Phylum Fun

There are countless living creatures in our world. Their diversity is nearly unfathomable, and every type of animal has different characteristics than every other type. It would be nearly impossible to clearly tell them apart if it weren't for biological classification; a system that neatly organizes all living creatures into increasingly specific categories based on their traits. This way, we can identify creatures based on their classification in this system. The lab we conducted for this particular unit in Science class involved the study of nine different types of marine Phyla (the second broadest category in biological classification), which were as follows;

• Porifera: Sponges
• Cnideria: Jellyfish, sea anemones, corals
• Platyhelminthes: Flatworms
• Nematoda: Roundworms
• Annelida: Segmented worms
• Mollusca: Gastropods, bivalves, cephalopods
• Arthropoda: Crustaceans, insects, arachnids
• Echinodermata: Sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins
• Chordata: Fish

We originally set out to find out which marine Phyla are present at the tide pools of South Maui, and which are most represented in diversity and quantity. Based on previous observations and logic, we hypothesized that the most common Phylum would be Mollusca. Other Phyla we expected to see in some quantity included Arthropoda, Chordata, Echinodermata, and possibly Cnideria. On December 1st, our whole class trudged out to the South Kihei Tidepools and collected data....and with every new snail we counted, our hypothesis was strengthened further. In the end, we counted 1024 more individuals in the Mollusca Phylum than in the next most common Phylum, Arthropoda. Sightings of species from Phyla other than these two were quite rare. Somewhat surprisingly, not even a single Echinoderm was spotted. For the most part however, our hypothesis was correct, and this lab was a success. Of course, there is always the possibility that our data could have been incorrect. We easily could have miscounted the number of individual specimens in our research areas, and the tide could have affected the number of creatures we could see to count. But as with all things, science is not perfect. We did our best, and the data appears consistent.

What I enjoyed the most about this lab was that we had an opportunity to go outside and conduct real field research. While we were collecting data, we were stopped by interested citizens and asked questions, which really gave us a chance to put our best foot forward for the community and set a good impression of our school. Our school actually doesn't necessarily on what we may need to know for every history or math test thrown at us, but what will be of use to us in later life. It's these 21st century skills that will benefit us as we graduate from high school and move on with our lives, and this lab was a great chance to practice them.

~ Adam

(Collecting Data)

Geocaching Joy

Greetings, earthlings.

Our post today concerns a super fun, ultra-awesome, worldwide scavenger hunt known as geocaching. People go to this website and search for geocaches (small stashes of random items, usually) near them. But here's the catch; you are only given GPS coordinates and some abstract hints about where the geocaches are. To find your prize, you have to enter the coordinates into a GPS, which will then direct you to your destination. Finding these caches is pretty easy and lots of fun, especially since geocaches are hidden all over the world and you can find them wherever you go.

During this section of our science class, we learned more than just geocaching, though. We learned many other useful functions of the GPS unit, including everything from finding your way home to rescuing missing people. We also learned some about how these high-tech compasses/maps actually work; with the assistance of satellites, they can track down the exact locations of nearly anything, nearly anywhere on the face of the planet.

Our group decided to put this to the test, and went on a geocaching expidition ourselves. It was fun, but in all honesty, not very productive. I mean, we went on two seperate trips, and the first time we didn't find anything. We chose a cache that was too far away, and by the time we got there it was already time to start heading back. The second time we were slightly more successful. We actually visited five different places that claimed to host geocaches. However, even with all our searching, we only managed to actually locate one geocache. Our excuse was that people may have stolen the geocaches themselves, but I think we just didn't prepare very well. No one had even read the clues; we only had the coordinates. Oh well, at least we achieved something, no matter how small. And something is better than nothing it all! ;D

Peace out.

(Us hunting geocaches:)

(And here's a pic of the one geocache we actually found.)

~ Adam

Termites Return

...Our epic journey begins with a single, determined classroom and a small group of dedicated termites willing to sacrifice their lives for science...

Plus 120 grams of silica sand, 18 milliliters of water and a chunk of douglas fir wood.

On this particular August day, our little classroom put together a little habitat for a bunch of termites. The goal? To study their behavior as they went about their lives in our artificial habitat. Along with the termites, we included the materials and amounts mentioned above.

