aswan's blog

For biome 1 the temperature pattern is quite similar to that of temperate shrublands and woodlands. In this mysterious biome, through the winter months of December, January, and February (in respect to the northern hemisphere) temperature is typically lower when compared to the summer months of May, June, July, and August in which temperatures reach approximately 25 degrees Celsius. This most closely mirrors the change in temperature of the temperate shrublands and woodlands, with the temperature change being extremely similar in pattern and nature, alongside the fact that the temperatures themselves are only marginally different. Even comparing the average annual temperature of this biome 13 degrees Celsius, to the average annual temperature of Gerona, Spain, which is decidedly a temperate shrubland and woodland and has an average annual temperature of 16.7 degrees Celsius the 3 degree Celsius difference is small.

Precipitation wise this biome on the newly discovered planet is almost an average between that of temperate shrublands and woodlands and savanna. The total annual precipitation of Coxim, Brazil a tropical forest and savanna is 1,493mm, and the total annual precipitation of Gerona, Spain is 747mm. When these two total annual precipitation rates are averaged a total annual precipitation of 1120mm which is relatively close to the total annual precipitation of the alien planet which rests at 1024mm . The precipitation pattern is also reflective in ways of these two different biomes, this new biome experiences a significant drop off during the summer months which occurs in both the temperate shrublands and woodlands and the savanna which typically reflects a dry season.

Temperature and precipitation in this new biome interact together in this environment to create a significant dry season. While precipitation is high in the non-summer months when temperature is relatively cool, sufficient for plant growth, during the summer months when temperature rises precipitation drops drastically. This drop in precipitation has serious implications for the biome with increased occurrence of droughts and fires and come along with rising temperatures.

This biome is most likely relatively close in nature to temperate shrublands and woodlands found here on Earth. The combination of its temperature and precipitation patterns lend themselves to a biome that has a significant summer,dry season and wet,colder winters that affect plant life. Evergreen-like shrubs and trees most likely are found across this landscape due to their ability to survive dry, hot summers with tough leaves which are able to grow and photosynthesize even under dry conditions. Fires would also be a prevalent force in this biome due to high temperature and low precipitation in the winter, these fires would reduce larger tree life that might be a product of the high levels of precipitation that would occur in the non-summer months. Latitudinally this biome would most likely be found between 30 degrees and 40 degrees North, which mirrors that of similar temperate shrublands on Earth.

For biome 1 the temperature pattern is quite similar to that of temperate shrublands and woodlands. In this mysterious biome, through the winter months of December, January, and February (in respect to the northern hemisphere) temperature is typically lower when compared to the summer months of May, June, July, and August in which temperatures reach approximately 25 degrees Celsius. This most closely mirrors the change in temperature of the temperate shrublands and woodlands, with the temperature change being extremely similar in pattern and nature, alongside the fact that the temperatures themselves are only marginally different. Even comparing the average annual temperature of this biome 13 degrees Celsius, to the average annual temperature of Gerona, Spain, which is decidedly a temperate shrubland and woodland and has an average annual temperature of 16.7 degrees Celsius the 3 degree Celsius difference is small.

Precipitation wise this biome on the newly discovered planet is almost an average between that of temperate shrublands and woodlands and savanna. The total annual precipitation of Coxim, Brazil a tropical forest and savanna is 1,493mm, and the total annual precipitation of Gerona, Spain is 747mm. When these two total annual precipitation rates are averaged a total annual precipitation of 1120mm which is relatively close to the total annual precipitation of the alien planet which rests at 1024mm . The precipitation pattern is also reflective in ways of these two different biomes, this new biome experiences a significant drop off during the summer months which occurs in both the temperate shrublands and woodlands and the savanna which typically reflects a dry season.

Temperature and precipitation in this new biome interact together in this environment to create a significant dry season. While precipitation is high in the non-summer months when temperature is relatively cool, sufficient for plant growth, during the summer months when temperature rises precipitation drops drastically. This drop in precipitation has serious implications for the biome with increased occurrence of droughts and fires and come along with rising temperatures.

