Natalie's Scavenger Hunt

Angiosperm:  An angiosperm is a flowering plant which forms its seeds inside of an ovary, which acts as a protective chamber.  The flowers above depict an angiosperm because its seeds are produced and protected within ovaries, located in the flower, away from predators.  

Redox Reaction: A oxidation-reduction reaction (abbreviated redox reaction) is a chemical reaction where electrons are either completely or partially transferred from one reactant to another.  The burning of a candle illustrates a redox reaction because the oxygen present in the surrounding air becomes the oxidizing agent (and therefore accepts the electrons), while the carbon and hydrogen from the candle wax are reducing agents (and donate their electrons to the oxygen). This reaction also exemplifies combustion.

Autotroph: An autotroph is an organism which obtains organic food molecules without eating other organisms, or any substances from other organisms.  Instead, autotrophs use energy from the sun or from oxidation of inorganic substances to make organic molecules from inorganic molecules.  This plant adequately exemplifies an autotroph because it does not obtain life-sustaining nutrients from other organisms; it makes use of internal chloroplasts to absorb sunlight and convert it into organic compounds.  Therefore, this plant is autotrophic because it does not rely on other organism to attain life-sustaining nutrients, rather it only requires sunlight and itself.

Ectotherm: An ectotherm is an organism which uses external sources to provide for most of the heat for temperature regulation for the organism.  Metabolism is not the main contributor for body temperature in ectotherms; rather body temperature is most directly influenced by outside conditions in the surrounding environment. Therefore, when an ectotherm is outside on a hot night, the body temperature will rise and nearly match the temperature.  Turtles exemplify ectotherms due to their reliance on environmental conditions to influence body temperature.  Some types of turtles can withstand dramatic temperatures, while others hibernate in extreme conditions (particularly when it becomes too cold out, as this impairs bodily functions due to the inability for the turtle’s metabolism to contribute to body temperature regulation.) 

Amniotic Egg:  An amniotic egg is an egg that contains specialized membranes which function in protection, nourishment, and gas exchange.  The amniotic egg was a major evolutionary innovation because they allowed embryos to develop on land in a fluid-filled sac.  Four specialized membranes (amnion, chorion, yolk sac, and allantois) are characteristic for amniotic eggs.  Amphibians have eggs without shells, whereas reptiles, birds, and various mammals have eggs with shells (amniotic eggs), hence allowing the eggs to withstand more extreme conditions without the egg being damaged.  The egg above exemplifies an amniotic egg because it is enclosed by a hard shell, which contains the membranes that allow the egg to obtain nutrients needed for development.   

 Gymnosperm:  A gymnosperm is a vascular plant which has seeds that are not enclosed in protective chambers.  The pine tree above bears pine cones, which hold the pine seeds.  Pine cones gradually turn brown and dry as the seeds ripen.  On developing pine trees, pine cones are visible to an observer, as the hang from the tree’s branches, not within the plant, and one can easily touch or remove the cones/seeds, as they are not encased by protective chambers.  

Countercurrent Exchange: Countercurrent exchange is the exchange of a substance or heat between two fluids flowing in opposing directions.  In the instance of the fish shown above, the blood within the fish’s gills flows in the opposite direction of the water passing over the gill; this is necessary because it helps maximize diffusion of oxygen into and carbon dioxide out of the blood, which is vital for survival because oxygen is necessary to carry out the fish’s bodily functions, but carbon dioxide, the waste product, can be hazardous if it cannot leave the body. 

Heterotroph: A heterotroph is a term used to describe any organism which eats other organisms (or substances derived from other organisms) in order to obtain organic materials.  The above picture of my dad demonstrates a heterotroph since the organism is eating food, derived from an external source/another organism, which contains chemicals and substances that will be chemically transformed in order to fulfill the needs of the organism and carry out life-essential tasks.  

Animal that has a segmented body: Animals with segmented bodies have figures which are divided into separate parts.  This ant above displays a segmented body because its body its visibly divided in distinct parts.  Ant bodies are divided into three main parts head, the thorax, and the abdomen.

Pollen:  Pollen is a powdery structure which consists of the male flower gametophyte of a seed plant, encased by a wall for protection.  Pollen is important because it is responsible for the reproduction of seed plants (which occurs during pollination: when the pollen is transported to the part of a seed plant which contains ovules), and it must be transported (by pollinators, wind, etc.) to other flowers.  On the picture above, the pollen can be seen on the paper towel in the shaded region.  

Pollinator: A pollinator assists in the process of pollination: the transfer of pollen to the part of the seed plant containing the ovules, which is required for fertilization. The bee pictured above lands on various plants, and in the process, gets pollen stuck to its body.  Then, when the bee travels to other plants, the pollen falls off and can pollinate flowers. 

