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Biology Collection Terms & Photos #120
#1. The prickles on this rose stem are an
#1 example of an Adaptation of a Plant.
These sharp spikes on the plant
discourage small creatures, such as
rodents or birds, from climbing up or
gripping the stem, preventing the flower
or other parts of the plant from being
eaten. The leaves of the rose also have a
uniform covering of tiny prickles on their
underside. In addition to offering
protection from browsing animals, rose thorns can also provide grip for climbing other
plants and prevent soil erosion.
#2. Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down polysaccharides into smaller tri and
disaccharides, such as sucrose and maltose, which are converted by other enzymes to
glucose, used in respiration to power the cells and processes of an organism. There are
three main types of amylase: alpha, beta, and gamma. αamylase, a major human
digestive enzyme found in saliva and the pancreas, can only function in the presence of
calcium. αamylase can break bonds anywhere on carbohydrate chain, so it is usually
faster acting than β or γamylase. βamylase is primarily found in plants, and is
responsible for the sweetening of fruit as it ripens. γamylase, unlike α and β, is effective
in acidic environments and has an optimum pH of 3.
#3. An Angiosperm is a flowering plant
#3
in which seeds are produced and in an
ovary, which is located at the base of the
stigma where the petals converge. Contrary
to gymnosperms, in which the seeds are
unprotected, the ovary provides protection
for the seeds until fertilized by pollen from
the stamen of the same or another plant.
Angiosperms comprise the majority of land
plants, from wheat and apples to bamboo and palm trees, from forgetmenots to lilies
(pictured).
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Biology Collection 1 Charlie Wetherbee
#4. The majority of Animals with Segmented Bodies are annelids (e.g. earthworms,
leeches) and arthropods (spiders, scorpions, insects, centipedes.) Some of these species,
such as spiders, ants, crabs, and shrimp have two or threepart bodies, composed of
head, thorax, and abdomen, while others, like centipedes and earthworms, have many
identical segments, with a distinct head and end section. The head may contain eyes,
pincers, or antennae, and is the oldest section of the animal, while the segment just
before the end is the newest. This is where the growth of the animal occurs.
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Biology Collection 1 Charlie Wetherbee
#5. The Anther and Filament make up the stamen, the male, pollenproducing area of
an angiosperm. In the tiger lily pictured at right, there are six pale orange filaments from
which hang the anthers, brown and heavily laden with
pollen. Compared to most other species, the tiger lily has
very long filaments. Other plants have many more, shorter
filaments with much smaller anthers, and whose stamens
are surrounded by petals for protection. The stamens of
the tiger lily, however, lie unprotected, increasing the
probability of being pollinated at the risk of being eaten or
damaged more easily. This particular individual benefited
from its long stamens; although it had already gone to seed
before I observed it, numerous bees and insects still
brushed the anthers while hovered around the bright
#5
orange flower.
#6. Arthropods are a large, highly successful group of small animals and insects with
segmented bodies, jointed appendages, and hard exoskeletons. With approximately two
thirds of all known species being members of the phylum arthropoda, it is estimated that
there are about 1018, or one quintillion, arthropods currently living across the globe.
Arthropods are the most populous, most diverse, and most widely distributed of all
#5
animal groups, making them the most successful phylum in the animal kingdom
(Campbell 684). Arthropods can be divided into four subphyla: cheliceriforms,
myriapods, hexapods, and crustaceans. Cheliceriforms are named for their clawlike
feeders, have simple eyes, and lack antennae. Spiders, ticks, mites, and horseshoe crabs
are members of this group. Centipedes and millipedes are myriapods, characterized by
their long, segmented bodies, antennae, and jawlike mandibles, while hexapods include
insects and their relatives, encompassing more species than all other living organisms
combined. Finally, crustaceans, including barnacles, shrimp, crabs, and krill, have two
pairs of antennae, numerous appendages, and are primarily marine creatures; some of
the larger crustaceans have gills.
