Last Blog

What was your favorite topic this semester? Why?
What was your least favorite?
What would you change about this class if you could?
What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment in biology this year?


My favorite topic was when we were learning about evolution but also when we were learning the different systems. It was something I knew a bit of because of anatomy and physiology. I thought that was interesting because the functions and processes inside the body is what really takes my interest. 

My least favorite topic was biochem. chemistry really isn't a strong point. So it did not really click in my mind. 


I would say to do a hands on dissection along with the students or to do a demonstration first so that the students have a general sense as to how to cut. However the process of learning was significant too. The online labs were a little hard to handle sometimes, but it would be nice for deadlines to be set for notebook just so that the process of procrastination does not reach its full extent.


My biggest accomplishment was dissections. It was interesting to connect and see how the actual subject compares to the diagrams. The size of each part was interesting to know as well.

Starfish

Starfishes are known as echinoderms. It is a spiny skinned marine animal. They have a central point along with 5 or more arms. It is an echinoderm mainly because they do not have backbones. They have hard plates as spines as well. Echinoderms have tiny systems inside of their bodies much like these star fishes. They have tubefeet with suction pads. They evolve from animals with bilateral symmetry. They have mesodermal skeletons. the Larvae are ciliated. Their left side of the body tends to grow pentaradically symmetric fashion. It has an, " ambulacral" system in which fluid filled canals function.
Asteroidea is the class of echinoderms that starfish belong to. It has characteristics such as regeneration and mussel feedings. Crinoids area  type of marine animal echinoderms which live in shallow water. They have a mouth on their surface along with many arms, which is a common characteristic amongst echinoderms. They have a U shaped gut and contain a five fold symmetry.

http://www.mbgnet.net/salt/animals/echinod.htm

kidney function

http://www.engin.umich.edu/~cre/web_mod/viper/kidney_function.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/kidney_failure/article.htm

invertebrates

Arachnids:
- joint legged animals
- 8 legs
- two further pairs of appendages: adapted for feeding, defense, and sensory perception
- (pedipalps)
- (chelicerae)
- no antennae
- no wings
- two party body tamata : prosoma and opisthosoma
- carnivorous

Insects:
 - 6 legs
- three part body: head thorax abdomen
- three pairs of jointed legs
- compound eyes
- two pairs of antennae
- hatches from eggs
- 800,00 different types
wings located on thorax

Annelids:
- phyla of segmented worms
- multiple segments
- blood circulation within blood vessels
- can produce asexually
-9000 known species.
- soft bodied

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/annelida/annelida.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/printouts.shtml
http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/arachnids/

AP BIO REVIEW

The test content was unexpected for some topics. Definitely believe that it would be best to go more in depth in topics of genetics as well as more review of ecology since it is a topic covered at the very beginning of the year. the biochemical portion should be gone over again just so that it would be easier to deal with. animal function and structure was definitely an interesting topic but maybe the functions or the processes could be gone over more thoroughly in terms of creating short cut ways to remember them.

species blog 10

The chapter starts off with the previous belief that, "until 1955, it was agreed that human beings had twenty- four pairs of chromosomes." (24) A group of scientists had even abandoned their experiments because of their findings of only twenty three chromosomes found in each cell. However it was in 1955, when this claim was disputed and many researchers so much as went back and had found 23 chromosomes in previously published photographs rather than the believed to be 24. In apes 24 chromosomes are found in each cell while 23 are found on the human cells. It also addresses the theory of evolution on humans and acknowledges that humans and apes are 98% alike. Evolution is believed to trend based off of natural selection. This fact occurring in that species tend to optimize the most out of their natural environment. The chapter also addresses monogamy and its role in helping the shape the new genration as such hunting and gathering tactics as well as emergence of, "sexual division of labor. " Species behavioral differences occur in the genese which do separate us from ape although we are are 98% alike. It is chromosome 2 that we are found to be most related in which religions believe that it is where the human soul is found to be the closest.

Disease Blog 9

The chapter talks about how blood variations maybe play a part in the variations of mutations. Chromsome 9 determines various blood types. Blood grouping is considered to be, " the friend of the innocent." (136) The chapter talks about the ABO system which was first discovered in the 1900s. "A and B are 'co-dominant' versions of the same gene, O being 'the recessive' form of it" (137) The chapter also mentions malaria in which type O blood types are much more resistant than other blood types. They are also less likely to develop different variations of cancer. This is because its survival instinct had gone up enough to keep it from disappearing. The issue of disease and mutations linkage is also mentioned with the example of sickle cell anemia occurring in Africa. The frequency of this disease is believed to be in relation to malaria. In the sickle cell mutation, it is recalled that, "blood cells collapse in the absence of oxygen, [and] is frequently fatal to those with two copies of it." (141) Resistants to malaria is with those who have one copy.