umm, kunalika shin tien here. Actually i can eat keerthana but not jingyuan:)
Anyone There??
For the food web for our group [1 page profile] right, do we have to include the different pictures of our group mate’s one?
Oh and also, I am super confused about who eats who...
Is it like this?
Jasmin eats Shin Tien and Keerthana and Jing Yuan.
Ying Xi eats Jasmine
Kunalika eats Jing Yuan
Shin Tien tries to eat Keerthana but is scared when her head falls out...
Then who does Shin Tien eat? It can't be like Shin Tien does not eat anything right?
Is that all??
So to finalize, the final meeting time is 1pm-4pm maybe so Jing yuan can leave earlier! You guys okay? Thank you jingyuan. So we will meet tomorrow at school kays? ;) good problem solved.
ok.
thks for accommodating and sorry once again for inconveniencing all of you.
HEY GUYS! NOT SURE IF U ALL KNOW THAT WE WILL BE MEETING TOMORROW
jingyuan? when can you drop by? just like pass it to us in one second and you can be off to do your stuff like just hand the toy to us..
IN SCHOOL AT 2PM ON MONDAY WHICH IS 3/9/12 TO BE EXACT. SORRY FOR THE CAPS BUT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY NOTICE. PLEASE TAKE NOTE AND INFORM ALL THE GROUP MATES WHO STILL DON’T KNOW THE TIMING IF THEY HAVEN’T COME ACROSS THIS MESSAGE. PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING THE FOLLOWING: YOUR COMPLETED TOY AND SORT OF A PREPARED SCRIPT TO INTRODUCE YOUR TOY AND SO ON. FIRST AT 2PM WE WILL DISCUSS WHAT TO SAY BEFORE WE START FILMING AND THE LATEST IT WILL END IS 5PM SO PLEASE STAY ALL THE WAY TO THE END. WE WILL BE DISCUSSING OTHER MISCELLANEOUS STUFF SUCH AS EDITING THE FILMING, IMPROVEMENT OF THE TOY ETC. THANKS!
Hi, but I don’t think I can come tmr. Maybe we could set it on a later date? I’m really sorry if I’m inconveniencing everyone. Really sorry :(
really? then when are you free? can you pls tell us the dates that you are free ASAP cos the other ppl also have cca commitments. But are you really not free the whole day? If you can make it earlier or later than we can always adjust the timing;) please reply asap to tis msg;) thksalot
Hi Everybody, this is Shin Tien. Please indicate the colour you are writing in so we know who you are and stick to that colour;) Try not to use same colour as other peeps, kays? Like dun use black or purple or red. Yea, sth like that:p
Hey guys :) I suppose you can post whatever stuff that’s related to our biology PT here. If you have any questions regarding what we have posted, you can ask here too :) I guess some of our discussion can take place here too. ~ Ying Xi
| Name | Colour (Please indicate the colour you are writing in) |
| Jasmin | Blue |
| Jing Yuan | Pink |
| Keerthana | Green |
| Kunalika | Light Green (thats nice) |
| Shin Tien | Maroon |
| Ying Xi | Purple |
Biome
Definition of Biome:
- The world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php)
- A major ecological community of organisms adapted to a particular climatic or environmental condition on a large geographic area in which they occur. (http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Biome)
Tundra Biome
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes.
Characteristics of tundra include:
- Extremely cold climate
- Low biotic diversity
- Simple vegetation structure
- Limitation of drainage
- Short season of growth and reproduction
- Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material
- Large population oscillations
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.
Alpine tundra
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm
Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow. The growing season is approximately 180 days. The nighttime temperature is usually below freezing. Unlike the arctic tundra, the soil in the alpine is well drained.
The plants are very similar to those of the arctic ones and include:
- tussock grasses, dwarf trees, small-leaved shrubs, and heaths
Animals living in the alpine tundra are also well adapted:
- Mammals: pikas, marmots, mountain goats, sheep, elk
- Birds: grouselike birds
- Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies
Hi guys;) I’m Shin Tien. I hope you won’t mind me posting stuff about the PT...
LSS Bio. PT:
Task: Create a new ecosystem on Planet Zork (Biome: Tundra)
Aim: To show understanding of ecological relationships, food chain, food web, mode of nutrition and adaptation
PT. information:
- Weightage: 10%
- Due date: 24th August (to your respective Bio. teacher)
- Aside from Assessment criteria (6)- Group Work, the rest of the work is individual.
Specific outcome (1):
- Explain how limiting factors influence organism distribution
- The impact of the interactions of individual members in the same population with others
- Explain the inter-reationship among species, population, community and ecosystem
- Understand the different roles played by each organism in the ecosystem and interdependent relationships
- Presents information of the habitat
- Explains the role of the organism created and how its adaptation for its role
- Explain how the organism adapts to its habitat
- Create a 3-D organism
- A record of the Design Process to show idea development
- Presents interactions between organisms through a self-playing presentation (Group rest of them indiv.)