#7. An Autotroph is an organism that
#7 receives its energy from inorganic
sources. Most plants, with the exception
of meateaters like the Venus flytrap and
pitcher plant, are autotrophs, as are many
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Biology Collection 1 Charlie Wetherbee
species of bacteria. Most autotrophs gain energy by converting energy in the form of
sunlight to glucose through the process of photosynthesis; however, some organisms,
such as those found around deepsea vents or other harsh environments, can get energy
from other inorganic sources. This rose converts sunlight to glucose in its leaves through
photosynthesis, and converts that glucose to energy for its life processes through cell
respiration.
#8. The Basidiomyocetes are approximately 30,000 species that include mushrooms,
shelf fungi, and puffballs, as well as parasitic rusts and smuts. The phylum Basidiomycota
gets its name from basidium, a sporeproducing
structure on these species which drops the spore
upon reaching maturity. The structures resemble a
club, lending the name “club fungi” to species of this
phylum. Basidiomyocetes are an important part of
decomposition, helping break down wood and other
plant material even after the plant is dead.
#9. The cell walls of the cells of this dahlia flower are
composed of Cellulose, the most common organic
compound on earth. Celluloseunit formula C6H10O5
makes up about a third of all plant matter, including
90% of cotton and half of wood. Termites, as well as
multistomached animals like sheep and cattle, are
able to digest cellulose with the help of
#9
microorganisms in their digestive tracts; humans, however, gain no nutritional value
from the dietary fiber, as cellulose is referred to on nutrition labels, except for its ability
to act as a bulking agent for waste products.
#10. A Cnidarian is one of around 9,000 species of marine creatures whose unique
feature is the cnidocyte, a venomous cell that helps the animals defend themselves and
attack prey. Cnidarians include corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish, and are composed
mainly of nonliving jelly substance, with living tissues layered around the jelly.
Cnidocytes often dangle from behind the main body of the animal with the purpose of
stinging prey or warding off predators. Some cnidarians can swim, while others are
sessile, or unable to move under their own power.
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Biology Collection 1 Charlie Wetherbee
#11. These spruce needles are an example #11
of a Conifer Leaf. Conifer leaves are very
thin and have little surface area,
adaptations that suit their climate; many
conifers are found where winters are very
cold, so the needles shed snow and are
covered with a waxy coating to prevent
precious liquid water from escaping into
the atmosphere. In addition, the spiky
leaves discourage animals from eating or perching upon the tree’s branches.
#12. Commensalism is a type of symbiosis in which one species benefits while the other
neither benefits or is harmedfor example, a bird nesting in the branch of a tree. The
bird uses the tree for shelter, but the tree is unaffected. This is an example of one of three
types of commensalism, Inquilinism, in which one organism uses another for housing.
Mites on an insect and a beetle on a bird are examples of Phoresy, when one organism
attaches to another solely for the purpose of transportation. Finally, Metabiosis occurs
when one organism uses some part of another organism after that organism has died.
For instance, when a sea snail or conch dies, its shell might be taken up for use by a
hermit crab. Some biologists argue that no relationship is truly commensalistic; a host
organism might be slightly impeded by the addition of the benefiting one, or less fit to
carry out its life processes, but the effect on the host organism is negligible and certainly
not unbalanced enough to render the relationship parasitic.
#13. Ethylene, or C2H4, acts as a hormone in plants, regulating the ripening of fruit, the
opening of flowers, and the loss of leaves during
the fall months. The chemical is produced #13
almost everywhere in a plant, from roots to
leaves, flowers to seedlings. The presence of
ethylene can, for example, cause plant roots to
power through or navigate around an obstacle in
the soil, lose leaves, or stimulate seed
germination. This lemon is ripening in the
presence of ethylene; fruit ripening is one of
ethylene’s most common uses. Fruit that is
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Biology Collection 1 Charlie Wetherbee
picked green is shipped and then gassed upon arrival with ethylene, causing it to ripen
as it hits the store shelves.
