Microscope Lab - Vascular Plants

Roots: (Dicot)

For most plants, the most important thing that makes them work is in fact, their roots. Reason being because they are used for many things, such as anchoring the plant to the ground, absorbing nutrients for the plant to use, and even storing some nutrients for later use. Roots are able to do this because they have tiny hairs on the roots which allow them to absorb the water in the soil and then transport them to vascular tissues where they can be spread throughout the plant.

                       Magnification: Medium Power

Stems: (Monocot)

Stems are a very important part for most plants because of their ability not only to provide support for the plant, but to also transport nutrients through their vascular tissues found inside them and to store nutrients as well. Like other organisms, plants have different species which often comes with different stem types; either Herbaceous or Woody stems. Herbaceous Stems are usually green and slightly bendable. Plants that have Herbaceous stems die after their growing season and depending on what kind of plant that they are, they can even grow back next year with a new stem. On the other hand, Woody stems are hard and usually covered with bark. Because they are so durable, plants with woody stems stay alive throughout the seasons and increase in size every year.

                    Magnification: Medium Power

Leaves: (Dicot)

Last but not least, there are the leaves. Leaves are very important for many plants because they are able to receive nutrients by photosynthesis, help the plants respire (exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide), and can also store nutrients just like the other parts of the plant. In order for Photosynthesis to occur there must be a chemical reaction, and that reaction is Carbon Dioxide plus Water makes Glucose, Oxygen, and Water all thanks to the sunlight. And plant Transpiration is made possible through their Stomata which is in charge of controlling how much Oxygen comes out and how Much Carbon Dioxide is absorbed. The Stomata is important for plants because this gap is where most of the excess water is able to leave out in the form of water vapour. Also it is very important for humans because plants produce between 70-80% of the world's oxygen and this is made possible through the plant's Stomata.

                                                                     Magnification: High Power

Mid-Term Evaluation

Throughout this semester, I have learned a ton of new things in Biology 11! And not only did the things I learn increase my knowledge, but it also changed my view of the world. For example, did you know that Moss reproduces sexually by Swimming Sperm? Well, now you know! So every time I see moss in the wild, I won't think of them as some random plant but instead instead a plant with fascinating abilities! One thing I really enjoy about this class is that we are able to research things that we enjoy, such as Animals that are able to regrow limbs, instead of researching things already chosen for us by the person in charge. Now that I have mentioned all the cool things we do in Biology 11, you probably think that this class is just for fun and games. But think again, here is strong evidence that proves that learning can be fun and that I have truly given my best quality of work in my projects.

Classification/ Taxonomy:

I think my Classification Project and Classification Quiz are the best pieces of work that demonstrate my knowledge of this topic because as you can see my partner and I (Shanvir) worked really hard on the project, not only to make it look AWESOME, but to also show our creativity in Classifying such Organisms based on their traits. And as for my Classication Quiz, you can see that I studied well in advance to ensure a great mark.

                 Classification Project                                     Classification Quiz

Evolution:

Here is my DNA evolution Video and my Evolution Poster. I think both of these projects show that I have a great understanding of this Unit because I received high marks on these projects and put a lot of effort into both of them. Sadly I was not able to upload a video to my blog but instead here is a picture of what the video would of looked like. In this project I explained all about DNA and how it is a big part of evolution and Natural Selection. And in case you were wondering, I spent over 5 hours just to create this 8 minute video, so now you can see why this project DEFINITELY needed to be on my top projects. And for my Evolution Poster, it was quite a difficult task to achieve because it was nearly impossible to tell which animal evolved from what. But thanks to my knowledge of Evolution, my partner and I were able to achieve this difficult task.

            DNA Evolution Video                            Evolution Poster

Viruses:

And now onto the Virus Unit. I think this unit would have to be my favourite among all the other units, reason being because it was really fun to learn and it related to my future job, which is to become an Oncologist (Cancer Doctor). Because I really enjoyed this topic, I have chosen 3 pieces of work that represent my work habits, and they are; my Cut and Paste Virus Worksheet, my Blog on the Boston Small Pox Epidemic, and of course my Virus Quiz. I chose my Cut And Paste Worksheet because once I completed it, I instantly understood how Virus' were not only dangerous but SUPER DANGEROUS because their goal in life is to reproduce and try to take over the world... Literally. On the other hand I am really proud of my Blog on the Small Pox Epidemic because I worked really hard on it and it made me realize that Virus' aren't just something we have to learn, but also a Force that have affected Humanity for many generations. Last but not least, I think the Virus Quiz reflects my learning ability because after all the studying, I have earned a mark that I am truly proud of.

