Biology Archives - Page 3 of 6

29Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 4 Comments

Black Knot Tree Fungus on Fruit Trees – Development and Health Issues

[caption id="attachment_26968" align="alignright" width="440"] Image Bon McNeish, Edit Jonas Korte.[/caption]Black knot tree fungus (Apiosporina morbos) produces swellings on branches, limbs, and even trunks of fruit trees that can appear smooth to grainy to pebbly, depending upon the size of the knot. Photos in this article feature large specimens. Note the texture in the black knot close-up. Black Knot Tree Fungus on What Trees? Black knot tree fungus favors trees of the genus Prunus growing in a temperate zone. This genus falls within the Rosaceae or rose family of plants. This includes such fruit trees as plum, cherry, apricot, and peach. Interestingly, the almond tree is also a member of Prunus. These trees (yes, even the almond tree) feature showy flowers and fruits with large seeds, many of them called stones.…

21Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 11 Comments

Stemonitis Chocolate Brown Slime Mold – A Health Threat

Biology, Health

A few years ago, I visited a friend’s clapboard house. I noticed on an outside surface what appeared to be (and was once labeled) a fungus - the stemonitis chocolate brown slime mold. A good friend offered the use of her cell phone to take a photograph. It is the image associated with this article. The fibrous and fuzzy brown growth was located in the area right next to an air conditioner condensation runoff. The weather had been unusually humid to boot. Stemonitis, while it is not the most toxic of molds, is of serious concern to health conscious individuals. It is most closely associated with decaying wood. This was the first time the author had ever come across the mold. The spore output of this chocolate brown thready mess…

27Jun 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Discovering Dragon’s Arum in Nelson, Virginia

Biology, Plants

Nelson County, Virginia, is the place I call home. It’s a rather ordinary place that some might call backwoods. It is not known for its technology. Indeed, they got their first stoplight only a handful of years ago. Even that wasn’t truly necessary, but I suspect they put it up as representing their idea of progress. If there are any particular things the county might be known for, it is its history of making moonshine (now wines, hard ciders, and spirits) and its homegrown peaches. Little did I suspect one day I’d be introduced to Dragon’s Arum (Dracunculus vulgaris) for the first time in good ol’ Nelson County. You see, a car group consisting typically of four people including myself makes trips throughout the county to preach and offer free…

19Apr 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Eastern Tent Caterpillar Dissertation

animals, Biology

[caption id="attachment_14132" align="alignright" width="480"] Eastern Tent Caterpillar Nest by J.R. Carmichael[/caption] I have long known of two true pests that not only damage trees, but destroy their beauty. While the fall webworm is one of these pests, what I would like to do now is to interview the other. He is an eastern tent caterpillar. He and his family are, at the moment, engaged in their dirty work. The Interview Vince: It’s the middle of April, and I see you’re already pretty good-sized and busy at work. How do you start out? TC: Well, not many people know it, but our tiny egg pouches can be found laid along the branches where our nests will appear. A great example of an egg pouch is seen in this Michigan State University…

06Apr 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Honeybee Swarm Caught on Film in Spring 2016

Biology

A family of friends of mine took a vacation in California, staying with family. They are the outdoorsy type and are into water events, although the water was very cold on this trip. It was the tail end of March. During their stay, they experienced a fascinating event. Grabbing a camera and laying on the ground, my friend memorialized the event. He took two snapshots. They are seen below, along with an image taken of the photographer himself. It was a spring honeybee swarm! [caption id="attachment_14002" align="alignleft" width="380"] Be careful, Guy![/caption] Honeybee Swarm Mechanism Like a plant that grows by producing an offshoot, a nest of bees may divide with a mature or older queen leaving the original nest, taking a large percentage of the worker bees with her in…

30Mar 2016 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Volvox Reproduction and Morphogenesis

