Challenge!!!!!!!

Do now: A rabbit is active at down and dusk. It's normal activity is recorded in a lab for 6 days then recorded in constant darkness for another 10 days. There is still a pattern to the rabbit behaviour but it start 20 minutes later each day.

Describe or re-write what is happening using each of these words at least once.

1. Zeitgeber
2. entrained
3. biological clock
4. endogenous
5. exogenous
6. circadian
7. circatidal
8. phase shift
9. period of
10. nocturnal
11. diurnal
12. crepuscular
13. biorhythm

The biorhythm shown by the rabbit is crepuscular because it active at down and dust. It's normal crepuscular rhythm was recorded for 6 days with the ...... present, which was...... the rhythm  when the rabbits activity was recorded in darkness the .... was removed and the activity pattern became.....which means biorhythm is ...                  

Practice Question

A recent New Zealand study compared the size, shape and pigmentation of hundreds of leaves of Pseudowintera axillaris (horopito, also known as the New Zealand pepper tree) and small Alseuosmia macrophylla (toropapa) plants, and found a match. Over a third of the leaves of the two species cannot be statistically distinguished from one another.  Toropapa were possibly eaten by moa before the arrival of humans quickly decimated the moa population.  Unless the plants are flowering or fruiting, the only fast way to tell them apart is to taste a leaf.  Horopito leaves a pungent, hot peppery taste and a numb tongue when the leaf is chewed, while toropapa is highly palatable.

Photo from: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/news/2016/06/making-a-mockery-out-of-our-native-plants

Name and describe the relationship between Pseudowintera axillaris and Alseuosmia macrophylla.  

Discuss the adaptive advantages and disadvantages of the relationship to the two species of New Zealand flora, including any survival strategies they employ.

Planning my answer:

• Their relationship (batesian)
• Definition of Batesian
• What about these 2 that make it (batesian)
• Advantages (natural selection)
• Survival strategies (chemical protection) e.g so the herbivorous will avoid the plant.

The two species is Pseudowintera axillaris known as horopito, and Alseuosmia macrophylla known as toropapa. The relationship between them is batesian.

Hi All!

HI ALL!!!!!!!!!
Sorry I have not been updating my blog lately no reason why, however today we have a double period and we have a debate about 'Euthanasia.' Our debate was based on the positive and negative of Euthanasia and we were in two teams. I was in the positive team who were forward and agree with the idea of Euthanasia.
And this is the document to our arguments!
Thank you

Euthanasia is the...... painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.

Our main points: It’s their decision. Peaceful death compared to a painful life/It’s good because it can put people to eternal rest, because they will be in a lot of pain. Dying is not a crime Everyone have the right to decide how they should die To stop the risk of prosecution as it is considered law-breaking if someone witnesses someone committing suicide. This way those who choose to take euthanasia can do it with the company of loved ones without breaking any laws. God is love and Christianity is about love and compassion and my point is that keeping someone in pain and suffering is not loving but pure evil. Euthanasia can be the most and loving action and the best way to put someone you love in a painless most peaceful way. Most people would have their pets put down to if they were suffering, this would regards kindness. Why can’t the same kindness be given to humans? If the patient is old and suffering is watching them spend their last hours in pain really satisfying. As a child of the elderly do we want our parent to be suffering to death, or do you want them to say their goodbyes and then get put to sleep without pain, this way we would understand that our parent went to rest with peace. To allow sufferers to depart this life while still possessing their mental faculties. Those who are unwell don’t want people looking after them including wiping bottom, bathing, hand feeding.

Their main points: The money spent on paying for euthanasia could be used to pay Hospice services etc. Against the belief of Christians “It would make caring for disabled, mentally ill and elderly people optional, instead of the default.”   Alternative treatments are available, such as palliative and hospice, we do not have to kill the patients with down syndrome, nearly all pain can be relieved. “assisted dying” – making it legal for people to deliberately help others commit suicide – is not the solution. The assumption that patients should have the a right to die would impose on doctors a duty to kill

What they could say back to our main points and how we would shut them down: It’s a duty for doctors to look after patients until they take their final breath. Doctors should never give up Use these patients for research to find the cure to different diseases in order to prevent the same scene to occur with someone else.

What we could say to shut down their main points: Take in account the oath of Doctors to not harm their patients. THe hippocratic oath to swear they would do no harm. Letting them spend in their final hours in pain is too much of a harm. We can use this method to put them to rest in peace therefore we see no harm, as life for them in that stage Caring for the elderly, disabled, or the mentally ill puts a strain on people financially, emotionally and physically.  Having people put to rest via Euthanasia would be good seeing as it would be quick and easy and spare people the money they would have to pay, and the trauma they could go through if they had to care for the elderly/mentally ill/disabled.   A lot of money is being spent for medication to reduce amount of pain therefore having euthanasia will end the pain as well as reducing the amount of money being spent to help care for the sick people. Take into account not everyone is religious therefore saying it is against belief of christians won’t apply to everyone. It’s their decision whether they go to heaven or not. It comes down to their own decision if they have strong religious beliefs they will not have euthanasia. Allowing family/patients/friends to suffer in pain day to day is also not the solution and can also be looked at as allowing someone to die slowly. There are examples of euthanasia in the bible in 2 Samuel 1: 9-10 “Then he begged me, Come over here and put me out of my misery, for I am in terrible pain and want to die .” So I killed him.”

