Laura Chen's AP Biology Digital Scavenger Hunt Set #1

 

 

This picture shows a butterfly pollinating a pink flower, which demonstrates pollination. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamen (male reproductive organ) to the pistil (female reproductive organ) of the same or different flower. It’s necessary for fertilization, which will allow the flower to develop seeds. The pollinators’ job is to move the pollen from the anthers to the stigmas of flowers to help them to become pollinated. The most common pollinators are bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and nectar feeding bats. Through this endless and important process, flowers are able to reproduce and the pollinators gain a source of food.

This picture shows an earthworm, which is classified as a decomposer; since it acts as a recycler to change the decaying matter into simple mineral nutrients that plants can use. The work produced by earthworms can lead to several benefits to the environment and humans. As they burrow into the soil, it increases infiltration and minimizes surface water erosion. This helps lower the sizes of floods from heavy rainfall. Also, as the earthworms consume organic matter and mineral particles, they line their burrows with nutrients. This helps enrich the soil in which we plant crops and other types of vegetation in.

This picture shows photosynthesis, since the tree's leaves can convert energy from sunlight into chemical energy and store it as sugars. This procedure takes place in the upper and lower epidermis, the mesophyll, the vascular bundles, and the stomates of the plant’s leaves. There are two parts to photosynthesis, the light reaction and the dark reaction. The light reaction occurs in the thylakoid membrane and converts light energy to chemical energy. Within this membrane, chlorophyll and several other pigments are organized in clusters . Each of the pigments absorb a different color of light and passes its energy to the central chlorphyll molecule. The energy forms a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The dark reaction requires the products of the light reaction before it can convert CO₂ to sugar through the Calvin cycle.

Here is a picture of a rabbit, a herbivore, eating the grass in my yard. An herbivore is identified to be an organism that mostly feeds on autotrophs, which are organisms that produce their own food.  Herbivores tend to have physical features to help them eat the tough, fibrous plant matter. A rabbit tends to use its prehensile lips and incisors to grab the plant material. Once it secures its teeth on the plant material, it can tear off a piece. The rabbit then uses its molars to chew the food into small particles, which makes it easier to swallow. The plant matter is then digested in the cecum, which is located between the small and large intestine.

This picture shows an example of predation, which is when a predator attacks and consumes its prey. A spider has managed to use its jointed jaws to grab hold of the fly. Once it pierces the fly’s skin with its fangs, it triggers the release of its venom gland. This venom has enough neurotoxin to paralyze or kill the prey. The spider then liquefies its prey by releasing digestive enzymes onto or into the organism. Once completed, the spider can then suck the liquefied remains into its stomach through the hairs on its jaws and mouth.

 

 

This tree in my front yard was chosen to be the habitat of a family of birds. (Unfortunately, I was unable to capture a picture of any of the family members before they spotted me and flew away.)  A habitat is a place where an organism chooses to live. Before selecting a habitat, an organism considers the type of shelter, food and climate conditions it provides. This decision is also influenced by its chances at survival and reproduction. In this case, a family of birds has decided to choose a tree in my front yard as their habitat. This tree is high enough that predators, such as cats or my neighbor’s dogs, would be unable to reach them. In addition, the tree is located at a specific spot, in which the sun shines only on a certain part of the tree, while the other part is in the shade. This will help the birds stay cool or warm up in the different types of weather. Not only that, but my front yard can provide them with earthworms and grubs as a food source. These birds seem to have selected a good habitat that fulfills most of their needs.

As seen in the picture above, when oil and water are mixed together, they do not combine. This demonstrates that oil is hydrophobic (water-fearing), since it doesn’t dissolve in water. Oil and water tend to have different chemical compositions from each other. Given that oils are fatty substances, it causes them to be comprised of long carbon chains with a hydroxyl group at one end. These lengthy carbon chains are non polar; while water molecules are dipolar, which means that one of their ends is positively charged and the other is negatively charged. Due to the difference in the molecular structures, oil and water are unable to mix with each other.