Journal

Yesterday, I took a while on my way to dragon boat practice to really take in all of my surroundings. I think I really take for granted how beautiful Vancouver really is; there's all sorts of plants, animals and scenery that can't be observed anywhere else. 

On my walk to the skytrain station, I found myself walking on a field of green grass...

• I saw green grass and clovers.. since they're green I believe that makes them producers, since they undergo photosynthesis, and are food to many other organisms. 

• I saw those white daisies.. they're flowering plants, making them angiosperms, and also producers. 

Once I got to false creek I saw...

• Algae growing in the water. Algae are also producers considering they are food for many marine animals!

• We also saw a bunch of seals in the creek when we were out on the water, but unfortunately I couldn't take a picture. Seals are consumers.

I also spotted some...

• trees.. which are also producers, as well as the long grass growing on the rocks near the shore. 

Marijuana grow-ops are common occurrences in our daily news. In an article published by BBC News, we learn about a grow-op bust in Wickford. Approximately 300 plants were found, and a 51 year old woman and a 56 year old man were arrested. 

30 May 2012

Cannabis found at Wickford house after tip-off

Cannabis was found drying in an outhouse at the address in Wickford

Two people have been arrested after a police raid in Essex uncovered 400 cannabis plants.

Police went to a house in Arterial Road, Wickford, on Tuesday after a call from a member of the public that cannabis may be growing there.

An outbuilding equipped with fans and hydroponics contained about 300 plants while another had more plants. A third building contained a drying room.

A woman aged 51 and a man aged 56 were arrested.

The woman is being questioned on suspicion of production of cannabis and abstraction of electricity.

The man was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis with intent to supply and was released on police bail until 8 August.

A firearm was also found and seized along with the drugs.

BBC News 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-18261714

Ecological Pyramids

Pyramids of Energy represent energy relationships among trophic levels. A pyramid of energy demonstrates the total amount of incoming energy at eash successive level. 


                                     Pyramid of Energy

In the diagram, the producers are consume the least amount of energy. Primary consumers are also known as first-order consumers. Primary consumers are mainly herbivores. Secondary consumers, or second-order consumers are primary carnivores. Third order consumers, or Tertiary Consumers are seconary carnivores. 

Producers, Consumers and Decomposers

 In every ecosystem, organisms take on the roles of producers, consumers and decomposers. 


Producers are photosynthetic organisms that make their own food from inorganic substances. This includes all of the green plants we have been studying that undergo photosynthesis, such as trees, ferns, moss... 


Animals fall into the Consumer category, as they get their energy from the producers. There are many different levels of consumers, depending on the food they consume for their energy. All of the animals, such as frogs, bugs, humans... they are all consumers.


Decomposers are organisms that get their energy from dead organic matter. Bacteria and Fungi are common decomposers.

Ecological Succession

In this diagram, we see how the life develops and grows in an area that began as exposed rocks. The Lichens and Mosses are the pioneer species, as they were the first to colonize in the area. This sparks development and soon we go from grasses, herbs and shrubs to the pine, spruce and birch trees found in the climax community.

Ecological Succession is a process where an existing community of organisms is replaced by a new community over long periods of time. Many times, succession occurs in places where no living things have existed before. The first organisms to colonize in a certain area are known as pioneer species. Lichens are typical pioneers. Eventually, succession leads to a stable group of organisms known as a climax community.

Since all of the land plants we are studying have evolved from plants in marine environments, such as algae, they have many adaptations that allow them to survive outside of the water. 

Moss only require water for fertilzation in order to survive.

Ferns need water to fertilization, but also have specialized tissues, leaves and roots. 

Conifers and Flowering Plants (angiosperms) no longer need water for fertilization, but utilize different methods such as pollination. They also have advanced specialized tissues. 

All of these characteristics are what permits these plants to survive on land.

