Melanie's Scavenger Hunt

Pollen: fertilizing powder: a powdery substance produced by flowering plants that contains male reproductive cells. It is carried by wind and insects to other plants, which it fertilizes. This flower has visible anthers with pollen attached to it, which can be picked up by the wind or a pollinating insect such as a bee.



Habitat: is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant, or other type of organism. It is the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds a population. This pond, although man-made, is the habitat in which the orange koi fish live. They find sustenance in the aquatic life provided in the pond and carry out their lives within this sheltered habitat.

 

Adaptation of a plant:  Adaptation is an evolutionary process that changes the anatomy or physiology of a plant, resulting in increased ability of a population to live in a particular environment. Cacti needed to adapt over time to survive on little water, and to be able to avoid being eaten. The spines in the tough waterproof skin of the cactus make it so that hungry or thirsty animals would be less likely to eat it.

 

 



 Pollinator:A pollinator is the agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain. This bee is a pollinator because it transfers pollen between flowers, thus fertilizing them.

 Lichen: complex organism, composed of a fungus in symbiotic union with an algae and having a greenish, gray, yellow, brown, or blackish thallus that grows in leaf like, crust like, or branching forms on rocks, trees, etc. The lichen on this tree

 

 

Dominant vs Recessive Phenotypes: The phenotype of an organism is the observable characteristics of said organism. When breeding occurs, the dominant phenotype will be the one that is observed over the recessive trait. However in some circumstances, such as breeding two recessive organisms or two heterozygous, the recessive phenotype can be observed. These

 flowers are pink, however other flowers of the same species may be white.





 

 

Adaptation of an Animal: This bug has adapted to better survive in it's environment by making itself look more like a leaf. It's usage of camouflage is an adaptation over generations that has made is more likely to survive and reproduce than an insect that stands out.

Stigma and Style of Carpel: The style connects the stigma to the ovary. The carpel consists of the style, stigma, and ovary. This flower has a clearly visible style with stigma on the end.

Amniotic Egg: An egg produced by birds, reptiles, and egg laying mammals, in which the embryo forms within an amnion. This chicken egg has an embryo that forms within, also known as a yolk. 

 

 Flower Ovary-  an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule(s) and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals. The center of this flower contains the female ovary.

 

 

Sporophyte- spore-producing generation of plant: in plants that alternate between sexual and asexual phases, a plant in its asexual spore-producing phase. Further evolved plants develop a dominant sporophyte phase, where more primitive pants and algae hold a more prominent gametophyte phase. The heart shape, along with the combo of roots stems, and leaves on this fern with spores underneath makes it a sporophyte.

 

Hydrophilic- Having an affinity for water; readily absorbing or dissolving in water, opposite of hydrophobic. Sugar is hydrophilic because it dissolves easily in water. Eating sugar is especially fabulous because it dissolves right on your tongue.

 

 Hydrophobic- lacking an affinity for water, repellent towards water, insoluble. The waxy coating on the leaves of this rhododendron make them hydrophobic. With phobia being a suffix meaning fear, and hydro being a prefix relating to water, if basically means a fear of water. So if you're afraid of water you are going to repel it away. Rain jackets are hydrophobic mostly.

 

Detrivore- An organism that feeds on detritus, or organic waste By consuming dead organic matter they speed up decomposition by increasing the surface area available to detritivoric bacteria. This log is decomposing at a relatively fast pace, aided by decomposers that break down the wood.

 

 Parasitism-  is a non-mutual relationship between organisms where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. This vine is growing steadily up the trunk of the tree and doing little to no harm, but over many years of it's thriving and growing, if could eventually suffocate and kill the tree.

 

 

 Seed Dispersal-Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. This can be achieved in many ways. Animals could catch the seeds on their bodies, transporting them farther away, as could wind or water. The seeds in this peapod can be relocated and grow into a new pea plant.

 

Territorial Behavior- the actions by which an animal, or group of animals, protects its territory from incursions by others of it's species or predators. Some animals use scent to mark their territory and others react differently to outsiders being in the area that they have claimed as their own. My cat's behavior changes drastically when he is approached outdoors and he becomes protective of certain parts of the yard that he spends the most time in.

 

 

 Xylem- The xylem transports water and soluble mineral nutrients from the roots throughout the plant. While movement of water and minerals through the xylem is driven mainly by negative pressures (tension), movement through the phloem is driven by positive hydrostatic pressures. I placed a stalk of celery into a cup with water, sugar, and food coloring. You can see where the xylem is located by the way the red-tinted water was sucked up into the plant.

 

ATP- a nucleotide that contains a large amount of chemical energy stored in its high-energy phosphate bonds. ATP is produced via cellular respiration in the mitochondria. This mouse is getting a workout on the wheel and his cells are going through respiration to create ATP and give him energy to run.

 

 Mating Behavior- The meeting of individuals for sexual reproduction, and the way in which they go about reproducing to create offspring. These little mice are partaking in sexual reproduction. Even though it looks like they are sleeping they were moving around and the man at Petco said that they were reproducing.

 

Autotroph-  organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists. These aquatic plants use light energy to create their own food to survive.

 

Predation- preying of one species on another: the relationship between two groups of animals in which one species hunts, kills, and eats the other. This little cricket is seemingly unaware of it's inevitable death by digestion. The gecko is watching it and ready to strike and eat it for nutrients.                                         

                                                              

 

Vestigial Structures- refers to an organ or part which is greatly reduced from the original ancestral form and is no longer functional or is of reduced or altered function. Vestigial structures provide a clue to the evolutionary history of a species because they are remnants of structures found in the ancestral species. In whales, the limb bones are not used any more, so they are vestigial. The human appendix is a vestigial structure because it serves no major purpose in the body; we could live perfectly fine without it.



 

Animal With a Segmented Body -

Segmented body. Another character inherited by all arthropods is a body divided into segments that are often grouped into larger functional units.

 Phototropism-the growth or movement of a sessile organism or a component part of the organism toward or away from a light source. This plant in my backyard is located in a shady area so it only receives light during certain parts of the day. Because of this, all of the leaves and flowers are bent in the same direction, towards the light.

 

Modified stem(and root)- most stems grow erect, there are some modifications that serve special purposes. Climbing vines are supported by aerial roots, rather than the average root that is located below the plant. This main root is growing up along the bark of a tree and it has stems branching off of it, as well as leaves.

 

Bilateral Symmetry- describes an organism which is divisible into equal mirror halves in one plane only. This flower has bilateral symmetry because if you were to cut it in half straight down the middle each side would be a mirror image of the other.

 

Endotherm- An endotherm is an organism that maintains its body at a metabolically favorable temperature, largely by the use of heat set free by its internal bodily functions. My bunny is an endotherm because she can maintain a stable internal temperature regardless of the climate around her(within reason)

 

 Osmosis-the tendency of a fluid, usually water, to pass through a semipermeable membrane into a solution where the solvent concentration is higher, thus equalizing the concentrations of materials on either side of the membrane. Osmosis Jones loves to mingle and he is made of water, he can just transfer himself between membranes without a problem as long as he is moving to equalize the concentration. Gotta love him.