mrmoy's blog

Two pictures are taken: a close-up picture of an individual flower and a picture of the entire plant. The close-up of the individual flower includes a fully blossomed flower. The fully blossomed flower is pink in color and has multiple layers of petals. Measurements of the flower size is taken with a ruler in centimeters and is recorded for future reference. The picture of the entire plant is taken from a distance at an angle in which the plant is in between the entrance and the camera. The size of the entire plant is estimated by standing next to the plant. Along with the two pictures obtained from the Durfee Conservatory & Garden, is a world map showing the origins of the Camellia Japonica Napoleon plant. This information is found by researching the origins of the Camellia Japonica family, rather than the specific individual Napoleon species. The countries where these plants grow in the wild is marked on the blank image of a world map.

The species of plant that is being observed is the Camellia Japonica Napoleon. This plant is located at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Durfee Conservatory & Garden. The greenhouse is in between the morrill science buildings and the university health center. Facing the morrill science buildings is an entrance to the greenhouse, where the different kinds of Camellia Japonica are found on the right immediately after entering the greenhouse. The Camellia Japonica Napoleon is the second to last tree from the entrance.

Figure 1. Oxalis Triangularis Purple Shamrock. The plant on the left depicts a Oxalis Traingularis Purple Shamrock that is fully grown. The leaves are triangular and much bigger than its adolescent plant, which is shown to the right. Creative commons licensed image by Maja Dumat. https://www.flickr.com/photos/blumenbiene

The nitrogen cycle is an essential process of life as it is helps turn nitrogen into a form that is available to animals and plants. Nitrogen is a necessity of life as it is essential for growth and reproduction for both plants and animals. A key component of the nitrogen cycle is the presence of plants as they help turn inorganic forms of nitrogen, such as ammonia and nitric acid, into organic forms of nitrogen that can then be move up the food chain. Clearing the forest would kill all the plants and trees in that area, ultimately having a major effect on the nitrogen cycle. With no plants, the conversion of inorganic forms of nitrogen to organic forms of nitrogen cannot happen. Instead, bacteria in the soil breakdown the plant available nitrogen into gases in a process known as denitrification. Another negative effect is that plant available nitrogen is very soluble in water, thus if plants aren’t there to take up the nitrogen, then it will be leached away into our rivers, lakes, oceans, and other bodies of water. In conclusion, clearing forests could have some unforeseen devastating effects on the nitrogen cycle and more importantly the environment.

- The nitrogen cycle is an essential process of life as it is helps turn nitrogen into a form that is available to animals and plants

- Nitrogen is important component of many cells and processes such as proteins and DNA.

-A key component of the nitrogen cycle is the presence of plants as they help turn inorganic forms of nitrogen, such as ammonia and nitric acid, into organic forms of nitrogen that can then be move up the food chain

- The process includes: nitrogen fixation, nitrification, ammonification, and denitrification.

Human activities have been responsible for many of the major changes in the global climate. The major human activity responsible for these drastic changes is the burning of fossil fuels, which contributes to massive amounts of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. As a result to the high levels of carbon dioxide in the air, the ocean acts like a carbon dioxide sink, meaning it absorbs a large amount of carbon dioxide. The reason why the ocean is able to absorb so much carbon dioxide is because carbon dioxide readily dissolves in water and there is a continual cycling of equilibration between the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the ocean. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean has many negative effects, but the two most significant impacts include increased acidity and decreased formation of aragonite.

- The researchers in this study are trying to treat the motor problems and issues associated with the Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is caused by a lack of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine is directly connected to movement, thus a lack of dopamine can cause some motor issues. As stated in article, “a low level of dopamine causes the basal ganglia to severely inhibit target neurons in the thalamus, called an inhibition.”

- Optogenetics is the usage of lights to control specific target neurons in the brain. The scientists found out that when signals from are more active in the basal ganglia, the neurons in the thalamus become hyperactive. This hyperaction causes the muscle stiffness and muscle tremors that are usually seen with parkinson’s patients. However, when they used the light to suppress this hyperactivity, movement in the mice became normal again.

- Based on the results, I think the light treatment did in fact cure the motor issues in the mice with parkinson’s disease. However, this treatment was used only to confirm that this certain hyperactivity of neurons was the cause of the muscle tremors. As a result, this study was more for a research purpose than a treatment purpose.

In conclusion, carrying capacity and competition plays a huge role whether it can be seen on the surface or if it’s a hidden motive in certain ideas such as racism. Carrying capacity can limit many species, but humans have found a way to manipulate this concept. For example, humans have developed ways to control food supply in the agricultural industry. If they need more food, they can easily intensify or improve their already massive food supplies. Also humans have developed the ability to expand their habitat, an ability not many species on the earth possess. For example, humans have developed the technology of air conditioning and heating, which allows them to expand their habitat into hotter and colder regions respectively. Competition also was a huge factor in racism, as the whites were given majority of the better supplies. The DVD explained that of the $120 billion the government spent on new houses, less than 2% of those homes went to non-whites. All in all, whether we like to admit it or not subconsciously competition and carry capacity play a significant role in the actions we make.  

Over the course of the day, I spent a lot of time and did a lot of activities with my friend. We both went to our micro biology class and took notes. After our class, we went to frank to eat some food. Once I finished my lab, I went to pick him up at his dorm and we drove to target to buy a stand and tv. After I dropped him off at his dorm with the tv and we grabbed food at hamp. After eating we went back to his dorm to set up his tv and his stand. Lastly, once we completed setting up his tv and stand, I went back to my dorm and we played fortnite for a couple of hours with our friends.

Also as agriculture production soared, the demand for more land was inevitable. As a result, we saw racial discrimination shift from African Americans to Native Americans. Americans created the idea of Manifest Destiny to justify this discrimination. Manifest Destiny said that it was God’s given will and their divine destiny to expand their nation westward, ultimately forcing the relocation of Native Americans. As a result, with a “justifiable” reason and a high demand for more land, the white settlers forced the Native Americans out of their homes and venture on a journey westward. In these examples, we highlight a hidden motive and reasoning for certain racial discriminations towards certain groups as competition and the carrying capacity of an ecosystem is pushed to its limits.