Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Final Reflection

DATE: Tuesday, May 10, 2016

TIME: 10:30 AM

WEATHER CONDITIONS: At the time of observation, it was approximately 75˚F outside. There was a 0% chance of precipitation throughout the day, and the sky was mostly cloudy with a few patches There were 30.20 in. of atmospheric pressure. The average humidity was 51%. The wind speed at the time of observation was around 5 mph.  

CHANGES: The tree has all of its leaves and has turned green. There are a few shed brown leaves scattered around the base of the trunk. 




REFLECTION:
We had our first tree blog in late September. At this time, my tree was full of dark green leaves and had a little patch of moss wrapping around the base of the trunk. It remained this way until October 22 when I noticed that the moss disappeared and the leaves began to grow lighter. Just four days later on October 26, the leaves first began to change color. They had yellow and orange highlights. Then in early November, many of the leaves began to shrink and then fall off. By November 17 all the leaves had completely fallen off and the tree remained barren until late March or early April. By this time, the tree's leaves turned into a beautiful, rich light green shade. Since then, the leaves have grown a little darker in color but the tree remains full. 
The purpose of the tree blog project was to connect the topics and ideas we were learning in class to an actual organism living on our campus that we could see physically show changes for ourselves. I learned so many things from this project, but mostly more about how trees and plants work. I loved learning about capillary action and water movement inside the trunk and branches of the tree because I had never gotten to study that before. I enjoyed getting to go more in-depth with the topics we learned about in class and explore certain things that we wouldn't otherwise have the chance to. Also, I think it helped me to better grasp the concepts because I could connect it to something that was actually living. 

SOURCES:

  • https://weather.com/weather/today/l/28036:4:US

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Photo Update 2




The tree is looking very green! It looks like it has all of its leaves back too!

Sunday, March 13, 2016

DNA

DATE: Saturday, February 6, 2016

TIME: 2:15 PM

WEATHER CONDITIONS: At the time of observation, it was approximately 70˚F outside. There was a 0% chance of precipitation throughout the day, and the sky was a clear blue without a cloud in the sky.There were 30.33 in. of atmospheric pressure. The average humidity was 46%. The wind speed at the time of observation was around 10 mph.  

CHANGES: There are little to no changes in the appearance of the tree. It still remains barren and lifeless.



RNAi: 
RNAi, or RNA interference, is a natural biological process of gene silencing. Through this process, cells are able to "turn off" specific genes that are harmful or unwanted to the cell. RNAi is able to literally kill the messengers that carry the instructions or blueprints to make the corresponding protein, therefore stopping any activity associated with this gene.  

GENETIC ENGINEERING:
  1. Genetic engineering in plants is when scientists purposely add a previously unknown gene of any organism to the plant's genome. Through this process, the DNA is removed from one organism and genes for specific traits are selected, extracted, and finally placed into another plant's genome. 
  2. Bacteria and Plasmids are involved in genetic engineering of plants because bacteria was one of the first organisms that could be genetically engineered. Bacteria all have plasmids, which are small, circular DNA molecules that replicate separately. In order to clone bacteria, scientists must obtain a piece of plasmid from the bacteria and insert DNA from another organism. 
  3. GMI or GMO labels signify that an organism or food product has been genetically modified. This means that the organism has acquired genes from another organism through artificial processes. 
  4. Soy and salmon are two examples of GM foods. Soy is modified to contain high levels of oleic acid, which is naturally found in olive oil. This means that the soy plants contain DNA from olives. Most salmon have the addition of a more active salmon growth hormone gene.
  5. Advantages of GM plants: crops present a higher yield, so they are therefore able to feed more people and support a larger population; they are more resistant to pests and diseases, they are more likely to survive in locations where the soil quality and climate are poor for growing plants
          Disadvantages of GM plants: modifying the plant's DNA can lead to unpredictable results, not labeling these products on the shelves of grocery stores as GM plants is deceiving to consumers 


