Computer Transpiration Lab

Here's what my table looked like for the lab:

Analysis Questions:

1) Describe the process of transpiration in vascular plants.

The process of evaporation through stomata (which are almost always on the tops of plants' leaves) is called transpiration.

2) Describe any experimental controls used in this investigation.

The controls were the amount of plant used, time of 1 hour for transpiration, and starting temperature conditions.

3) What environmental factors that you tested increased the rate of transpiration? Was the rate of transpiration increased for all plants tested?

The environmental factors tested were wind, heat, and light. Each factor increased transpiration rate in all plants, with one exception: light slightly decreased the rubber plant's transpiration rate.

4) Did any of the environmental factors (heat, light, or wind) increase the transpiration rate more than the others? Why?

Wind increased the transpiration rate more than the others probably because it increases the movement of the leaves, thereby moving around the water and washing off the waxy layer on the leaf.

5) Which species of plants that you tested had the highest transpiration rates? Why do you think different species of plants transpire at different rates?

The rubber plant had the highest transpiration rates. Some species of plants might transpire at different rates based on the environment they live in. For example, plants in a hot desert might have adapted transpire slower to retain water as much as possible.

6) Suppose you coated the leaves of a plant with petroleum jelly. How would the plant's rate of transpiration be affected?

The petroleum jelly would decrease transpiration rate because it would block the stomata on the plant's leaves.

7) Of what value to a plant is the ability to lose water through transpiration?

Through cohesion and adhesion, water is carried up through the plant's xylem. Once the water has been evaporated through transpiration, more water is carried up. The water has nutrients from the soil, allowing nutrients to continually be traveling through and absorbed by the plant.

Plants hormones

Auxins:

• growth/behavioral processes
• plant life cycle and development
• elongation during root and stem growth
• required for fruit growth and delays  fruit senescence
• important in phototropism

Abscisic Acid:

• reacts to stress like temperature
• abscission of fruits
• inhibits plant growth to make sure it can survive stress
• induces seeds to synthesize storage proteins

Ethylene:

• stimulates release of dormancy
• stimulates root and shoot growth
• leaf and root abscission
• stimulates fruit ripening and flower opening

SoCal Flowers

Yesterday, after discussing The Botany of Desire, I walked around campus and closely observed 4 flowers. All the flowers smelled nice and were bright colors to attract bees and other insects.  I'm not positive, but I think the pollen is the male part of the flower that can be transported by insects and wind. Here's the observations and pictures!

Flower 1: (Daylily)

• Soft/velvety/smooth petals
• Yellow/orange pollen
• Green curling leaves
• Curling/shimmering petals

Flower 2 (Arctostaphylos pungens)

• Grows on tree with red-brown bark
• Bell shaped flowers and buds
• Furry stems
• pollen difficult to see but looks white
• Lightly textured leaves

Flower 3: (Dietes bicolor)

 

• Cream/light yellow
• Orange/brown spots
• Long green leaves on plant

Flower 4: (Acanthus hungaricus)

 

• Leaves have spikes to protect flower
• White flower with purple and green leaves enclosing it
• Thick green stem
• Bottom of petals are furry
• Small flies (or some other tiny insect)
• Many spiderwebs
• Large leaves

The Botany of Desire

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzNOxqZVePazbGspfTJJ8HvZxdfIkSLxk_1VLv_CW0uEsrwMyVfucUBmxD9FR6U4cL8R1QYh_cZJ8EolXnsLuJNxVjFxhtb-V-LMYhvx3GDg5j4mEgLYx1bPUyfEgnAwAEU8pd05B_EA/s320/coevolution.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Bombus_6867.JPG/250px-Bombus_6867.JPG

Just as the bee depends on the flower for food, the flower depends on the bee to transport it's genes. Thus, the bee is not just the subject here, but so is the flower. They have a coevolutionary relationship.

http://www.osomeweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/apple-benefits.jpg

Bees are attracted to apples' sweetness, just as humans are. So bees transport the genes and humans plant more trees and the apple succeeds in its plan of reproducing.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC3RHpAzj-mCtWLQlNa7UB-EwxJfuOnLk934xisUR6gF0_1mTVTg

Tulips take advantage of our desire for beauty. We love to look at them so we plant more, and they get to reproduce. Everybody's happy.

http://images.wisegeek.com/burlap-bag-with-potatoes.jpg

Humans love potatoes. We eat them mashed, boiled, and fried. We want big, good-tasting potatoes and grow them. We grow potatoes but do their great taste make us do it?

http://www.welovetheherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Smoke-Cannabis-And-Enjoy-Life.jpg

The picture says it all. People like to smoke cannabis for the effects it has on them. Once again, the cannabis succeeds in it's goal of reproduction.

http://image.yaymicro.com/rz_1210x1210/0/5d2/used-green-success-stamp-5d2eff.jpg

So there you have it. Maybe humans aren't the only subjects in the garden of evolution. Maybe our desires and those of what we "domesticate" aren't that different at all. HMMMMM........

