Biology notebook by Isabela Ballesteros

Assignment 1: Galvanotaxis

isabelaballesterosgamez — 2025-08-12 14:24:11 UTC

I chose a video by discovery news that explains how through galvanotaxis we can heal our wounds faster. Galvanotaxis is the response of an organism to an electrical stimuli. This video explains how under our skin we have an electrical ionized field that runs parallel to the surface. When we get wounded the current changes direction and runs perpendicular instead of parallel to the skin. This change in the current stimulates white blood cells to head to the wound to heal it. If low-level electrical fields are introduced, it can help wounds heal and skin regenerate up to 50% faster. Which I think is a really interesting concept that is used by healthcare workers like physical therapists through their "TENS" machines.

Assignment 2:

isabelaballesterosgamez — 2025-08-12 14:25:07 UTC

I have choosen a web article “Cellular respiration’ from the NCBI bookshelf because it explains how cells create energy from glucose and oxygen. Cellular respiration is the process that produces ATP, the main energy source our bodies need to function. The article clearly outlines the three stages: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. I selected this resource because it is detailed, reliable and connects directly to major concepts we are covering for the exam. This concept matters because without cellular respiration, cells could not survive or carry out essential activities. A real-life example is how athletes breathe harder during exercise. Their muscle cells rapidly use glucose and oxygen to make ATP, which increases the demand for oxygen and energy. This process shows how cellular respiration is directly tied to everyday activities like running, exercising, or even climbing stairs.

Assignment 4: Asexual and sexual reproduction

isabelaballesterosgamez — 2025-08-12 14:25:36 UTC

I chose a video explaining the different types of reproduction because it shows how organisms are able to survive through reproduction. Asexual reproduction only requires one organism to reproduce and creates offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. Since one organism is required, reproduction is relatively fast and advantageous in populating more offspring, but it offers no genetic diversity to survive different environments. Sexual reproduction on the other hand, requires two parents to create an offspring and is more time consuming due to the process of fertilization and meiosis. Meiosis is the process that allows the chromosomes to create a unique combination of genetic expression for the offspring and leads to genetic diversity in the population. This is advantageous because diversity within the population means that organisms are able to adapt and evolve to changes in their environments. Understanding how Asexual and Sexual reproduction work is important in everyday life because it can help in understanding genetic research in diseases.

Assignment 5: Divergent and convergent

isabelaballesterosgamez — 2025-08-12 14:25:46 UTC

I chose a web article that describes how convergent and divergent are evolutionary concepts that explain how species were able to adapt to their environments over time. Convergent evolution explains how unrelated species develop similar traits due to experiencing the same environmental pressures. An example of convergent evolution would be sharks and dolphins, both developed streamlined bodies suited for their ocean environment but are not closely related. Divergent evolution on the other hand, is the process of species evolving to have different characteristics to adapt in different niches of an environment. Darwin's study of finches demonstrates a clear representation of divergent evolution occurring, as they derived from one bird and developed different beaks and traits that helped them survive in different eco niches. By understanding these concepts people can differentiate between species that are related and exhibit similar features, and species that are unrelated but were under similar environmental pressure that evolved similar traits.

Padlet Assignment 3: Chloroplast Structure

isabelaballesterosgamez — 2025-09-29 04:01:42 UTC

I chose this diagram because it showed the structure of a chloroplast in a plant leaf. Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts, and the thylakoids inside the chloroplasts are flat circular structures. A group of thylakoids is called a granum. Tylakoids are embedded with chlorophyll, which is responsible for reflecting green wavelengths. Light-dependent reactions also occur in the thylakoids, where their main purpose is to convert light to chemical energy. The stroma is the fluid that surrounds the grana and is responsible for gas exchange and the Calvin cycle. This resource makes it easier to visualize the process of photosynthesis that occurs in nearly all plants. Being able to understand the process in which chloroplasts work is important because our everyday life depends on oxygen produced by phototrophs through photosynthesis.