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The major difference between the two figures is the addition of panel D in the replicate figure. The other major differences include formatting, lighting, the presence of the flower, and the map of the geographical location. The replicate figure is formatted with spacings between the panels, while the original figure has the panels flush to one another with no spacing.

The labels for each of the panels are also formatted differently. The original figures background was made transparent and is white, while the replicate figures background is not transparent and is grey. The labels in the original are surrounded by white boxes and are in the top left corner of each panel, and in the replicate the labels are found outside the panel above the top left corner. In addition, the labels for each panel in the original figure were done with lowercase letters while they are uppercase in the replicate figure. Panel a in the original figure is of the flower while it is of the geographical range in the replicate. Panel b in the original figure is of the entire plant, and in the replicate figure panel B is also of the entire plant. Panel b of the original and replicate figures differ in lighting, angle and the presence of the P. maudiae flower. Panel c in the original figure is of the geographical range, while panel C in the replicate figure is of the flower bud of P. maudiae.

The geographical range of P. maudiae is colored differently in both figures and both figures show a different geographical range for P. maudiae. The maps chosen for each figure are also different. The original figure has white countries with a blue ocean while the replicate figure has grey countries with a white ocean. The lighting in the replicate figure is brighter and there are more shadows present in the background. The lighting in the original figure is more uniform and not bright or dark with very little shadows or interference.

The photographs included in the figure were of the flower Paphiopedilum maudiae, and the image taken from online was a map of the world that showed the borders of every country. I looked for the flower at the Durfee Conservatory and Gardens and chose this place because the conditions in a conservatory are kept constant and the flowers are organized and labeled. This would increase the probability that the two sets of photographs taken would be identical.  I chose this flower because it has a very unique petal formation called a pouch. This distinct petal formation was very distinct in a room filled with flowers which made it stand out. This was also the only representative of this species of flower in the conservatory which made it stand out even more.

    When constructing the figure I wanted it to show the flower close up, the picture of the entire plant from a distance, and a map showing the geographical range of the flower. I wanted the figure to be well organized but not be to complicated so that it could be replicated easily. When constructing the methods for the figure I tried to describe everything in as much detail as possible. I made sure to document all of the details that I could of where I took the photographs, when I took the photographs, and how I took the photographs. In addition, I tried to explain the formatting and process of making the figure in as much detail as possible. To make sure my methods consisted of this information I wrote down everything I did while making the figure.

The main goal of this project was to create a methods section that was sufficient enough for someone else to produce a duplicate of a multipanel figure. The other goals of this project included learning how to construct a multi panel figure, and how to interpret results to help construct a scientific paper. The figures consisted of pictures taken of flowers and images found online. The photographs and images were then constructed into a figure using the software Inkscape. The methods section was written after the figure was created and was a description of how the figure was created.

12 synapomorphies for lissamphibia

1.       Pedicellate and bicuspid teeth. teeth have two sides/ cusps one of each side of the mouth (ligual, and labial)

2.       The middle ear is made up of two parts. The collumela or stapes, and the operculum. Which is not homologous to the one in fish. The operculum is connected to the scapula via the opercular muscle. This allows the organism to hear ground vibrations.(opercular apparatus is lost in caecillians)

