What Has AP Bio Taught Me??

So, today is my last day in AP Bio, wow, so thanks Landry for keeping this class going for the few of us that started first semester and stuck it out. I think personally, that having less people in a class is more advantageable. The cliche holds true though, I learned ALOT this year, but not just like the normal content absorbtion, like I actually looked forward to going to class and learning about things like evolution and genetics. Things were never really boring in class, because the discussions usally involved everyone and it was interesting to listen to if you were confused on anything because things usually cleared themselves up.

This class taught good study habits, by having to somewhat teach yourself before lessons from video notes, and filling out extra credit guides, you were taught to be self sufficient and be in control of your own grades. There weren't many projects, but you got to work with different people for most labs and it taught you to work with other people and avoid biased information gathering from the expreiment.

Overall, this class was totally worth the time, credits and AP test money. Good job Landry.

A Day in the Life of a Vacuole.

Looking for a modern day cell storage warrior like Barry and Brandi? Well look no further friend!

Vacuole here, and I may not be on the hunt for wonderful antiques and valuables in abandoned lockers, but I can be found bound inside of plant and animal cells. My membrane (or Tonoplast) can hold water, and other organic molecules and waste, I can typically store these materials until I am enlarged to capacity, when I get full, I either transport and release my contents or keep to myself until needed. My size can not really be pinpointed because I am typically more square in plants, where my talents to create the needed turgor pressure against cell walls when completely filled are used, and similarly in my more round state of an animal cell such as a capillary.

But storage is not all that my job entails! I am a type of guardian for the cell. When I spot a shady material threatening my home, my natural acidic pH value allows me to isolate this material and do away with it. But don't let the pH deter you from seeing my nurturing side, I am the reason that leaves and flowers can be supported on my host plant. The turgor from my plumpness gives the central vacuole just enough pressure to allow the extensions off the stem of the flower to take place.

 

Sometimes, I falter and don't always carry out tasks the way I am supposed to. Some diseases that can be associated with my malfunctions are Battens disease and Parakeratosis. Battens usually makes an appearance in early childhood and it becomes fatal by their mid teens, its symptoms are; loss of sight, dementia, personality changes, slow learning, and seizures before finally claiming its victim. Battens is a recessive inherited trait and simple tests such as urine or blood tests can find if the offspring will have it or not. This disease is associated with me because in the process, the pH of my contents is altered and the transport of materials are defective. Parakeratosis is typically found more in canines, and this disease causes the victim to posses scaly skin from dryness, and their hair follicles are typically damaged and blocked from resurfacing.

  

I think that I am dubbed a Cell Warrior because I am responsible for most of the protein and molecule waste/water/food. The cells health depends on my ability to capture the illness and dispose of it before the whole system falls into chaos and pH balances fall out of whack.