Cuticle layer of a plant:  The cuticle layer of a plant is a waxy covering on the surface of stems and leaves of a plant to prevent desiccation (dryness) in terrestrial plants.  It contains polymers and wax.  The cuticle layer lies above the epidermis layer.  This adaptation for plants protects the plants from losing too much water, and also helps protect it from other organisms. Below, the leaves shown are shiny due to the waxy leaves.

Genetically Modified Organism: Genetically modified organisms are organisms whose genetic material has been changed through the use of genetic engineering, typically micro-organisms such as yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals.  Organisms may be genetically modified for economical/commercial reasons (typically seen in grocery store foods), or for scientific purposes.  Strawberries are a very common genetically modified organism, particularly in the winter when the climate is too cold for strawberries to grow to a big, profitable size, so genetically engineering them allows for companies to produce huge strawberries that customers will want to purchase, even when environmental conditions are not suitable.

C3 Plant:  A C3 Plant uses the Calvin Cycle for the initial steps to incorporate CO₂ into organic material (by utilizing the enzyme rubisco that adds carbon dioxide to ribulose biphosphate in the course of the Calvin Cycle) , in order to form a three-carbon compound as the first stable intermediate.  In hot, dry climate, however; these plants are at a disadvantage because the plant’s stomata remain closed, therefore they cannot obtain CO₂ as easily.  Thus, C3 plants are more likely to prosper in moderately cool temperatures, where there is plenty of carbon dioxide and water in the air.  Rice exemplifies a type of C3 plant since rice uses the Calvin Cycle for the primary steps of making organic molecules from CO₂ with the aid of the enzyme rubisco.

Spores: A spore is a haploid fungi which can produce sexually or asexually(asexual spores have the ability to develop into a new individual without fusion with another reproductive cell), and it produces mycelium after germination (the process in which seeds seeds/spores sprout and start to grow and develop.) Spores are produced by fungi, bacteria, and green plants.  Amongst fungi, spores serve a similar purpose to that of seeds in plants.  Mushrooms, as shown above, indicate fungal spores, which produce spores then release them and in order for them to grow into new organisms under adequate conditions (i.e. proper moisture, temperature, and food availability.)  The mushroom above will produce and release spores, which will then develop into a new being.

Homeostasis: Homeostasis is the state with which the body maintains a stable internal equilibrium in spite of changing external forces/conditions.  Eyeballs help many organisms maintain homeostasis because they dilate (expand) to allow more light to be absorbed (to create a better image) when there is little light available, and they constrict (to restrain too much light absorption, which can harm the eyes and other parts of the body) when there is too much light available.  Therefore, eyeballs (especially pupils) are essential for maintaining homeostasis because they ensure that the individual will always be absorbing adequate light without compromising vision.

Negative Feedback:  A negative feedback mechanism is a form for maintaining homeostasis in which accumulation of an end product of a process slows the process; therefore, the change in a stimulus initiates a response which counteracts the initial change.  The above picture depicts a girl drinking water in front of a Justin Bieber poster, which exemplifies a negative feedback mechanism.  As thirst increases (due to water/fluid loss needed for bodily processes), the organism is stimulated to drink more.  The intake of water replenishes the organism’s supply, and therefore will decrease the organism’s thirst.  In this scenario, the thirst leads to the onset of the first stimulus, and the accumulation of water through drinking counteracts the thirst by making the organism less thirsty and refueling their water supply.

 

Histamine: Histamine is a substance released by mast cells (a vertebrate body cell which produces histamine and other molecules that trigger inflammation due to infection and other allergic reactions) that causes blood vessels to dilate and become more permeable in inflammatory and allergic responses.  Salami is cured sausage (usually by means of salt), and is rich in histamine because when it is preserved and aged, using bacteria and yeasts, the HDC enzyme (which remains from the original organism which supplied the meat) remains, and carries out is job of converting histidine (an amino acid found within any food with a large amount of proteins) to histamine.  This process usually can take a long time; therefore foods that are aged are more likely to be histamine-rich because they have more time to convert the histidine to histamine, thus leading to accumulation, as seen in salami. 
 

Cephalization:  Cephalization is the evolutionary trend which entails the Central Nervous System (CNS) and other nervous tissue, which controls thinking, information processing, etc., being centralized in the head/front region of the organism.  By having nearly all of the perception/responses coordinated from one general area, the organism benefits because it allows for more rapid processing and recognition/reactions, which is useful in avoiding predators and capturing prey, ultimately necessary for survival.  The above picture shows a dog; this dog exemplifies an organism with a central nervous system for perception, information processing, etc. located near the front, head of the organism, as dogs have their brains in the skull (in the head), and the central nervous system centers around that and the spine.  

