Interactive Study Links ►The Nervous System:
(In these games, the motor nervous system and the sensory nervous system are collectively called the Somatic Nervous System.)
• Nervous System Game #1 - click and match
• Nervous System Game #2 - click and match
• Neuron Game - click and match
• Label the Neuron - drag and drop
• Label the Eye - drag and drop
• Label the Brain - drag and drop
• Label the Ear - drag and drop (The eardrum is also the tympanic membrane. The ossicles - the hammer, anvil, and stirrup - are referred to by their scientific names. See if you can find these names online or in a book.)
Right-brain vs. Left-brain.
This lady is hilarious! =D
This video seems to indicate that people who are left-brain dominant tend to take things literally. I bet you probably know someone like that! And it's not always men. But we are all different; no one is totally left- or right-brained only. There are combinations.
And of course, the corpus callosum connects the right and left hemispheres of our brain.
►But here is another funny for your enjoyment.
A wife asks her husband, "Could you please go shopping for me and buy one gallon of milk, and if they have eggs, get 6."
A short time later the husband returns home with 6 cartons of milk.
The wife asked him, "Why did you buy 6 gallons of milk?"
He replied, "They had eggs." =D
What would happen if the corpus callosum didn't connect the two sides of your brain?
The Blood-Brain Barrier
Brain capillaries are different than other capillaries in the body.
Other capillaries are more permeable (penetrable) than brain capillaries, and have gaps between the blood cells in them. They allow more substances to get in and out.
The capillaries in the brain have a barrier. There are no gaps between the blood cells in these capillaries. They are sealed with "gaskets."
Certain things, such as water, oxygen, and glucose are transported through the cells in the brain's capillaries, but there is no "leaking" (on purpose) as there is with other capillaries in the body.
Some things that are bad are able to break through the blood-brain barrier, such as drugs or alcohol. When these get into the Central Nervous System, it can cause major problems!
"More than 100 years ago, it was discovered that if blue dye was injected into the bloodstream of an animal, that tissues of the whole body EXCEPT the brain and spinal cord would turn blue..."
►Read the rest of this simple explanation of the blood-brain barrier.
(5) p. 402-405a, The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
The PNS is divided into three main divisions:
sensory nervous system - your 5 senses
motor nervous system - your skeletal muscles
autonomic nervous system - smooth muscles, cardiac muscle, and glands
The first two are controlled by voluntary muscles.
Watch this short video about the PNS, and that all the spinal nerves have both a sensory route and a motor route.
The autonomic nervous system is as the name sounds - automatic - and is controlled by involuntary muscles.
The autonomic nervous system is divided into two more divisions: -sympathetic division - fight or flight -parasympathetic division - rest and digest
(8) p. 410-415a, The Human Sense of Vision
At 1:15, he mentions muscles that change the shape of the lens.
These are the ciliary muscles. They change the shape of the lens so that you can change focus instantly between objects that are close or far away.
I have one eye that focuses slightly slower than the other. In my "good" eye, I don't notice any change when I am looking down at a book, then glance up at the news playing on the television in the next room. However, in my slow eye, it takes maybe half a second. About as long as a medium-slow blink.
Years ago, I went to the eye doctor because of this, and because my pupils are different sizes. I was told a long name for it, and that it wouldn't affect my vision. I don't recall when I noticed my pupil being this way. I do remember that I knew about it when I was a young teen, but I don't ever remember "discovering" this anomaly. ;)
(10) p. 417-419, The Human Sense of Hearing
The small bones in your ear, the malleus, incus, and stapes, are sometimes called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup because of their shape.
Together these tiny bones are referred to as ossicles. The cochlea is filled with fluid, which helps in transmitting signals to the brain.
Why we get dizzy when we spin:
This video is just so that you can get a better idea of the 3 dimensions of the semicircular canals. (You do not need to learn this terminology that indicates positioning in the body.)
You can see that one is horizontal, and two are vertical, but in different directions.
When you are riding in a car then stop suddenly, your body keeps moving forward.
