October 16, 2021

Lab 5- Fungi Journal Entry

One of the species I observed was Physia caesia, commonly known as Rosette Lichens. Rosette lichens are a robust species and can tolerate a vast range of environmental conditions. Accordingly, they are found worldwide, from Oceania to North America and even Antarctica (Olech, 1996). The combination of fungi and green algae grows on weekly acidic to alkaline rock and the bark of certain trees, enabling it to receive its essential nutrients (Hauck, 2009). These nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (Hauck, 2009). Rosette lichens have an intermediate response to pollution; this means it is less common in areas with high levels of pollutants (Rains, 2018). For this reason, the species is used to determine the cleanliness of the environment. These lichens also absorb some of the heavy metals in the air (Rains, 2018), benefiting the entire ecosystem, including humans.

Hauck, M., Paul, A., & Leuschner, C. (2009, November 25). Element uptake in thalli of the lichen physcia caesia from sandstone and calcareous substratum. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jpln.200900059?casa_token=guaNzV1ljw4AAAAA%3AcRalK9o6_o9JgvtMJ5-XafFKyn5e9BO9_-mDXR0O9n3G1vSkGmRT18OD3PuSFoXjaQZMAEc_UEC0IWM.

Olech , M. (1996). Human Impact On Terrestrial Ecosystems in West Antartica. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.991.496&rep=rep1&type=pdf.

Rains, T. (2018). Lichen - The Little Things That Matter . National Parks Service. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/articles/lichen-and-our-air.htm.

Posted on October 16, 2021 04:51 PM by sophierc123 sophierc123 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

September 22, 2021

Lab 2- Journal Post

The phylogenetic placement of the Sugar Maple is as follows: it branches from Eukaryotes to Plants, to Green plants, to Land plants, to Vascular plants, to Seeded plants, to Flowering plants and then Eudicots. Next, we can see the order is Sapindae, that Sugar Maples are part of the Soapberry family and the Acer genus. The last common ancestor of Sugar Maples is the Canyon Maple.

One common adaptation among all the trees I observed is stomata, which help regulate water loss during extreme temperatures.

An adaptation unique to the pine genus that I observed was that it has long and thin needles, so it has fewer stomata. This means it has even less of an ability to lose water during the cold Montreal winters.

Posted on September 22, 2021 01:51 AM by sophierc123 sophierc123 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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