Biology, Plants

[caption id="attachment_13926" align="alignright" width="440"] Volvox - Frank Fox www.micro-foto.de[/caption] Volvox, volvox reproduction, and what we learn from volvox morphogenesis are not your typical high school topic. Yes, biology is a standard college preparatory course. If it weren't for dissection, it would probably be one of the most popular sciences. Especially would that be so of the fascinating tiny, one-celled creatures. These include: 1. Amoeba 2. Paramecium 3. Euglena1 4. Hydra We learned about small plant forms as well, including: 1. Molds 2. Algae 3. Mosses 4. Lichens We will discuss one form of algae, Volvox of the family Volvocaceae. There are a number of forms of algae. Volvox is one of the green algae – a chlorophyte. Volvox is unique among the chlorophytes. It is most unusual in structure and…

14Mar 2016 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Imidazole Synthesis and Chemistry

Biology, Chemistry

Imidazole is an aromatic 5-member ring organic compound containing two skeletal atoms other than carbon. Both of those are nitrogen. One of the molecule's resonance structures, if it actually existed, would contain a secondary amine group (-NH-), an imine group (=N-), and an alkene group (-C=C-). The other resonance structure would contain two imine groups and a methylene group (-CH₂-). Those structures are drawn below. However, imidazole doesn't act like either of them. This is typical for aromatic compounds. We will briefly discuss the ring's synthesis and chemistry. Synthesis Imidazole is formed by reacting glyoxal with formaldehyde in the presence of ammonium acetate in acetic acid. The driving energy is microwave radiation. More generally, this reaction is used to produce substituted imidazoles. The basic reaction, however, is written, OHC-CHO +…

19Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Lotus Effect: Vibrations and Superhydrophobic Behavior

Biology, Chemistry, Physics

[caption id="attachment_9623" align="alignright" width="480"] The lotus leaf is superhydrophobic and self-cleaning.[/caption] Superhydrophobic? What's that? A word in the Mary Poppins musical? There is much interest in a behavior of the lotus plant. It is the ability to shed water completely and take surface detritus along with it. This superhydrophobic property had been observed in nature. But at first it could not duplicated in the lab. In that setting, the leaves were wet. Superhydrophobic: But Not In the Lab? After some time, it was found even wetted leaves would produce the effect in the presence of vibrations, such as those from a stereo speaker. This was evidence energy, usually vibratory energy, was required. It lifts water out of the spaces between the cone-like waxy protrusions found on the surface. This property…

12Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Are Leaves Alive?

Biology

[caption id="attachment_9521" align="alignright" width="380"] Kalanchoe daigremontiana - Image CC SA 3.0 by Abrahami[/caption] Simple questions can be the most intriguing. We will ponder the answer to the question: Are leaves alive? In so doing, we will discover leaves were not created equal. Trees Consider deciduous trees (trees that seasonally lose their leaves). In autumn their leaves change color as their petioles detach. The leaves then fall to the ground. The tree does not die with the loss of its leaves. Like Fingers? A first impression might be that leaves are alive in the same sense that fingers are. However, fingers are not discarded seasonally. So could it be leaves more closely resemble fingernails, which humans clip regularly? Like Fingernails? Or Are Leaves Alive? No. Fingernails, devoid of internal structure, are…

16Sep 2015 by Vincent Summers 8 Comments

Are They Alive? DNA, Viruses, Gametes

Biology

[caption id="attachment_7797" align="alignright" width="380"] Varicella (chicken pox) virus. - Image CDC by Palmer and Bartin.[/caption] Some things may be associated with life, but the question remains: are they alive? Without turning this into a deeply scientific or philosophical discussion, an interesting question to ask in the proper context might be: Are they alive? We will consider a few examples of when this question might be appropriate. Is DNA alive? Do viruses live? Are an egg and a sperm alive before conception? Arguing the Case: One The DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule is a complex chemical species that varies considerably, but shares a basic commonality in whichever life form it constitutes a part. Thus the DNA of a frog is similar to the DNA of an ox, is similar to the DNA…