SOURCES:
  • https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USNC0177:1:US
  • http://www.benitec.com/technology/what-is-rnai
  • http://www.liai.org/pages/rnai-at-a-glance
  • http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/education/summary.htm
  • Campbell Biology Pearson e-Text
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/builtlean/diet-and-nutrition_b_4323937.html
  • http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/23358.aspx

Saturday, February 6, 2016

MEIOSIS & PLANT REPRODUCTION




DATE: Saturday, February 6, 2016

TIME: 2:15 PM

WEATHER CONDITIONS: At the time of observation, it was approximately 48˚F outside. There was a 0% chance of precipitation throughout the day, and the sky was light blue with clouds sprinkled throughout.There were 30.35 in. of atmospheric pressure. The average humidity was 26%. The wind speed at the time of observation was around 5 mph.  

CHANGES: There are little to no changes in the appearance of the tree. It still remains barren and lifeless.

MEIOSIS: 



  1. Mitosis vs. Meiosis
Mitosis is the division of the cell's nucleus. The end result is the parent cell dividing into two daughter cells that contain identical genetic information. In mitosis, the homologs do not pair up. 
Meiosis is a type of cell division specific to reproduction. The parent cell divides twice, resulting in four daughter cells. Each of these cells only contain half of the genetic information in order to not have an overload of DNA, but this does result in the genetic information being different and randomized. In meiosis, the homologs pair up. 

PLANT REPRODUCTION:



  1. Pistil: the ovule producing part of a flower; the ovary often supports a long style that is topped with a stigma; this is a female part
  2. Stamen: the pollen producing part of a flower; usually has a thin filament supporting the anther; this is a male part
  3. Petals: the parts of a flower that are colored; serve as the flower's shield from the environment; helps attract or repel specific pollinators
  4. In flowering plant fertilization, a female gamete (the egg) joins with the male gamete (the sperm). After the carpel is pollinated, the pollen grain germinates and a pollen tube emerges and grows. The tube creates a path through the female tissue towards the ovary, and the pollen grain attaches itself to the stigma of the female reproductive structure. This causes the pollen tube to grow and eventually enter the ovule, which creates a micropyle. The micropyle bursts into the embryo sac, and the male gamete is able to enter. This begins the process of nuclear fission. In flowering plant pollination, pollen is moved from the stamen to the stigma. Stamens are a male part of a flower that produces the sticky powder called pollen. The pistil, the flower's female part, has a stigma at the top of it that is often sticky. Seeds are made in the ovule, which is at the base of the pistil. As long as the sticky powder (pollen) gets from where it's made in the stamen to the top of the stigma (its own stigma or a neighboring plant's), this plant is considered to be pollinated. 
  5. Alternation of generations is the alternation of sexual and asexual phases of reproduction. It is very common in lower level plants such as algae, fungi, and mosses. The sexual phase is called the gametophyte, and it produces the gametes, or a haploid set of chromosomes. The asexual phase, or sporophyte, produces a diploid set of chromosomes. 



RESOURCES:
  • http://chsweb.lr.k12.nj.us/psidelsky/plant_meiosis.htm
  • http://www.diffen.com/difference/Meiosis_vs_Mitosis
  • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/divi_text.html
  • http://www.amnh.org/learn/biodiversity_counts/ident_help/Parts_Plants/parts_of_flower.htm
  • http://biology.tutorvista.com/plant-kingdom/plant-fertilization.html
  • http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/pollination.html
  • http://www.britannica.com/science/alternation-of-generations

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

CELL CYCLE & PLANT CLONING




DATE: Monday, February 1, 2016

TIME: 12:30 PM

WEATHER CONDITIONS: At the time of observation, it was approximately 68˚F outside. There was a 0% chance of precipitation throughout the day, and the sky was cloudy and grey. There were 29.69 in. of atmospheric pressure. The average humidity was 86%. The wind speed at the exact time of observation was 3.2 mph.  

CHANGES: There are few changes in the appearance of the tree. It still remains barren and lifeless.