#14. A Eukaryote is an organism whose cells contain more complex structures than
those of prokaryotes. Large organisms like plants, animals, and fungi are eukaryotes, as
well as protests, while bacteria are primarily prokaryotes, as they lack a nucleus and
other structures. Cell division in eukaryotes is more complex than prokaryotes; in
meiosis, each cell donates half the genetic information required to form a new cell and
combine to make a full set, while in mitosis the DNA is replicated and two identical
offspring result from one parent cell. In addition to the nucleus, eukaryotic cells contain
Golgi apparatuses, lysosomes, an endoplasmic reticulum, and ribosomes, which are
lacking in prokaryotic cells.
#15. This arthropod, a member of the order Opiliones in the class Arachnida, exhibits a
characteristic Exoskeleton, which all
arthropods possess. Exoskeletons range
from the strong, hard shell of a crab or
tortoise to the barely visible body of an
insect or mite. The exoskeletons of
arthropods are made of Chitin, a tough
carbohydrate, while fish and turtles may
#15 have exoskeletons of bone or cartilage.
Shells of mollusks and some others are
made of calcium carbonate. Some species
can expand their skeletons when they grow, while others are forced to molt and form a
new exoskeleton.
#16. Fermentation is a process that produces small amounts of energy by breaking
down pyruvate into lactic acid. This process can be
performed in aerobic as well as anaerobic conditions;
however, because it is partially oxidized, it produces
far fewer ATP molecules to pass on to the Krebs cycle
than does cellular respiration. In addition,
#17
fermentation can only last a few minutes at most
before lactic acid buildup causes the reverse reaction
to occur, rendering fermentation ineffective at
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producing significant quantities of ATP for even a few minutes. The advantage of
fermentation occurs in the few seconds to a minute after starting an activity, when the
flow of oxygen has not yet begun to reach the cells. Fermentation briefly satisfies the
body’s energy needs at the expense of causing a lactic acid buildup, which results in
muscle soreness.
#17. The picture at left shows a Flower Ovary after the plant has gone to seed. When
this flower was blooming a few weeks previously, the pollen carried to the flower by
various insects was deposited on the stigma and transported down to the middle of the
ovary, now the only part of the flower remaining atop the stem. Here the haploid cells of
pollen and egg combine to form a diploid zygote, the seed that will grow anew and
bloom next year after this individual dies back in the fall.
#18. Gastropods are characterized by an open circulatory system and bodies that are
largely muscle and flesh with no limbs. To move about, land gastropods contract their
bodies to slide to their destination, often excreting lubricant to make movement easier.
Some gastropods, such as snails, abalone, and conches, reside in a shell, while shellless
creatures are generally referred to as slugs. Gastropods comprise the largest class in the
phylum Mollusca, and are distributed across the globe, in seas, lakes, estuaries, and most
temperate land.
#19. This type of Gymnosperm Cone, nicknamed “Widowmaker” for its potential to kill
a person standing under it when it falls, comes from a Ponderosa Pine tree in the Sierras.
A large female cone, its tips were covered with green pollen from the miniscule male
cones found at the end of each branch, surrounded by needles. The cones have adapted
to open during dry weather, which is most of the year, and close during the wetter
winters. This ensures that the seeds are dropped in dry conditions, during which a tree
is more likely to successfully take root and grow than during a muddy winter.
#20. Gibberellins (GAs) are chemicals that #19
regulate plant growth and processes, such as
flowering, germination, and dormancy. After
WWII researchers experimented with artificially
adding GAs to crops, resulting in seedless
grapes and other hormones that allowed people
to further alter our crops. GAs tell seedlings
when to germinate and when to begin
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Biology Collection 1 Charlie Wetherbee
hydrolysis, as well as spurring growth.
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