UPDATE: Plants Under a Microscope & Rapid Cycling Brassicas

Ive almost completed my portfolio for diversity of life 1. I have to do drawings of samples of angiosperms:

1. root
2. shoot
3. stem
4. leaf
5. epidermis
6. inflorescence

After this I did 3 sections of gymnosperms to compare and contrast. All of my samples are from pine. I did an ovule, stem and a leaf. (below: left to right, stem, ovule and leaf)

I had to look at 3 live cultures of algae: Volvox, Spyrogyra and Chlamydomonas and make detailed drawings of them. 

The Chlamydomonas moved about a lot and so had to put a Protozoa solution on it to slow the algae down so they were easier to see. 

(Below left to right: Volvow, Spirogyra & Chlamydomonas)

The third section is about rapid cycling brassicas. Each week they'd grow more and more and we had to draw detailed drawing of them at each stage every week. In the picture below you can see the development from when it had just started growing all the way to it producing fruit (seed pods). 

I have done most of the drawings, now I just have to do the write up which is all about the process of growing the Rapid Cycling Brassicas and describing them etc. I will show my drawings once I've finished my portfolio.

I have more pictures on my Flickr of you want to look at the rest! Plants Down a Microscope & Rapid Cycling Brassicas

Im going to South Africa!

As if I wasn't excited enough, I had my first Big Game Tracking lecture today. It was just a brief summary of some of the stuff we were going to be covering and other general information.

He told us we needed to learn 5 plant species, 5 bird species and 5 tracks/spores a day whilst we're out there, although I'll obviously need to know a lot of the common ones and some mammals before we go. (He ran through a few today, just to give us a taster). 

We're unbelievably lucky that we get to go to places that we wouldn't normally get to go, for example private parts of the reserves. 

My lecturer also explained in a bit more detail the shooting aspect of what we'll do when we're out there. We have to learn to shoot a rifle and a handgun and be able to know the correct spots to hit them to be able to take an animal down quickly. This is mainly to protect ourselves and others if something if it poses as a threat to you and others around you, you need to be react quickly. 

He also told me about how hunting funds a big part of conservation. Tourism doesn't bring in a lot of money for them, however hunters that come across will pay far more than a tourist would. (although I'm almost certain that you need a licence and a permit). Although I'm not too sure how I fell about that, its one thing to protect yourselves and other around you, but another to do it for fun. But I cant argue that its an easy way for them to fund conservation out there.

On a happier note, I'm also looking forward to seeing some penguins as well as all the normal safari animals!