The Silver Maple and Its Adaptations

During the BioBlitz assignment, many different plant species were observed. This journal entry will specifically focus on the Silver Maple, otherwise known as the Acer saccharinum. With the application OneZoom, a phylogeny placement was presented where it was discovered that the most recent ancestors of the Silver Maple included the Red Maple, Acer pycnanthum, and the Acer rubrum, which has no common name. Furthermore, it was observed that the genus name was linked to many tree species, specifically, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, those with winged fruit. In addition, an interesting adaptation of the Silver Maple was discovered: the roots of this species are extremely branched out. This is because some Silver Maples have endured harsh seasons where nutrients and water were hard to come by. This adaptation allows for an enhanced and optimal collection of required nutrients and water to help said species survive. Finally, a key adaptation was observed throughout all observations of the plants in this project: the green colour of the plants. This colour is a by-product of photosynthesis where plants will absorb photons of sunlight to produce energy and sugar and will reflect the unused energy which usually lies in the wavelength of green visible light, hence their colour.

Posted on September 18, 2021 02:22 PM by katelynspicer