Nematodes A.re Cool / Fungi are ...

well, fun.

I hope you enjoyed finding so many life forms under the microscope; I enjoyed your enthusiasm, and I really appreciated that you didn't automatically say "Gross!"  The name of this little guy pictured above is C. elegans, because it is so...elegant.  They are fantastic specimens for important research, such as  studying neural pathways, aging, and a host of other investigations, and have even been launched into space.  C. elegans made news when it was discovered that specimens had survived the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in February 2003.


Homework starts with some very short videos that you will enjoy.  Please take a few moments after watching to write down 3-5 sentences: one sentence which summarizes the video clip, and two or three sentences which tell an interesting or important fact that you would like to remember.  

decomposers 4min video : The Unseen World   
Watch and summarize.  5 pts.
[I hope by now you all realize that the brown letters are a website, and if you left-click on it, it will automatically open up in a new window.]

Planet Wild - fungi 

Watch and summarize.  5 pts.

Mushroom Mycelium Feeding on Nematodes!
Watch and summarize.  5 pts.  And here's the
The Musical Version 

Gross fact: The largest nematode ever  was found in the placenta of a sperm whale.  It was 8 meters long (25 ft.)
It was named, appropriately enough, Placentonema gigantisma.-+
The ones in your garden do not get this large--they stay mostly microscopic.

A page of facts about nematodes:
http://nematode.unl.edu/wormgen.htm

Now, for today's question: Where does the matter that make up the pumpkin come from?  From the soil? Yes, but just a little of it.  98% of the mass that make up living things are just a few types of elements- carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.  Where does the carbon come from? Here's a clue:  Brainpop - photosynthesis  ( pcshome  ilearnathome )
Only watch movie. 5 pts.

And here is a story to read (one page):  The Cyclic Journey of an Atom Please print it out and put it in your binders.  Extra points if you read it aloud to your mom.  5 pts. +5 extra credit. 

Lastly, of interest to you boy-type people, here's a little bit on Punkin' Chunkin' -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=sXuQvAPwcOE&NR=1
(My apologies for the one coarse word.)