Deliverables
- Journal (online/ PDF)
- 1-page profile (PDF)
- Digital photographs showing different views of organisms
- Self-playing presentation (<5 minutes)
Journal (online/ PDF) What to include
- Your research- what you read up on and how are you going to utilize the information
- details of the habitat/ microhabitat the organisms is living in
- a record of relationships between your organism and your group mates’ organism
- Food chains and food webs
- Force-fitting activity
- Sketches of your organisms
- A record of improvements made to your organism- your thoughts and your group mates suggestions should be included
- An annotated photo guide to how you made your organism
- how did you use them
- Photographs of your final organism
- A brief reflection no more than 150 words.
4/8/12 Discussion: Members who came to the online discussion: Ying Xi, Jasmin, Kunalika and me. Please do not delete anything because Shin Tien and I have tidied up the discussion and all that’s left are important details.
Ying Xi: Jasmin said that 3 of us are already doing animal and someone has to do the plants and decomposers. (3 of us: Jasmin, Shin Tien and me) Can you guys tell me more about your animals? Any special features/diet? Mine is a carnivore and it can be a scavenger too. For your information, scavengers are those animals that help to break down dead organisms into smaller pieces so the rate of decomposition is faster. My soft toy was a chihuahua and I imagined it to be a wolf. (we cannot use scavenger cos miss tok said so) when did she say that? o.O
Shin Tien: We have to create a food web right? Some of the organisms inside must be the prey. My soft toy is a rabbit so my organism is a herbivore so I get eaten by other animals. Ying Xi, you are the top of the food chain like a vulture?
Ying Xi: Yes, my organism is the top of the food chain.
Jasmin: Mine can be a omnivore or carnivore. My object is a watch. I can change mine to something like a snake.
Shin Tien: Can we change it if we don’t want to use the toy we brought to class for the force-fitting activity? I cannot really think of any special traits it can have as a herbivore. Jasmin’s object is a watch so it’s unclassified? Like an oven? I thought we are supposed to create an organism. But since we don’t know what the others are doing, we can’t finalize the animals. We can only make a rough gauge.
Ying Xi: As in you want to change the animal and you want to use another toy for your organism? I think it’s ok, but can you try not to change? If you have to change it then change it soon. We don’t want to complicate stuff later right? Actually, I think the watch is ok. It shows that you’re creative. Like the example about the telephone. What’s the idea about creating ovens? I don’t think we can make ovens, it’s not something the organisms cannot survive without right? They have their natural adaptations so there’s no need for an oven. I don’t think we should be creating non-living things like an oven.
Shin Tien: Ying Xi, I was just stating something weird to ask if we can do that.
Ying Xi: Jasmin, can I know your chain of thoughts about the watch becoming a animal.
I have added a more detailed description of my creature at the bottom.
Jasmin:
WATCH
- minute hand and hour hand → circle continuously → hypnotise prey
- minute hand and hour hand → ability to sense where prey is → points the direction where the prey went
- strap → wrap around prey to trap them
- holes on strap → to let water ooze out of hole when squeezing prey
- plastic surface → to protect itself against predator when the predator struggles
- hole on body → open and close → swallow and eat prey
- flexibility → to bend its body → escape easily from predators
- catch → to tighten the strap → squeeze prey and lock the straps together tightly
- screw → to screw into prey → inflict pain and to immobilize prey
- the colour green → to camouflage in surroundings → sneak up on prey / run away from predator
- hook → reproductive system → penis
- the colour purple → attract mate
- the colour purple → appear poisonous → keep predators away
- colourful clock face → attract mate / appear poisonous
- metal battery cover (circle) → hit the prey and inflict pain
- colour red → attract mate
- 2 mouth, 1 with tiny but sharp teeth to tear flesh, the other mouth with hardly any blunt teeth to chew grass
- slithers
- a hole at each ends of the straps, one which sharp teeth to tear flesh and the other with blunt teeth to chew grass
Shin Tien: Can you make it into an animal by adding watch features? And also, Ying Xi, can you tell us some special features of your wolf?
Ying Xi: Based on the telephone example, I think we can use the features of the telephone to make features of the plant (in this case). However, it cannot be too far-fetched. What I mean by far-fetched will be like a totally new thing that doesn’t make any sense and it’s like a complete waste of resources. Do you understand what I mean? Remember Ms Tok said “Nature does not like to waste resources?” That’s what I mean. I don’t know if you can stick to the rabbit. I guess it depends on you, Shin Tien. As for the Alpine or Arctic issue, let’s take some time to read the stuff i researched on for alpine and arctic tundra. We’ll probably choose the one with better conditions.
Here are the features of my organism:
CHIHUAHUA WOLF
- Eyes → Night vision
- Snout → Sensitive (can smell the prey from miles away)
- Mouth → Has sharp teeth and fangs which makes it a carnivore
- Legs → Strong leg muscles → Allow it to jump (While chasing the prey)
- Friction on the paws → Better grip
- Long bushy tail → provide warmth
Shin Tien: Can mine be an omnivore or a carnivore? I can’t think of any special features of a herbivore. But I guess I am sticking to being a herbivore since mine is a rabbit. I think we should have 2 producers, 2 herbivore, 1 omnivore, and 1 carnivore for our food web. What do you all think?