After you stop spinning, the fluid in your ear is still moving and makes you feel off balance.
(1) p. 369-371, The Lymphatic System
How the lymphatic system works
The lymph system cleans out organisms and chemicals that it recognizes as disease-causing.
Body fluid is called lymph while it is in the lymphatic system.
Lymph flows in one direction - toward the heart.
Where your lymph nodes and lymph vessels are located.
The yellow spots are the nodes, and the white lines are the vessels.
(4) 378-381, The Urinary System
Although the lymphatic system cleans out things it recognizes as disease-causing, the kidneys only clean out chemicals that become dangerous to the body when they reach certain levels.
See how the kidneys filter out some things (through nephrons) to keep them from reaching toxic levels, and let proper amounts be reabsorbed into the bloodstream.
(5) 382-384, The Endocrine System Hormones are released by endocrine glands, sometimes just called glands.
►The hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland (both are types of endocrine glands).
Both are located below the brain.
The pituitary gland is often referred to as the "master endocrine gland" since the hormones it makes control many other endocrine glands in the body.
Location and Function of the Endocrine glands
Animation of insulin and glucose. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas.
The pancreas, in addition to being a digestive organ, is also an endocrine gland.
Slower, more detailed explanation of insulin and glucose.
Other glands produce different hormones. These ↓ are also controlled by the pituitary gland, the "master endocrine gland."
►Adrenal glands -- "adjacent" means next to, and "renal" refers to the kidneys. Adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys. This is also where we get the word adrenaline.
►Thyroid gland -- affects the basal metabolic rate.
Read your textbook for more information about these complex processes.
(1) p. 344-348, The Human Circulatory System Arteries flow away from the heart, branching out into tiny, thin-walled capillaries. Capillaries eventually merge to form larger vessels called veins, which flow back to the heart.
We learned the blood flow in this order: right atrium, right ventricle, lungs, left atrium, left ventricle, body
This video starts with the blood flowing from the right ventricle into the lungs.
Don't get confused -- the order is the same; this video just starts at a different point in the circuit.
A reader was kind enough to let me know that the two videos I had found for this section have been deleted from youtube. =( It can be difficult to keep check on all posts, so I really appreciate this. I will try to make time in the future to go back through and check videos in each post, but in the meantime, if any readers find suitable replacements for any 'broken' videos or links on any post, please do email me! Thank you!
-Ingestion: the taking in of food
-Physical Digestion: chewing
-Chemical Digestion: the salivary glands secrete saliva that breaks down starch (contains polysaccharides) into monosaccharides.
►For fats and proteins, the initial breaking down happens further on into the digestive tract.
-Digestive tract: the pathway that food and liquids follow while passing through your body. -Digestive system: all organs that contribute to digestion, even if no food passes through them (such as the liver, the gallbladder, and the pancreas).
She doesn't mention the liver or gallbladder. In this video, the gallbladder is green, and the pancreas is a long structure with "veins" -- like a long leaf.
The liver makes bile, and bile is stored in the gallbladder until needed. The pancreas produces digestive enzymes and other things.
Play close attention to the differences between:
• soft palate and epiglottis
• pharynx and larynx (Larynx isn't mentioned in the video, but is pictured in your book)
• esophagus and trachea (the opening to the respiratory system)
You can feel your larynx rise up during swallowing. This causes the epiglottis to cover the larynx, which is the beginning of the path to the trachea (your windpipe). The larynx is also called your voice box because it houses the vocal cords.
One of the cartilages that support the larynx is often referred to as the Adam's apple.
I have had laryngitis for a week, so my family is having to make phone calls for me, but when no one else is here, and I have to answer the phone, it is funny what others think I am saying!
In fact, whispering to my family here at home has even been quite comical! =)
Class is tomorrow, so we'll see what happens!
The small intestine has folds all along its inner surface as well as thousands of tiny villi. This provides extra surface area for more absorption.
Much like a wall with lots of projections built onto it will take more paint than a flat wall.
Hydrochloric Acid is produced in the stomach.