            Virus Cut and Paste     

               Small Pox Epidemic Blog 

                         Virus Quiz

Bacteria:

During the Bacteria Unit, my most precious pieces of work would be my Blog on the Types/Shapes of Bacteria and my Bacteria and Protist Quiz. In my opinion, I think my Blog on Bacteria represents my knowledge of bacteria because it taught me how the shapes the bacteria form are as important as the type of bacteria when it comes to understanding sicknesses. For example did you know that the common Strep Throat is caused by a chain of Coccus Bacteria also known as Streptococcus Bacteria! "Strepto"comes from the name of the shape (which in this case is a Chain) and Coccus from the type of bacteria! Pretty cool, eh? Also, I have chosen my Bacteria and Protist Quiz because it proves how hard I studied the topic and how much effort I put into learning it which resulted in a great mark.

                       Bacteria Blog                       

              Bacteria and Protist Quiz

Protist:

And finally now onto the Protist Unit. In my perspective, I think the Protist Lab demonstrates my knowledge of Protists because I was able to see the various types of Protists and actually measure the size of each Protist! Although it took quite a bit of calculations, I was still able to manage it and produce a wonderful piece of work! To add on to this, I would like to show my Quiz that I recieved FULL MARKS on which shows that I have truly mastered the concept of Protists. This quiz is found in the Bacteria section because the quiz was a Bacteria AND Protist Quiz.

 

                     Protist Quiz

Conclusion:

Biology class is truly a class I will remember, reason being because it was a place where I got to expand on my interests and find answers to questions that not many people know the answer to. Such as researching organisms named after Celebrities! Did you know that there is a Mushroom named after the one and only Spongebob Squarepants? Well, it's true! If you want to learn more, I will post a link about this under this conclusion. Or in other words you could say that the discovery of this mushroom was truly one of the most powerful learning experience so far and probably tie for first with my Blog about the Small Pox Epidemic! These two blogs are probably the blogs I would remember the most about because they really caught my attention. All in all, I think I am a really hard-worker who may take more time to finish my work, but in the end will produce a high-quality piece of work. And I think a letter grade that truly represents my learning journey so far would be an A or more specifically a 95%.

http://kenziebiology11.blogspot.ca/2013/11/mushroom-named-after-spongebob.html

Mushroom named after Spongebob Squarepants?

Spongiforma Squarepantsii:

That's right, a Mushroom found in Borneo is named after the one and only Spongebob Squarepants. It was given the name Spongiforma Squarepantsii by Dennis Desjardin who is a Professor at the San Francisco State University. They were discovered when Professor Dennis Desjardin and his colleagues went to search whether mushrooms found under trees had a mutual relationship with each other or just happen to be there by chance. The Spongiforma Squarepantsii Mushroom is known to be very terrestrial and reproduce just like other mushrooms which is using Spores. Although it may be just a mushroom, when it is wet and moist you can wring the water out of it and it will instantly spring back to it's original size just like an real sponge. And instead of letting it's spores dry out, it will instantly adapt by changing their spores into a gelatinous, rubbery substance which will collect moisture from the air!

Fun Fact: If you look at a Spongiforma Squarepantsii Mushroom through a microscope, it will look like the bottom of the sea floor carpeted in tube sponges.

A Close-Up of Algae

Today in class, we were able to take a closer look of Algae under the Microscope. We looked at 2 different kinds of Algae; Blue Algae and Blue-Green Algae. From a distance, algae may not look very appealing but under the microscope it is truly fascinating!

                                       Blue Algae

                        

                     Green - Blue Algae

The Self Healing Axolotl

The Axolotl:

An Axolotl (a.k.a. Mexican Salamander) is a special type of Salamander that can actually heal itself! For example if it loses a limb such as an arm, it will easily grow it back in just a few weeks. Still not impressed? If an Axolotl somehow damages an organ such as the heart, it can easily heal that too with no medication at all! Axolotls can heal anything attached to their body, such as bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, skin, and as mentioned earlier, even organs! They are native to Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco found in Central Mexico. They are found in various colours/patterns and when an adult, can range from 15cm - 45cm. With this knowledge of the Self - Healing Axolotl, scientists are now trying to figure out what allows the Axolotl to heal itself and they are trying to pass on these traits to humans!

Fun Fact: Axolotls were also sold as food in Mexican Markets and were a staple food to the Aztec Diet. But if you want, Axolotls can make great house pets too.

Here is a cool video on the Miraculous Axolotl:

Skip to 3:05 for instant results

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUFAT1WajP4

Pond Protists!

Are you wondering what protists are? Then wonder no more! Protists are Eukaryotic Cells that live in a variety of moist environments! But don't get confused, Protists are not Bacteria but instead, they are their own separate category. Like bacteria, there are many different types of Protists found in the world. And luckily for us, we were able to get some water from the pond (found in the back of our school) and get a closer look at these microscopic organisms.

Here is a cool picture I took of the protist through the microscope.

P.S. I tried to post a video but it isn't working at the moment.

The protist is the little oval-shaped organism found on the tip of the needle.