5/21/13 invasive weeds

Alligatorweed
Alternanthera philaxeroides
Spreads from seeds or plant fragments
Can impede navigation and replace native vegetation
Can get rid of by biological, chemical or physical. Is a big problem but isn't as hard to get rid of as some others.
Green leafed, with a white blossom flower and a long thick stem.


Hydrilla
Hydrilla verticuillata
Spreads through tubers, turions, stolons, and fragments not by its seed
Shades out desirable native vegetation, impedes navigation
Grows 1 inch a day so have to move fast so it doesn't grow fast.

Eurasian Watermilfoil
Myriophyllum spicatum
Spread by boats, trailers and birds
Can impede navigation and shade out native vegetation

Water Hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes
Reproduces by daughter plants and forms thousands of seeds
Dense mats reduce oxygen levels and block waterways
Can spread very easily and needs to get rid of by taking action fast, best use by chemical

Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes
Reproduces through daughter plants
Forms large mats that can affect habitat and impede navigation


Giant Salvinia
Slavinia molesta
Forms dense mats, spreading rapidly by buds
Reduces oxygen exchange and negatively effects water quality and habitat
Once this plant is introduced to environment, its impossible to get rid of . You can still hold down its population with mechanical, chemical or physical methods.

Purple Loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria
Each plant can produce 2 – 3 million seeds, and seeds can spread the weeds
Often called the “Marsh Monster” because it can replace native vegetation and clogs irrigation canal

5/13/13 algae lab

Today in class we did a algae lab and had to find 7 different organisms we found in the water, and identify them. At first I thought this lab would be boring but when we were givin the water you actually saw tiny bugs floating all around In it. We used the peti fish to take sampled and we were so fascinated with what we saw. We found bugs that looked like shrimp, called runts and I even found a big one that was carrying eggs. We also found this nasty worm looking snake that tool forever to take a picture of because every time it was under the microscope it would move because it did not like the light. It even climbed off of the peti fish in no water and seemed to be fine, an it also had a cool snake-like design on its back. This bug was called a fire worm. We found a shell and also this Mosquito pupa, that was black and looked like a tail of a Scorpion. It took us the forever to identify this worm thing because under the microscope it was curled up and dieing. I thought this lab was really fascinating because whenever you swim in a lake, you k ow your swimming in dirty water but you have no idea how dirty the water actual is. It was very difficult to I'd types of Algae though because you can't see them in eye view and you really have to search for them. All in all this was my favorite lab because is was very interesting and weird.

5/1/13 things I learned

Yesterday was the aquarium field trip, and even though I didn't go I still learned a lot from just looking up the animals for the research project. First thing I look up was the lion tamarin, and I first thought I was going to find a lion but it ended up being a type of monkey. It stood out because of it fur and bright orange mane. I thought the most interesting thing was that just like flamingos these monkeys color, was abstained by what it ate. A mineral called carotenids that is found in its food, also from sunlight exposure.
Another fish I found interesting was the unicorn fish, I looked up this fish just because of its name. And it actually does have a horn In the middle of its head that can reach up to 13 cm. they are usually longer on males, and are not used aggressively. Meaning if these fish are trying to protect themselves they actually use their tail, not the horn. The last animal I really found interesting was the Helmeted Curassow, which get there name from the long blue horn like thing on top of their head. These birds are known as "unicorn birds" and something very unique about them are their mating rituals. The male bird will find a female bird and will bring her food almost as an offering. If the female wants to mate with the bird than she will accept the food.
I found that each animal I researched for the assignment were each uniquely different and had several fun facts for each.

5/2/13 diatoms

A major type of algae from in earths water in diatoms, and although they can be helpful, they can also be very deadly. Navicula is a type of algae found in water, it is a type of diatom. It actually receives its name from the meaning of navicula "little boat" because of its boat like shape. Navicula plays an important role and helps produce over a fourth of earths oxygen in its biosphere.
Diatoms in aquariums cause buildup leading to the brownish tent in your tank. They are very hard to deal with if present In an aquarium because they will keep your tank from being clean. In any type of body of water such as lakes an oceans, an excessive amount of diatoms cause algae bloom. Algae bloom is caused by rapid increase in algae and leads to water discoloration and high density of pigmented cells. So mainly it leads to a yucky water lake or ocean and can kill life living in the body of water. Algae bloom contains a type of diatom called Cyanobacteria. It is a blue green algae that is very deadly to life in excessive amounts.
Diatoms form stalks which help them resist waves and to not be tossed around everywhere. They also have a raphe system which allows them to move over benthic sources. Diatoms shape also have helped them adapted to there environment, their shape allows them to attach onto other objects like rocks.

4/29 assessing a pond

If I was hired to assess the pond of lewisville, and make sure there is no problems at all the the lake water first of all I would observe the lake. I would check out the lake, cost of nothing, and check around for algae bloom, foam on lake, and especially any dead things or dying things such as fish, insects, animals, or plants. If there was a problem then I would have to start spending money to have the problem fixed. Depending on what it was after I figured out the issue then I would have to by chemicals for the water or test to help cure the issue. I would may even get lab test done to the water to have more of an idea on what is going on so I could fix the problem correctly.

4/30/13 amphibians video

In the video the main focus was on amphibians and how 9 out of ten amphibians were either toads or frogs. Although they are both very similar they are different. Toads have a very bumpy warty like skin and even though they say if you touch one you will get warts you actually can't. Frogs have very slimy smooth skin and they were known for fertility while toads use to be known as evil and if they caught you with a tips in your house you would be considered a witch long ago. Also a main difference is toads mainly just walk around and frogs actually jump quite high to get to where they want to be.
All amphibians are looked upon frequently by scientist to help determine the health of the environment. Amphibians live on both land and in water so each have to be a healthy place to live in if not, these creatures will die.for example many species of frogs have died because of the changes in the ozone layer , reasoning why each day amphibians populations are going down lower and lower. People are trashing our planet slowly and slowly, but still is leading to big consequences. We can help prevent this by not using up so much energy such as fossil fuels. If every single person becomes more aware of the severities they are causing and slowly start to change their bad habits. Then slowly we can as a nation start to rebuild our habitats and amphibians populations.

Nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle is a important cycle, in our earths water that keeps underwater life alive. Nitrogen cycle is a way nitrogen is transferred in the ocean by precipitation, runoff or even by the atmosphere itself. Phytoplankton cannot utilize nitrogen by itself so it under goes a process called nitrogen fixation. The nitrogen needs to be utilized because the phytoplankton itself cannot take it only in certain forms in order for them to synthesize the nitrogen. This process happens when an organism die, and the bacteria break it down. In return the organisms let off nitrogen in the soil and clover takes it out to release to the atmosphere. This allows us the breathe and without it all organisms all land, including us would die. Nitrogen is an element vital to all life processes on Earth, and isnt just apart of life under the sea but to life on land too. Nitrogen comprises 78% of the atmosphere, and is embedded in every living tissue. It is a component of amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids, that helps man kind live day to day and with the exception of carbon, nitrogen is the most universal element of life. Put simply: Life could not exists without nitrogen. Aside from organic development, nitrogenous compounds are also required by some organisms for metabolic functions and respiration, including life under the sea.