Flower Dissection

Students are trying to figure out how parents "mix" to make their traits.  They are dissecting flowers to compare the reproduction of flowers with humans.  

They figured out that reproduction involves the fertilization of an egg and therefore a mixing of DNA.

Why do organisms look the way they do?

Why do organisms look the way they do?

This is our new anchoring phenomenon.  Students are full of questions!

Worms

The students still have questions.  They don't think that they have completely solved the trout mystery.  They cannot explain why the the trout, sea lamprey and chub populations all decreased between 1960-1970.  They are investigating possible abiotic factors now.  Do abiotic factors change populations?  Here is their first investigation.  

Do the night crawlers prefer a wet environment or a dry one?

Does the Sea Lamprey have a major impact as a predator?

Students have figured out that YES, the sea lamprey is impacting the trout as a predator/parasite and competitor.  

They virtually dissected the lamprey and trout and had lengthy discussions to come to this conclusion.  Great work by all!

Symbiosis

Students have been researching different examples of symbiotic relationships and presented them to the class.  Here are a few examples.