Plants - BIOL111 Friday Section 4's Boletim

26 de setembro de 2020

Journal Entry 1 - Lucy (BIOL111 Section 4)

The species that I've chosen to locate on a phylogenetic tree is commonly known as goldenrods, belonging to the genus Solidago. This genus comprises around 100-120 species of flowering plants and belongs to the Asteraceae family. Species belonging to the genus Solidago generally grow from 2cm to 2.5m in height, have small heads with yellow pistillate ray florets, and perfect disc florets (Semple, 2020). The following characteristics matched the goldenrods I captured and thus I was able to properly identify my observation.

One adaptation that all observed species in my group project have in common is the apical meristem. This tissue is the growth region in plants that is found within the root tips as well as the tips of new shoots and leaves. The following adaptation is essential in triggering the growth of new cells in young seedlings through the process of rapid cell division (Libretexts, 2020).

A unique adaption of one of my observations is the broad-winged thistle's ability to thrive in lands that are disturbed by humans. Many native thistles are early successional disturbance-adapted species, meaning that the disturbance of ecosystems by humans benefits their reproduction (Eckberg, 2017). Disturbances create open spaces where the plant's seedlings germinate and grow more readily than in dense grass covers. For instance, fires create open habitats for thistles by preventing invasion and overgrowth of shrubs and trees (Eckberg, 2017).

References
Eckberg, J. (2017). Native Thistles [PDF]. Xerces Society.
Libretexts. (2020, August 15). 25.1E: Structural Adaptations for Land in Seedless Plants. Retrieved from https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book:General_Biology(Boundless)/25:_Seedless_Plants/25.1:_Early_Plant_Life/25.1E:_Structural_Adaptations_for_Land_in_Seedless_Plants
Semple, J. (2020, July 22). Solidago. Retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/research/goldenrods

Posted on 26 de setembro de 2020, 09:44 PM by lucygeng lucygeng | 1 comentário | Deixar um comentário

25 de setembro de 2020

Runhao Deng Journal Entry

I had identified a flower, which initially could be identified as part of the Verbena genus, part of the Verbenaceae family, where it is native to the Americas. The flowers were visually similar to that of the Verbena bonariensis. After further research, I was able to confirm that these flowers were indeed Verbena bonariensis, by identifying the square stems and the presence of stiff trichomes (stem hairs). This also does make sense, given that the Verbena bonariensis had been reported in the Calgary area.

The stiff stem hairs on the Verbena bonariensis is an adaptation which likely benefits the species by increasing area on the stem of the plant, which can help to stabilize tissue temperature. These hairs also play a role in breaking the wind so that it can remain rooted in the ground. (http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artmar00/hairs.html)

A common adaptation between all the observations is the ability to photosynthesize, through the use of chloroplasts which hold the pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll allows for the observed plants to transform sunlight and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar molecules. This allows for the plants to have consistent and regular access to nutrients, other than those underground.

Posted on 25 de setembro de 2020, 10:55 PM by runhaodeng runhaodeng | 1 comentário | Deixar um comentário

AJ He Journal Entry

I identified a plant that seems to belong to Galinsoga, a genus of flowering plants primarily native to South and North America. After further investigation , the presence of hispid hairs on its leaves, and the serrated leaf edges, suggests that this plant is the species Shaggy Soldier (Galinsoga quadriradiata), which corroborates with other iNaturalist users who also identified Shaggy Soldiers in similar areas in Montreal.

The hispid hairs present on the Shaggy Soldier is a remarkable adaptation. Whilst others may exist, one likely advantage to this adaptation is that the presence of these hairs may be a means of interfering and discouraging insects and other herbivores from feeding on Shaggy Soldiers.

An adaptation common to all plants in this project includes the apical meristem tissue present at the tips of the roots and shoots . The meristem contains totipotent stem cells that can differentiate into root or shoot tissue, thereby giving rise to specialised plant tissues (eg leaves, flowers) and allowing shoots to elongate and therefore allowing plants to grow taller, permitting them to capture more sunlight.

Posted on 25 de setembro de 2020, 10:31 PM by alex41126 alex41126 | 1 comentário | Deixar um comentário

Coleus scutellarioides

Coleus scutellarioides is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to southeast Asia through to Australia. Other synonyms used for this species would be Coleus blumei and Plectranthus scutellarioides. Because the general theme of the project is plants and their diversification, all plants share at least one common adaptation that improved their fitness. One of the common adaptations would be the vascular system to distribute water from the roots via the xylem and sugars from the shoots via the phloem throughout the entire plant. On the other hand, Norway spruce has adapted to not requiring large amounts of water by having need-like leaves that have a reduced surface area for water loss, and a thick waxy cuticle that encases the needles, also reducing water loss. This adaptation makes it unique among the other nine species.

Posted on 25 de setembro de 2020, 01:26 AM by ehsanadra2 ehsanadra2 | 1 comentário | Deixar um comentário

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