Eukaryote

These specimens are young bearded dragons I found at my local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard. Bearded dragons are eukaryotes, like all living organisms other than primitive microorganisms like bacteria, as in their cells their genetic material are inside a nucleus. A eukaryote is an organism consisting of a cell or cells in which the genetic materials, DNA in the form of chromosomes, are contained within a distinct nucleus.

Adaptation in a Plant

This specimen is an aloe vera plant I found on my back patio. Aloe vera is a plant that has adapted to its environment by having thick, fleshy, and large leaves in order to store large volumes of water in order to survive in a hot climate. An adaptation in a plant is any change by which a plant becomes better suited to its environment.

Vascular Plant

This specimen is a star jasmine vine I found on my back patio. Star jasmine is a vascular plant as it is able to transport water and nutrients from the roots to various parts of the plant and bear seeds. A vascular plant is any seed-bearing plant contains a system of vessels which transport water and nutrients between different parts of the plant.

Bilateral Symmetry

This specimen is a frog I found at my local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard. Frogs have bilateral symmetry because if you drew an n imaginary line from its head down through the middle of its back, you would find the two sides would be symmetrical halves. Bilateral symmetry is a body design found in most organisms in which if an imaginary plane divided the body, the two halves would be mirror images.

Epithelial Tissue

This specimen is a guinea pig I found at my local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard. Guinea pigs are animals and therefore have epithelial tissue lining organs and other structures within its body. Epithelial tissue is a type of animal tissue made of densely packed cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body, as well as form many glands. Its functions include secretion, absorption, protection, transcellular transport, and detection of sensation.

Endotherm

This specimen is a lorikeet I found at Omar’s Exotic Birds on Wilshire Boulevard. Lorikeets are warm-blooded birds that can regulate their own internal temperature regardless of its environment. An endotherm is a warm-blooded animal that is capable of regulating its own internal temperature through homeostasis.

Ectotherm

These specimens are goldfish I found at my local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard. Goldfish are ectotherms as they are cold-blooded and their body temperature is determined by the temperature of their environment. An ectotherm is a cold-blooded animal which regulates body temperature by depending on external sources of body heat.

Hydrophilic

This specimen is a container of iodized salt I found in my own kitchen at home. Salt is hydrophilic as it can easily mix and dissolve into water and tends to be attracted to water. Being hydrophilic means to be characterized with a tendency to mix with, be wetted by, or dissolve in water.

CAM Plant

These specimens are pineapples I found at my local Albertson’s on Wilshire Boulevard. Pineapples are CAM plants as they use CAM photosynthesis in which it collects carbon dioxide at night in order to decrease water loss. A CAM plant is characterized with the tendency to grow in desert conditions and developing slowly.

Cellulose

These specimens are palm trees I found along Wilshire Boulevard. Palm trees are plants and therefore contain cellulose which makes up most of the tissues and fibers in the tree. Cellulose is a polysaccharide that is the main constituent of all plant tissues and fibers, especially in cell walls.

Pollen

This specimen is a flatweed, or catsear, I found outside in my neighborhood.  Flatweed is a flower that is often confused with dandelions. Flatweed, like all flowers, produces pollen in order to reproduce. Pollen is a fine powder made of grains containing the male gamete that can fertilize the female ovule of a plant.

K-Strategist

These specimens are tortoises I found at my local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard. Tortoises are K-strategists as they are relatively large bodied when fully grown, have long life spans, and a low reproduction rate. A K-strategist is a species characterized by having slow development, large body size, and low reproduction rate.

Tropism

This specimen is a bonsai tree I found on my back patio. This bonsai tree has experienced tropism as the branches and leaves have grown in a way towards the sunlight. Tropism is a biological phenomenon in which an organism turns in a particular direction in response to an external stimulus.

Heterotroph

This specimen is a macaw bird I found at Omar’s Exotic Birds on Wilshire Boulevard. A macaw is a heterotroph as it eats food, including fruits, nuts, seeds, leaves, flowers, and stems, for energy. A heterotroph is an organism that depends on an external supply of organic substances in the form of food for energy as it cannot synthesize it on its own.

Anther and Filament of Stamen

This specimen is a hibiscus flower I found in my neighbor’s garden. The hibiscus has a stamen extending from the center of the flower. The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower that typically consists of a filament, the slender stalk, and an anther, the pollen-producing organs.

Autotroph

These specimens are marigolds I found planted on Wilshire Boulevard. Marigolds are autotrophs as they are able to turn water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide into energy for itself through photosynthesis. Autotrophs are self-sustaining organisms that are able to synthesize nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances. 

Territorial Behavior

This specimen is a dog I found at Omar’s Exotic Birds on Wilshire Boulevard.  Dogs express territorial behavior in many ways. One way in particular is spraying, or scent marking, in which the dog would urinate at prominent location within the dog’s territory. The urine produces a smell which warns other animals of the dog’s territory. Territorial behavior is any action an organism takes to identify or defend from other organisms.

Seed Dispersal

These specimens are strawberries I found in my house inside the refrigerator.  Strawberries are fruits with numerous seeds on the outside. An animal, seeking the fruit for food, will eat the fruit and later excrete the seeds, planting them in a different area. The animal would have then performed seed dispersal. Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the plant in order to be deposited in a new growing location.

Asexual Reproduction

This specimen is some green algae I found growing alongside a spring on a rock in University High School. Algae can reproduce asexually through different methods such as binary fission, fragmentation, and budding. Also, many algae can make spores that can grow into more algae. Asexual reproduction is a method of reproduction in which genetically identical offspring are produced from a single parent.

Hydrophobic

These specimens are containers of canola oil I found in Albertson’s on Wilshire Boulevard. Oil is hydrophilic as water and oil cannot be easily mixed and tend to repel each other. Something that is hydrophobic is characterized by a tendency to repel and not mix with water.

Enzyme

These specimens are jars of active dry yeast I found in an Albertson’s on Wilshire Boulevard. Yeast contains an enzyme called catalase. This enzyme acts as a catalyst for the reaction that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. An enzyme is a complex protein produced by a living organism that functions as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction.

  

r-Strategist

These specimens are mice that I found at the local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard. Mice are r-strategists as they are relatively small bodied, have short life spans, and have a high reproduction rate. An r-strategist is a species characterized by having rapid development, small body size, and high reproduction rate.

Spore

These specimens are white mushrooms I found in an Albertson’s on Wilshire Boulevard. Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus. These spores, once planted, can grow into more fungi. A spore is a small, typically single-celled, asexual reproductive structure that is capable of developing into a new individual without sexual fusion.

Amniotic Egg

This specimen is an unfertilized chicken egg I found in the refrigerator at my own home. The chicken egg is an amniotic egg that contains an embryo that when fertilized can grow into a chicken.  An amniotic egg is a shelled, water-retaining egg that enables reptiles, birds, and egg laying mammals to complete their life cycles on land.

Exoskeleton

This specimen is a cricket I saw at the local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard. Crickets have an exoskeleton that is made of chitin that protects its organs and prevents loss of moisture which is shed and replaced when it grows. The exoskeleton is the rigid external structure that provides support and protection for the body of some invertebrate animals.

Predation

This specimen is a snake that I found at the local Petco on Wilshire Boulevard.  Snakes are predators as they hunt other organisms for food including birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and eggs. Predation is the action of one organism (the predator) hunting another organism (the prey) for food.