Food Chains: Are You The Seal Or The Shark?

As you travel on the roads of Amarillo, you have surely seen roadkill. If you travel outside of Amarillo onto more isolated roads, you might have noticed hawks perching on phone poles. What in the world do these things have to do with food chains and webs?

The answer is everything! Roadkill does not just disappear by itself, natures helps to clean up the mess. Birds, small animals, and even bacteria come in as natures clean up crew to get rid of the evidence. And that hawk on the pole, is probably looking for it's dinner. This could be a a feast of mice, rabbit, or even snake!

Simply stated, a food chain is a one way feeding relationship in an ecosystem. For example, a mouse eats the corn in the barn. The mouse is eaten by the snake and then the hawk eats the snake. A food web, is just several food chains put together. An energy pyramid is another way to show these relationships in the environment.

The one thing they all have in common is how they are constructed. Producers are always on the bottom, or at the beginning. These are almost always plants. Consumers are next, this is something that cannot make its own energy. There are different levels of consumers and those at the top are considred the top predators in their areas.

Carbon: Coming Soon To A Cell Near You!

Have you ever heard of carbon dating? No, it is not a new type of relationship. This is an effective way for scientists to tell the age of prehistoric objects based on the amount of carbon leftover in its cells.

Carbon is considered is important for life and thus all living things contain this important organic compound. The building blocks for life are all composed of carbon. There are four important biomolecules (living molecules) found in our bodies.

Carbohydrates - these are considered the energy of life. There are simple carbohydrates, think sugar, white pasta, white bread. And there are complex carbohydrates, think whole wheat, beans, and most vegetables. Complex carbohydrates take longest to digest so they make you feel fuller longer.

Lipids - there are three categories of lipids: fats, oils, and waxes. Fats and oils are used to keep our bodies healthy, they are not all bad. Some of these are used to store energy and others are used in the membranes that surround our cells.

Proteins - our bodies are made up of different kinds of proteins. These proteins are made up of a certain order of amino acids. There are only twenty amino acids but they can be arranged to create millions of different types of proteins.

DNA & RNA - both of these are abbreviations for deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid. If a builder was given blueprints, he or she could use those important papers to build an amazing house. DNA and RNA are the blueprints for humans. In theory, we could take all of this genetic code and build a perfect human. We will learn more about the actual structure of both of these molecules and how they work together when we begin to study genetics.

Why? How? When?

These are questions that come up when thinking about a problem. How can I get to school faster in the morning? Is there a short cut? How much time can I save? Believe it or not, this is the scientific method in action! You have unknowingly stated the problem , developed a hypothesis, and planned an experiment. Science is not boring, it is your everyday life.

Test your basketball and scientific method knowledge by playing this review game. If you did not make millions with your free throws, try going from Rags to Riches with this online review. Finally, use all of your new found knowledge and set up a controlled plant growing experiment online. Write up the lab report, answer all the questions, and turn it into me for extra credit!

Never Pick Up Broken Glass......

and other lab safety rules that you should always remember!

Lab safety is mostly common sense. You have been repeatedly taught these rules since you were young. Your parents made sure that you did not drink the cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink and they taught you not to run with sharp objects. These same rules to live by apply to any science class, especially biology.

In this class, we will not work with many chemicals or flames. We will however, have the opportunity to perform a dissection. Generally, we dissect fetal pigs after we have studied all the body systems. There are specific dissection rules that apply when we work with scalpels and preserving fluids. When you feel that you have a good grasp on these specific rules, try completing the online crossword! Click "solve online" so that you can type into the puzzle.

Welcome!

Do not be afraid of the term edublog. This is a user friendly way for you to keep up with what is expected from your student in biology. No longer will you have to settle for a shoulder shrug when you ask your student what he or she is studying in class. With this edublog, you will have the ability to quickly check what is being taught from week to week.

Not only will this edublog serve as a resource for the concepts that are taught in biology, there will also be links to other websites that will help you and your student to further understand these same concepts.

Concepts taught in biology are based on the TEKS (Texas Essential Skills and Knowledge). These are the biology standards that the State of Texas has determined that all students need to know in order to successfully master biology.