My Reflection

REFLECTIONS

Through this project work, I have learnt a lot more on ecology. I have learnt how interdependent animals living in the same habitat are of each other. Also, the importance of teamwork was also reflected in this project. Our entire group had a hard time trying to meet up during the holidays as we all had different schedules then. I had intensive competition till Sunday therefore was a little behind the work given for the holiday. That is when time management came into place. I had to balance my time between my competition and studies and in the end I did. I really hope that there would such projects in the future, as it is indeed very meaningful.

Geraldine Lee

Food Chains and Food Webs

Food Chain and Food Web


FOOD WEB


PRODUCER: Disocactus fruticusos

Primary Consumer: Gibbereus toxucumamor

Secondary Consumer: Caballio islandica

Tertiary Consume: Rodentia pahin

Decomposers (scavengers): Boletus aquatica
Vultur audientes

More information

Primary producer / Autotroph
- Organims, such as plants, that produce their own food.
- E.g. Phytoplankton, algae.

Primary consumer / Heterotroph
- An animal that eats primary producers.
- E.g. Mussels, oysters, krill, shrimp

Secondary consumer / Heterotroph
- An animal that eats primary consumers.
- E.g. Lobster, seastar, humpback whale.

Tertiary consumer / Heterotroph
- An animal that eats secondary consumers.
- E.g. Shark, dolphin

Apex predator / Heterotroph
- An animal at the top of the food chain with no predators.
- E.g. Shark, dolphin

Decomposer / Detritivores
- Organisms that break down dead plant and animal material and waste, and releases it again as nutrients and energy in the ecosystem.
- E.g. bacteria, fungi, worms



FOOD CHAIN

1)bhagya-->geraldine--> ye xuen-->meghna and sherisse(decomposers)
2)deepika-->geraldine-->ye xuen--> meghna and sherisse(decomposers)
3) deepika-->bhagya-->ye xuen-->meghna and sherisse(decomposers)

Final Photographs

FINAL Photos
Without the wool on, which is how it is during summer:

   Its Feet                                        

Overall View

  Front View

With its outer covering, during winter:

When it's done

Sketches of my organism

SKETCHES


1st Sketch:

2nd Sketch:

Group Discussion and our Comments

Group discussion:

Meghna's Comments
1) meghna: bhagya's organism: bhagya, ur organism was really built for its purpose kind of thing. each part of the organism really helps in the survival of the organism in the habitat


2) meghna: sherisse's organism: sherisse, ur organism might be small but a lot of thought has gone into that tiny mushroom. that small thing has a lot of abilities that enables its survival in the harsh condition s of the arctic tundra.Ur "mushroom" contains many tiny parts that cannot be seen but have a big part to play in the organism's survival


3) meghna: @deepika's organism: although ur model of the organism doesn't really show much, ur research has proven that u have put in a lot of hardwork into ur making ur organism. Most of ur adaptations, like gerry said, are physical adaptations that tell us about how ur organism can survive using the survival systems in your organism


Deepika's Comments
1) deepika: Bhagya's Organism: The features have been explained very detailedly (easy to understand). The features allow the organism to easily adapt to its environment thus giving it more protection and easier survival in the arctic tundra.


2) deepika: Geraldine’s Organism: Your organism has adaptations that plays a big part in survival on its own and also the features show how the organism makes connections physically with the other organisms.


3) deepika: Yexuen's Organism: The fact that your organism can change colour due to the biochromes shows the deep amt. of research done and plays a part in "camouflage"


4) deepika: Meghna's organism: The many features your organism has to keep warmth in show the research you have done and the details of the features are very in depth-ly shown.


5) deepika:Sherisse's Organism: Though your organism is very small, many features are not shown on the outside and many adaptations have been packed into a very small organism :)


Bhagya's Comments
1) Bhagya: Meghna organism: It is very unique and has a perfectly uplifting adaptation of upturned beak as it is new and one of a kind. It has all the vital adaptations to fulfill its role as a scavenger and the ultimate bird of prey. It also shows the amount of research put in.