Transition From Water to Land

Plant Group	Mosses	Ferns	Conifers	Flowering Plants
Stiff support tissue	absent	present	advanced	advanced
Conducting Tissue	absent	present	advanced	advanced
True leaves, stems, and roots	absent	present	advanced	advanced
Pollen	absent	absent	present	present
Seeds	absent	absent	exposed on scale	enclosed in fruit
Flowers and fruits	absent	absent	absent	present
Water required for fertilization	yes	yes	no	no

Angiosperms


Angiosperms are flowering plants. Reproduction is always sexual, and involves a process called pollination. Unlike gymnosperms, angiosperms have seeds that are protected with an outer wall, that develop into structures called fruit. There are over a quarter of a million species of angiosperms all around the world. Angiosperms have evolved specialized tissues that permits them to live through extreme heat, cold and long periods of drought.


There are two types of angiosperms:


Monocots

• Have one seed leaf
• Veins lie parallel to one another
• Petals and flower parts are found in multiples of three
• Have vascular bundles throughout the stem composed of xylem and 
  phloem tissues
  
  
  

  Monocot

Here we have a Monocot Angiosperm. You can tell that it's a monocot because it has 6 petals, which is a multiple of 3.

Dicots

• Have two seed leaves
• Veins lie in a branching network
• Petals and flower parts are found in multiples of four or five
• Have vascular bundles arranged in a ring near the outside of the stem composed of xylem and 
  phloem tissues

                   Dicot

Here we have a Dicot Angiosperm. You can tell that it's a dicot because it has five petals.

Alternation of Generations

This is a diagram explaining how angiosperms reproduce through alternation of generations. Compared to all of the plants we've looked at before, angiosperms spend the least amount of time in the haploid stage. We are accustomed to seeing angiosperms in the diploid stage with all of the beautiful flowers that blossom during the spring.

 Corn, wheat, lilies, daffodils, orchids, and palms are specimens that are Monocots. Roses, clover, tomatoes, oaks, and daisies are specimens that are Dicots.

Similar to gymnosperms, angiosperms also have many contributing assets that aid in survival in a land environment. 

The flower is essential for reproduction, as it is where pollination takes place. It is easy for angiosperms to reproduce on land because water is no longer essential; pollinators are. 

Pollen, fruit, roots, stems, leaves, and vascular tissues aid life on land in the same way as gymnosperms. Also, enclosed seeds permit these plants to survive harsh conditions, and to only start growing once conditions are ideal.

Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms are the oldest surviving seed plants. There are three classes, the Cycadae, Ginkgoae, and Confierae. Plants in these classes produce Scales. Scales are specialized male and female reproductive structures evolved from a number of leaves bunched together to form cones. Male cones produce pollen, male gametophytes. Female cones produce eggs, female gametophytes. During reproduction, the females cones hold the seeds that develop on their scales.


The name Gymnosperm, gymno meaning naked and sperm meaning seed, comes from the fact that their seeds sit "naked" on the scales.

                                                                     Cone

Here we have a cone that we observed in class. 

Here is a diagram of the reproduction of gymnosperms via alternation of generations. The process is similar to the life cycle of ferns, however gymnosperms spend even less time in the haploid stage. In the diagram above, after meiosis, the blue section is the haploid generation, and the pink section is the diploid generation.

There are many factors that contribute in helping gymnosperms survive in a land environment:

Roots:
Absorb water and nutrients from moist soil, anchor plants in the ground and prevent the wind and rain to knock the plants over from their upright position.

Stems:
Hold plant's leaves up so that they can absorb the sun's rays.

Leaves:
Are a plant's means of absorbing energy- essential for photosynthesis. Leaves also protect against water loss to dry air with their waxy coating called the cuticle.

Seeds:
Structures that protect the zygotes of seed plants. Contain plant embryos. A seed coat surrounds the embryos and makes sure that the food supply does not dry out. Seeds can survive harsh conditions, therefore it allows seed plants to survive and grow their population where mosses and ferns cannot. Once conditions are favorable again, the seeds begin to grow.

Pollen:
Pollen grains contain the entire male gametophyte of seed plants. Pollen grains are transported by wind, insects, and birds to female gametophytes in a process called pollination.

Vascular Tissue:
Makes up the two-way plumbing system found in plants. It consists of xylem and phloem, two different kinds of specialized vascular tissue.

• Xylem carries water and dissolved nutrients to leaves and stems from the roots. Xylem has thick cell walls, and strengthen wood parts of trees.

