Assignment 6 by

Assignment 1

bharvey3_2 — 2025-01-17 00:28:56 UTC

I've attached a photo of an axolotl, a type of species that evolved from tiger salamanders. Like most amphibians such as frogs and newts, salamanders start off living in water and eventually develop lungs and legs while their gills shrink during metamorphosis. Axolotls' lives begin the same way, but they develop differently. As a result of genetic mutation, axolotls grow and mature as amphibians but they don't metamorphose into land animals. While their lungs and legs develop, they remain aquatic in nature because their gills don't shrink, and they continue using them to breathe underwater. Because their genetic mutation prevents metamorphosis, they also retain larval characteristics such as cell regeneration. Axolotls can regenerate their limbs, brain, heart, and more. The evolution of an axolotl displays a unique example of adaptation because their genetic mutation prevents metamorphosis and allows them to continue living in aquatic environments, despite developing other traits that would normally sustain their ability to live on land.

Assingment 2

bharvey3_2 — 2025-01-22 01:19:35 UTC

Death cap mushrooms, scientifically known as Amanita phalloides, are responsible for a staggering 90% of all mushroom-related fatalities due to their characteristics having a similar appearance to edible mushrooms. In contrast to an edible mushroom though, death cap mushrooms can cause extreme liver and kidney damage, and sometimes death. These mushrooms are an invasive species that originated in the UK. They were first recorded in California around the 1930's. They are theorized to have been brought, unknowingly and most likely dormant, to the US west coast within the soil of a cork tree, as cork trees were being transported from Europe to California for a then booming wine industry. Currently, there isn't much evidence to suggest that death caps are a threat to the environment because plants and trees benefit from their presence. The fungus receives sugar from the plant, and in return the plant receives soil nutrients extracted by the fungus. Death cap mushrooms are a mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form a relationship with plants that is mutually beneficial.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/death-cap-deadly-mushroom-spreading

Assignment 3

bharvey3_2 — 2025-02-04 02:28:00 UTC

Monocots and dicots are two out of three types of angiosperms, the third being basal angiosperms which exhibit traits of both. When I imagine plants I've observed outdoors, I typically picture the webbing pattern of leaf veins that are representative of dicotyledons. It surprised me to learn that many plants we eat on a regular basis are monocotyledons, such as corn, rice, garlic, and sugarcane. Bulbous plants like tulips and daffodils also fall within the monocotyledon category. Although most trees are dicots, some are neither monocots or dicots.

Assignment 4

bharvey3_2 — 2025-02-04 04:04:20 UTC

In this video, Professor Dave explains the incredibly biodiverse phyla that are Mollusca. This phyla includes squids, snails, octopi, and many more. Mollusks range in size from microscopic to the size of giant squid, although most (over 80%) are less than 10 cm long as adults. They are essential to the ecosystem and world economy; in 2019 alone, wild-caught mollusks accounted for over $1B in revenue.

There are usually three main regions of a mollusk: the head-foot containing the sensory organs, the visceral mass containing internal organs, and the mantle which secretes a shell. The shells of mollusks protect their visceral mass, but not all mollusks have shells. The shells of mollusks are also a part of their bodies - if a mollusk is separated from it's shell, it would cause death. Most Mollusca species, aside from bivalves, also have a tongue-shaped feeding organ covered in chitinous teeth, known as a radula. As for reproduction, many mollusks reproduce sexually, but some are hermaphroditic.

Assignment 5

bharvey3_2 — 2025-02-16 04:49:48 UTC

This article from the National Library of Medicine's website gives historical and scientific context of the self-regulation process known as homeostasis. Understanding physiology as a whole first requires an understanding of homeostatic regulation. This concept of this self-regulation being a requirement of health can be traced back to ancient Greek physician Alcmaeon of Croton, who proposed "a balance of opposites" to describe disease and health. The term homeostasis would not come about until years later, a term coined by Walter Cannon. Cannon emphasized that homeostasis is not static; it is a self-adjusting system that helps humans acclimate to external environmental factors and demands. The system is self-regulatory and also requires no external adjustment after the regulated variable has been set.

Assignment 6

bharvey3_2 — 2025-02-16 05:07:05 UTC

The study focuses on HPIV (Human Parainfluenza Virus) in children who presented to Ankara Bilkent City Hospital’s Children’s Hospital and tested positive for the aforementioned respiratory virus. A total of 160 patients were involved in the study, which lasted from August 2019 to July 2023. Symptoms of HPIV are usually mild in children, unless accompanied by a chronic disease, such as immunodeficiency. Although HPIV is commonly associated with croup, it can result in larger issues like lower respiratory tract infections, especially for more vulnerable patients.

Assignment 7

bharvey3_2 — 2025-02-28 04:46:21 UTC

Of all the biomes, deserts are the driest; each year they receive about 10% of the total rainfall received by rainforests. Since the air is so dry, temperatures can drastically change between day and night. Vegetation commonly found in the desert includes short grasses, cacti, succulents, and other drought-resistant plants. Because of desert conditions, plants that live in this biome can fare well adaptations, such as cacti's ability to store water in it's stems. Deserts are found both north and south of the equator, and cover about 1/5th of the earth's surface. The four major types of desert are the hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold.