Interesting & extreme & amazing PLANTS

Plants really are so amazing.  There is so much diversity in the plant kingdom - hundreds of thousands of angiosperm species alone!  Plants have adapted to life in all sorts of environments in so many different conditions and have many different strategies for pollination and seed dispersal.

Today I would like you to post a summary of an interesting, extreme or amazing plant - picture, links, info etc...

And, find a short video - my suggestion is to search you tube for "The Private Lives of Plants" hosted by David Attenborough of the BBC - there are many episodes with short, interesting clips - 3 to 5 minutes.  Once you have found one you think is cool, post a summary & embed the video on your blog.  Find someone else's post from our class & share.  I posted a link back in September with all of our class blogs on it, so search that to find and read some one else's post.  Read the summary, watch the video and comment.

Yay, learning!

Pine cone crafts got me thinking.....

So, what is the difference between an acorn and a pinecone?  What kinds of trees are they each found on?  Do they both contain seeds?  What are their strategies for dispersal?
Determine the differences and similarities between acorns and seed cones (besides being great for making super awesome crafts) and post a summary of your findings, pictures and links to your blog.

Gymnosperm life cycle

Here is a link to a good page I found a la google about the gymnosperm life cycle:

Gymnosperm Info

Microscope Lab - Vascular plants

Roots:  
What are the major functions of roots?  What specialized structures allow roots to do these jobs?
Look at a root cross section under the microscope and take a picture, noting the power (low, med or high) and the microscope magnification.  Use the iPads to label your picture with the following:

• root hair, xylem, phloem, epidermis, ground tissue

Stems:
What are the major functions of stems?  How are woody and herbaceous stems different?
Look at a stem cross section under the microscope and take a picture, noting the power and microscope magnification.  Label the following structures in the stem:

• vascular bundle, xylem, phloem, epidermis, ground tissue

Leaves: 

What are the major functions of leaves?  What is the chemical reaction for photosynthesis?  Why are stomata important to plants & to us?

Look at a leaf cross section under the microscope and take a picture, noting the power and microscope magnification.  Label the following structures in the stem:

• vascular bundle, xylem, phloem, upper and lower epidermis, palisade mesophyll, cuticle, stomata, guard cells, chloroplasts

Vascular Plants Video

Here is the Crash Course Video that we watched yesterday about vascular plants:

We will be looking through microscopes today to see some of the structures that make up vascular plants: roots, stems and leaves.

Moss & Ferns

Midterm Evaluation

Demonstrate your knowledge of each of the following topics by providing evidence of your learning (via linking blog posts, taking & posting pictures of work, quizzes, videos, posters, labs etc.)

Biology 11 Topics:

• Classification
• Taxonomy
• Evolution
• Viruses
• Bacteria 
• Protists

Include a discussion about your level of assignment completion, your blog assignments, engagement in the class and overall quality of work.  

Learning happens when there is a relationship between curiosity, questions & understanding...  

What has been your most powerful learning experience so far in Biology?  Please write about it as well.

Once you have surveyed the learning that you have accomplished so far this semester, I would like you to suggest a letter grade and percentage that would be represent your journey of learning in the class so far this semester.  I know that this is difficult!  Do your best, and we will have a chance to talk briefly about your grade on Wednesday before marks are due on Thursday morning.  Remember, this grade is a work in progress, with room for improvement as the semester continues - we are not done yet!

Fern Life Cycle Animation

Here is a good fern life cycle animation that I found - Have a look:

Fern Life Cycle

Something to start thinking about:

Could you compare mosses and ferns?  How are the plant structures similar / different?   Life cycles & reproduction?

Sharing

Once you have posted your information about your celebrity organism, please share/read/comment on other peoples posts in the class.  I will provide a link to the page with ALL of your blogs below.  You can also comment on the amazing animal that we shared in class - so many of those were really great.

Biology 11 Blogs

Happy learning and commenting!

Celebrity Organisms - Lady Gaga Ferns

I was so excited to find out that there are fern species named after Lady Gaga that I had to research it more - and found a great article that I will link below:

NBC article on Lady Gaga Fern Species

So great.  The prothallus of a fern has both male and female parts (antheridium and archegonium), which, scientifically is called "bisexual".  So, I guess that Lady Gaga is a perfect fit?!  Read the article to find out the details...

Here is a picture of Lady Gaga looking very much like a prothallus.  Coincidence?

The Sex Life of Mosses

Pretty exciting stuff - here is a Crash Course Video that will review the moss life cycle.

MOSS REVIEW:

Do you know the characteristics of mosses?
What does non-vascular mean?
Why can't mosses grow to be super tall?
How do mosses get their nutrition?
What is the dominant generation of the moss plant?
Where does fertilization occur?
What grows as the result of fertilization?
How are mosses a link between aquatic and terrestrial plants?