#60) Big Idea 4 Term 20: R-Stratagests

R-stratagests are organisms that usually live in an environment that is not close to carrying capacity so they have developed the ability to produce large amounts of offspring that take a small amount of time and energy to raise, but will probably have a small chance of survival. the plant above is called lamb's ear. It is considered a r-stratagest because it produces many tiny seeds that probably won't live until adulthood.

#59) Big Idea 4 Term 18: Population

Population is the amount of one type of organism that lives in a certain defined area. Above is the entire population of calla lilies in my back yard. For a population to count they must be one specific group of organisms that live in a specific area that can breed.

#58) Big Idea 4 Term 12: Mutualism

The lichen above is not actually one organism, but a whole bunch of organisms. there are tiny cyanobacteria that live in the folds of the fungus filaments. The fungus gets nutrients from the photosynthesis of the cyanobacteria, and the cyanobacteria get shelter in the fungus. A relationship like this, where two or more organisms benefit from each other, is called mutualism.

#57) Big Idea 4 Term 11: K-Stratagest

A K-stratagest is usually an organism that lives in an environment close to carrying capacity. And because of this lack of resources they have evolved to produce few offspring but also to invest a lot of time and energy into each one. This tropical palm tree is one because it puts a lot of nutrients and energy into a few large coconut seeds that will probably survive until adulthood.

#56) Big Idea 4 Term 9: Introduced Species

The sprouts above are from a a plant known as ice plant. It is an introduced species to California, brought by Spanish settlers. It is highly invasive and can take over whole cliff sides along the coast of northern California. an introduced species is simply a species introduced to a new environment by some outside force.

#55) Big Idea 4 Term 8: Endosperm

The the object above next to lego Hans is a bean split in half. The small appendage near the bottom is the embryo and the area around it is the endosperm. The endosperm is the starchy part of the seed that is produced by flowering plants to provide nutrition the the embryo, other examples of it are coconut water and meat, and wheat that is ground into flower.

#54) Big Idea 4 Term 5: Commensalism

In the tree above, although it is hard to see, there is a bird nest. It is near the middle of the picture. The nest sitting in the elm tree is a great example of commensalism because the birds benefit from the tree because they are off the ground and away from predators, but the tree gains no advantage from the nest or the birds.

#53) Big Idea 4 Term 3: Biomes

Biomes are geographically defined ares with earth that is similar in geography, weather, and plant life. The biome depicted above is a montane forest. They are usually found from northern California to the bottom of Alaska, in parts of Central America, and in some parts of Europe.

#52) Big Idea 4 Term 3: Biomes

Biomes are geographically defined ares with earth that is similar in geography, weather, and plant life. The biome depicted above is a coral reef biome, which is found in shallow waters around continents, usually in more tropical and warm places.

#51) Big Idea 4 Term 3: Biomes

Biomes are geographically defined ares with earth that is similar in geography, weather, and plant life. The biome depicted above is a grass savannah, it covers much of the midwest and part of Europe and lower Russia.