Diario del proyecto BIOL111_THU_Collin_Crowther_McKay

The common Ink cap, also known as the Inky Cap or Coprinopsis atramentaria, usually appears in clusters from spring to early winter. It is known to be incredibly strong and can grow through asphalt or lift stones when its mycelium is covered during its off months of winter. This is possible thanks to its vertically aligned hyphae in its stem, which provide it with its strength. It can be consumed but is toxic if consumed with alcohol or if alcohol is consumed three days before or after eating the mushroom.

One of the species I observed during the lab was the Aesculus hippocastanum, or more commonly referred to as "Horse-Chestnut." It is a part of the kingdom Plantae, of the order Sapindales, of the family Sapindaceae, of the genus Aesculus, and is the species Aesculus hippocastanum (1). A unique adaptation of the Horse-Chestnut belongs to it's seeds. The seeds are covered with spines and contain a toxin, an adaptation to protect the embryo (2). An adaptation that all my observations share is that they have shallow roots to better get nutrients from the richer top soil (3).

(1) http://www.onezoom.org
(2) http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2013/phillips_reb2/adaptation.htm
(3)https://www.thinktrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Plant-Adaptations.pdf