Colonoscopy (colon, scope)
In this video, see the indention of the opening of the appendix - it really is part of the digestive tract!
In a colonoscopy, the doctor is looking for irregularities - small bumps that might grow and form cancer. My mom passed away in August from colon cancer. When they did her colonoscopy in 2008, there was a large growth that nearly completely blocked the colon. They were able to get it all, but the damage had been done, and cancer cells had already spread elsewhere in her body.
A colonoscopy doesn't sound like much fun, but it is really important.
(5) p. 335-338, The Liver, Pancreas, and Gall Bladder
About 50% of enzymes are secreted by the pancreas.
The rest of the enzymes your body needs come from raw foods. (That means fruits and veggies, not raw cookie dough, haha!)
Enzymes are only activated in water, so drink lots of water!
What is the difference between fat-soluble (or lipid-soluble) and water-soluble?
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) can build to toxic levels if you take too many.
Cute way to remember the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
The water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C and the vitamin B group.
In your book, some are listed separately, but they ARE in the vitamin B group. Pantothenic acid is B5, biotin is B7, and folic acid is B9.
These last two (biotin and folic acid), as well as vitamin K, are by-products of good bacteria in the large intestine.
Vitamin D can be taken in through food, but it also can be absorbed from the body's exposure to sunlight. Vitamin K is also absorbed without being eaten in food.
Both of these are fat-soluble.
►See a list of vitamins, and some foods that contain them. No food contains just one vitamin, so you will see the same types of foods listed for more than one vitamin.
You will also see the names of the B group vitamins, and the ones that are named in your textbook.
(1) p. 295-297, Life's Energy Cycle Producers and Consumers - andwhat about decomposers???
• Producers(plants and algae) make their own food.
• Consumers(humans and animals) get their food from another source.
• Decomposers break down the remains of other dead organisms.
These are fungi (mushrooms, yeast, mold, etc). Although they are consumers (since they do not make their own food), they are classified separately because they play a distinct role in Creation by "recycling" dead organisms.
Omnivores =)
Of the three classifications of organisms above, consumers are further classified by what they eat.
• Herbivores are consumers that eat only producers (plants and/or algae).
• Carnivores are consumers that eat only other consumers.
They are meat-eaters only, like lions or tigers, (but not bears), oh my!
• Omnivoresare consumers that eat both producers and consumers.
Bears eat fish as well as berries; so do I! =)
Apologies for the clicking at the beginning. It does go away, I promise. =)
(2) p. 298-303, How Do Organisms Get Energy From Food? Photosynthesis enables plants and algae to make their own food, but also provides animals and humans with food and oxygen.
Cellular Respiration is the process by which humans and animals convert food and oxygen into energy for ourselves.
This process also produces carbon dioxide for plants as well producing water.
This process of Cellular Respiration seems very much like the slow Combustion that is in your textbook, doesn't it? According to an email from Apologia, "They are the same thing in the end, but there are some additional components to cellular respiration that enable our cells to harness the energy being released."
The process of Cellular Respiration has an additional step that allows it to harness the energy.
(3) p. 303b-308, What Actually Gets Burned For Energy?
There are only three things your body can burn: carbohydrates, fats (lipids), and proteins.
These are called macronutrients (not micronutrients) because you must eat a lot of them every day.
Part 1
Part 2
Carbohydrates convert to energy quicker than fats or proteins. These are the first macronutrients that the body will burn. If there more than enough carbs, the body will store them as fat for later use.
If the body is low on carbohydrates, the body will begin to burn fats (or lipids).
The last macronutrient the body will burn is proteins.
Macronutrient #1. Carbohydrates
• Simple carbohydrates:
-monosaccharides (mono- means one, so a monosaccharide is one sugar, or simple sugar).
• Complex carbohydrates:
-disaccharides are made of two monosaccharides that are linked up (di- means two, so there are 2 sugars in a disaccharide).
-polysaccharides are made of many monosaccharides. (poly- means many)
►Video of examples of simple and complex carbohydratess.
