AP Biology--Diversity of Life Project

All organisms are here, with a picture and relevant information. They are in order as you have listed, from A to R.

Domain Bacteria

Photographed: 7/30/13

Location: 37*31’45.31’’N  122*20’03.21”W. Located at 35 Crippleridge Court, San Mateo CA 94402, a non-through street within 15 minutes walking distance of College of San Mateo, and taken on my kitchen table.

Description: The yogurt itself is not the aim of the picture, but rather the bacteria in the yogurt used to ferment it. This bacteria is nowhere near visible, for it is only a few micrometers in length. Only visible under a microscope, bacteria can most commonly be found as spheres, rods, or spirals, and come in a variety of these shapes. Bacteria grow to a fixed size, and reproduce using binary fission. Since this form of reproduction is asexual, bacteria inherit identical copies of their parents’ genes. There is little variety among groups of bacteria, except when mutations are present.

Protist (Multicelled)

Photographed: 7/30/13

Location: 37*32’54.37”N  122*18’39.80”W at Nijiya Market, a Japanese supermarket, in San Mateo, based off South El Camino Real and near Joann’s Fabrics.

Description: This photograph of seaweed is representing live seaweed found in many oceans, which falls under the multicellular protist category. Seaweed strands are made up of a thallus, the body, as well as laminas, the blades, and is most commonly a light or deep green. Seaweed can get washed up on shore, be attached to the ocean floor, or just drift with the currents out at sea.

Phyla Bryophyta

Photographed: 7/29/13

Location: 37*30’43.31’’N  122*20’03.27”W. Located down the street, along Houndsridge, of 35 Crippleridge Court, San Mateo CA 94402, and is within 15 minutes walking distance of College of San Mateo.

Description: Moss located on a redwood tree near my house. It is growing on the lower half of the tree; probably because sprinklers spray that tree’s base every morning and moss needs a consistently moist environment to survive. This moss, like almost all mosses, is a forest green, spongy organism that lives best in damp environments where heat will kill it if it is exposed to it too constantly. Moss also prefers to grow in clumps and clusters.

Phylum Pterophyta

Photographed: 7/29/13

Location: 37*31’45.32’’N  122*20’03.25”W. Located at 35 Crippleridge Court, San Mateo CA 94402, a non-through street within 15 minutes walking distance of College of San Mateo.

Description: This fern is a green plant, with “feathered” leaves, referred to as fronds, extending off its, what we call, fiddleheads. Ferns are most commonly found in moist, shady forests, crevices in rock surfaces, especially when sheltered from the full sun, and acid wetlands including bogs and swamps. As hinted at previously, ferns prefer cooler and darker environments, where sun is apparent but lacking.

Phylum Ginkgophyta

Photographed: 7/30/13

Location: 37*57’28.14”N  122*31’60.73”W at Golden Nursery in San Mateo. Right near highway 101 and intersected by South Idaho Street.

Description: These Ginkgo leaves were photographed off a Ginkgo Tree. Ginkgo Trees reach anywhere from 20-35m when full grown, and their leaves turn color depending on external temperature. The leaves of a Ginkgo, like this one, are unique in that they are fan shaped, with veins extending out onto the leaf blade from the stem. This and other Ginkgos tend to grow better in environments that are well watered but well drained.

Phylum Coniferophyta

Photographed: 7/29/13

Location: 37*30’43.41’’N  122*20’03.19”W. Located down the street, along Houndsridge, of 35 Crippleridge Court, San Mateo CA 94402, and is within 15 minutes walking distance of College of San Mateo.

Description: This is a pine tree, with some pinecones growing. Classified as a coniferous tree, pine trees never shed their leaves, even during the winter when most trees do. Pine trees prefer dry soil, and only some can manage to survive in wet, poorly drained soils. Many are even adapted to grow in dry, desert-like climates. Pine trees can be anywhere from 15 – 45 m tall, this one seemingly around 40-42 or so, and has thick, scaly bark with thin, flaky branches.

Phylum Anthophyta—Monocot

Photographed: 7/30/13

Location: 37*54’36.25”N  122*30’41.42”W at Ah Sam Florist, 2645 S El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403 in Palm Plaza.

Description: Lilies, such as this one, are tall perennials ranging anywhere from 60-180cm.  These flowers are large, often emit quite a fragrance, and come in a variety of colors—white, orange, yellow, red, pink, and purple. This particular lily is both pink and white, with a green stigma and style. All the parts of this lily, among others, are a stigma, style, stamen, filament, and tepal. Most lilies are dormant in winter, but some can sprout from fall to winter. This particular lily sprouted in late summer due to handling, and will thrive, like other lilies, in a cool, temperate climate.

Phylum Anthophyta—Dicot

Photographed: 7/30/13

Location: 37*57’28.14”N  122*31’60.73”W at Golden Nursery in San Mateo. Right near highway 101 and intersected by South Idaho Street.

Description: This is a yellow rose, and falls under the dicot category. Roses range anywhere from these little house roses, this one being 50.3cm, to climbers that can be as tall as 7 meters. Roses usually have five, or multiples of five, petals, and can come in pink, white, or red, and less commonly yellow like we see here. This rose, among others, has leaves extending off the stem, which can be 5 to 15cm long, as well as thorns on their stems. This rose and all roses will thrive best in temperate climates.

