Diario de muellep

I went to the reservoir for my third nature walk. Unlike my fungus nature walk, I was able to find a ton of examples of Archaeplastida. First, I tried to find some non-vascular plants. I had a difficult time finding them on the grass because it was covered with leaves. I found it much easier to spot some moss on some of the rocks on the side of the reservoir. I actually found it very interesting why the leaves of ferns didn't change color with the coming of fall. During class, we learned that ferns don't have true leaves, unlike angio- and gymnosperms, who have true leaves. I was able to very easily find a gymnosperm because they were very large (trees). I decided to observe a pine tree because in class we learned about male and female cones and how that ties into their reproduction cycles. The female cones are fertilized, and the female cones are very large and fall to the ground. The male cones are blown by the wind and dispersed. I included the Canadian gooses as well to add a bit of diversity in my observations. In class we learned that animals are classified under the metazoan branch and more specifically in the chordates. They have features like bilateral symmetry and cephalization. Also, for one last plant-related observation, all the plants I had observed had a green color. This is from the presence of chlorophyll, which we learned in part evolved from green algae in the Archaeplastida. Also, as we learned with flowers they will eventually develop into fruit, which is a distinct feature of angiosperms.

I went to the res again for my second nature walk. At first, I didn't expect to find any funguses because I haven't seen in actual mushroom in nature in years. I then realized that I could take notes of lichens which is why the majority of my posts are lichens. They were really easy to find because they were mostly on the trees. I did actually end up finding a mushroom, since I wanted to find at least one, though it solely took me 20 minutes and my phone was at 2 percent. I actually had no idea what the gray stuff on trunks was but now I know it's a separate organism. In class we are talking a lot about funguses. I noticed that the lichen on the trees had a commensalism relationship with the trees since the tree isn't harmed by its presence. Funguses breakdown dead organisms so i am hypothesizing that something died near where i found the mushroom. It was right by the road so that makes sense. Lichen can grow on any surface as long as they can get nutrients through water and stuff. That is why i found some lichen on concrete. The mushroom on the other hand must absorb nutrients from the environment. To do this, we learned, they maximize surface area into the nutrient source through very small tubes. This allows them to absorb it as fast as possible.

Before the nature walk, I had no idea where or what I was doing. The nearest park I found on Google Maps was 30 minutes away, which kind of dreaded my mind. Immediately after chemistry class, my friend suggested I go to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, as there is plenty of fauna and flora there. When I got there, I was really surprised with how many bird species were there. The swans especially fascinated me since it was the first time I had ever seen one, and I didn't imagine they'd be so large. I took this nature walk the 1st of October, at around 1:30 pm, and the weather was very brisk and cloudy. I started at the entrance and walked a quarter of the way around the reservoir, methodically, taking note of any distinct plants or animals I could make observations on. I saw some male and female mallards with correspondingly distinct feather patterns. This is an example of sexual dimorphism, with the male mallard having flashy green heads and the female mallards being much more muted in color to blend in with the primarily brown environment. The swans occasionally flipped upside-down in the water with their feet in the air. I have learned that this is how they feed. In contrast to the mallard, which feeds on the surface of the water. This represents a niche that the swans occupy since they have very long necks. This is an example of natural selection over time since they have gained more efficient feeding through longer necks by means of selection and random mutations. I choose to identify these species due to their distinct morphological characteristics, as that would make them easier to identify.