Thomas' Botany Blog

As stated in my previous blog post, parasitism is the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism or species. This symbiotic relationships between two species of plants or animals is where one organism benefits completely, at the expense of the other organism which often will lead the "host" organism to death. The first example that I would like to discuss as part of the symbiotic relationship of parasitism is a tape worm. Below I have included a picture of a tapeworm. This tapeworm lives inside of a animal in the small intestine. Picture from: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Ecology/Parasitism An example that has to do with botany would have to include the Emerald Ash Borer. This beetle was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in 2002. This beetle is attacking the Ash Trees, therefore killing them off across the entire United States. Below, I have included a picture of the Emerald Ash Borer bug, that is included as a parasite to the Ash Tr

What is parasitism? Parasitism is the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism or species. This symbiotic relationships between two species of plants or animals is where one organism benefits completely, at the expense of the other organism which often will lead the "host" organism to death. Scientists classify parasites as ectoparasites which include ticks, lice, etc. These types of parasites attach to a host, and drain the host of its nutrients/resources while not providing anything in return to the host but often times killing off the host. Below, I have included the lift cycle of a tick and how it is a parasite on organisms. Picture from: https://www.britannica.com/science/parasitism

As stated in the previous blog post, predation is is a biological interaction/symbiotic relationship that incorporates the preying of one species or organism preying on another species or organism. The first example of predation in plants and animals that I would like to discuss is the Venus flytrap and the fly. (Look at the picture below) Picture from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3581432/How-prey-predator-Venus-flytraps-evolved-switch-defence-tactics-attack-catching-flies-ching-flies.html The Venus Flytrap, instead of creating its own food, it waits in search of flies to land on itself, and then it closes up and eats the flies that land on the plant. This is an example of predation primarily due to the fact that the Venus Flytrap eats the flies. The second example of predation in plants and animals that I would like to discuss is the Japanese Beetles and the tree leaves. (look at the picture below) Picture from: https://www.taddikentree.com/japanese-bee

What is predation: predation is is a biological interaction/symbiotic relationship that incorporates the preying of one species or organism preying on another species or organism. Predators actively search for prey or sit and wait for it. When prey is detected, the predator then attacks the prey. This symbiotic relationship has led to many plants and other organisms/species to develop adaptations such as warning signs, alarm calls, or other signals/camouflage, etc. that protect or hide itself from its predator to avoid being attacked. Depending on the circumstances, this symbiotic relationship of predation is included in the foraging cycle for predators. (look below) Picture from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predation Herbivory is a type of predation in which animals/organisms consume plants. This is used to describe the consuming of plants by animals.

As stated in the previous blog post, commensalism is a symbiotic relationship in which one organism or species benefits and the other organism or species isn't harmed significantly. There are many relationships that fit into the symbiotic relationship category of commensalism. The first example of Commensalism that I would like to discuss is... Picture from: https://sciencestruck.com/examples-of-commensalism Orchids Growing on Trees This relationship is commensalistic due to the fact that the trees aren't harmed by the Orchids growing on the trees, but the Orchids are provided a host in which to live. Orchids do not grow to be a large size therefore the tree isn't harmed significantly. The second example of Commensalism that I would like to discuss is... Picture from: https://sciencestruck.com/examples-of-commensalism The Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed This relationship is commensalistic due to the fact that Milkweeds contain a poisonus chem

Commensalism: is a symbiotic relationship/association between two organisms/species in which one species/organism is benefitted by the other, and the other is neither benefitted or harmed. The commensal (the species that benefits) obtains nutrients, shelter, support, etc. from the host. But, the host is unaffected. There is some overlap in this relationship… for example a bee and a flower. The bee receives nutrients form the flower, but is unaffected because that is what is suppose to occur. This is the association between two different species in which one species benefits and the other isn’t significantly affected. Commensalism does exist today, and some examples include: ·        The bee and the flower ·        The Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed ·        Burdock Seeds on the Fur of Passing Animals ·        Emperor Shrimp and Sea Cucumbers ·        Decorator Crabs and Sea Sponges Below are pictures of a couple of the examples provided in this post.

