Dabid Attenborough: Attack of the Killer Fungi

      Though this is not a part of David Attenborough's "Private Life of Plants" videos, I would like to share with you an amazing yet somewhat disturbing side to fungi that most would not already know. I wanted to share with you a type of fungi called Cordyceps that invade the bodies of insects as spores and from then take over the insect as its host. The insect becomes zombified, and not long after the insects body is infiltrated the insect dies. Over the course of three weeks the Cordyceps fungi grows until it is ready to release new spores into the environment. 

      This fungi has the ability to wipe out entire colonies and  that each species is specialized to destroy a specific species. 

Watch this video if you want to learn more:

"That's just creepy isn't it."

Angiosperms: Monocot or Dicot?

Reverting back to one of my older posts on vascular plants and the functions of roots stems, leaves (x), I wanted to use that content to share with you my somewhat new found knowledge of monocots and dicots!

*overreaction*

Roots

The first plant is a dicot because the vascular bundle resembles an "x" formation in the centre of the root. The second image is a monocot which has multiple small vascular bundles in a ring around the interior of the root.

Stems

The first image display the stem cross-section of a moncot plant, the vascular bundles are again, arranged in the shape of a ring. The second image is a section of a dicot stem, the vascular bundles are diverse in size and are spread out underneath the epidermis.

Leaves

The first leaf cross-section is of a dicot leaf. The vascular bundle has a slightly smeared appearance as it is diagonal to the cut since the vascular tubes branch out from the middle of the leaf. The second image is a cross-section of a monocot leaf. Since the vascular tubes run parallel to each other and are perpendicular to the cut, we have a clear view of the xylem and phloem.

Hmmmm pretty interesting information right?

Plants are cool.

Plant Photo Journal: Local Plants

Mosses:

 

      Mosses are very primitive plants with limited growth and a lack of complexity. This is because they are one of the first descendants of sea-dwelling algae. As a result, the moss have evolved without the more complex vascular tissue meaning that they cannot grow any taller with such a lack of structure. Since the mosses have no xylem and phloem veins that transport water, they have to absorb it directly, mosses inhabit cool, shady areas where there is plenty of water to go around. The reproduction of mosses is dependent on the presence of water (like the areas where these moss pictures were taken) because moss has swimming sperm that need the water to get to the female egg of the moss. Rocks are able to grow on rocks because of their rhizoids, which are root-like structures that can anchor them onto the surface.

Ferns:

      Like mosses, ferns are also found in moist environments. This fern was pound not too far from the little creek that runs behind our school. The moist environment is important in fern reproduction as well because ferns also have swimming sperm on the prothallus (structure formed after a spore fully geminates) that need to swim from the ferns male reproductive parts to the female parts. Contrary to the plant structure of mosses, ferns have vascular tissues and veins called xylem and phloem that transfer water and nutrients throughout the plant. In addition, the vascular tissues support the plant allow it to grow taller. Ferns need to grow in the soil because they need somewhere for their roots to burrow down absorbing water and nutrients, and to anchor the growing fern firmly so it can grow and its height can be supported.

Gymnosperms:

Photos on the left: female

Photos on the right: male

      

      Gymnosperm traits that allow them to live in various environments include the fact that they have needles instead of leaves and the fact that they have seed and pollen cones instead of swimming sperm. Needles are great whereas they are watertight, windproof and can last throughout the winter without shedding entirely. Gymnosperms have seed cones and pollen cones which are more secure. Gymnosperms reproduce starting with a process called pollination, when a pollen cone releases its pollen grains into the environment where they soon find themselves stuck in the sticky sap withing the female seed cone. Fertilization is what happens when the pollen stuck in the sticky residue of the female cone grows pollen tubes reach the egg cell where the sperm is to be released creating a diploid conifer zygote.

Angiosperms:

Monocot: Tulips.

Dicot: That plant.

      Angiosperms are very well adapted because they have an array of strategies that they use to reproduce and disperse their seeds. For example, flowers can reproduce through pollination; their pollen travelling by wind or by insects/animals, sometimes from the flower or instead of a flower a plant produces a fruit which can be eaten by an animal and pooped (Ha.) elsewhere. The purpose of the fruit is to act as a protective layer between the elements and the seed but similarly, the fruit acts as a lure. Attractive and tempting to animals so that the seed can be dispersed.

"Simple Animals" The Not-So-Musical Harp Sponge

The Harp Sponge: Phylum Porifera

      The harp sponge is a carnivorous sponge that gets its name from its very distinct harp-like, or more so candelabra shape. Rather than filtering water for food like a majority of sponges, the harp sponge ensnares its pray with its velcro-like barbs on its limbs. Recently discovered, it really is a cool subject to look into! For more information click here!

"Chondrocladia Iyra" or "Harp Sponge"

Let's destroy a flower because SCIENCE.

It's been a while, I know...

Last week we had the opportunity to dissect a pretty flower,through this dissection we learned about it's general plant structure.

This flower has a total of six pretty pink petals (although only five are shown) which indicates that this angiosperm is a monocot.  

Here's another a close up of the petal just because.

These are the stigmas, six in total which also indicate that this plant is a monocot. The fuzzy-looking tips of these are called the anthers, and the stem attached to the anther is called a filament. The anthers hold pollen indicating that they are of the male parts of the flower.

This is a close up of the pollen that we have managed to scrape off the anthers.

Now the photo below is a photo of the flowers female structure, the pistil. From the left to right, the parts include the stigma, the style, and the ovary. The stigma is the small tip, the style is the stem in the middle, and the ovary is the larger end on the right which has been cut open to expose the ovules inside.

Close up of some ovules.

Pollination:

      Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains in plants from stamen to pistil. It is required for fertilization which is important for the formation of a seed to occur. The pollen is transferred from anther to stigma by means of wind, or by insects or birds. The pollen easily sticks to the sticky surface of the pistil and from then on, the process of fertilization occurs. There are two types of pollination; self-pollination, and cross-pollination. Self pollination is when the flower pollinates itself, this is considered advantageous because it is quick and allows the plant to keep its traits, but there is no variation of species. This is the advantage of cross-pollination, the exchange of traits from one plant to another. This allows for more variation and chance of survival.

Classification: Monocot

      Adding to the evidence of the six petals and the six anthers, we also have the evidence of the parallel veins on the leaves. 

mkay that's it for now folks! Bye.