Macronutrient #2. Fats
Fats are called lipids. There are two kinds of fats: saturated and unsaturated.
Your body can make most of the fats that you need from carbohydrates and proteins.
A few essential fats that your body cannot make can usually be found in vegetable oils.
Macronutrient #3. Proteins Proteins are made of long strings of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that are needed in your body, but there are only 12 that can be manufactured by your cells. The other 8 amino acids cannot be made by the body, and must be supplied in foods you eat. These 8 are called essential amino acids.
Various combinations of these 20 amino acids form into long strings called proteins.
►See a list of the 20 amino acids. The 8 essential amino acids are marked with an *asterisk.
These amino acids have three letter abbreviations, and you will see this in the following video. The beginning of this video will give you an idea of what proteins are.
[When he walks over to the screen, you may skip up to 2:35]
(7) 314-316, How Combustion Works in Living Organsims
I could find no videos about the combustion that occurs in cells, but I found plenty about Cellular Respiration. [Review what was written up in Section 2 of this post.]
Nearly all the videos on Cellular Respiration are far too advanced for General Science, but I did find some that I could edit down to what I think you might be able to understand.
There are a few terms that aren't mentioned in your textbook, but I think you'll get it.
--One that is mentioned is ATP. ATP is not energy itself, but basically molecules that are a storage place for energy. Like an outlet is not electricity, but it can release electricity when needed.
(2) p. 269-273, Bones and the Human Skeleton
Most people think bones are fixed structures. But bones are constantly changing, even after you are grown.
If you injure a bone, it will repair itself. But there is also micro-damage to bones that naturally occurs during everyday activities, and old bone is constantly being broken down and replaced.
In adults, about 10% of bone is replaced each year.
►►Watch this animation to see how a fractured bone is repaired. Keep clicking Continue. Scroll down to the next box and click Start.
Bone remodeling will happen all your life, but some bones will be remodeled more than others, depending on what activities you do most.
Here is a painful example. (ouch!)
(3) p. 273b-275, Skeletons in Other Organisms
An insect is an arthropod. Arthropods are invertebrates.
►Would you think that a lobster could find its way home like a homing pigeon?
Read of this awesome discovery about the Caribbean spiny lobster! Global Positioning Lobsters.
(6) p. 282-284a, Muscles and Movement in Other Organisms
This section mentions a bit about each kingdom and how they move, and whether or not they have muscles.
One interesting thing is that even though plants do not have muscles, they certainly can move. Oh, of course they can't move from place to place, but they do move right where they are planted.
A tropism is a growth response or movement response of a plant because of a stimulus.
A stimulus is something that causes a response. (like the sun, or water)
►Tropisms depend on the direction of the stimulus, and therefore can change.
For example, hydrotropism is a growth toward water, like roots growing toward water. If the source of water changes, the growth of the roots will change.
Here are some other tropisms.
Phototropism, and a little about gravitropism These growth responses are a result of the direction of the stimulus - the sun, or gravity.
Phototropism and Heliotropism
Watch these bush beans as they grow toward the sun. (phototropism)
Then watch as shadows move over them - they ALL lean toward the sun. (heliotropism)
(Video was shot over a 24 hour period.) Growth and Movement response is a result of the direction of the stimulus - the sun.
Thigmotropsim - response to touch (what the plant touches, not what touches the plant, like a human or animal) Growth response is a result of the direction of the stimulus - the pole. The vine would not grow this direction without the pole. LOL at the spider that comes down at 0:12. =D
►More tropism videos at Plants-in-Motion. Click on the side titles.
►Heliotropism vs. Phototropism - "Heliotropism is the diurnal(opposite of nocturnal) motion of plant parts (flowers or leaves) in response to the direction of the sun. It is not a phototropism since it does not involve growth." (source)
♦Tropisms are not things that are caused only by a pre-programmed response, such as the opening or closing of flower petals. Flowers usually open every morning even if they are inside and not near a window. There are even some flowers that open at dusk!
These are not directional responses to a stimulus.
Flowers following the sun is a directional response to a stimulus.