Ying Xi: Any ideas or suggestions, Jasmin? And we need decomposers too, so we can have only 1 herbivore or 1 producer.
Shin Tien: One producer won’t be enough to support the food chain right? Can we have a mixture so that they can decompose things too? Is it possible? For example, fungi: produce food and decompose stuff?
Ying Xi: That’s a good idea, but I don’t know if it will work..
Shin Tien: I’m not sure too. Jasmin, what do you think of this idea highlighted in orange?
Jasmin: Yeah but we need to know the organisms of the other groupmates.
Shin Tien: But they will have no choice because if they want to be carnivores, we have to change our animals to suit them as well.
Ying Xi: Usually, (correct me if I’m wrong), I think that the food chain is like Producer → Herbivore → Omnivore → Carnivore
The organism after the producer definitely has to be a herbivore or an omnivore. However, omnivores have more food as they can eat plants and animals. So there will be more herbivores than omnivores. As the food chain progresses, the omnivores and herbivores will be eaten by carnivores and their carcasses will be decomposed by decomposers. Here’s a diagram to further illustrate my point.
This is a typical food web in the Tundra Biome. (http://tundrabiome.webnode.com/food-web/)
Shin Tien: Can we finalize our discussion? We will tackle which type of Tundra Biome we would be doing and the roles of our animals for each one of our group members. i was thinking:
Producers and decomposers: 2
Herbivores: 2
Omnivores: 1
Carnivores: 1
Ying Xi, you see from the picture you posted that there are more herbivores than carnivores. If there is a same amount of herbivores as carnivores and omnivores, herbivores will be at the losing end.
Basically, I think there should be at least, 1 carnivore, 1 omnivore, then the rest of the 4 roles we will think of it as 2 producers and 2 herbivores, then something has to be a decomposer too - one or both of the producers have features that can help them to decompose.
Kunalika: Insects like termites are part of the decomposition process so I think that a housefly can be also part of the process. According to my research, Houseflies are scavengers. They eat scraps of food left around by other animals. Flies are insects that play an important role in agriculture, in the food chain and in pollinating flowers. In fact, once you grasp just how much everyday ordinary house flies actually do, seeing them in a whole new light isn't difficult. Read more: The Importance of Flies | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_10016971_importance-flies.html#ixzz22Yk79vKy
A housefly is also a decomposer. Website URL: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g7388
Ying Xi: My wolf is a scavenger and carnivore too.
Shin Tien: Kunalika, I’m wondering, is the housefly your object or your final organism?
Kunalika: Well, it is not my object Its my final organism. I will be modifying it and my final organism will be a bit different. But i guess it will still look like a housefly.
Shin Tien: I see.
Ying Xi: In the tundra biome, how does your fly survive? Are there any special adaptations? Is it possible for it to have multiple roles as well? According to the criteria, we only need to have 6 organisms but that doesn’t mean that the organisms can’t have more than 1 role right?
Shin Tien: Yes, we need someone in our group or at most two to have multiple roles in order to ensure that the food web is sustainable.
Kunalika: Can I clarify something with you guys? We aren’t supposed to use our actual object right? We are supposed to modify it into another organism of our own right?
Ying Xi: Yes, we don’t use the actual thing and we are supposed to modify the object, however you have to include your original inspiration A.K.A. the object, in your individual journal.
Kunalika: So is mine a decomposer or a herbivore?
Shin Tien: You can still be a decomposer if you want but whatever your decision is, its fine with us. According to our plan, we were suppose to have 2 producers and there should be decomposers in our food web because they have to help in decomposition as well. But someone definitely need to take on multiple roles for her animal because then we would have a person short to take the remaining role in order to sustain the food web. Here are some roles you might want to take because Ying Xi, Jasmin and me have decided to take the roles of a carnivore, omnivore, and herbivore respectively.
1. Herbivore
2. Herbivore plus decomposer
3. Producer
4. Producer plus decomposer
Kunalika: My house fly can be a decomposer, herbivore and pollinator. But does that mean that i have to do 2 animals?
Ying Xi: No, it’s just 1 animal with multiple roles.
Shin Tien: Kunalika, is this your final decision? You can still change if you want.
Kunalika: I don’t think I’m changing. I’ll stick to my decision.
Ying Xi: Can I clarify some stuff? Correct me if i’m wrong.
- A decomposer actually decomposes stuff into SIMPLER SUBSTANCES.
- A scavenger helps in decomposition by breaking stuff into SMALLER PIECES (According to Shin Tien). Note that they are different.
Kunalika: Alpine? Shin Tien and Ying Xi, which one do you prefer? I am fine with both.
Shin Tien: Actually, I prefer arctic but I am fine with both. But I am curious if rabbits live in alpine tundra because it is a mountainous area. House Flies do not live there at any of the two places we mentioned.
Kunalika: Exactly! That’s the problem! I am so sorry for choosing a housefly and for troubling you guys... Sorry for the inconvenience! (Kunal, did u choose housefly bcos of eega?)
