Diario del proyecto BIO 111 - Wed - Will's Group

Trametes Versicolor or commonly known as Turkey-tail is a tree rot that can be found throughout the world and have been used by humans for centuries for their medicinal properties, with cancer-fighting properties being claimed and studied. Through my research I learnt that this species of fungus degrades lignin and other aromatic pollutants. The specific research paper I found focused on how copper and nitrogen limit the amount of laccase that is produced which is now being recognized to play a significant role in the degradation of the previously mentioned compounds. Another source showed that Trametes Versicolor may have aflatoxin inhibition abilities, which is a toxin produced from a mold that can grow on pet food and potentially cause illness and death when ingested.

The Crepidotus crocophyllus (AKA the saffron crep) gets the name "crocophyllus" from its saffron-coloured gills, which are quite prominent especially when the mushroom is young (Volk & Palmer, 2007). This fungus usually grows on old, rotten logs that dry out easily (Volk & Palmer, 2007). This means that despite their small, delicate mushrooms, they must have strong mycelia to be able to withstand these dry conditions. Humans don't have many uses for the Crepidotus crocophyllus - it isn't edible (although it isn't poisonous either) and has no other significant uses (Volk & Palmer, 2007). However, its bright colour does make it one of the prettier fungi to look at.

Hairy bracket, or trametes hirsuta, is a mushroom that produces laccase (Ma et al., 2015), which is quite common and indicates that the fungi is able to decompose lignin, meaning it is likely a saprophyte as it causes wood rot (Arregui et al., 2019). Trametes hirsuta was tested for its chemical composition and properties to determine and expand upon its medicinal value. When tested on mice, it was found that trametes hirsuta had the potential to improve immune function. (Ma et al., 2015)

Cerioporus squamosus (Dryad’s Saddle) is a saprotrophic fungi native to several continents across the globe. Dryad’s Saddle plays an important role in woodland ecosystems; not only does it decompose organic matter, but it also serves as an edible and nutritious food source for several organisms, including humans. Dryad’s Saddle is high in protein; vitamins B, C, and D; and several essential minerals (Sánchez, 2017). Coupled with being low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol, Dryad’s Saddle is a very healthy fungi to consume (Sánchez, 2017). It is also high in antioxidants, including β-Carotene and α-tocopherol, which allows it to neutralize free radicals in the body and prevent cell damage that would likely otherwise occur from these reactive oxygen species (Sánchez, 2017).

Reference available in Lab 5 Report.

Note: I was unable to italicize the genus/species names on iNaturalist.

Turkey tails are mushrooms found virtually anywhere in the world as they grow on dead trees, logs, or stumps. Turkey tails have many human uses, most notably being in medicine. The medical use of the turkey tail has been around for centuries and in Japan, it symbolizes spiritual strength and a sense of longevity. They have shown to have an impressive number of antioxidants including, phenol which promotes immune system health and do so by stimulating the release of protective compounds and reducing inflammation. (Kubala, 2018). Interestingly a “test-tube study found that PSK, the polysaccharopeptide found in turkey tail mushrooms, inhibited the growth and spread of human colon cancer cells” (Kubala, 2018)

1. Phylogeny placement: Betula papyrifera (also known as paper birch, white birch, or canoe birch) is a species of birch that is native to North America. It belongs to the kingdom Plantae, order Fagales, family Betulaceae, genus Betula, and subgenus Betula subg. Betula.
2. Shared adaptation: Betula papyrifera, along with all other organisms on Mount Royal in Montreal, have adapted to the cold climate of northern North America. All these organisms have unique ways in which they have adapted to withstand temperatures in the negatives. If you were to suddenly move these organisms to an extremely hot climate—like by the equator—it is unlikely that they would survive.
3. Unique adaptation: Temperature fluctuations in cambium (i.e., the cells right under the bark of woody plants) caused by heating during the day and cooling during the night damages trees (Karels & Boonstra, 2003). The white bark of Betula papyrifera is a unique adaptation of this species of birch that allows it to avoid rapid heating during the day, thereby maximizing its survival rate in frigid climates like Montreal (Karels & Boonstra, 2003).

Reference:
Karels, T. & Boonstra R. (2003). Reducing Solar Heat Gain during Winter: The Role of White Bark in Northern Deciduous Trees. Arctic Institute of North America, 56(2), 168–174. http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic612

Note: I was unable to italicize the genus/species names nor the journal/volume reference on iNaturalist.

To find the white spruce (Picea glauca) on OneZoom, select Eukaryotes > Plants, alveolates, brown algae, and more > Green plants > Land plants > Vascular plants > Seed Plants > Pinaceae > Spruce > White Spruce.

One adaptation that all of my observations have in common is the ability to survive the cold Montreal winters. Although the plants have likely been able to survive cold winters for quite some time now, they are still continually adapting and improving to this environment. The benefits of this adaptation are still being observed today.

One unique adaptation of the white spruce is that it has needles rather than leaves. These needles are able to withstand harsh weather conditions, so the tree does not need to use energy to regrow its leaves come springtime.

1) White rattlesnake-root is a flower which is of the kingdom plantae, order asterales, family asteraceae, tribe cichorieae, genus nabalus and species nabalus albus. It is in the dandelion tribe, and it is within the daisy family.
2) Every species observed has multiple adaptations in common, one of them being that each of the species blooms either fruit or flowers. Fruits and flowers that are present on plants are often key parts of that plant's reproductive system, as flowers are what produce pollen which is necessary for fertilization, and as fruits protect seeds as they mature and help spread them once they are ready.
3) A unique adaptation that white rattlesnake-root has is that the seeds have little tufts of hair, which help them spread in the wind when released so that they can be dispersed farther.

Bebeau, G. D. (2014). The friends of the wild Flower Garden, inc. White Rattlesnake Root, Prenanthes alba L. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/plants/rattlesnakeroot.html.

1) Onezoom species- Broad-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis) Is a north American species in the sunflower family. Species of the herbaceous perennial plants. Because it is the sunflower family it is related to common plants such as daisies and dandelions. Kingdom Plante, Order: Asterales, Family: Asteraceae, Genus: Solidago, Species: S. flexicaulis.

2) Adaptation that everyone has in common is to the climate. Canada has seasons with different temperatures meaning that the plants have adapted to be able to survive the hot summers and cold winters. Most plants do this by altering their metabolism, flowering period or even reproduction to ensure they have the proper means to survive the varying climate.

3) boxelder (Acer negundo) Special adaptation is to unstable soils. In low lands where flooding is happening or at risk they have a shallow root system. The shallow roots are adapted to the low oxygen levels that flooded soils usually have.