# data[].attributes.headline
Padlet Assignment 1: Evolution of the Peppered Moths

# data[].attributes.subject
Padlet Assignment 1: Evolution of the Peppered Moths

# data[].attributes.body
One of the best modern examples of evolution in my opinion is the natural adaptation of the peppered moth in Industrial England. The constant smoking of the factories polluted the trees that grew in England, turning their bark dark and plain. Before the Industrial Revolution, the tree trunks had been white from the growth of lichen. The smoke and smog caused the lichen to die off, and as a result, the white-flecked moths that had rested on the trees became too easily spotted by birds. Eventually, the mutation that caused higher melanin in the peppered moths became the moths' greatest strength against the birds - darker moths were not as easily hunted by their predators. Thus, the species was able to survive.

Image and information taken from https://www.earth.com/news/moths-darwins-theory-evolution/

# data[].attributes.body
The zombie-ant fungus, otherwise known as ophiocordyceps unilateralis, is a fungus that can infect and control ants. It is described by the article as an "uncanny manipulator" of its host body. The article highlights the fungus's mechanism of action and explains how it may suppress the genes of the ant it has infected. The article goes on to suggest that the ants who live in areas where this fungus frequently infects them have evolved to be less susceptible to its influence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Zombie-ant fungus | Description, Infection, Life Cycle, Humans, & Facts | Britannica

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zombie-ant fungus is a species of parasitic fungus that infects ants and alters their behavior before killing them. The fungus is largely pantropical and primarily infects carpenter ants.

# data[].attributes.body
My mother keeps a garden outside, and during every season except winter, I get to see her beautiful plants. Some of my favorites are rosemary, azaleas, and honeysuckle.

The rosemary plant is a dicot plant because it has seeds with two cotyledons.

The azalea plant is also a dicot due to its flower pattern and seeds.

The honeysuckle is similarly categorized as a dicot, due to its leaves with net-like veins and its seeds.

# data[].attributes.headline
Padlet Assignment 4: Diversity of Plants and Animals Video

# data[].attributes.subject
Padlet Assignment 4: Diversity of Plants and Animals Video

# data[].attributes.body
The video begins by describing what exactly a mollusk is. It explains how their bodies are structured and provides insight on where the different types of mollusks live. The video explains the three main groups that mollusks are divided into and highlights their differences. Mollusk anatomy is described in detail. It also tells the viewer what mollusks have in common.

# data[].attributes.body
This site describes the process of homeostasis a lot like adjusting a thermostat to get a comfortable temperature. It defines each body system's role in homeostasis as well as the systems' mechanism of action.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
homeostasis, any self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival. If homeostasis is successful, life continues; if unsuccessful, disaster or death ensues. The stability attained is actually a dynamic equilibrium, in which continuous change occurs yet relatively uniform conditions prevail. The general idea of this self-regulating process was explored by French physiologist Claude Bernard in 1849 and the word homeostasis coined by American neurologist and physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon in 1926.

Any system in dynamic equilibrium tends to reach a steady state, a balance that resists outside forces of change. When such a system is disturbed, built-in regulatory devices respond to the departures to establish a new balance; such a process is one of feedback control. All processes of integration and coordination of function, whether mediated by electrical circuits or by nervous and hormonal systems, are examples of homeostatic regulation.

A familiar example of homeostatic regulation in a mechanical system is the action of a room- temperature regulator, or thermostat. The heart of the thermostat is a bimetallic strip that responds to temperature changes by completing or disrupting an electric circuit. When the room cools, the circuit is completed, the furnace operates, and the temperature rises. At a preset level the circuit breaks, the furnace stops, and the temperature drops. Biological systems are more complex and have regulators only very roughly comparable to such mechanical devices. The two types of systems are alike, however, in their goal-to sustain activity within a prescribed range, whether to control the thickness of rolled steel or the pressure within the circulatory system.

The control of body temperature in humans is a good example of homeostasis in a biological system. In humans, normal body temperature fluctuates around the value of 37 °C (98.6 °F), but various factors can affect this value, including exposure, hormones, metabolic rate, and disease, leading to excessively high or low temperatures. The body's temperature regulation is controlled by a region in the brain called the hypothalamus. Feedback about body temperature is carried through the nervous system to the brain and results in compensatory adjustments in the breathing rate, the level of blood sugar, and the metabolic rate. The circulatory system also plays important roles: its baroreceptors (pressure-sensitive receptors in the blood vessels that respond to stretching) relay blood pressure information back to the brain, and it transports hormones secreted by the hypothalamus and the thyroid gland to regulate the body's metabolism. Heat loss in humans is aided by reduction of activity, by perspiration, and by heat-exchange mechanisms that permit larger amounts of blood to circulate near the skin surface. Heat loss is reduced by insulation, decreased circulation to the skin, and cultural modification such as the use of clothing, shelter, and external heat sources. The range between high and low body temperature levels constitutes the homeostatic plateau-the "normal" range that sustains life. As either of the two extremes is approached, corrective action (through negative feedback) returns the system to the normal range.

The concept of homeostasis has also been applied to ecological settings. First proposed by Canadian-born American ecologist Robert MacArthur in 1955, homeostasis in ecosystems is a product of the combination of biodiversity and large numbers of ecological interactions that occur between species. It was thought of as a concept that could help to explain an ecosystem's stability-that is, its persistence as a particular ecosystem type over time ( see ecological resilience). Since then, the concept has changed slightly to incorporate the ecosystem's abiotic (nonliving) parts; the term has been used by many ecologists to describe the reciprocation that occurs between an ecosystem's living and nonliving parts to maintain the status quo. The Gaia hypothesis-the model of Earth posited by English scientist James Lovelock that considers its various living and nonliving parts as components of a larger system or single organism-makes the assumption that the collective effort of individual organisms contributes to homeostasis at the planetary level. The single-organism aspect of the Gaia hypothesis is considered controversial because it posits that living things, at some level, are driven to work on behalf of the biosphere rather than toward the goal of their own survival.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Homeostasis | Definition, Function, Examples, & Facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Homeostasis, any self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability. The stability attained represents a dynamic equilibrium, in which continuous change occurs yet relatively uniform conditions prevail. If homeostasis is successful, life continues; if unsuccessful, disaster or death ensues.

# data[].attributes.body
Influenza is a disease that primarily affects the respiratory system and can prove to be fatal if an individual is unvaccinated and isn't treated promptly. This article describes a newer strand of the virus that is possibly spread through cow's milk. It goes into depth describing ways in which this new strand of the virus may not be able to replicate and mutate when combined with medicinal factors. Unfortunately, the researchers found that the virus may soon be able to outpace current measures and become a threat.

# data[].attributes.body
The biome I chose for this assignment is the savannah biome. I chose it because my name is Savannah and I love zebras. This biome is characterized by warm and humid seasons of heat and rain respectively. The savannah can be found in Africa and Australia. It typically has rolling flat grasslands and scattered tough trees. It can sustain larger herbivores and typically has larger predators as well. Species typically migrate from place to place depending on the season in order to eat the greens.

# data[].attributes.body
This video illustrates the definition of biodiversity. It states that there are millions of different species and people on this earth, each with their own characteristics. It states that biodiversity is needed to keep our planet in equilibrium. It highlights how every individual species is vital for the planet to function as needed.