Exam Practise

Home range is an area that an animal goes on a daily basis and live on normally, and the animal does not need to defend it against predator.

Daily range compared to home range - The daily range tend to be smaller  this is because it only their daily range.

Rainfall impact on home range size. Rainfall affected the home range sizes either by decreasing the resources for olive baboons. Because the 400-600 yearly rainfall (mm) the home range approximate increases by 43.8 size (km). This is because their habitat is so dry, not enough resources. This causes the Olive Baboons to spread out in order to hunt for resources or food. However at a habitat where rainfall is common for example around 2000, the resources will get enough water from the rain. This means the home range will be small, because they get enough resources that they don’t need to spread out. To search for food.

Rainfall impact on daily range size. Looking at the data table daily range(km) is more spread out at places where there is not much rain. For example from the data table Yearly range of 400-600 will have 5.64 daily range while yearly rainfall 2000 daily range 0.3-2.0 km. This is because more rainfall means better resources, with places that receives more rain means their daily range will be small as they don't have to get far in search of food. Whilst with limited rainfall the daily range will be bigger because the Olive Baboon will have to get far in order to get enough resources.

Habitat impact on home range.

Habitat impact on daily range.

How rainfall impacted on the different habitats.

Why you think these different sizes occur.

Not finish

Learning About Migration!

                                           Learning About Migration!

Yesterday we were learning about migration and homing, however it was pretty interesting learning because we went old school learning. This was because our power went off and we couldn't connect to our internet. 

However, it was such an interesting learning periods because we get to make posters and was able to try n example outside class which is sort of like an activity. 

Migration- It is a journey that is often over long distance  after once a year or once in a lifetime often for reproduction or feeding. 

Homing-A short trip home after searching for food and mates.

When migrating birds use visual cues for example like landmarks or motor ways. For homing digger wasp they used cones where home was, however studies shows that it not where the cones were it the shape that the wasp was using as navigating it way to find home. 

As for some birds they use stars as their compass to navigate their way of migrating. In one experiment scientist put birds in a conservatory/star dome, and changed the sky and looked at which way were hoping or wanting to migrate. And they found as they moved the stars it changed it way of migrating.

Some animals e.g pigeons and salmon have been shown using the earth Magnetic field to navigate them to their destination. Experiment with magnets on pigment beats shows that some birds uses magnets because when they put magnetic everywhere it shows that the birds were just flying anywhere and was confused.

And lastly the Sun Compass, as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, a lower path at winter and higher path in summer. A good example for this is the Bee dance(waggle dance) this allows the bees to communicate with the other bees. By using the angle between the direction of the straight run and the ray opposite gravity is the same as the angle between the food source and the position of the sun.

Advantage of Migration: They will be able to get more resources and meet mates to reproduce more of the species. They might get better environment in terms of predators and disease, or some migrate order to the damage of climate change. Even though birds migrating are not always successful however if they stay at the same place it would becomes a competition for nesting sites for an example. This will also attracts predators to the high concentrations of breeding birds and easy meals of nesting. 

However one principal for birds migrating is the search for food and mating.

Another fact birds put on weight before migrating because they need energy so they can basically carry on their journey. 

Thank you for reading!!!!!!!

Gravitropism

Auxin and Gravitropism in shoots and roots!

Gravitropism

Hiya

This is just an update on what I have learn about auxin and gravitropism in roots and shoots. Gravitropism helps the plant grow in the right direction for example in plants the leaves don't just stand up without the help of auxin and gravitropism. And this is known as a negative gravitropism.
So what is the role of auxin and in Gravitropism Response, experiments on shoot tips provide evidence that gravitropism is due to the different growth rates of upper and lower sides of the stem or root in response to auxin. While the roots grows down because roots elongation is inhibited by high levels of auxin on the lower surface.
Why gravitropism is important? From what I learned from our independent learning lesson, Gravitropism allowed the stem system to grow towards the surface while the root system extends further into the soil. It important for plant to adapt in this way to avoid the plant growing in the wrong direction, for example so the stem would not grow downwards. Or another good example in the roots without gravitropism the roots wouldn't be able to dig into the soil where they get nutrients. Both actions are imporatant and needed for the survival of the plant.

Thank you for reading

Auxin Presentation

      'Auxin Presentation'

Hellllooooo
I know I haven't been updating my blog because I have been busy with assessments also I started working.

First of all I want to update you guys on what we've been learning class lately, first we are learning about Auxin. Auxin is a hormone produced in plant stem tip and produce the cells to elongate. Also in plant auxin move to the side of the plant where there is no light, causing the cells to grow larger than the cells on the side where the light(sunlight) is.

As for our activity, we were in group girls and boys and we have to do an auxin presentation and get to play with dough. And I will put the link below for our 'Auxin Presentation'
Thank you for reading!
Have a great day!!!!!

'Auxin Presentation'