Cellular Respiration

Summaries

Overview of Respiration: 
          ATP is made when Cellular Respiration breaks down sugar. However, the Cellular Respiration needs oxygen for its process to occur. Without it, there won't be any ATP and nothing will take place in the mitochondria. The mitochondria plays an important role in the cell membrane. It releases chemical energy that is needed to produce ATP. The Cellular Respiration can also be known as the opposite of photosynthesis.

          I learned how ATP's are made and what is needed for it to be produce. I learned that glycolysis is needed for Cellular Respiration otherwise, ATP will not be made. I also learned that Cellular Respiration takes place in two main stages. Which are the Krebs Cycle and Electron Transport.

Cellular Respiration in Detail I & II:
          Glycolysis is able to produce a small amount of ATP's. However, Glycolysis and oxygen is needed in the Cellular Respiration to make many more. Also, the Cellular Respiration is divided into two main parts. The Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport.

          I learned the process of the glycolysis. I learned that the Krebs cycle can also be known as the citric acid cycle due to the fact that citric acid was the first molecule that was formed. I also learned about the process of both the Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport Chain. The graph differentiating photosynthesis and cellular respiration has taught me that there are a lot of differences between the two.

Leaves and Photosynthesis

Pyrola leaf

    

Naupaka Leaf

The leaves I picked for this blog are Pink Pyrola leaves and Naupaka Plant leaves. 

Pink Pyrola Leaves Description: This plant does not grow tall rather it spreads throughout the shore. It is directly in the sun because it is beside the shore and there are barely trees around that would block it from making contact with the sun. As shown in the picture, the leaves for this plant are shaped as a circular leaf.  It can be as big as one human’s whole hand. 

The fact that it is a round shaped leaf and that it is pretty big helps it get to the sun and does photosynthesis. Because it is a big leaf, and that there are no trees or shade to block its contact with the sun, it is able to absorb more light and carbon dioxide, which is needed for the process of photosynthesis. The bigger a leaf is, the more it is easier for photosynthesis to occur. 

Since this plant spreads throughout the shore area in my site, I would estimate at least a thousand or two of these leaves.

Naupaka Plant Leaves Description: This plant can be as tall as 10 feet. Most of this plant is in direct sun-light, but since there are a lot of these plants in my site, there are some that are being blocked by coconut trees that prevents it from getting direct sun-light. The leaves of this plant could be as wide as four of a humans's fingers, but could be as long as 5 inches.

Just like the pyrola leaves, the leaves of this plant are long and is pretty big and they are able to absorb light from the sun since most of it is not blocked by any shade also it is receiving a great amount of carbon dioxide.

It would estimate at least 2-3 thousand of these leaves in my site.

Mutations

          The organism I chose for this blog entry is Ghost Crabs. The mutation I would like to change is its clippers or its claws. If this mutation was applied to ghost crabs, they won't be able to bite or harm other organisms as well as human beings. This change will have a good affect on the organisms at my site and even on sites where ghost crabs exist. At my site, there are small fishes and clams that would benefit from this change. Since they are the type of organisms that the ghost crabs eat, they are being captured with its claws and being eaten by it. If this mutation were to be applied, there would still be an abundance of clams and small fishes and even turtle hatch lings on places where ghost crab and turtle hatch lings exist. If they didn't have their harmful claws/clippers then maybe they would have to find an alternative food for themselves, food that does not include eating other organisms. Also aside from harming the other organisms in my site; ghost crabs are also harmful to our coral and of course to us, human beings. Its claws can result to giving us terrible irritation or pain. I feel like its change would be selected for, only because the effect of it would do more good than harm. This mutation would help our corals last longer and that is important because it protects and provides habitats for other organisms. If the ghost crab continues to harm our coral, it would affect a whole lot of organisms.

Species Blog

The organism I chose to focus on from last week's blog entry is the starfish.

                 "Asterias Rubens from the Family of Asteriidae" 

 Some examples of other organisms in its family are Adelasterias, Anasterias, Aphelasterias, Asterias, Astrometis, Astrostole, Taranuiaster, Tarsaster, Tarsastrocles, Uniphora, Urasterias, etc.

      The Asterias Rubens (Starfish) did not have to come to the CNMI, only because they are originally found here.  They didn't have to migrate because they were here already and is from the CNMI/Pacific.

References:
http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/92632
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Asterias_rubens/
http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/choose-a-species/invertebrates/star-fishes-sea-urchins-and-relatives-echinodermata/asterias-rubens

Adaptions

              The three different organisms I picked for this assignment                      are ghost crab, starfish, and of course fishes.
All these organisms have their own different adaptations that help them survive in their environment. With the organisms on my site such as the ghost crab, their adaptation is that they stay in cool protection of their burrow at day time and appears down to the water at twilight to hunt. These burrows can be up to four feet deep. For the starfish, their adaptation is calcified skin, bright colors, and the ability to regenerate limbs. The bright shade they have and the bony skin of a star fish helps discourage predators and protects them in case they are attacked. And for the fishes, they have adapted to their environment through the evolution of gills, swim bladders, and their fins. Their gills helps them absorb oxygen from the water. Their swim bladders allows them to maintain an appropriate level of buoyancy and of course their fins to help them move in the water.


The ghost crab interacts with other organisms by eating them. These ghost crabs eat smaller animals, such as clams, turtle hatchlings, and other crabs and the same goes to the star fish. The star fish interacts with other organisms by eating them. Their source of food are clams, oysters, and mussels. This creature also eats snails and injured fishes. But aside from eating other organisms, the star fish are also being eaten by manta rays and some sharks. As for the fishes, this organism usually eats each other and also eats kelp, algae, squid, octopus, etc. 

Site Description Blog

 Interesting Features at my site:







Coconut Trees Everywhere

Hut

Old ship wreckage from a long time ago.


















       
             2.  The site I picked for this assignment is the Rota Chamorro Village. It is the area that is near what we call the "Round House". This site is a very beautiful and peaceful place. In this site, they have built huts and the benches to sit on so you could get a beautiful view of the ocean. This place is a very relaxing place and is a good place to just think or if you just want to simply feel the fresh breeze of the wind. The Chamorro Village also has a lot of coconut trees around that makes it even more beautiful and provides shades if you just want to sit near the sand. This area is a fairly huge area too where you could do a lot of things and where events could be held.

3. Some abiotic features in my site are the sand, rocks, of course the beautiful clear water. The sand by the water, is very smooth and feels really good if you step foot on it.The sand has so many unique shells that we love to pick up or take pictures of. The sand here has a beige color tone to it. The rocks around this area have different textures. There is some that are rough when you hold it, and some that are very smooth too. They come in dark shades of gray, light shades of gray, and some that are the same color as our sand. And of course, our beautiful ocean water. The beach in the Chamorro village is clear. Almost as if there are no rocks. Sometimes the water is warm and sometimes the water is really cold. The people of Rota really loves taking pictures of the beaches here, and this is one the places they go. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is rough, but that's of course depending on the weather.

4. Some biotic features in my site are the fishes, coconut trees, and sea crab. The fishes in the ocean, have different sizes, and color. The also have different types of fishes here. The Chamorro Village is one of the places people go to when they go fishing. The coconut trees as mentioned, are found almost everywhere in my site. Some are small, and are really tall. The sea crab can be found everywhere as well. They are typically found in sandy beaches. These crabs make so much holes in our sand, which I'm assuming is their homes. They are small crabs that some of the people of Rota catch at night or could also be caught at the day time.