♦Since tropisms depend on the direction of a stimulus, a Venus fly trap that closes when touched is not an example of a tropism. It doesn't matter from which direction the touch comes, the Venus fly trap is pre-programmed to close the same way each time.
♦These kinds of pre-programmed responses are called Nastic Movement. My older daughter learned about it last year. If you like, you can read more about it in my Biology post, kingdom Plantae. It is the first section.
Here is a picture of a bean plant we grew last year in Biology, then turned on its side.
It was "planted" with paper towels pressing it against the side of a clear cup so that we could also observe the roots (which you cannot see in this pic).
Read more at Sahm-I-Am.
Note: You will sometimes see the words prokaryote and eukaryote, but you may also see prokaryotic or eukaryotic. That is because one is used as a noun, and one is used as an adjective.
Like France and French. Or America and American. Examples:
They are eukaryotes. (n.) They are eukaryotic. (adj.)
They are prokaryotes (n.) They are prokaryotic. (adj.)
Note:All cells have a cell membrane(sometimes called a plasma membrane). Think of a small balloon filled with jelly. The membrane is the thin covering that keeps the cell together. This cell membrane is what regulates what is allowed to be absorbed into the cell, and what goes out of the cell.
--Inside eukaryotic cells are many organelles (little organs), and these are also membrane-bound like the cell. The DNA in eukaryotic cells is enclosed in a membrane-bound organelle called the nucleus.
--Inside prokaryotic cells is DNA, but there are no organelles, therefore no nucleus. So the DNA can be seen all throughout the cell. ►►►But with few exceptions, the two kingdoms that also have a cell wall are primarily kingdom Fungi and kingdom Plantae. These need the added stiffness of a cell wall on the outside of the membrane to keep the plant or mushroom standing upright. The material for the cell walls of these two kingdoms is quite different from one another, as you could probably guess.
(1) p. 243-247, The Five-Kingdom System
All living things are made up of cells.
Some have many, many cells, and some have only one cell. These are referred to as multi-cellular or single-cellular organisms.
The three basic kinds of cells are animal cells, plant cells, and bacteria cells. All cells do not fit neatly into these categories as some are animal-like or plant-like.
No matter how many cells an organism has, or which of the three basic cells an organism has, all cells are either prokaryotic cells or eukaryotic cells.
►Eukaryotic cells have organelles (or tiny organs) like a nucleus, vacuoles, and other organelles. The nucleus holds the DNA of eukaryotic cells.
Four of the five kingdoms have eukaryotic cells. (kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia)
►Prokaryotic cells contain no organelles. The DNA does not have a nucleus to stay in. Under a microscope, the DNA strands are visible throughout the cell.
Only one of the five kingdoms has prokaryotic cells, and that is kingdom Monera (bacteria).
►SEE the difference
In this video, he says that many scientists believe that eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic cells, and I'm sure they do believe that. However, they are wrong. God created everything, and he did not need to use evolution.
►Monerans (kingdom Monera) is bacteria. All bacteria have one cell.
►Protists (kingdom Protista) consists of algae and protozoa. Protozoans all have one cell, and most algae have one cell. Part 1
►Monerans have no organelles so their cells are prokaryotic. The DNA is visible throughout the cell instead of being enclosed in a nucleus. This is the only kingdom with prokaryotic cells. She says blue-green algae is a Moneran. According to Apologia's Biology book, blue-green algae is cyanobacteria, and is part of kingdom Monera. (p. 19, 2nd Edition)
►Protists are mostly single-celled (the protozoa and most algae). Whether single- or multi-cellular, all have organelles, so they are eukaryotic. This kingdom has 2 subdivisions: algae (with plant-like cells) and protozoa (with animal-like cells). Part 2 Single-celled kingdoms Monera and Protista (Protists are mostly single-celled)
►Kingdom Fungi examples: mushrooms and mold (multi-celled), and yeast (single-celled). Whether single- or multi-cellular, all Fungi have organelles, so their cells are eukaryotic cells.