MITOSIS:
http://agron-www.agron.iastate.edu/Courses/Agron317/Cell_Div_Inhibitors.htm



1. Animal vs. Plant Cell Cycles
  • Animal: becomes rounded before cell division, multiple hormones begin the cell division process (a specific hormone is not known), centrosome is a key step, mitotic apparatus contains asters, cytokinesis occurs through cleavage, a small space is formed between two daughter cells
  • Plant: cell will not change shape prior to division, one specific hormone called cytokinin begins the cell division process, centrosome does not occur, mitotic apparatus does not contain asters, cytokinesis occurs through the formation of a cell plate, a solid middle lamella develops in between two daughter cells for permanent adhesion
  • Similarities: DNA is replicated during interphase, chromosomes formed in both during prophase, spindle fibers pull chromosomes apart during anaphase

 2. Plant Cloning
  • A clone is a cell or organism that is genetically identical to another cell or organism
  • Some purposes for cloning plants include: recreating a healthy, disease resistant plant, recreating a specific flower color, and exploring what occurs within a plant cell when certain proteins are altered
  • Some methods for cloning plants include: cutting, which involves cutting off a branch from the parent plant, removing its lower leaves, and planting the stem in a damp compost. Plant hormones are used to stimulate the growth of the new plant. 
RESOURCES:
  • http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KNCDAVID9&scrollTo=historyTable#history/s20160201/e20160201/mdaily
  • http://www.majordifferences.com/2013/08/difference-between-animal-cell-mitosis.html#.VrDTLBgrLR0
  • http://bsp.med.harvard.edu/node/17
  • http://www.unc.edu/depts/our/hhmi/hhmi-ft_learning_modules/proteinsmodule/cloning/importance.html
  • https://sites.google.com/site/plantcloningbio/home/what-is-the-purpose-of-plant-cloning
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel_pre_2011/genes/reproductionandcloningrev3.shtml

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

PLANT HORMONES




DATE: Monday, January 11, 2016

TIME: 12:30 PM

WEATHER CONDITIONS: At the time of observation, it was approximately 40.6˚F outside. There was a 0% chance of precipitation throughout the day, and it the sky was a clear blue with a few puffy, clouds. There was 30.18 in. of atmospheric pressure. The average humidity was 64%. The wind speed at the exact time of observation was 0.9 mph.  

CHANGES: The tree remains barren and lifeless. There are a few lone brown, crumpled leaves scattered among a few of the branches. There is nothing scattered around the base of the trunk.

HORMONE SIGNALING:
The hormone is signaled to be produced, and travels through the bloodstream until it is received by a specific target. The signaling molecule (the hormone) can only bind to a certain receptor. The received hormone signal is amplified through the signal transduction process, and its cellular response is released throughout the cell.

SECOND MESSENGERS:
Second messengers, such as cGMP and Ca2+ are the molecules that relay the signal from the receptor to the target cell.

TYPES OF PLANT RESPONSES:
1. Geotropism: the plant's growth response to gravity; plant stems grow up and the roots grow up
2. Phototropism: the plant's growth in response to light; it will either bend towards the light or away from it
3. Photoperiodism: the plant's growth response to the changing photoperiod, or the changes in the lengths between day and night that occurs when the seasons change. This determines the length of the plant. 

PLANT HORMONE HORMONES AND THEIR RESPONSES:
1. Auxins: regulates plant growth by causing the elongation of cells 
2. Gibberellins: another growth-promoting hormone that also deals with seed germination and leaf expansion
3. Cytokinins: associated with many plant activities such as mitosis and chloroplast development
4. Abscisic acid: helps the plant adapt to stress
5. Ethylene: encourages the ripening of fruits, opening of flowers, and shedding of leaves off of plants

RESOURCES:
  • http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KNCMOORE24&scrollTo=historyTable#history
  • https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Structural_Biochemistry/Cell_Signaling_Pathways/Hormonal_Signaling
  • http://www.thefreedictionary.com/geotropism
  • http://www.scienceclarified.com/Oi-Ph/Phototropism.html