Ying Xi: i think Arctic will be better because I have a bit more info on that although we can do more research on the Alpine Tundra if we choose it. The conditions seem more favourable as well. Kunalika, I think you can change your organism if you must but ensure that the role the organism plays remains unchanged.
Kunalika: But i can still stick with my house fly right? I can modify it such that it can live in the Arctic Tundra.
Ying Xi: Yes, I suppose you can.
Shin Tien: Ying Xi, are you like doing something like an arctic fox?
Ying Xi: Actually, I’m doing an arctic wolf. I think wolves can survive both in the arctic and alpine but maybe arctic is more suitable for your organisms.
Shin Tien: Our discussion seems to be settled. Can everybody give a rough description of your organisms by the National day holidays. (The drawing, information and details of how it survives and contributes to the food web.) Please be present for group discussions as it is part of your responsibility as a group member. Just to inform you in advance, we will be having group discussions during the National Day holidays as well especially to those who did not come for this group discussion.
Ying Xi: Remember to fill in your attendance for group discussions as well. Please check this document for updates frequently.
Finalized: Arctic Tundra Biome
| Type of organism | Name of Group member |
| Producer | Keerthana |
| Producer | Jing Yuan |
| Herbivore, decomposer, pollinator and scavenger | Kunalika |
| Herbivore, seed disperser | Shin Tien |
| Omnivore | Jasmin |
| Carnivore | Ying Xi |
6/8/2012 Mini discussion. Members who came for the discussion: Jing Yuan, Ying Xi, Jasmin
Jing Yuan: Just to clarify, but the object we pick, must it be furry or covered in some kind of thick material to show that it can withstand the cold in the arctic? Or can we just imagine and modify the object so that it fits the characteristics of plants that grow in the arctic?
Ying Xi: I think it can be anything. For example, Jasmin used a watch and it’s not furry or covered in some thick material...
Jing Yuan: okay thanks and are we meeting up, physically, after NDP?
Ying Xi: I’m not sure when we will meet up. I know it’s not Wednesday and it’s not Friday. Maybe Thursday or Saturday? And I can’t meet up after the celebrations because I have Aesthetics PT and S & D PT afterwards. But the rest of you can meet up :)
Jing Yuan: Oh ok noted so we just create the organism on our own and we combine later, right? Plus Ms tok hasn’t given us the actual PT yet?
Ying Xi: Last week she showed us the slides and she said it will be up on cybersphere by this week. I haven’t checked cybersphere but it’s probably there. As for the combining part, what do you mean?
Jing Yuan: What I mean is like we have to design and make our own organism first then do the video or whatever group work there is together. And do we have to print out the slides from cybersphere, are the slides considered the official PT?
Ying Xi: Yup. But I’m not sure if the slides are considered as the official PT. I guess they are since Miss Tok didn’t say she’ll give us the paper?
Jing Yuan: Can we think up the characteristics of the organism on our own? Or must the organism be based on something real?
Ying Xi: It can be imaginative. She showed us the example of the telephone becoming a plant and producing ringing sounds... seems like it's all based on imagination to me.
Keerthana: OMG, i missed a lot of stuffs! The notes provided and chat was great! JIAYOU everyone! sorry for not contributing anything:( one thing i wud like yall to take note is that pls use the terms primary, secondary, tertiary and quatemary consumers instead of herbivore, carnivore and omnivore, kay?
Group discussion LIVE on 8/8/12
Members present: Jasmin, Jingyuan, Keerthana, Kunalika, Shin Tien
Producer: Keerthana, Jingyuan
Primary consumer: Kunalika, Shin Tien
Secondary consumer: Jasmin
Tertiary consumer: Yingxi
keerthana: ladybird-->plant (white to blend in with environment and green spots for chlorophyll, black spots to act as traps for the insects to be caught, short legs so water does not transpire as much, eat small flies like house flies. Under the wings have nectar to attract small flies like venus fly-trap and trap insects and the nectar causes the movement to be limited as it is sticky. Vibration will occur when predator is sensed so that the predators will be frightened of them. )
Jingyuan’s plant
Hand Soap Bottle - shrub
English name: Dwarf herb
Latin name: Nanum herbis
Reason for name: The shrub is very small in size and is called a dwarf shrub. Other than this, the shrub is well-known for its medicinal purposes.
- the shrub is usually found in a large group/clump that grows close to the surface of the ground. This growing pattern helps the plant resist the effects of cold temperatures and reduce the damage caused by the impact of tiny particles of ice and snow that are driven by the dry winds.
Leaves - the shrub has a large number of small leaves. This structural adaptation helps the plant to retain as much moisture as possible in the cold and dry climate of the arctic tundra. Its leaves have long fuzzy hairs growing on them and the hairs help to retain the little heat there is.
Green round body - the shrub has a thick woody stem about 10cm in height which supports the entire plant structure,. the leaves grow around the woody stem. the rest of the woody stem protrudes out of the top of the shrub by another 10cm.
