Variation Lab Questions

Answers:

1. A trend I noticed in the Frequency graphs were that although they had many varieties, there were always at least one or two bars that stand up higher than the rest which represented the most common answer.

2. Overall only about 3-5 people had extreme traits meaning that their results were either way above average or way below average results.

3. The trait that had the most variation would be the length of their "Hand Span"

4. Having a variation within a trait can be very beneficial for an entire species, reason being that if a disease was to infect the population, not everyone would be affected because of how the variety throughout the popultation would make some people immune to the disease. On the other hand, if there were no variety, everyone would be affected and maybe even die.

5. Extreme traits can be very beneficial reason being that it can allow them to do things not an average person can accomplish. An example in nature are the birds located at Galapagos Islands named Finches. These finches were adapted to complete different tasks like having sharp/thin beaks for eating fruits to have hard/durable beaks for cracking nuts.

6. I have the characteristics that I have today because of the genes I have received from my parents. We know that each human has 46 chromosomes which lead me to receiving 23 chromosomes from each of my parents. And each chromosome contains the genetic information (genes) that make my DNA. Because my dad is athletic, I am also athletic because I got that gene from my dad. And because my mom is hard-working, I am lucky enough to have received that gene also making me a Hard-Worker.

7. A gene is a unit of heredity which are made from DNA. DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid and is the key to controlling the amount of enzymes and proteins which help make each and everyone not all functional, but different from each other.

Variation Lab Results

Frequency Graphs

Scientific Naming - Comparison

All in all I think my Animal/ Plants Combination is very unique. Some of my organisms that share the same category would be Chinese Wisteria and the Sensitive Plant only because they share the same Kingdom (Plantae). Also the Mimic Octopus, the Platypus, and the Brown Falcon share similar categories only because they share the same Kingdom (Animalia). But if we look further down the Platypus and Brown Falcon are even more alike because they have the same Phylum (Chordata). Other than that they are all totally different animals. My results are what as I expected with only similar Kingdoms and Phylums because of how my organisms look nothing alike!

In Conclusion, this project has made me wonder how organisms can be so different? How did they end up adapting to the way they were? What caused the reason for the animals to all appear so different?

Scientific Naming #5

Name: Platypus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Monotremata
Family: Ornithorhynchidae
Genus: Ornithorhynchus 
Species: Anatinus

Scientific Naming #4

Name: Sensitive Plant

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Fabales
Class: Equisetopsida 
Order: Fabaceae 
Family: Mimosoideae
Genus: Mimosa
Species: Pudica

Scientific Naming #3

Name: Brown Falcon

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falcondae
Genus: Falco
Species: Berigora

Scientific Naming #2

Name: Chinese Wisteria

Kingdom: Plantae 
Phylum: Embryophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida 
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Wisteria
Species: Sinensis

Scientific Naming #1

Name: Mimic Octopus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Octopodidae
Genus: Thaumoctopus
Species: Mimicus

Tree Identification

My Native Tree that I found turned out to be a British Columbia Favorite: The Douglas Fir Tree

Here are some awesome pictures:

The Reason Snakes can eat their Prey Whole

Snakes are able to prey whole because of how their jaws are not fixed together which allows them to have 4 separate jaw bones which can move seperately. Instead they are connected by ligaments which allow snakes to swallow food much bigger than they are. And to push the food down their throat, the snake will wiggle his head back and forth until the food has entered the stomach. This process is made easier for the snake because of how it’s throat can crush the food with incredible force and how it’s glands secrete salivary juices which moisten the food item.

Here's a cool video that shows a perfect example of how Snakes eat their Prey.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/reptiles-animals/snakes/deadliest-rock-python/

How are snakes able to swallow their food whole?