Pinophyta

What used to be adjacent to the Mississippi River, Fort de Chartres is located roughly four miles west of the village of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. The original fort that was Fort de Chartres deteriorated after the banks of the Mississippi consumed the fort piece by piece. The recreation of the fort lies further away from the Mississippi river today, and is as of 2016 not a complete rendition of how the site was. Fort de Chartres was also not a single fort but a succession of four forts. The…

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, the Jet Stream II floats tranquil in the clear blue waters. The scorching sun lends its warm rays to the peaceful scenery that captures the region. The Jet Stream is no ordinary yacht; you won't see this listed in Yacht World or Ships for Less. A sixty-foot monstrosity with a price tag of twenty-five million and climbing, a one of a kind prototype constructed exclusively for the United States Government as a chameleon spy ship. Complete with all the bells and…

In comparison to the forest, the outside world was a desert. It was almost as if trees stopped growing once you passed the border. It was also much warmer, as if the sun was closer there. There were no clouds and there were no animals. There was sand, dead bushes, and the occasional pile of bones. A small city could be seen on the horizon. The party decided they would stop there to see if they could get any more information on the mountain or this new world. Quill remained upon Willow’s…

II. Nature is not a Museum The gymnosperms are often called ‘Living Fossils’, or are dismissed as being primitive. Gymnosperms are indeed ancient: originating in the carboniferous period (Bowe, Coat, & dePamphilis, 2000). They can be divided into four monophyletic groups: ginkophytes, gnetophytes, cycads, and the largest of the four (with more than 600 extant species), conifers. Conifers account for the greatest diversity amongst the gymnosperms. This diversity might pale in comparison to that…

Introduction: Have you ever wondered what western mixed conifer forests would look like without fire suppression tactics? A reduction in fire suppression would allow mixed conifer forests to burn at one severity instead of multiple severities, such as in the School Forest. The School Fire in 2005 burned at different severities across the 21,000 ha of land near Pomeroy, Washington. The fire burned at three different severity levels: low, medium, and high. These three levels impacted the 21,000 ha…

I have identified the cause of the damages to Mrs.Sibley’s red maple tree. The zoomed-in image you sent me was definitely caused by carpenter ants. These pests excavate galleries into trees to lay eggs and raise their young. They are causing damage to the tree, however the damage is not from consumption of the wood. These ants feed on the honeydew that is produced by aphids and termites and, more than likely, were not the original cause of damage. The maple tree could have been hit by lightning,…

When one thinks about dirt, what comes to mind? Dirty items, like dirty shoes, shirts, and pants. The question comes up, is dirt really dirty? Take this thought, you play baseball, and you slide into home plate. When you get up, happy you scored the run, and you dust the dirt off. So now you are all dirty, or are you? Can they be such a thing as clean dirt? In our lab, we were giving two bags of dirt, one looked like dirt you would dig up from someone back yard (sample B), the second one was…

Joshua trees are relatively fast growers for desert plants. Seedlings will grow at an average rate of 7.6 cm (3 inches) per year in their first ten years. Seedlings will then slow to 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) per year. Many desert plants need to grow to a height of about 1 meter to escape high ground temperatures and shading of adjacent plants, which will negatively affect their growth rate. Joshua trees can exceed 3 meters, which allows them to escape these pressures. DeFalco et al. believes this…

You hear the roaring waters, birds chirping, and watching leaves fall; you know you are in Montana by the Bitterroot River. This river is forty-two miles in length. As you walk barefoot in the shallow water you will see tadpoles, mossy rocks, and gorgeous rainbow trout. Although the Bitterroot River passes close by to many residential areas, it is a terrific place for wildlife viewing. The Bitterroot River flows from South to North, and can be very high in the Summer. My father, Cory,…

The birds chirped lazily in the towering trees. The sun was slowly beginning its descent over the horizon of Lake Eufaula. The gravel crunched under my feet as my family and I made our way down to the marina. The water under the boat docks swayed gently with the wind. Reaching our boat we prepared it for a day out on the lake. My mother had bought a boating tube the day before, and the plan was to use it the next day. The motor loudly hummed and left little room for conversation as we made…