Roots - the roots adapt to the permafrost by having a shallow root system which grow close to the surface of the ground. the roots spread over a large area so as to absorb as much nutrients and water as possible. In winter, a jelly-like liquid oozes from the roots and encases the entire root system, After a few hours, the liquid hardens and forms a protective outer covering. This helps to prevent root damage under the extreme temperatures of winter. in summer, the jelly-like substance softens and peels from the roots.
Top of the bottle - defence mechanism. a thick ring around it with a small short spout. When an animal comes into contact with the leaves of the Nanum herbis, the long fuzzy hairs on the leaves are able to sense the animal and will thus transmit warning messages to the shrub’s self-defence mechanism. Thus, the ring will start to turn 360º and a stream of sticky transparent liquid will start to spout from it which will cause irritation to the skin and if the liquid is not washed off immediately, it will cause swelling/pain of skin, but not fatal. When animal retreats/not in contact with leaves anymore, liquid stops spouting.
self pollinating shrub - The anther grows from the top of the woody stem. during winter, when it is almost impossible to reproduce, the anther is hidden in the thick woody stem. during summer, the anthers slowly starts to grow out and droops downwards for easy pollination. and the stigma, which is a wide sticky feathery ring surrounding the thick ring. the shrub is now ready for reproduction. When the wind blows, the pollen grains from the anther gets blown onto the sticky wide surface of the stigma. The shrub is then pollinated and afterwards it is fertilised. the pollination and fertilization process takes merely two days as the plant has to grow flowers and bear fruits within the short period of summer.
Medicinal value - the purple berries have great medicinal value. They are useful in curing common influenza and mild fevers. it is often used in chinese medicine. Furthermore, the scent when extracted from the orangey-yellow flowers can help to cure headaches. Other than that, the roots of the plant is used in tea brewery and is rich in vitamin A, which aids in vision and development of skin cells.
Location of where it is usually found - Nanum herbis is usually found almost everywhere in the wild but more of it is found in dry, cold and open places. they grow best in sandy soil.
Kunalika: housefly--> small white hairs all over the legs and body to blend with surroundings, fly fast to escape, chew grass, legs are sharp to tear leaves
Shin Tien: rabbit toy--> rabbit (snowshoe-arctic-hare-type-of-rabbit with other special characteristics)
- Black fur underneath white fur to soak up as much heat as possible
- Colour of fur changes according to seasons to blend in with surroundings e.g. summer is brown, winter is white
- compact body *those highlighted in yellow are to reduce heat loss because of less surface area
- small, short ears
- short legs
- dense fur to keep warm
- thickly-haired foot pads to insulate against the cold and provide traction on ice
- herbivore- eats e.g. leaves, shoots
- Big feet esp. hind feet- like having snowshoes which help them stay on top of the snow so that they can escape from predators. It also allows it to escape quickly so that the predator will exhausts itself and that it would not be caught.
- long whiskers- sense predator approaching to make a quick escape
- Seed disperser- eat fruits and poop out seeds which help to disperse the seeds of the fruit, aiding in germination for the producers
- Humps on its back to store excess food for winter
- Has glands that produces a hormonal substance to attract mates and can scare off predators
- Rubber float mechanism which bloats up when enters water to escape prey
- porous container which can allow the rabbit to breathe through gills underneath and it also acts as a food storage for excess food when hibernation comes
Firstly, I just want to ask: For specifying the features of the habitat, do you guys want to do it individually or as a group? If your organism needs extra features in its habitat, like maybe it’s a marine creature, you can add some features in for yourself and probably let the group know? (If we are deciding on the features as a group) Do we have to mention if it’s the arctic tundra in the summer or the arctic tundra in the winter? (If we have to, I prefer summer.)
[Left] Arctic tundra in the Summer (http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tundra.htm)
[Right] Arctic tundra in the Winter (http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/winter-in-the-arctic-5590-pictures.htm)
Ying Xi: Chihuahua soft toy → Carnivorous creature at the top of the food chain
- Uses solar energy to grow flower-like features on its back to attract prey. The rest of the body is buried in the ground to avoid detection by prey or other predators (if any).
- Brown fur to camouflage with the ground in the summer.
- Brown fur is shed in the winter and replaced by white fur.
- Powerful jaws with fangs and sharp teeth. Fangs can inject poison to paralyze the prey.
- Strong leg muscles to run at high speed and leaps to catch prey.
- Claws to injure the prey. (can be retracted so that the creature can move silently and stealthily)
- Fur on the paws to increase friction and keep the paws warm.
- Ears are small to reduce the rate of heat loss.
- Has sensitive sense of smell and hearing.
- Uses vibration waves to detect its prey
- Tentacles for grabbing prey.
- Layer of blubber to keep it warm.
- Produces sound to communicate so that they can hunt together.
- Sings and uses its tail to attract mates.
Jasmin’ s creature
Snake-like creature (inspired by Jasmin’ s watch)
(inspired by Serperior)
Its body mostly resembles that of a snake
Body
During Winter
The pale green patterns on its face and its yellow extensions turn white camouflage in the snow. Its ‘coat’ turns from the different shades of green to a pale white, allowing its whole body to camouflage in the snow. The ‘coat’ still acts as an outer covering to keep warm. The stubby hands also change into white.
