, a biome is another name for ecosystem, which is an area that shares inhabitants and plant life with areas that have similar characteristics.  Animals that inhabit the American River include many types of bacteria, ducks and other bird species that prey off of aquatic animals, fish, snakes, many other freshwater animals, ect.  It also includes many different kinds of plants that thrive in freshwater environments such as algae and weeds.

 Big Idea 3: Number 9

Flock, Herd, or Schooling

Even though it is hard to see, this is a photo of a "paddling" of ducks.  A paddling is a species specific word that means a group of ducks on water.  This is an example of how ducks prefer to be in groups.  They prefer this for reproductive purposes, protection purposes, and  for company.

 Big Idea 2: Number 16

Fermentation

While walking on the banks of the American River, I noticed a beer bottle in a bush.  When I saw it, I was reminded of alcohol fermentation.  Fermentation occurs when an organism tries to complete cellular respiration without the presence of air.  Humans perform lactic acid fermentation when the try to perform cellular respiration without oxygen.  Yeast also goes through fermentation, but instead of creating lactic acid, it makes alcohol.  Alcohol made from yeast is the main component of the alcohol in beer.     

 Big Idea 1: Number 25

Gymnosperm Leaf

These are a few leaves of an evergreen tree which I found near the banks of the American River.  Evergreen trees with the exception of tropical evergreen trees, tend to be gymnosperms, which means the have no flowers.  They usually reproduce through various ways of seed dispersal, such as pine cones.

 Big Idea 2: Number 35

Territorial Behavior

I found this dead mouse in some grass by the river. Even though it is possible that this mouse died from natural causes, it reminded me of territorial behavior.  An animal is territorial if it is willing to fight and kill in order to protect a certain area that it has claimed.  A number of different animals could have killed this mouse, but most likely it was the cold. 

 Big Idea 1: Number 26

Homologous Structure

This photo of my arm is an example of a homologous structure.  Homologous structures are structures that share a common ancestral origin.  For example, my arm and a bat's wing are homologous structures.  They may not be used for the same purposes, but they both come from a common embryonic origin. 

 Big Idea 2: Number 21

Hypertonic

This photo of a gummy bear submerged in freshwater is an example of the something being hypertonic.  In this case the gummy bear is hypertonic to the water.  It has a higher concentration than the water surrounding it.  What will happen if I leave the gummy bear in the water, water will enter the gummy bear to dillute it in an effort to make it isotonic to the surrounding solution. 

Big Idea 2: Number 22

Hypotonic

This photo of a gummy bear in extremely salty water is hypotonic to the solution surrounding it.  This means that it has a lower solute concentration than the surrounding solution. If I leave the gummy bear in this salin solution, water will exit the gummy bear in an effort to dilute the solution surrounding it. 

Big Idea 2: Number 31

Phospholipid

This tasty snack reminded me of a phospholipid.  Even though that may sound a little weird, I have good reason to think of science when I see gummy bears.  When gummy bears are hypertonic to a sollution they are immersed in, they react remarkably similar to an animal cell membrane, which is made up of a lipid bilayer.  If it is in a hypotonic solution, it will keep gaining weight due to all the water is accepting.  It will eventually lyse.  An animal cell will react the same way.