For biome 1 the temperature pattern is quite similar to that of temperate shrublands and woodlands. In this mysterious biome, through the winter months of December, January, and February (in respect to the northern hemisphere) temperature is typically lower when compared to the summer months of May, June, July, and August in which temperatures reach approximately 25 degrees Celsius. This most closely mirrors the change in temperature of the temperate shrublands and woodlands, with the temperature change being extremely similar in pattern and nature, alongside the fact that the temperatures themselves are only marginally different. Even comparing the average annual temperature of this biome 13 degrees Celsius, to the average annual temperature of Gerona, Spain, which is decidedly a temperate shrubland and woodland and has an average annual temperature of 16.7 degrees Celsius the 3 degree Celsius difference is small.

Preparation and organization

Yesterday I started off my day by getting up at my multiple alarms. I got myself in order for the day by taking a shower and getting dressed. I also travelled to each of mt classes. Later in the day I followed a similar pattern of waking up and getting myself together before meeting up with friends.

Academics

I went to all my classes, attending lectures and discussions. I also forwarded my education by completing homework with friends and individually.

Recreation

I took time out of my day to take care of basic needs such as eating and sleeping. I also delegated time personal to activities such as going online. Often these activities took up time in between daily work, classes, and preparation for the day.

For this assignment we investigated the accuracy and reliability of an encyclopedia britannica article about ecology. To determine the trustworthiness of the site we first looked at the authorship of the article. The article was authored mainly by two seperate professors, Robert Leo Smith a professor of wildlife biology and ecology from the university of West Virginia and Stuart L. Pimm a professor of conservation ecology from Duke University. While these two authors seem reliability upon further investigation of the article it was discovered that several other authors contributed alongside these professors. These other contributors typically had no other credentials besides ambiguous titles such as “information analyst”, casting doubt upon the accuracy of the article. Alongside this issue of authorship there were few to no references to outside works, such as research or review papers. I would trust this article as much as I would trust a wikipedia page, as there is validity to many of their statements yet authorship is questionable.

Often a debate that arises among biologists is whether or not viruses are considered organisms or if fall into their own categorization. Viruses exist alongside all domains of life. While the presence of viruses is undoubtedly influential on life on Earth there is still heavy debate as to how to we view them, with arguments on both sides of this debate. Viruses are quite unique in their physical structure, as they are in essence very simple, consisting of genetic material either DNA or RNA wrapped in a protein capsule. The presence of DNA or RNA in viruses is often used as an argument as to why they could be considered alive as the presence of genetic material and the use of that material to reproduce is a characteristic of life. However, while they may have genetic material, viruses cannot reproduce without a host cell to infect. They also do not have the ability to generate their own energy, respond to stimuli (outside of injecting a cell with their genetic material), and nor do they have a cellular structure that biologists recognize as the baseline for all organisms.

Electrons are subatomic particles. They are one of the three subatomic particles alongside protons and neutrons that make up an atom. Neutrons and protons are found in the nucleus of an atom, making up an atoms atomic weight, while electrons are found in the electron cloud. The electron cloud surrounds the nucleus of an atom and alongside the number of protons is indicative of the atomic number of an atom. Electrons are the main mechanisms of molecular interactions being either transferred or share respectively in ionic and covalent bonds to create molecules. Electrons have a negative charge when to compared to other subatomic particles. They as are found in different orbitals that make up the electron cloud.

Waves exist in a wide variety of forms. However in physics the most commonly referenced types of waves can be found on the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum deals with several different, distinct types of radiation that each have their own wavelength. Included in the spectrum is radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, UV rays, X-Rays, and Gamma rays. Each of these forms of radiation have different characteristics of a wavelength.

Among the many diverse ecosystems on Earth, cloud forests are one of the most unique. Cloud forests are typically tropical or subtropical forests that exist throughout the world at higher elevations. They are characterized by their high levels of biomass and their constant cloud cover due to high elevation and humidity. These unique conditions create interesting circumstances for a wide range of organisms that often vary from cloud forest to cloud forest as they can be found on a wide range of continents and can differ from one another greatly.

Coral bleaching is an extremely important environmental issue. Coral are invertebrates that are large colonies, with these colonies being made up of individual polyps. Coral derives most of its energy from photosynthetic algae that live on the polyps of coral. When conditions become unsuitable for these algae to live on coral reefs they vacate their homes, evacuating into the surrounding waters, often dying without protection. Conditions can become unsuitable for these algae due to the increasing acidification of ocean waters and increasing temperatures of ocean water, both of which can be attributed to anthropogenic emissions. With the lack of algae coral reefs can become bleached and eventually die. With the death of coral reefs, they can no longer function as ecosystems for other organisms and nor can they act as vital environmental barriers to oceanic activities.