2) Bhagya: Geraldine: I think that your organism is very complete and addresses all the issues including reproduction levels, which are usually ignored by the rest incl. me Also, it has a unique adaptation of regulating its breath rate which is not quite common. I think that the only improvement is that you could have named it a more interesting way.


3) Bhagya: Deepika's plant: Your plant is made very interesting by the various adaptations and i can see the amount of research put in. Also, i think that your plant has very good adaptations to prevent itslef from being eaten. The adaptation of the berries shrinking up at night gives an extra edge of interesting-ness. however, i feel that you could improve the plant's model by showing flowers as well.


4) Bhagya: @Yexuen Your organism is well-eqqupped to decapacitate prey and make them easy to be killed and eaten. The movement of it is very appropritae for tundra as it is easy to roll on snow.


5) Bhagya: @ sherisse: Your organism is extremely well-explained and elaborate. The mushroom has been given many adapations to make it unique and show that fungi can be more than just for decomposition.


My Comments:
1)Geraldine: shows lots of behavioral adaptations to the surroundings like how it has the ability to growi ts roots depending on the weather . the adaptations given are very reasonable and are well needed and vital for the plants survival in the harsh climate-------deepika's


2) Geraldine: bhagya:gives alot of information as to how the animal adapts both physically and behaviourly. it has great and in dept detaiols as to how her organism has adapted itself to consume deepika's plant. it covers in quite a great detail as to how the organisms find its mate------bhagya,s


3) Geraldine: ye xuen's: for ye xuen's organism, it is fairly interesting as it has special adaptations that are not commonly found in arctic animals which is the ability to change its color when in the presence of light, this adaptation is refreshing.. your model of ur organism is also show a great deal on the adpatations too.


4) Geraldine: meghna's-------- your organism has many detailed adaptations it is very suited to be the predator of ye xuen's organism and is specifically modified ur model is also a clear representative of ur organism from the way u described it


5) Geraldine: sherisse's---------- has many adaptations combined from different organism. although there are many all of them do have a role to play in its survivor and being a decomposer to the rest of the organism. it gives a clear description to the reader when reading the features of ur organism and its adaptations are cool:)


Sherisse's Comments
1) Sherisse: @meghna i think that your organism is quite cool as it has a unique beak which turns upwards and can fly really fast. the adaptation from the bumblebee is very interesting that only negative thing is that it only feeds on ye xuen's organism:)


2) Sherisse: @deepika your organism is suitable to live in the tundra as it has many adaptive features such as the ability to grow under snow and needing minimal sunlight etc. Your oganism is also quite suited to the abiotic factors such as strong wind by having strong roots and stem. It also has a very strong defence mechanism to defend against predators.


3) Sherisse: @Bhagya: You organism's features are all adapted to suit the harsh arctic environment and other organisms well as in it is very adaptable and turn poison into useful stuff

4) Sherisse: @geraldine: I see that your “model” isn’t really similar to the feature that you have I understand what you mean by “it gains as much body mass during the short summer”>:). Almost every part of your organism have adaptive features so it is very “powerful’ so i think you should go for fluency?

5) Sherisse: @ye xuen: You should definitely go for the flexibilty for the fur cum spikes thing it just have many uses and can be you alot, like changing colour and attacking prey etc.:) It is also a very modernised kind of animal a many of its adaptations are very capitol- like


Ye Xuen's Comments
1)Ye Xuen: Meghna, your organism is very suited to eat my organism with it's adaptations. ( the beak) I think you should try feeding on other animals too. what if my population goes very low?


2) Ye Xuen: geraldine: maybe your organism's feet can have a layer of something at the bottom so as to reduce heat lost pt the cold surroundings?


3) Ye Xuen: @deepi don’t understand why having spikes on your stem help prevent the animal from eating your leaves. I think you should be more precise in your explanation as to how this adaptation helps.


4) Ye Xuen: @sherisse: I think your organism has very detailed explanation. you can say that they grow in clusters so that it is easier to gain the nitrients ?