During summer
It has pale green patterns on its face to camouflage in the grass., and two long yellow extensions that act as ears. The rest of its face and upper neck are colored white. At its lower neck, dark green extensions spread out covering its whole body from the lower neck. There are a few yellow patterns on its body. This ‘coat’ acts as an outer covering to keep warm. The upper and lower section of its body is made up of mixture of dark and pale green. It has small stubby hands to help it grip onto the prey in a struggle.
At night
At night, the creature will keep warm by curling itself up. It will also roll up its ears to reduce heat loss. However, there is a risk by doing so, the creature will not be able to hear approaching prey or predators as well as in the day. It is still able to hear but not as well because the ears are only rolled up, not completely sealed.
Adaptations
Body
It uses its curled and flexible body to trap its prey by wrapping around them tightly, sometimes to the point where the prey is severely injured or even dead. It uses its flexible body to escape from the grasp of its predators such as wolves (Ying xi’s werewolf Erm... mine is not really a werewolf... just a wolf). Due to the lack of cover in the Tundra, its curled body has adapted to moving around stealthily by keeping its body low and slithering around the snow / grass silently.
‘Leaves’ and tail
It has a tail. On the tip of its tail, there are three ‘leaves’. Like the rest of its its body, these ‘leaves’ are green in colour during summer and white during winter. During summer, the ‘leaves’ on its tail also add to my creatures ability to camouflage in the grass. During winter, the ‘leaves’ on its tail simply help to blend into the surrounding. However, the ‘leaves’ on its tail are very firm and strong. When food is scarce, my creature will also eat insects (Kunalika/Keerthana’s creature). When the insects are flying, the creature will creep up to the creature, then slam its tail against the ground. The strong ‘leaves’ will help catapult my creature into the air. If in mid air, my creature is near the insect, it will simply chomp on the insect using its mouth. However, if the insect is not so near, my creature will try to use its stubby hands to reach out and grab the insects, then proceeding to eating it. If the insect is not in flight (if it's resting on a leaf/rock etc), my creature will simply use its tail and ‘leaves’ to slam the insect, killing it instantly. If my creature is caught by a predator, it will slam its tail against the predator forcefully, in an attempt to temporarily blind the predator so it can escape.
Coat
Its coat is one of its features. It helps keep my creature warm. It also acts as a protection when hunting for prey. First, my organisms will wrap its body tightly around its prey. If the prey starts struggling and tries to attack my creature in defense, my creature will use its hard coat to protect itself against the various attacks. The coat does not cover the eyes. The head has a higher body temperature than the rest of the body to melt the snow and navigate gate its way through snow.
Teeth
It has both blunt and pointed teeth. It has two fangs, which are slightly longer than its other teeth, to tear flesh. The blunt teeth are at the back of the mouth while the pointed teeth are mostly at the front. The fangs will be at the upper jaw, where the canine should be. When trying to kill prey, my creature can also use its fangs to inflict pain on the prey. If it is caught by the predator, it will thrust its fangs at the predator in defense.
Patterns on body
If my creature knows the prey is too large or will escape quickly, it will use it patterns on its body to try and hypnotize or confuse the prey. It will slither up to the prey silently, then allowing its body to come into full view. Next, it will move its a body in a certain way to hypnotize and confuse the prey. After the prey is successfully hypnotized / confused, it will not stop the hypnotizing movement and will and slowly move towards the prey. If my creature notices a predator which is too near or knows that the predator will be able to subdue it, its first instincts would be to flee immediately. However, if it finds that the it is too near the predator and will not be quick enough to flee, it will try to hypnotize the prey as it slowly moves further away until it is far enough to make a quick escape.
Ears
Since there is minimum heat in the tundra, in summer and winter, the creature will roll up its years at night, when it is sleeping. However, it will not do so in the day, when it is hunting. This is because the ears act as an important role in the process of hunting by enabling the it to listen out for slight movements of both prey and predator.
Some possible food chains:
- Jing Yuan’s organism → Shin Tien’s organism → Jasmin’s organism → Ying Xi’s organism
- Jing Yuan’s organism → Shin Tien’s organism → Ying Xi’s organism
- Jing Yuan’s organism → Jasmin’s organism → Ying Xi’s organism
- Jing Yuan’s organism → Kunalika’s organism → Jasmin’s organism → Ying Xi’s organism
- Keerthana’s organism → Shin Tien’s organism → Jasmin’s organism → Ying Xi’s organism
- Keerthana’s organism → Shin Tien’s organism → Ying Xi’s organism
- Keerthana’s organism → Jasmin’s organism → Ying Xi’s organism
(I don’t think it’s possible for my organism to eat a housefly as I don’t have the necessary adaptations. If Keerthana’s organism eats houseflies, then it will not be possible for Kunalika’s organism to eat Keerthana’s organism, so I did not include any food chain where Kunalika’s organism eats Keerthana’s organism and where my organism eats Kunalika’s organism)
Shin Tien: Hi guys! We are so sorry that we are changing the date to meet up for the video-taking since our date line is extended to 10 Sept. It is also for the benefit of all of you since I guess mostly all of you haven’t started or is in the midst of doing your toy. I think we will be meeting up on the day we have biology remedial because it will be a lot more convenient and I might not be available after Tuesday till the end of school holidays.
