Final Scavenger Hunt Post

 Vestigial Structure: A vestigial structure is a structure that is passed down from an ancestor that does not harm the organism. Vestigial structures are kept because at one time, they helped an organism to survive, but they are no longer useful. Since they do not harm an organism, they are kept. Human tailbones are an example of vestigial structures.

 Prokaryote: Prokaryotes are cells or organisms with cells that have no membrane surrounding them, such as bacteria. There are special bacteria, or prokaryotes, in yogurt.

 Taxis: Taxis is the response an organism gives to a stimulus. My hamster reacted to the loud tapping noise
I made on his cage by waking up and angrily running around.

 Detritovore: A detritovore is an organism that survives off of dead or decaying plant and animal matter. The fly in this picture is a detritovore.

 Keystone Species: Keystone species are species that are not abundant in a community, but play an important role in the community. In the community that is my backyard, flowers are not very abundant, but they attract insects to the yard, which in turn bring mice and birds, which then in turn bring larger predators to the yard.

 Gibberellins: Gibberellins are hormones produced by plants to speed up the growth process. Miracle Gro contains synthetic chemical gibberellins that stimulate plant growth.

 Homologous Structures: Homologous structures are structures that are inherited from a common ancestor and are shared among organisms from the same Phyllum. Humans have hands, and dolphins have flippers. If you look at the bone structure of a hand or a flipper, they are structurally the same.

 Eukaryote: A eukaryote is a cell or organism that contains cells that have a membrane surrounding them. Trees have eukaryotic cells and are therefore eukaryotes.

Mychorrizae: Mychorrizae are fungi that grow symbiotically with the roots of plants. I one grew grass in a clear plastic container and noticed the mychorrizae growing from the roots.

 Long-day Plant: a long-day plant is a plant that requires a long day and a short night to flower. Lettuce is an example of a long-day plant.

Mycelium: Mycelium are the densely branched hyphae that grow beneath a fungus. Below the surface, there is a whole network of mycellium growing fro this one mushroom.