Immediately after we finished setting everything up, the fine sand was flat and undisturbed, with the water still rippling at the top of the glass jar. The termites crawled about aimlessly, getting a feel for their new home. My fellow students and I left the school and went our seperate ways.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we watched as the termites built and rebuilt small masterpieces and adapted effortlessly to new situations. The water sank into the sand, leaving it moist but not wet. The tunnels the tiny creatures created became more complex by the day, even with the limited space they had to work with. Though it was not visible with the naked eye, we know they gnawed away at the wood quite a bit too, or else they wouldn't have survived. Energy (food) is essential to the survival of all living creatures.

Once, a student accidentally bumped the termites jar. All their hard work came tumbling down on top of them (literally), and they were forced to begin all over again. Did they balk? NO! They adapted to the situation the were presented with, dug their way to freedom, and proceeded to rebuild their lost work.

I really enjoyed working with the termites. Though I admit I occasionally found them slightly disgusting (your perspective of things tends to change when you look at them under a microscope; if you want proof, take a peek at yogurt magnified 100 times), overall the unit was a big success. I have always had somewhat of a soft spot for the animal kingdom and all its inhabitants. I hope to study the natural world more extensively in the future.

~ Adam

Termite Time!

It's been awhile since the debut post, but I've got a good excuse. We've been hard at work studying a new topic; termites. In our most recent lab, we had the opportunity to get up close and personal...and I mean REALLY up close.

The main objective of this lab was to study the symbiotic relationship between the tiny termites and the infinitely tinier creatures known as protozoa. Symbiosis is the association of two dissimilar organisisms in a mutually benificial relationship. In other words, two different creatures help each other in some way. In this case, the termites help protozoa (miniscule creatures living in their gut) by providing shelter and food for them, and the protozoa help the termites by releasing acetate, which becomes the termites' energy source.

To study protozoa, you have to have an exposed termite digestive track. And unfortunately, that means some termites have to bite the dust in the name of science. Sad (or not) but necessary. Anyway, to get the protozoa out of the termite's abdomen, you have to do some intense tweezer work. Steady hands are essential for the gentle squeezing and pulling involved in pulling out a termite's intestines intact.

It was slow work, but several squished insects later we managed to get a good specimin on the microscope slide.

It was amazing. The second we put our eye to the scope, an entire new microscopic world unfolded itself before us. Countless protozoa darted around, munching on the tiny wood particles that drifted in the cytoplasm. There were big ones, little ones, and ones in between. Here's a pic that was taken by a student from another study group; CJ. The only problem with this pic is that you can't see the movement.

Overall, it was a great lab. We all learned about termites, protozoa, and symbiotic relationships. If this is just the start of the year, I'm looking forward to what we'll be studying later on.

Amanenemeno..anemona... "ANEMOMETER"

The "anemometer" (n-mm-tr) is a useful scientific tool. Aside from having a tongue-twisting name (see also "anemone"), the anemoneter has the property of measuing wind speed/air velocity.



This particular model of anemometer also measures humidity, temperature and light. So, if you want to use the anemometer function, you'll first need to know how to select it. And even if you can select the anemometer, the knowledge is pointless unless you know how to actually use the tool. What follows is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to use this nifty device.

1. Power is everything. In other words, for the machine to work, you need to turn it on. To do this, push the blue "power" button in the top left.

2. Because this model has so many functions, you'll need to know how to cycle through them. All you have to do is push the "function" button in the machine's bottom right. You may need to do this multiple times. You'll know the anemometer is selected when the screen displays the number 0.0 with a unit of speed immediately below it (mph, km-h, etc).

3. You can cycle through the different units of speed measurement by pushing the "unit/zero" button in the bottom left. The options for this particular machine include mph, km-h, and FPS.

4. Next, you measure. This may be the easiest step of all. All you have to do is hold the fan to the source of air flow. If wind is blowing from the south, hold the anemometer out facing south. Simple as that.

5. RECORD DATA!!! You can record the minimum or maximum air velocity by pushing the "min/max" button in the top right. You want to make sure and record your data somwhere that you won't lose or forget it.

And you're done! Analyze and conclude. Have fun measuring wind with the anememo...namenoma...well, you get the idea...

~ Adam