Fungi cannot make food. They feed on dead organisms and are called decomposers.
The eukaryotic cells of fungi are unique. You can read about them on the printable reference chart link at the top of this post.
►Kingdom Plantae - The majority of plants are multi-cellular. Their cells have organelles, so they are eukaryotic. This is the only kingdom with true plant cells. Some algae may appear to be like a plant, but are not.
►Kingdom Animalia - Animals are multi-cellular. Their cells have organelles, so they are eukaryotes. Part 3 Mostly multi-celled kingdoms Fungi, Plantae; and multi-celled Anamalia
(2) p. 247-252, Kingdom Monera(bacteria)
The organisms that make up kingdom Monera are prokaryotes (have no organelles). They have a single cell. The cells in this kingdom are bacteria and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
►See images. Note that the DNA is visible throughout the cell, and there are no organelles.
Most, but not all, the members of kingdom Monera are pathogens (cause disease).
Bacterial Growth (multiplies a LOT in just one day!)
Cell Phone Bacteria
Salmonella invading a cell (Be sure to thoroughly cook poultry and eggs!)
(3) p. 252-254, Kingdom Protista (algae and protozoa) Kingdom Protista is divided into two subkingdoms: subkingdom protozoa and subkingdom algae.
Most members of kingdom Protista are single-celled.
Some members of this kingdom are pathogenic (cause disease).
All the members of this kingdom are eukaryotes.
Protozoa are mostly single-celled and move around like little animals. They eat other organsims. Their cells are animal-like. Here are some members of subkingdom protozoa:
Amoeba Dinner!
Watch this amoeba eat. It uses its pseudopod motion to move and engulf its prey. To begin with everything moves slowly. Then the prey realizes it is caught!
The euglena moves by whirling its flagella, drawing its cytoplasm into the center of the cell, then re-extending itself forward.
A paramecium moves by beating the tiny "hairs" on its edge. These are called cilia.
Paramecia have an oral groove where they take in food. You can see the oral groove around 40 seconds when it starts turning over several times. The paramecium appears twisted unevenly so that there is a "ridge" midway along its body. This is actually the oral groove.
The little "blobs" throughout are food vacuoles. After a paramecium takes in food through the oral groove, it pinches off a little section with the food inside it. This is now a food vacuole, and it will move to other parts of the paramecium, taking food to the whole organism.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I'm sure you have heard of algae before, but did you know that most algae are single-celled and must be seen with a microscope?
Some algae are quite a bit larger and look like plants.
They are not plants.
They do not have the specialized structures that plants have (roots, stem, leaves). (See info on printable chart link at the top of this post.) But they do have chloroplasts that are throughout the entire plant, and can make their own food by photosynthesis.
So their cells are plant-like.
Through the process of photosynthesis, algae produce way more oxygen for us than plants do! About 75% of all the oxygen produced is from algae, and 25% is from plants.
Here are some members of subkingdom algae:
Green Algae (algae) and Volvox (protozoa)
I don't think Volvox "communicate" with each other. I believe it is a God-given instinct that they just do what they are supposed to do.
Spirogyra
Algae have chloroplasts, but protozoa do not.
When you see a green swimming pool, this is because the algae have reproduced quickly, causing an "algal bloom" and the water appears the color of the algae that is in the sides and bottom of the pool. Bright green algal blooms are a result of cyanobacteria -- blue-green algae.
There is also an algae that blooms red, and this occurrence is called a "red tide." A red tide is harmful.
In high concentrations, it paralyzes the central nervous system of fish so that they can't breathe. Dead fish wash up on shore. Only certain sea-life are immune to red tides, but they have absorbed the toxins, and it can be deadly to eat them from an area that has had a red tide.
Seafood restaurants do not serve these dishes when a red tide occurs in the area from where they get their food.
If you are near a beach where a red tide has occurred, you may experience stinging eyes and difficulty breathing.
Note: Both kingdoms Monera and Protista are single-celled, or mostly single-celled.
Now we are getting into the kingdoms that have multi-celled organisms, or mostly multi-celled.
