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.