• Phloem transports the products of photosynthesis throughout the plant's body. Phloem cells carry their contents up and down. 

Ferns

Ferns, members of phylum Tracheophyta, are "true" land plants because their survival is not dependent on wet environments. Tracheophytes have specialized vascular tissues that transport water and the products of photosynthesis throughout the plant. Xylem, associated with the movement of water, and Phloem, responsible for transporting nutrients, are the two types of vascular tissue. 

Ferns have true vascular tissues, strong roots, underground stems called rhizomes, and Fronds, which are large leaves. Ferns are most abundant in moist, wet habitats.  
                       
                                      Preserved Fern Leaf

Here we have a picture through the lens of a microscope of a preserved fern leaf 

Here we have a general diagram of Alternation of Generation reproduction. It shows how haploid cells and diploid cells go through reproductive processes and combine to complete the life cycles of many land plants.

Here, more specifically, we have the life cycle of a Fern, which reproduces via alternation of generations. Ferns spend the majority of its life in Diploid form, the sporophyte generation, which we recognize as trees.

Ferns also have a special cell, Tracheid. These cells carry water from the roots underground to the leaves in the air. As you may have noticed, plants in phylum Tracheophyta are named after this unique cell. This is a feature that enabled Ferns to adapt to a land environment, much different to their algae ancestors living in marine environments.

Mosses

Phylum Bryophyta consists of mosses, liverworts and hornworts. Bryophytes have life cycles that involve an alternation of generations between a haploid gametophyte and a diploid sporophyte. Reproduction is dependent on water. Therefore, mosses can only survive in wet areas. Bryophytes do not have water conducting tubes, water passes from cell to cell by osmosis. They also lack a protective surface to keep water from evaporating from their cells. Also, mosses do not have true roots.


                                                 Moss 

Two different types of moss

                                           Sporophytes

Moss with very obvious sporophytes 

Moss Life Cycle

This is a diagram of the life cycle of a Moss. They reproduce via alternation of generations. They begin as spores, and develop into sex organs (haploids). The sex organs fertilize each other to form an embryo. This eventually produces a mature sporophyte (diploid). Then, once spores are released, the cycle begins once again. This process will be seen in most of the different types of life cycles we will be looking at.

http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/moss.html 
Above is a link to an awesome animation that explains the life cycle of a Moss more in detail.






Also, Moss have been able to adapt to a land environment because of their unique reproductive structures. The Antheridium and Archegonium, moss reproductive structures, protect games from drying out, giving the eggs of mosses a better chance at survival during dry, land conditions.

Algae

Algae are photosynthetic organisms that must live in or near a source of water. Unlike land plants, most algae lack an internal system. That means that they don't have tubes to transport water and materials from one part of the plant to another.Most algae are multicellular, however they can be unicellular, therefore, come in a great variety of sizes. The cells of algae have a cell wall.

Chlorophyta- Green Algae

Green algae are found in moist areas on land and in fresh water. Multicellular green algae contain cellulose in their cell walls, and store food in the form of starch, similar to land plants.

Green Algae Spirogyra
This is a picture through a microscope of a preserved specimen.

Ulva 

Ulva is a bright green multicellular marine alga also known as "sea lettuce." Ulva is found along rocky seacoasts. Ulva plants are only two cells thick.

Algae are food for most of oceanic life. They are known as the grasses of the seas. Algae also provides homes and habitats for marine animals. Life would not be the same without algae, because they produce a big part of Earth's free oxygen through photosynthesis. Algae is also used for human food products, all well as laboratory experiments. 

What is a plant? 

Kingdom Plantae includes multicellular, autotrophic organisms. Plants have a basic metabolism, the ability to sexually reproduce, the ability to respond to the environment, diversity and evolution just like other organisms in other kingdoms.However, plants are the primary producers in food webs and oxygenation of the atmosphere.

Plants are everywhere. They are not only beautiful to observe, plants replenish our supply of oxygen, which they give off during photosynthesis, and give off water, which lowers the temperature of the air. Plants are the food source of many other living things, and are what makes life on our planet possible for other organisms.