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
Comentários
Thank you for your submission, Lucy. Great work. I just have one comment for future work (won't affect your grade). If the broad-winged thistles have an ability to grow in disturbed ecosystems, what is the specific trait that allows that? Fast seed germination? seedlings resistance to sun and desiccation?
All the best, Camilo
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