From our Biology class last year.
(4) p. 255-258, Kingdom Fungi
Mushrooms, mold, yeast... These are the more well-known organisms of this kingdom.
The cells of kingdom Fungi have organelles, so they are eukaryotes.
Most of these organisms are multi-cellular, such as mushrooms and mold.
Some, like yeast, are unicellular, or single-celled.
The cell walls of kingdom Fungi contain chitin (kite-in), which is like the exo-skeleton of insects. (Plant cell walls are made of cellulose.) Mushrooms are not plants. They are fungi.
Regarding cells, per an email from Apologia:
"Kingdom fungi is a kingdom all to itself characterized by long strings of cells end to end, often without even having cell walls between the different nuclei, but even if they do they have free exchange of cytoplasm. In short they are not plant cells, they are their own type cell."
I will try to explain.
Think of long tunnels branching off in many directions, with even more tunnels branching from them. Each tunnel has dividers that nearly close off sections in the tunnel, and you can barely get through.
This is like the cell walls in mycelia (look like roots, but aren't). Even with these cell walls, the cytoplasm can still move from one cell to another through these "pore" openings. Some fungi have no cell walls, or no dividers in the hallways.
►See image (source) (The spots are not whole cells, but nuclei. The "dividers" are the cell walls.) Also there is a drawing in the 2nd edition Apologia Biology on p. 99.
Go back and re-read the email paragraph. It should make more sense now.
Fungi are decomposers (eat dead things) and since they do not make their own food, they are also called consumers. (Plants do make their own food and are producers.)
Fungi do not eat with a mouth, rather they produce a digestive acid that breaks down the dead organism and "digests" it externally first so that the mycelia of the fungi can absorb it. Mycelia is the plural of mycelium.
More Fungi
Budding of Yeast
Yeast is unicellular, and does not form mycelia. But it still digests outside of the cell, then "eats" through absorption, just like mushrooms and mold.
Bread Mold also has mycelia (called hyphae in this video) and also digests outside the cells before absorbing its food.
I have a feeling boys will like this one.
Decomposition of a rabbit. =\
(4) p. 259-262, Kingdom Plantae
The cells of kingdom Plantae have organelles, so their cells are eukaryotes.
The cells of this kingdom are plant cells.
►See image (source)
Most all of these organisms are multi-cellular.
The cell walls of kingdom Plantae contain cellulose.
All cells have a cell membrane. But outside a plant's cell membrane, there is also a cell wall.
►see image (source)
The cell wall of plants is made of cellulose. (The cell wall of fungi is made of chitin, which is tougher.)
There are three structures in a plant cell that pertain specifically to plant cells. Even plant-like cells won't have all three.
cell wall (for stiffness of the stem; also keeps cell from bursting if the central vacuole continued to fill)
large central vacuole (for turgor pressure)
chloroplasts (for photosynthesis)
Do you remember which one of these three that algae has?
Cell Walls
Turgor Pressure
Watch this video to see how the large central vacuole and the cell wall work together to create turgor pressure.
As the water vacuole fills, it presses against the cell wall, making the plant become more rigid. This rigidness is known as turgor pressure.
(459 shots, made every 30 seconds for 3h 45m. He added about 1½ cups of water.)
Vegetative Reproduction
Plants usually reproduce by forming seeds. Vegetative reproduction is when a stem grows new roots to develop into a mature plant.
The cut piece of plant is sometimes simply referred to as a "cutting." My Mom used to grow a cutting for me now and then. =)
►Another important thing to remember is that plants have specialized structures while algae do not. In other words, plants have structures that each perform a special task.
(1) Roots take in water and minerals, (2) the stem transports these to the leaves, and (3) the leaves carry out photosynthesis.
The cells of kingdom Animalia have organelles, so their cells are eukaryotes.
The cells of this kingdom are animal cells. (see image)
Most all of these organisms are multi-cellular.
There aren't any informative videos that I could find of kingdom Animalia, so here is a video simply for your enjoyment. Love the flamingos at 3 minutes, haha. =)
