first BIOL 111 Easton group iNaturalist project's Boletim

Common Greenshield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata, is a foliose lichen that grows on the bark of trees and sometimes on the surface of rocks. It is composed of a fungus and green algae. Some rough patches on the leaves of lichen are the reproductive areas. The unique adaptation of the rough patches is that they are actually composed of tiny bumps that release powder spores of algae cells wrapped in fungal hyphae. Whenever wind brushes the surface of the bumps, the spores are released. This means that lichen reproduces asexually.

Yarrows (Achillea millefolium) are common weeds from the Asteraceae family. They typically grow in temperate regions in North America, and inhabit the phylogenetic tree of the Genus Achillea. One unique adaptation of yarrows is their thick stem cuticle and vast root system which allows them to grow in poor soil, low in nutrients.

An adaptation of most weeds is that they have extreme fire and drought resistance, which allows them to persevere in rough areas that are free of competitors.

Balsam fir, Albies balsamea, is in the plantae kingdom and the pinaceae family of coniferous trees. The genus albies is an indicator of their height because in Latin it means "to rise". The group of Balsam fir I observed were all tall with thin branches and needles. The smaller surface area of the needles of coniferous trees means that they have fewer stomata and can therefore retain more water. A unique adaptation of the Balsam fir is that they grow tall and straight to conserve energy.

The prickly sow thistle or the spiny sow thistle, is known as Sonchus asper and is descended from the subfamily Cichorioideae, which evolved from Eudicots, which come from Angiosperms (flowering plants). Angiosperms come from the larger family of plants, which are descended from eukaryotes, one of the domains of all life.

One unique adaptation of the prickly sow thistle and many other thistles is the prickles on the leaves. These prevent the plant from being eaten by herbivores (since they are painful to eat) and therefore increase survival.

An adaptation that all angiosperms have in common is seeds, which allow the plant to reproduce without creating competition with the parent plant. They are blown by wind, carried by water or animals and therefore naturally make their way away from the original plant, increasing the likelihood of survival for the entire species.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/evolution-of-seed-plants/