Epithelial Tissue:  Epithelial tissue is sheets of tightly packed cells that mainly line organs and body cavities, as well as external surfaces.  The primary functions of epithelial tissue include: protection, sensation, secretion, absorption, diffusion, and reducing friction.  Human skin is an example of epithelial tissue, and it is vital for protection of internal parts of the body, sensing external changes, secreting sweat, absorbing water and other nutrients, etc.  The outermost layer of skin is called Keratinized Stratified Squamos Epithelium Tissue, and is composed of tightly packed dead cells containing the protein keratin (which is also found in hair and fingernails.)

Tropism: Tropism is a growth response that results in the curvature of a whole plant’s organs towards or away from stimuli due to differential rates of cell elongation.  In the flower above, tropism is depicted because the whole plant is bent in order to absorb sunlight despite being covered by shade cast by the nearby fence and bush behind the fence.  Sunlight is essential to the plant for photosynthesis.

Long Day Plant:  Long day plants flower (usually in late spring or early summer) only when the light period is longer than a critical length.  Therefore, it is very rare for these plants to flower in fall/winter, when light is limited.  Lettuce is a type of a long day plant, as shown above.  

C4 Plant:  A C4 Plant is a plant in which the Calvin Cycle is preceded by reactions which incorporate CO₂ into a four-carbon compound, instead of the three-carbon compounds, the end result of which supplies CO₂ for the Calvin Cycle.  Crab grass is an example of a C4 plant, as pictured above. 

Adaptation of an animal:  Animals must adapt to various environmental conditions to ensure survival and chances of reproduction.  Birds have adapted in many ways.  Birds’ beaks exemplify a marvelous adaptation to their environments and food sources, as beak shapes must be adequate to obtain the proper food, hence why humming birds, for example, have thin, narrow beaks to safely obtain flower nectar.  Common birds in this area (mainly robins) tend to have wide, curved beaks in order to assist in getting worms, etc. from the ground.  The above pictures show birds (sorry, it was hard to get a good, close up picture of a bird’s beak so the first and last picture show a bird perched on a tree, while the second picture shows a bird flying in the sky.)

 

 

Lichen:  Lichen is the mutualistic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism.  In lichen, millions of photosynthetic cells are held in a mass of fungal hyphae (a connective filament tissue that collectively makes up the mycelium of a fungus.)  Lichen can grow in many places: rocks, trees, roofs, and many other areas.   The above picture depicts lichen because the fungus is growing on a tree, a photosynthetic organism. 

Mycorrhizae: Mycorrhiza is the mutualistic association of the roots of plants with fungus from the soil. The above picture depicts this because the tree shown has roots which are better able to absorb nutrients for life from the soil due to the fact that the fungi help maximize surface area for absorption, and in turn, the fungus receives carbon from the tree for physiological functions, growth, and development.

Stigma and Style of Carpel: A carpel is the ovule-producing reproductive organ of a flower, which consists of the stigma, style, and ovary.  The stigma is the part of the carpel which receives the pollen brought to the plant by pollinators (bees, insects, etc.), wind, etc.  The pollen will then proceed to germinate on the stigma, which has hairs, flaps, and many other advantageous adaptations to ensure the pollen is trapped.  From there, the tube-like structure (connecting the stigma and ovule in the picture), called the style, transports the gametes from the stigma to the ovule of the flower.   The “balls” protruding from the long tube from the center of the flower are the stigmas, while the tube itself is the style. 

Vestigial Structures:  Vestigial structures are structures that are a historical remnant of a structure that served a function in the organism’s ancestors.  Many monkeys (such as the Macaque monkey) have ears which have several well-developed muscles to allow for movement to better detect approaching predators.  However, humans and many other primates (for instance the orangutan and chimpanzee) still have these muscles noticeably, although they are barely developed and non-functional, therefore they serve no biological function in humans.  These muscles can be found under the skin, surrounding the cartilage that makes up the ear. 

Fermentation: Fermentation is a catabolic process which makes a limited supply of ATP from glucose (or other organic molecules) without an electron transport chain and that produces a characteristic end product, such as ethyl alcohol or lactic acid.  Yeast, the main ingredient in the bread pictured above, causing it to raise, ferments, thus resulting in the bread many people eat.  As the yeast ferments, carbon dioxide, alcohol, and other substances are released, therefore the bread raises.

ATP:  ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is an adenine-containing nucleoside triphosphate which releases free energy when its phosphate bonds are hydrolyzed.  This energy is then used to drive endergonic reactions in cells.  The above picture shows food, which contains chemical energy that gets released and partially captured by ADP to form ATP, energy that the body can actually use for processes.  Glucose, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins (which can be found in the foods individuals obtain, such as Cheez-It's) can all act as the fuel to begin the process to make ATP.