amdicicco's blog

For easy replicability, it was important that the camera position was something that anyone could achieve. The picture was taken from between the break in the bushes. This area was used because it was the closest you can get to the web without disturbing it. To include the whole web and the gift card that was used for scale the phone was held about 1.5 feet above the web. At 1.5 feet above, the gift card that was placed on the bottom right side of the photograph was easily seen. The phone was placed completely horizontal as the web was also flat against the bush. 

Figure 1. The Environment of a Giraffe: A giraffe stands in its environment. The environment is covered in grasses and has many bushes and trees. The sky is blue and void of clouds. "Giraffe" flickr photo by Rachel Hobday https://flic.kr/p/dijkTQ shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

I believe the second biome is similar to the temperate deciduous forest. Which is most likely found between 30º and 50º N. In this area it is also important to note that it is limited to “on the eastern and western edges of Eurasia, and on the eastern edges of North America” (Bowman 65). This is because the further inland you go the more precipitation is lost which will affect the growth of trees. The main factor that led me to believe that it behaves like a temperate deciduous forest are the periods of sub-freezing temperatures. The sub-freezing temperatures occur between the months of December, January, and mid-February. In addition, I also noticed that there were no periods of time where it was insufficient for plant growth which supports the idea of tree growth. The mystery biome is described as having an annual precipitation rate of 1562 mm. If this biome is like the other biomes we have studied, I’d assume it contains trees such as oak trees which are deciduous and lose their leaves. This trait is important for the freezing temperatures. The mystery biome and the temperate deciduous forest are similar in many ways. 

During this experiment, we gave Tetrahymena India ink to calculate how much food vacuoles they formed when given different amounts of time to phagocytize. Under a microscope with the objective at 40x we counted and recorded the number of vacuoles formed. To analyze we looked at the time versus the number of vacuoles formed. After analyzation, it became apparent that the longer amount of time the Tetrahymena have in the ink before they're fixed the more food vacuoles that they will form. This information tells us that the Tetrahymena phagocytize consistently and the more time they are given the more food vacuoles that they will form.

One of the most important parts of the METHODS project is trying to create a figure that can be replicated. In order to make sure my figure can be easily replicated by another student I plan to take very clear notes on how my picture was taken. Some of the categories for these notes will be, location, weather, and phone camera settings. In addition, I will also include a map of where the spider web was found, in the chance that it is still there so the student is able to replicate the figure as best as they can.

I believe the second biome to be a temperate deciduous forest, which could be found between 30º and 50º N. In this area it is also important to note that this is limited to “on the eastern and western edges of Eurasia, and on the eastern edges of North America” (Bowman 65) this is because the further inland you go, the more precipitation is lost. The main factor that led me to believe that it is a temperate deciduous forest are the periods of sub-freezing temperatures (under 0 º C) that occur between the months of December, January, and mid-February. In addition, I also noticed that there were no periods of time where it was insufficient for plant growth which supports the idea of tree growth. The mystery biome is described as having an annual precipitation rate of 1562 mm. If this biome is like the other biomes we have studied, I’d assume it contains trees such as oak trees which are deciduous and lose their leaves, which is important for the freezing temperatures. In addition, deciduous trees are well suited for the seasonality of the cool/ cold temperatures and the dry/ wet precipitation. 

I believe mystery Biome 1 to be a temperate shrubland + woodland area. Most likely falling between 30º and 40º N and S. One of the main reasons that made me believe this, was because there is seasonal precipitation. In this first biome, there is a rainy winter season. For example, the month where it hits the peak in October and then continues to stay high throughout the winter. I also noticed that the precipitation drops in April and continues to drop until July where it starts to get wetter again. During the months of mid-June and mid-August, the conditions are insufficient for plant growth. This factor is in line with what we already know about shrubland and woodland areas. If this biome behaves the same way, we can assume that it is going to contain mostly evergreen shrubs and trees. The plants here have to make it through the months where it is insufficient for plant growth so many of them will probably contain sclerophyllous leaves, which are able to survive hot, dry summers. 

Thursday morning was a busy morning for me. I spent a lot of time getting from place to place. This was done in many ways such as walking, by bus, and taking elevators. In my building I live on the seventh floor so I usually take the elevator down to the first floor, instead of the stairs. I also take the elevator to get back to my room because it is more coinvent. My building is in close proximity to the dining hall so I walk there, and also walk to the building where my classroom is. The classroom building is not very close to my building, so I take the bus back to save time. The bus is also used when I need to go to the post office to drop off packages.

Thursday morning was a busy morning for me. I spent a lot of time getting from place to place. This was done in many ways such as walking, by bus, and taking elevators. In my building I live on the seventh floor so I usually take the elevator down to the first floor, instead of the stairs. I also take the elevator to get back to my room because it is more coinvent. My building is in close proximity to the dining hall so I walk there, and also walk to the building where my classroom is. The classroom building is not very close to my building, so I take the bus back to save time. The bus is also used when I need to go to the post office to drop off packages.

This website does not seem reliable. A lot of the posts are posted by authors such as “guest”. These articles do not include references. In addition, the information seems outdated. Underneath the ecology today section a lot of the articles are over two years old. The group that runs the page- Ecology Communications Group does not have very much of an online presence outside of the website. The website seems largely unmaintained, many posts are from several years ago. Additionally, there are no featured articles and many links on the website go to blank pages.