5) Ye Xuen: @bhagya: i think your idea is very interesting but ur organism could have looked more like the drawing ( no offense)

Annotated Photo Guide

What materials did I use?

-Newspaper

-Masking Tape

-Paint

-Paper Clay

-Cotton

STEPS:

1) I used the news paper to form the general shape of my organism and used the masking tape to keep the shape of it in place

2) After getting the shape of the organism, I used the paper clay to fill the shape of my organism and to make it more stable

3) I used paint to color my organism and attached the cotton onto its body to act as a fur.

Habitat of my organism

ARCTIC TUNDRA:

Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F) which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches). Soil is formed slowly. A layer of permanently frozen subsoil called permafrost exists, consisting mostly of gravel and finer material. When water saturates the upper surface, bogs and ponds may form, providing moisture for plants. There are no deep root systems in the vegetation of the arctic tundra, however, there are still a wide variety of plants that are able to resist the cold climate. There are about 1,700 kinds of plants in the arctic and subarctic, and these include:

• low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses
• 400 varieties of flowers
• crustose and foliose lichen

All of the plants are adapted to sweeping winds and disturbances of the soil. Plants are short and group together to resist the cold temperatures and are protected by the snow during the winter. They can carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities. The growing seasons are short and most plants reproduce by budding and division rather than sexually by flowering. The fauna in the arctic is also diverse:

• Herbivorous mammals: lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
• Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
• Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, and various species of gulls
• Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
• Fish: cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout

Animals are adapted to handle long, cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the summer. Animals such as mammals and birds also have additional insulation from fat. Many animals hibernate during the winter because food is not abundant. Another alternative is to migrate south in the winter, like birds do. Reptiles and amphibians are few or absent because of the extremely cold temperatures. Because of constant immigration and emigration, the population continually oscillates.

(Habitats:)Within the tundra biome a latitudinal zonation of communities is realized:

* High Arctic Tundra: essentially confined to the islands of the Arctic Ocean and characterized by scattered lichens and mosses on coarse rock surfaces and perennial forbs growing in protected crannies among sharp, ice-fractured rock debris.

* Middle Arctic Tundra: restricted to the Arctic Coastal plain where level terrain, a thin active layer, and freeze and thaw result in or rock polygons. The sorting of particles by freeze-thaw activity results in a waterlogged center to the polygons, a microhabitat conducive to sphagnum moss and sedges; and an outer ring that is drier and provides a microhabitat favorable to forbs and some dwarf heaths.

* Low Arctic Tundra: the majority of the tundra lies on better drained slopes with greater depth to permafrost than is encountered on the Arctic coastal plain. Here there is a greater frequency of woody shrubs: willow, birch, and various berry-bearing members of the heath family. Along streams willows and alders may be 10 feet high. On south-facing slopes needleleaf evergreen trees (spruce and fir) are established and represent the northernmost extensions of the great boreal forest to the south. (Such areas where two biomes interdigitate are known as.)

Its microhabitat is behind a pile of rocks on the snow covered meadow. It sleeps behind the pile of rocks the rocks being used as a cover up for the organism so that its predators would not spot it easily. It uses the rocks around it as a place to store its food during summer for winter as food is scarce during the winter.

Physical Factors

• Habitat: [Light- In the Arctic Tundra, sunlight is usually very limited this is so as most Arctic Tundra are found in Alaska; as we all know some part of Alaska does not experience night time.
• Temperature- During winter the average temperature is -28 degrees Celsius; in some cases it may even drop to -50 degrees Celsius.
• Water-Since the arctic tundra is so cold ,all the water there will turn to become permafrosts . And since there is no water there . The water cycle does not occur . It only occurs during summer when the temperature is high enough to melt the permafrosts and the water cycle takes place .
• Salinity-The salinity level in the arctic tundra is very low . We can only identify the salinity level by looking at the ice or permafrosts .Ice that has no salinity will have rounded corners and blue-ish colour .
• Air- Air pollution in the arctic tundra can cause smog clouds which will contaminate lichen, a significant food source for many animal. As you can see, the result of the air pollution would be fatal to not only small animals like lichen but also large animals when they prey on the lichen for food.
• pH of the environment-  pH is the reading of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH less then 7 is acidic while a pH more then 7 is alkaline. The pH level for then arctic tundra's environment is 5.5 which means the arctic tundra is acidic.
• mineral salts -defined by soil moisture content, it overlies snow cover, or location; it's defined solely by temperature.It is below the freezing point of water(0°C)      

