mqpham's blog

Research was conducted on three invasive herbs- Alliaria petiolata, Cabomba caroliniana, and Glaucium flavium in order to determine which posed the greatest threat to Massachusetts’ economy and ecosystems. The research conducted was used to determine the extent of harm each of the invaders had in the areas they occupied and were compared to against one another. Using a bioeconomic framework that revealed the connection between ecology and economic input on ecological states, the impact of the invaders were assessed. The bioeconomic framework considered the source, transport, establishment, abundance and spread, impact, along with prevention and control of the invasive herbs.

Cabomba caroliniana, or better known as fanwort, is a perennial aquatic plant. Stems of the plant reach up to 10 meters and are branched. The leaves grow in pairs outward from the stem with fine texture. The stems themselves are rhizomes and leaves that reach the surface are diamond-shaped. Fanwort is native to subtropic-temperate regions of eastern north and south America. It was naturalized in the United States via aquarium trade. Plant fragments easly settle and grow through movements from different bodies of water carried by boits, fishing gear, wind, and currents. The plant is well adapt to grow in a variety of substrates and depths up to 30ft or in shallow waters less than ten feet. A variety of issues concerning ecological relationships and even impacts on humans arise as the density of the plants prevent use of different bodies of water. Furthermore, fanwort displaces native macrophytes and creates shortages of food for native fish.

Comparing the summed chi squared values for the average number of eggs per individual bean to the chi squared distribution, we reject the null hypothesis that the mass of individual beans does not affect the egg count. This is seen more clearly as the average number of eggs drastically varied among the bean types for individual beans. There were most eggs on each of the lima beans on average, and lesser for black-eyed peas, and least for mung beans. This corresponds to the mass of the individual beans as well, as the average mass of a lima bean is 1.25g, for a black-eyed pea is 0.21g, and for mung bean mass it is 0.07g.

In this experiment, we are testing the effect of a legume’s mass on oviposition preferences of the female bean beetle, specifically lima beans, black eye peas, and mung beans. Our control will be the mung bean group, on which the parental beetles were laid. Knowing that the beans on which they are laid will be the only food source for the larvae’s development, it must be necessary on the female’s part to lay eggs on beans that provide enough sustenance for better fitness of the offspring. Therefore- if the oviposition preferences of the female bean beetles are determined solely by the mass of the beans, then there would be an equal number of eggs per equal mass of beans, however, there would be a significantly greater number of eggs on individual beans that weigh more. We predict to find an equal number of eggs in each petri dish containing equal mass of beans, but on individual beans that weigh more, there would be more eggs overall. In other words, there should be more eggs per lima bean than black eyed pea or mung bean, and more eggs per black eyed pea than mung bean.

Forces and potential energy: Forces are pushes and pulls which can result in potential energy. Potential energy depends on the position of the object to where it wants to go. Potential energy and Electric potential: Potential energy is a result of the position of the object in relation to where it wants to go. Electric potential is a charge that changes when a charge is put in the system to create potential energy. Electric potential and electric force: electric field can be generated by a single charge, whereas an electric force requires two charges. An electric force is the result of charged particle intercting with the sum of the electric fields of all the other charged particles.

Success for the offspring of the azuki bean weevils are determined by the oviposition preferences of the female bean weevil. The choice of the female determines the food source for the larvae, and because following pupation, the beetle does not consume food or water for the rest of its life, the initial decision is crucial. In experiments that test for preferences, it was found that the azuki bean weevil had a high preference for the cowpea legume out of five beans- cowpea, mung bean, azuki bean, kidney bean, and soybean. The number of eggs per cowpea when the female was given a choice revealed roughly 6 eggs per female on the cowpea, and zero eggs per female on the kidney bean. Those laid on cowpeas revealed a reduced developmental and adult emergence rate, suggesting that the choice was beneficial to offspring success.

The final product smelled like apple, which is different from the malodourous starting reagents. This is characteristic of esters which are often fragrant like fruit. The final product was tested under IR spectrometry, which showed that the product was the expected ester, with peaks at 2959.9 1/cm and 2873.09 1/cm. There was a lack of the broad peaks as seen with alcohols and no peaks showing signs of water as water is also a product of the reaction. This means that the product was successfully dried. The experiment could be improved if more time was allowed for the reflux and careful manipulation of the apparatus to avoid bringing water into the flask.

Magnetic fields feel forces when a charge is present. When the charges are moving, the magnetic field exerts a force. The direction of the magnetic force is determined by the direction which the charge is moving and will always be perpendicular to the plane formed by v and B, and is proportional to q, v, and B. Magnetic fields consist of both magnitude and direction like vectors. This can be seen by the right-hand rule when a wire carrying a current is the model. If we rap our hands around the wire, the curled fingers show the direction of the field while the thumb shows the direction of the current. The magnitude then measured by probes.

Magnetism accounts for the properties of magnets and their effect on forces and charges, as well as currents, resulting in a magnetic field. Each magnet is made of two magnetic poles that are called the north magnetic pole and the south magnetic pole. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract. This is true for all magnets, regardless of their size. The poles are therefore inseparable. Unmagnetized pieces of iron can be induced to become magnetic. This is done when the iron is heated and cooled or tapped between two poles. What occurs on the molecular level is that tiny fragments of the iron align themselves to have one of their poles meeting the unlike pole of the magnetic material. Eventually, the entire material can overall become magnetic.

Oviposition preferences of the female azuki bean weevil determine the success of the offspring. The choice of the female determines the food source for the larvae, and because the bean on which it was laid will be the only food source for its entire development, the right decision on the female's part is crucial. After pupation, the beetle does not consume food or water and will seek to reproduce. In experiments that test for preferences, it is found that the azuki bean weevil has a high preference for the cowpea legume out of five beans- cowpea, mung bean, azuki bean, kidney bean, and soybean. The number of eggs per cowpea when the female was given a choice revealed roughly 6 eggs per female on the cowpea, and zero eggs per female on the kidney bean. Furthermore, the developmental time and the rate of adult emergence was reduced for the eggs laid on cowpeas, suggesting that the choice was beneficial to offspring. Further research on other species suggests that certain legumes produce a higher concentration of phenol, found to be toxic to certain species, thus leading to avoidance on those legumes.