Kingdom Fungi

Photographed: 7/30/13

Location: 37*53’44.37”N  122*32’64.19”W at Piazzas Fine Foods on 1206 West Hillsdale Boulevard, San Mateo, CA 94402 in the Laurelwood Shopping Center.

Description: These mushrooms are all classified as fungi, and span anywhere from 3-7cm. Mushrooms like these grow above ground on soil, and have flesh bodies that are edible and not poisonous. When first growing, they are at their “pin” stage, but eventually grow into their “button” stage and beyond, expanding rapidly, though some grow slowly. Mushrooms do not live very long, and grow best in damp environments and do not respond well to heat.

Phylum Porifera 
Photographed: 7/30/13
Location: 37*54'39.99"N  122*30'45.50"W at Ultimate Aquarium, 2625 South El Camino Real in San Mateo.
Description: Sponges, like this one, are multicellular organisms which have pores in their bodies, allowing water to flow and circulate. Sponges rely solely on water flowing through them to provide them with nutrients and means to survive. Sponges tend to like calm, clear, and quiet waters (usually less than 100m deep) so that waves and sediments do not disturb them. 

Phylum Cnidaria
Drawn: 8/2/13
Location: My house, on my desk, drawn with colored pencil.
Description: Drawn here is a representation of a jellyfish. Jellyfish are free drifting marine creatures with an umbrella shaped body and tentacles. Larger jellyfish are common in coastal waters, but jellyfish can be found almost everywhere, from surface to the deep sea. Jellyfish come as small as 1mm in bell height to 2m in bell height. 

Phylum Platyhelminthes 

Photographed: 8//6/13

Location: 37*56'58.07"N  122*31'87.14"W at Aragon Veterinary Clinic, 819 South B Street in San Mateo.

Description: Photograph of a tapeworm. The largest of tapeworms can be 30m long, most live in adult humans and animals, as well as children. Tapeworms are hermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female organs in their body. Tapeworms need a host to reproduce.

Phylum Nematoda

Photographed: 8/6/13

Location: 37*56'58.07"N  122*31'87.14"W at Aragon Veterinary Clinic, 819 South B Street in San Mateo.

Description: Though it's hard to see, there is a heartworm (beige color) resting at the bottom of this container. Heartworms are spread from host to host via mosquito bites, and are parasitic roundworms that live in the heart. They can cause a lot of damage for the host, and below a temperature of 14*C, they cannot grow properly. They need it to be 27*C or above.

Phylum Arthropoda

Photographed: 7/31/13

Location: 37*53'09.65"N  122*34'36.78"W at the vegetable garden near Baywood Park in San Mateo.

Description: This little earthworm was living in some compost and is 5cm in length. Earthworms are tube-shaped creatures that often live in damp soil feeding on live and dead organic matter. Adult earthworms can be 10mm long, 1mm wide, to 3m long and over 25mm wide. The exterior of an earthworm is a thin cuticle often a red to brown color, and is usually a cylindrical shape, though they do come in other shapes--octagonal, quadrangular, trapezoidal, or flattened.

Phylum Mollusca

Photographed: 7/14/13

Location: 37*26’01.98”N  122*26’28.36”W. Found on the beach off the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Description: A clam, 3.3cm in length, 1.8cm in width, and 2.1cm in height. It has varying color on the surface, from sandy brown to a sort of deep maroon. The inside is an opaque white color, and the clam is smooth on its surface. Clams are definitely altered by their environment. Tide has a lot to do with a clam’s location, for if the tide is low, the clam may be on the shore or in tidal pools. If the tide is high, the clam may be carried out to sea, or drift in and out with the waves.

Phylum Annelida

Photographed: 7/16/13

Location: 37*26’02.03”N  122*26’28.45”W. Found on the beach off the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Description: This starfish is 17.2cm long, 1.1cm tall, and 17.5cm wide. It’s not smooth, but rough, and has all 5 tentacles in tact, which you sometimes don’t see since starfish can grow back their limbs. This starfish, like others, drifts in and out with the tide. Starfish can be affected by storms out at sea, and freezing temperatures. Combine that with high tide, and you can sometimes find many starfish stranded on shore.

Phylum Chordata

Photographed: 7/26/13

Location: 37*31’45.31’’N  122*20’03.21”W. Located at 35 Crippleridge Court, San Mateo CA 94402, a non-through street within 15 minutes walking distance of College of San Mateo.

Description: My cat, Fritzy, is a black and white female cat weighing around 10lbs. She is mostly black, with white down her chest and front legs, and a bit of white on her face. There is also white on her underbelly and back paws. Her entire back, tail, and top of head/ears is black. She is covered entirely with fur, except for her eyes and nose. Since she is an indoor/outdoor cat, the weather changes she responds most to are extreme heat and rain. Her thick coat allows her not to feel much cold, but it does absorb, not repel, water. In heat, the insulation of her thick coat makes it so that all she does is lie absolutely still in the shade, as to not exert any extra energy, in attempt to keep herself cool.