Week of 10/27-31

Monday- Today we learned how to use dichotomous keys to identify and classify organisms.

Tuesday- We discussed similarities and differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms, and similarities and differences among the eukaryotic kingdoms: Protists, Fungi, Plants, and Animals.

A few notes include:

• Membrane bound organelles - none in prokaryotes.
• Ribosomes in both.
• Contrasts in chromosome structure.
• Contrasts in size.
• Cellular structures.
• Unicellular vs. Multicellular.
• Methods of making/getting food and breaking down food to get energy.
• Reproduction.

Wednesday- Today we analyzed the process by which organisms representative of the following groups accomplish essential life functions including: Unicellular protists, annelid worms, insects, amphibians, mammals, non-vascular plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms. The functions are transport, excretion, respiration, regulation, nutrition, synthesis, reproduction, and growth and development.

The functions are described as:

• Transport- how organisms get what they need to cells; how they move waste from cells to organs of excretion.
• Excretion- how organisms get rid of their waste and balance their fluids (pH, salt concentration, water).
• Regulation- how organisms control body processes - hormones, nervous system.
• Respiration- how organisms get oxygen from the environment get oxygen from the environment and release carbon dioxide back to the environment and how plants exchange gases.
• Nutrition- how organisms break down and absorb foods.
• Synthesis- how organisms build necessary molecules.
• Reproduction- sexual versus asexual, eggs, seeds, spores, placental, types of fertilization.
• Growth and development- metamorphosis, development in egg or in uterus, growth from seed or spore.

Thursday- Today we had a sub and completed our chart using the textbook.

Friday- Today we watched the "March of the Penguins" and analyzed the movie to determine how Penguins accomplish essential life functions including: transport, excretion, respiration, regulation, nutrition, synthesis, reproduction, and growth and development.