3.       The stapes is directed dorsolaterally from the fenestra ovalis.

4.       The fat bodies develop from the germinal ridge.

5.       The skin contains both mucus and poison glands that are very similar in structure.

6.       Specialized receptor cells in the retina of the eye called green rods. Except caecillians lac them.

7.       A sheet of muscle called the levator bulbi is under the eye allowing the to raise their eyes

8.       Cutaneous and bucophanyngeal respiration.

9.       Short straight ribs and do not encircle the body

10.   Two occipital condyles at the base of the skull

11.   Radius and ulna articulate with the humerus at a single point called the radial condyle.

12.   Share fenestration patterns and loss in skull bones with Paleozoic tetrapod’s.

Observations- The two figures seem to be taken at different times of the day. Figure one which is on the left is taken earlier in the day than Figure 2 on the right. This is assumed based off of the amount of light and shadows seen in the figures. The rulers used are different as well the one on the right uses a ruler in millimeters while the one on the left uses a ruler in centimeters. The ruler used in the figure on the left is wet while the one on the right is completely dry. The ruler placement in panel B is different for both figures. On Figure 1 its directly down the center of the leaf and the ruler is on the leaf. On Figure 2 the ruler is floating below the leaf not touching it at all and is located adjacent to the leaf instead of down the middle. The placement of the thumb on the ruler is different where in Figure 1 it is at 5 cm and they are touching the leaf with their hand. In figure 2 they have their thumb at 85mm and they are not touching the leaf. The picture of the total plant (Panel A) was taken at a different angle in both Figures. The individual leaves that they took pictures of (Panels B, C, and D) appear to all be different leaves. The spacing of Panel C is different on Figure 1 than it is on Figure 2. The Figure 1 is more zoomed in and centered to the left, while Figure 2 is more zoomed out and centered. The Figure 2 is more rectangular than Figure 1, and is much longer in height. Panel B is taken at a different direction in the two figures. In Figure 1 it’s on its side or faced left to right, while the one Figure 2 is faced up and down. Panel D is more zoomed out in figure 2 than it is in Figure 1. The arrow arrangement on Panel D is different on both figures. The Figure 2 has the arrow pointing to the middle of the leaf while Figure 2 has the arrow pointing on the edge of the leaf. The arrow in panel C is different for both figures. While the arrow itself is in the same direction in both panels it is pointing to a different spot on both leaves. In Figure 1 the arrow is close to the stem of the leaf while in figure 2 the arrow is almost in the center of the leaf.

An observation would be seeing hgh amounts of algea in a pond near a farm, and another observation would be that there are no fish in the pond. An inference would be that the fertilizer from the farm may have caused eutrification in the pond causing a large algal bloom which would kill all the life in the pond.

Owens, Casey, et al. “Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Donor Standardization.” Trends in Microbiology, vol. 21, no. 9, Sept.2013, pp. 443-445., doi:10.1016/j.tim.2013.07.003.

http://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X(13)00133-9

News

The article goes into detail on the process of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) and the reason that they are so beneficial to treating certain diseases in the colon. The article specifically goes over Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) which causes diarrhea, bloating, bloody stool, and ulcerative colitis. In the past this was treated with only antibiotics, however, it had a slight chance of reoccurring in patients. Patients who have multiple cases of reoccurring CDI are advised to get an FMT. The article mentions that 81% of reoccurring patients that were treated with one FMT recovered from CDI compared to 31% recovery in patients that were just treated with vancomycin for CDI. The actual procedure for the transplant is very easy usually doctors can do it at the end of a colonoscopy, or they insert a tube through the mouth or nose and transplant it in the small intestines. The part of the procedure that is complicated is obtaining the fecal microbiota.

Feces can either come from a close family member or friend or they can come from an unknown donor. The donor must be screened for any infectious diseases such as hepatitis A and B, HIV, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and syphilis this is to ensure that the patient does not contract anything from the transplant. The FMT is so important to treating people with CDI because it helps to reestablish beneficial and essential microbiota that the antibiotics would have removed. This makes fighting off any residual C. difficile much easier for the patient and is why there are higher rates of recovery than just treating patients with an antibiotic.

Mycorrhizae is a fungus that is found in the roots of plants. The fungus is in a symbionic relationship with the plant which means that the plant and the fungus exchange resources with one another to better bnefit each other. Mycorrhizae is essential in some plants for life however there are many species of plants that do not need these fungi for help. Some species of plant that depend on mycorrhizae are prevelant intodays agricultre with an example being corn. Without mycorrhizae the plants of the world would not be as hardy and probably would not be as adapted as they are today.

In many species of plants, there is a symbiotic relationship happening in the roots with a species of fungus. The fungi are put into a diverse group called mycorrhizae which means "fungus root" or "root fungus". The mycorrhizae help the plant by increasing surface area to the roots allowing for more nutrient absorption and in some instances even protecting the root. The fungi benefit from working with the plant by being supplied sugar that the plant makes from photosynthesis. There are also species of mycorrhizae that are parasitic and are not helpful to the plant because they just take away all of the plant's resources. The diverse group of mycorrhizae is broken up into two larger groups based off of their morphology: endomycorrhizae, ectomycorrhizae. Endomycorrhizae, also known as arbuscular mycorrhizae, forms along the outer surface of the root and exchanges nutrients with the plant by inserting itself inside the plant cells. The complex the mycorrhizae forms with the root cell is called an arbuscule. Ectomycorrhizae form on the external surface of the root and exchange nutrients through the cell walls of the root cells staying outside of the cells. The ectomycorrhizae forms a complex with the root cells called a Hartig net. Mycorrhizae are extremely important to the overall function of many species of plants it is a symbiotic relationship that not only helps run ecosystems but helps to power our agriculture.

Figure 1- The Thylacine, Thylacinus cynocephalus, is a mammalian anomaly due to a jaw adaptation that allows it to open its jaw 180º.