Script for the video
- Introduction of the habitat (Abiotic factors such as water, temperature, light, oxygen, salinity, etc.)
- Introduce food producers (Jing Yuan and Keerthana)
- Show herbivores (Shin Tien and Kunalika) eating the plants (Jingyuan and Keerthana)
- Show omnivore (Jasmin) eating herbivore (Shin Tien and Kunalika) and plant (Keerthana)
- Show carnivore (Ying Xi) eating the omnivore (Jasmin) and herbivore (Shin Tien)
- Show herbivore, decomposer (Kunalika) decompose the dead organisms
- Credits?
Script:
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).
(Picture of tundra mountains)
(Picture of all animals)
JY:
Keerthana: The Cerritulus productorem is an organism that resembles a ladybird but it is a plant. It is a producer and but still it is a an omnivore just like venus flytrap. It has a white body. This is to blend with the surroundings which is snow and that is white to camouflage it so that the plant is not easily visible for its consumer. I got this inspiration from polar bears which live in Antarctic areas where it is covered by snow that is white.
It has green spots where the leaves are. The leaves are needle-like so as to minimize transpiration, as the plants need water to sustain life. I got this inspiration from cactus which lives in desert and has also a need to minimize the rate of transpiration.
It has black spots with hair. The darkness of their flesh absorbs solar heat, and the hair helps to trap the heat and keep it close to the surface of the plant.
The black spots also acts as distractor to the predators confusing the predators as they would think that these are eyes..
Some of the black dots are used to store shoots and food so that when there is absence of sunlight and the plant could not photosynthesise, the food would be used.
The black dots also act as traps for the predators. When flies and small insects are on the plant, the slippery white floor would lead them to the black dots that would open and the insects would be eaten.
The plant has wings. This helps the plant fly a short distance when the predators chase them. Under the wings, there is nectar which gives off a good smell that attracts preys and when the preys come near the wings, the would be stuck on the sticky nectar and would also be dead as the nectar is poisonous. The plants through the black dots would then eat them. The nectar could cause allergies to human who touch it.
There is a bent part in the wings where spore bags are found as this plant is a non-flowering plant. The force of the plant’s movement would disperse the spores when it vibrates.
The plants have very short legs which act as roots and this cause them to be exposed more to the soil and as it is round, it is exposed to the ground even more. This is because of the lack of nutrients found in the soil. Also being close to the dark, warmth, absorbent soil helps to keep plants from freezing.
The plant is round instead of being straight up as this helps the plant survive the cold temperature in the arctic tundra. When it like a ball, it has a closed surface which is thick and this could withstand cold temperature.
It has a black rounded tail with eyes. This is to absorb heat and to sense if any animal is nearing the plant and this would lead the plant to vibrate so that the predators would be frightened and would be chased away. This is also to fool animals that that is the head and if the tail is detachable thus even if the plants eat the head, it would not affect the plant.
Shin Tien:
The Aquahump lepus is a hare which has added features. Its dense fur changes colour according to seasons and has a coat of black fur underneath its white fur to keep warm by absorbing heat from the sun. It also has a compact body with small, short ears and legs to reduce heat loss and thickly-haired foot pads to provide traction on ice. Its big hind feet act as snowshoes which help it stay on top of the snow to escape quickly from predators with the aid of its long whiskers to sense predators approaching. It also has glands that emits an acidic hormonal smell which attract mating partners and scare off predators. The Aquahump lepus is able to go under water as the porous gills on the hump on its back allows it to breathe underwater. The hump as mentioned earlier also serves as storage for excess food. Its legs can also move in rotatory motion when in water to aid in swimming. It also has a “rubber float” which bloats up when underwater so that it will not sink..
Jasmin: The Vafer anguis is an organism that resembles a snake and lizard. It has many adaptations that allow it to survive in the intense cold weather in the arctic tundra. It has a coat of fur covering three quarters of its body, starting from the tail. There are many air pockets in its coat and this helps keep the Vafer anguis warm. At night, it will curl up its body to retain as much heat as possible. The coat does not cover its head. This is because the head has a higher temperature, allowing the Vafer anguis to go through or under the snow easily. It has three leaf-shaped legs sticking out from its tail, two on the right and one on the left. Even though it has legs, the Vafer anguis prefers slithering on snow or ice. This is because slithering allows it to move around faster and it does not make much noise. The legs are strong and firm and can be used for defence and hunting. When captured by a predator such as the Canis caudis, the Vafer anguis will slam its tail together with its legs against the predator to stun it and escape. In the process of hunting, the Vafer anguis will slam its tail at the prey untll the prey is immobilized or dead. The legs also contain poison, thus when it hunts or is in danger, it can release the poison from the tip of its legs to the predator or prey. The ears of the Vafer anguis can hear the slightest sound and this aids it in hunting and detecting prey and predator. At night, its ears will roll up to retain as much heat as possible. However, this puts the Vafer anguis in danger because with its ears rolled up, it will not be able to hear as well as it can during the day, though it can still hear some sound. The Vafer anguis also has suctions on the underside of its body so as to have a better control of movement on the smooth and slippery surface of the ice or snow.
