Final Blog: Reflection

I have learned quite a lot this semester, there are countless things I have learned and failed to achieve during the past few months, but among them, the highlights included:

• Successes: Though I didn't really pass those quizzes with flying colors, I thoroughly enjoyed working on the dissections. The hands-on experience from opening up an organism and examining their complex internal bodies was all in all fun to do. Listing the diagrams wasn't all that easy, but through cooperation with our partners and some studying, we knew much of the interior and exterior of many organisms.
• Failures: Some parts of the notebook; initially, I haven't put everything listed on the blog into the notebook, or much of it, for that matter, which hindered my score for some time.
• Something I may never forget: The experience of being in the class as a whole, from the interactive labs, to group projects. Everything I have learned is definitely an unforgettable experience of this second school semester.

Blog 13: Most Interesting Dissection

By far, the frog dissection we performed was the most interesting among the others. Indeed, it was one of the most "developed" organism we have opened up so far, with an obvious presence of a number of developed organ systems. As such, it took quite some time for me and my partner (and the rest of my table, for that matter) to get to many of the assigned parts, due to the layers and layers of skin, bones, muscles, and other organs covering up vital parts. No doubt that it was the most complex yet fascinating dissections I have done yet.

Blog 12: Worm Dissection

First off, I was surprised already that we were going to dissect a worm in the first place. Being one of the first dissections I have done on an entire organism, I'm surprised on the internal complexity of these worms. Never have I thought they would have things like multiple hearts. Last, but no least, it was surprising to find out that the other animals that we are going to dissect are bigger and would be more sophisticated, and that even with all these organs, the worm is a "simple" life form.

Blog 11: Alternation of Generations

Plants undergo a life cycle, an alternation of generations. These organisms transition from a diploid phase to a haploid phase. At this time, processes make reproductive cells, which will then turn into a gametophyte. It will then combine with another gamete and its product will soon become a diploid plant.

Blog 10: Dissection

Blog #10
Why is dissection an important part of a biology curriculum? Which animals and/or plants should be included in biological studies?

The discoveries of dissection is crucial to finding out the build of many organisms. It allows students to learn the internal structures and the various systems of animals.  Opening up an animal allows one to learn a wider knowledge of the dissected, which in turn could help in research and future experiments.

Blog 9: Community Interactions

Define the different forms of community interaction: competition, commensalism, mutualism, predation, parasitism Give an example and a picture for each

• Competition

Competition is when organisms fight, or compete, with each other for food and habitat. Whoever has the most desirable traits and being able to obtain more than their competitors would have a high chance of surviving and thrive in the environment.

In very dense forests, plants must compete with each other for sunlight that is hardly found on the surface level. The ones that can grow higher would have the ability to obtain more sunlight and survive.

• Mutualism

Mutualism is when two organisms live close and benefit from each other.

Ants and trees is among the many examples of mutualism. The ants could live in the tree and eat some of its leaves, while the tree is defended by the ants against other predators.

• Predation

Predation is when one organism preys on another organism.

One example is when lions hunt and kill zebras for food.

• Parasitism

Parasitism is when one organism benefits through another organism.

Ticks and mosquitoes are common examples of parasitism. They feed off of bodies of other organisms, like humans, for their blood.