Predator vs. Prey Lab

Analysis:
We began with one rabbit of each color and one wolf. With this small amount of rabbits, the wolf died off within the first round. The rabbits were duplicated (reproduced) and this same pattern happened a few more times until there were enough rabbits to sustain the wolves. As we saw an increase in the population of wolves, we also noticed that larger wolves tended to be more common as their chances for survival were higher due to their surface area and thus reproduced more often.  Then however, once the wolf population became too large in comparison to that of the rabbits, it became to difficult to sustain themselves and the population died out. This same pattern continued throughout the lab.

OH NO! DISASTER!

OH NO!  A fungal infection has plagued the temperate forest. How will this disaster affect this forest??

Immediate Damage on Trees:

Fungal infections will cause problems with trees similar to that which would result from a root rot disease.  Trees' leaves will begin turning yellow/brown and decrease growth rate until the trees will either gradually or suddenly die.

Photo from Dr. L. F. Grand

Domino Effect - The Real Culprit:

So trees die...what's the big deal? There are three major effects of the deaths of hundreds of forest trees.

1. No tree canopies and branches --> hard to find shelter for animals --> increase in animal death
2. No trees --> decreased intake of CO2 and decreased output of O2
3. No tree canopies to filter light --> excessive sunlight on producers --> plant death

Overall,  a fungal infection will affect not just the trees themselves but the lives of most every organism of the forest.  Fungal infections spread rapidly from tree to tree, and are difficult to stop, so they can be extremely detrimental to a temperate forest.

Travel plans?

Photo from NASA "Earth Observatory"

WANT TO TRAVEL SOMEWHERE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THIS TEMPERATE FOREST? OF COURSE YOU DO!! BETTER KNOW A BIT ABOUT IT FIRST THOUGH........

Photo from Ducksters

Where to?
     Temperate forests are mostly located in the eastern United States, Europe, Canada, China, and some areas of Russia as shown to the left.



Back to basics
     The soil in temperate forests is typically fertile due to decaying litter. These forests get about 20-60 inches of precipitation each year. This is usually distributed evenly throughout the year and comes in the form of both rain and snow.  The growing season lasts for around 200 days, providing a large time span for organisms to thrive.  One of the great aspects of temperate forests is that their seasons are well defined. So you can pick a season and know exactly what you're getting yourself into!  Just as a reference though, the temperature throughout the year ranges from a low of 22°F and a high of 86°F.

Another great part of these forests is that although the tree canopy is dense, it still allows sunlight to get through to help the development of plants and animals.

Photo form Drift Creek Nature Center

All types of Life!

Many types of organisms live in the temperate forest. They find shelter in the ground plants, tree branches, and in hollow trees.

First up, let's get to know the producers/autographs! Don't know what I'm talking about. Well maybe the term "plants" will sound more familiar. Here's a few of the plant life you should expect to encounter:

Beech Tree - Photo from Mid-Atlantic Gardening

Aspen Tree - Photo from Lisa Carnahan

Trillium - Photo from Morgan Arboretum

Indian Paintbrush - Photo from Marietta.edu

Next up are the heterotrophs (consumers) that rely on the producers in order to survive. Common consumers in the temperate rainforest are deer, bears, and coyotes. However, these of course are very common. Animals such as the banana slug and Blue Grouse are consumers less commonly found in other biomes.

Banana Slug - Photo from Marietta.edu

Blue Grouse - Photo from Marietta.edu

Finally, you will also see the decomposers that break down chemicals form dead producers and consumers, so that they can be reused.  Fungi and mold often attach to trees that are either dead or currently in the process of dying. 

Photo from Marietta.edu

In case that was all to much to digest (sorry for the pun)...

Here's what a temperate forest food chain looks like:

Chart from Elizabeth Anne Viau

Don't forget Darwin!!!

Of course, over time certain adaptations have allowed organisms to thrive. For example, the black bear has extremely useful adaptations that help it to survive. First, the huge, layered coat provided warmth in the winter. Black bears are also omnivores, so you can imagine is very easy to find food. Lastly, black bears' long claws make them well suited to climb trees, as they often seek shelter in hollow trees.

NOW YOU'RE READY FOR YOUR TEMPERATE FOREST ADVENTURE!

But wait!! There's more!

Here's additional information on the producers, consumers, and decomposers: http://www.botany.wisc.edu/courses/botany_422/Lecture/pdf/TempDeciduous1.pdf

And here are the wonderful sources I used for the overview you just read!

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/forests.php

http://www.eniscuola.net/en/ecosystems/contenuti/temperate-forest/left/temperate-forest-biome/plants-of-the-temperate-forest/

http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/temperateforest.html

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/temprain.htm