Jasmin: The Anguis vafer is an organism that resembles a snake and lizard. It has many adaptations that allow it to survive in the intense cold weather in the arctic tundra. It has a coat of fur covering its lower body. There are many air pockets in its coat and this helps keep the Anguis vafer warm. It has three leaf-shaped legs sticking out from its tail, two on the right and one on the left. Even though it has legs, the Anguis vafer prefers slithering on snow or ice. This is because slithering allows it to move around faster and does not make as much noise. These legs are strong and firm and can be used for defence and hunting. When captured by a predator such as the Canis caudis, the Anguis vafer will slam its tail, together with its legs, against the predator to stun it and escape. In the process of hunting, the Anguis vafer will slam its tail at the prey till the prey is immobilized or dead. The Anguis Vafer has patterns on its body. During the winter, all the patterns turn to the same white. However, during summer the patterns turn green and yellow, standing out. The Anguis Vafer dances to hypnotize prey or predator. The Anguis Vafer’s ears are can hear the slightest sound and this aids it in hunting and detecting prey and predator. At night, its ears will roll up to retain as much heat as possible. However, this puts the Anguis vafer in danger because with its ears rolled up, it will not be able to hear as well as during the day, though it can still hear sound. The Anguis vafer also has suctions on the underside of its body to so as to have a better control of movement on the smooth and slippery surface of the ice or snow.
Ying Xi: The Canis caudis resembles a dog and a wolf with three tails. With its sensitive hearing, smell and ability to detect body temperature, Canis caudis is able to detect a prey easily. Canis caudis is very stealthy and is able to sneak up on the prey, grabbing the prey using its tentacle-like tail before the prey can notice its presence. After grabbing the prey, it will either paralyse the prey by secreting venom through its fangs or severely injure the prey with its jaws. It can also strangle the prey to death with its tail. If the prey attempts to escape, Canis caudis will chase the prey, reaching speeds up to 80km/h. They can communicate with other members of their pack while hunting. This allows them to get additional help if they have difficulty attacking a prey and thus, increases the chances of catching the prey.
Kunalika: The Musca argentatus resembles a fly. The Musca argentatus has sharp claws at the end of each of its 6 legs to rip apart hard and rough leaves of plants found in the tundra. It has a hairy mouth part to suck nectar from plants. In the process, pollen grains stick onto the hair and they get transferred to another plant. Thus, pollination occurs. The Musca argentatus has a thick layer of black skin on its body and on top of it is a layer of transparent hollow tubes like that of a polar bear. It also has hyphae at the bottom of its body to help in decomposition. It has holes at the back of its body to help it breathe [breathing holes]
JIng Yuan: The Nanum herbis is a dwarf shrub which has several adaptations to help it withstand the harsh conditions of the arctic tundra. They grow in clumps and this growing pattern helps the plant to reduce the damage caused by the impact of tiny particles of ice and snow that are driven by the dry winds. It adapts to the permafrost by having a shallow root system. It spreads over a wide area to absorb as much nutrients and water from the ground as possible. It also has a defence mechanism which is activated by the long fuzzy hairs which are invisible to the naked eye growing on the tiny leaves, Once an animal comes into contact with the leaves, the the long fuzzy hairs on the leaves are able to sense the animal and will thus transmit warning messages to the shrub’s defence mechanism. Thus, the ring will start to turn 360º and a stream of sticky transparent liquid will start to spout from it which will cause irritation to the skin and if the liquid is not gotten rid of immediately, it will cause swelling and pain of skin, but it is not fatal. When animal is not in contact with leaves anymore, the liquid stops spouting.
Jing Yuan: Hi all, here’s some information on the arctic tundra that i found in a video. Maybe we could include it in the front of the video where we introduce the biome tundra and read it in some sort of accent, idk?
- youngest of all the biomes at 10,000 years old
- it is situated at 55-70 degrees north
- it is sometimes called the land of the midnight sun as for a few months in the year, it is bright for the whole 24 hours.
- the tundra covers 11% of the world’s land
- the maximum temperature it reaches is 17ºc and averages -59ºc annually
- the highest temperature throughout the year is usually during the middle months
- the most rainfall is 30mm but it doesn’t rain for most of the months
- it homes 500 different species of plant
- there are minerals in the mountains of the tundra which include coal, lead, zinc, gold, silver and diamond! and of course, OIL.
- tundra comes from the finnish word, tunturia, which means barren land
- winds in the tundra reaches up to 60 miles per hour
Ok, so here are some songs you all might like to consider?
- Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros
- On My Way by Phil Collins
- Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell
- Walking In The Air by Howard Blake
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