My Organism and its Adaptations

My organism is a combination of the yakut horse and an arctic fox. I have decided that i would combine both the adaptations of the animals to form my organism. 

My organism's adaptations:

• geraldine’s organism
  Features of my organism:
  • it is an omnivore
  • has a rather small and compact body, with a straight and short neck, and wide feet this helps the organism to lose less heat and retain its body heat easily in the arctic tundra
  • it is immune to most poison and is able to eat almost anything poisonous this helps when consuming the producer as it has poisonous berries named nightlock
  • Any poison that it consumes would be converted and exuded out as a fragrant smell to attract its mates during the mating season and when it is not the mating season, it would just be excreted out through the pores of the organism.
  • it has a long and bushy tail that also has a sharp end to it. This sharp end allows it to cut stems of deepika's plant so as to enable it to easily consume the plant without hurting itself. 
  • The sharp end of the tail can also be used as a form of defense from its predators
  • It gains as much body mass during the short summer, and makes use of the sun as much as possible. This fats gain can help it during the harsh climate of the arctic tundra for the rest of the year when food is scarcer.
  • It has large flat feet that has sharp ends, these sharp ends of the feet makes it able to use it as a way of attacking animals if necessary and a means of defense 
  • this sharp feet can dig away ice which may cover deepika's plant
  • Its bottom of its feet is somewhat rough so as to enable it to move on ice without slipping as there is more friction between the ice and the bottom of the animal's feet surface.
  • It is gifted with a sharp eyes and has a good night vision to spot predators and this is helpful as the tundra is in endless darkness during the winter.
  • It has a thick coat of white fur which is warmer than any other mammals. the white fur helps it to camouflage in its surroundings
  • the coat of fur is shedded during the short summer period so as to absorb as much heat as possible but is grown back by the end of summer
  • the skin beneath the fur is black in color so as to absorb as much heat as possible
  • it has short rounded, heavily furred ears to limit heat loss
  • Females give birth to as many as 25 young per year. However, most of these do not survive for more than 6 months,thus, the high birth rate helps to maintain population growth
  • it keeps its food underneath rocks during summer so that it can be eaten during the winter
  • it also scavenges on the food which ye xuen's animal, left behind
  • it has strong leg muscles and  runs at the speed of 20km/h this helps the organism to run fast enough to escape from their predators.
  • the bushier the tail it has the more it is likely to attract its mate as most of the fragrance it exudes is spread around through the swishing of the tail and the tail is what attracts its counterparts
  • it has a system in its body where in there is countercurrent exchange of heat which is attributed to circulation of blood and adequate amount of adipose tissues
  • its internal biomechanism has learned how to transform itself in order to regulate the rhythm and the volume of its breathing, passing from 20 breaths a minute during the summer to 10-12 during the winter,
  • When it is sleeping, it protects its nose from the cold by curling its bushy tail around its body
  • in the winter it often follows ye xuen’s animal and eats their leftover kill. If food is really scarce, it will eat the feces of other animals
  • sometimes it even makes its own freezer by digging a hole in the permafrost and storing its food there
  • A capillary rete in the skin of the pads on its food prevents freezing when standing on a cold substratum.    
  • decreasing basal metabolic rate is also an adaptation to the scarce food in winter
  • the rate of heat loss is seasonally constant due to an increase in the fur insulation and to a slight decrease in the skin temperatures during winter. This latter mechanism is probably a result of vasoconstriction of arterioles in the skin. A reduction in the blood flow will decrease the skin temperature, and thereby increase the overall insulation.