For our AP biology summer assignment, we had to make a photo blog of biological compounds found in nature and everyday life! Scroll down to learn more.
Adaptation of an animal
My cat, Dusk has adapted to a life inside of a home. Instead of hunting for food like his ancestors did, he is fed from humans. He also has a place to confide in, sleep in, and live in, without going far outside of his territory.
2. Adaptation of a plant
Flowers are cut for economical profit. They are grown, then chopped to be bought at a store. Flowers first had to grow with a stem and from the ground, to adapt to live in water for a certain amount of time until they die.
3. Altruistic behavior
Altruism is when others benefit from one's sacrifices. Ants are an example of this because they devote their life to the queen's satisfaction, doing everything in their abilities to work for the queen of the colony.
4. Animal with segmented body
Earthworms are segmented worms because their bodies are separated into units, each with its own set of muscles and organs, composed of a head, middle, and tail region.
5. Anther and Filament of Stamen
The Stamen is made up of anther and filament, the anther producing pollen, and the filament holding the anther up. The stamen produces pollen and the filament develops the pollen.
6. Asexual reproduction
Strawberry plants produce asexually through their stolons, which grows out across the ground, attempting to grow roots into the soil. The plant itself creates new daughter plants, which grow strawberries and functions the same as the parent plants.
7. ATP
ATP is an energy molecule found in all living organisms. During exercise, your body requires energy to keep your muscles in motion. The source of the chemical energy is the energy molecule ATP.
8. Autotrophs
Autotrophs produces their own means to survive, like food, energy, using the resources around them. Hydrangeas are an example of an autotroph because it uses photosynthesis to produce it's own food.
9. Basidiomycetes
Basidiomycetes are a type of fungi that are the most advanced form of fungi, and have a distinct composition of cells. Bracket fungi belongs to the Phylum Basidiomycota.
10. Bilateral symmetry
Bilateral symmetry is when divided, there are two symmetrical halves. If you place a line down the middle of a cat, you will see that the two sides are symmetrical.
11. C3 plant
Rice uses the C3 photosynthetic pathway, where crops are grown often in hot and dry environments. The first carbon compound contains three carbon atoms that are produced during photosynthesis.
12. C4 plant
The C4 plants require more additional resources and energy than C3 photosynthesis. Corn is an example of C4 photosynthesis because they are typically grown in a cooler climate than C3 plants, in the regions of tropical grasslands and Savannahs. C4 plants avoid photorespiration by using PEP (an enzyme) during the first step of carbon fixation.
13. CAM plant
CAM plants are plants which fix carbon dioxide by the CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) pathway, adapted to minimize water loss and photorespiration. These plants are found in dry and arid environments. Pineapple is an example of this because it uses a CAM pathway during photosynthesis.
14. Cellular respiration
Cellular respiration is the metabolic reactions that a cell uses to produce energy from food molecules. Glucose can be used in the process of cellular respiration of bees to produce ATP for energy. Honey is composed of glucose and other sugar compounds, like fructose.
15. Commensalism
Commensalism is a relationship where one benefits and the other nether benefits nor is harmed. A birds nest in a tree is an example of this because the birds are benefitted by resting in the next on the tree, while the tree is not harmed by the next resting on it.
16. Connective tissue
Connective tissue is tissue that protects and gives structure to other organs and tissues in the body. It is made up of cells, fibers, and bones, fat, and cartilage are all examples of connective tissue. In your hand, you have different parts of connective tissue, like your fingers, which are composed up of bones. Without these connective tissues, your hand and body wouldn't be able to function because it gives it the support it needs to move properly.
17. Cuticle layer
A cuticle layer is the outermost layer of plants that covers the stems, leaves, and more. It protects the plant against extreme environment pressures, like drought, and it limits water to transport across the apoplast to protect the plant.
18. Dominant v. Recessive Phenotype
Blue eyes are an example of a Recessive Phenotype, as they can get overshadowed by the dominant eye phenotype, brown eyes. If two people with blue eyes produce offspring, there is a 100% chance of the offspring having blue eyes.
19. Enzyme
Enzymes are used to break down substances in the body. Lactaid, is an enzyme supplement for lactase, an enzyme that helps break down lactose, the sugar found in dairy. People who are lactose intolerant don't make enough lactase to break down this sugar, so using an enzyme supplement like lactiad gives the correct amount of lactase to break down the lactose in the body.
20. Homologous structure
Homologous structures are similar features found in organisms that have shared a common ancestor. Examples of these structures can be arms in Humans, limbs of cats, wings of a bat.
21. Heterotroph
Heterotrophs are organisms that derive its nutrition from organic substances, and occupy the second and third levels of a food chain. A bird is an example of a heterotroph because they depend on food from other organisms.
22. Hydrophilic
A hydrophilic substance is "water-loving," which means it is dissolvable in water. Salt is an example of this because it mixes in with water.
23. Hydrophobic
Hydrophobic substances are "water-hating," as they aren't dissolved in water, and keep separated from it. Oil is a hydrophobic substance as it cannot dissolve or mix in water.
24. Pollen
Pollen is essential for sexual reproduction of flowering plants. Each grain contains male gametes, which is necessary for fertilisation. The part of flowering plants is the stamen. The pollen in the image is pecan tree pollen, which is very allergenic and drops from pecan trees.
25. Unicellular organism
Unicellular organisms are composed up of one cell. Yeats have a cell wall, composed of chitin and posses a nucleus and other organelles. While yeasts live in multicellular colonies, the yeast itself is made up of one cell, making it unicellular.