Picture from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutualism_(biology) As expressed in the previous blog post, the second type of symbiotic relationship is mutualism. This is a relationships where both organisms are benefitting from each other. In the picture above, we see a hummingbird drinking from a plant. This type of symbiotic relationship is mutualistic because the hummingbird is receiving nectar from the flower as food. On the other end, as the plant is giving away nectar, eventually the hummingbird will spread the pollen and nectar from the flower across the area and surrounding areas hoping to eventually add to the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Picture from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutualism_(biology) In the picture above, we see an anemone fish next to a sea anemone. This is another example of a mutualistic symbiotic relationships because the sea anemone provides this specific fish a place to live, and an escape from predators. Predators cannot stand the

Picture from: http://www.necsi.edu/projects/evolution/co-evolution/mutualistic/co-evolution_mutualistic.html Mutualism: An interspecific cooperation/symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to both organisms involved. Both species of organisms will benefit from association of one another and will not be harmed. Also known as a “biological barter” Mutualism plays a key part in ecology. It is vital for ecosystems to survive on Earth. 48% of plants require relationships with fungi to provide them with inorganic compounds. Picture from: https://sciencestruck.com/mutualism-relationships There are two types of these mutualistic relationships. 1.        Service-resource relationships are common. They are important for pollination, and cleaning. a.        In pollination, the animals use nectar or pollen from the plant and disperse it in other areas to allow for more of the same species of plant to grow. 2.        Service-service relationships are very rare.

Our class had the privilege to participate in a bush tour led by Jim during our lecture time. Jim was an outside lecturer who was very eager to give us a new perspective on bushes and plant life on the Urbana University campus. I was so surprised to know that our campus is filled with so many different types of bushes. I was intrigued to be introduced to many different types of bushes on the campus. Urbana University is a biodiverse campus in the deciduous forest ecosystem. This ecosystem is rich in plant life. The soil is rich and nutrient which allows many different types of plants to grow, develop and change. This will create a rich life history for each of the plants in this environment. Jim first began the lecture with introducing us to vocabulary terms that will be used throughout the rest of the course. (urban, forest, hardwoods, canopy, and understory) He then asked us a question about how woody plants are important. Most people in the class answered the they filter the a

Our class had the privilege to participate in a campus tour at Urbana University. I was so surprised to know that our campus is filled with so many different types of trees. On our campus I would estimate that we have over 1,000 different types of plants all living to create a biodiverse environment.             Urbana University is a biodiverse campus in the deciduous forest ecosystem. This ecosystem is rich in plant life. The soil is rich and nutrient which allows many different types of plants to grow, develop and change. This will create a rich life history for each of the plants in this environment.             Dr. TingTing Cai, a Professor of Botany Sciences at Urbana University led our entire class on a campus tour exposing us to each of the different trees as well as their features and quick and easy ways to make each of the trees identifiable.             One of the plants that we first discussed was the Elm tree. Professor Cai expressed that you can identify these t

Picture from: https://www.neevmagazine.co.in/why-are-trees-important/ Today our Botany class was given the pleasure of a speaker Tracy Bleim to present on trees. She began the lecture on asking us one important question. “Why do we love trees?” She expressed of the common and complex reasons that trees are used for in our daily lives. She expressed that they have historical value, they are used to build our homes, and they provide extensive biodiversity for our environment. I was very interested with the facts that she presented throughout her lecture. I was intrigued to find out that there is not a filtration system for water in the United States of America that can remove pharmaceutical waste, but she explained that wetlands can indeed remove this waste. The biodiversity that is located in a wetland can actually remove this waste. It is fascinating that the biodiversity itself can remove unnatural waste. There were many other interesting facts presented during this informa

Picture from: http://year6funscience.blogspot.com/2011/12/competition-among-plants_08.html As expressed in the previous blog post, the first type of symbiotic relationships is competition. This relationships is where two organisms compete for resources such as nutrients in the soil, sunlight, water, shelter, etc. In the picture above in this environment, these plants are competing for sunlight, nutrients in the soil, and space. Trees in this area grow taller to reach the top of the canopy to allow themselves to experience sunlight while their roots must grow in different directions below the surface to allow for nutrients to get directly to the plant. This type of symbiotic relationship is known as the starter to natural selection. Plants in this environment who do not grow, adapt and change to the environment to receive the resources that are limited will die off from the area while plants that do grow, adapt and change to the environment will survive in this environme

Competition: Also known as “rivalry”.   This is one of the symbiotic relationships between a living thing that compete for limited resources. This is one of the relationships that organisms or species have with one another. This is where both of organisms or species are harmed.  This can be a competition over resources. Examples include: Sunlight, Nutrients in the Soil, Water, and Shelter. If any of these resources becomes a limited resource, it can allow organisms or species to compete for those limiting resources. What causes competition?  Competition is divided into two main parts... Intraspecific: This type of relationship occurs within a species. Interspecific: This type of relationship occurs waged between species. This type of competition isn't as strong as intraspecific competition. Why does Competition happen? Competition happens when there is a tendency for an organisms or species to overproduce. This results in more resources being