Diario del proyecto BIOL 111 Trees and Shrubs

Among the various trees and shrubs I observed in Summit Woods, a member of the Parthenocissus genus stands out particularly, as it is an example of a climbing plant, or a vine. This enables it to rely on other plants or structures for support rather than investing energy into creating its own supportive tissue, which means they can grow and reach sunlight more efficiently. Notably, this adaptation evolved independently in multiple species, making it an example of convergent evolution.

In line with the project theme, all species observed are either trees or shrubs. What unites them is that both are woody plants, that is, their stems are composed of hard wood rather than the soft, watery tissue of herbaceous plants. This crucial adaptation provides these plants with the support to grow much larger and survive much longer, which, of course, allows them to produce more offspring.

The common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) was introduced to North America artificially and is now classified as an invasive species in some states. It is a part of the Rhamnus genus of the Rhamneae tribe of the buffalo-thorn family (Rhamnaceae). The buffalo-thorn family is located within the Rosales genus of the Rosidae clade, which itself is a small subcategory of flowering plants.

One adaptation shared across the observations is the height of the trees. They have all been able to raise themselves off the ground towards the sun. This enables them to maximize their ability to photosynthesize because they don’t have to compete with lower growing plants, instead casting them in the shade.

One observation with a unique adaptation is the Norway Spruce Tree. This tree is able to function with little water due to its unique leaves. The leaves are presented in a manner that resemble needles which decreases the surface area of the leaf to limit the amount of water lost. Additionally, they are surrounded in a waxy casing that further reduces lost water.

The silver maple is found within the plantae kingdom, the Sapindales order, the sapindaceae family, the acer genus, and its species name is acer saccharinum. On a phylogenetic tree, it can be located among the seed plants as within the soapberry family. It is closely related to the Japanese maple.

The Japanese maples, scientifically known as 'Acer Palmatum', is a small tree or large shrub that grows in a broad-round shape. They range from 2 to 30 feet tall but are prized for their variety of traits in shapes, colours and leaf sizes. Native to Japan, Korea and China, they have an elegant foliage particularly in the fall when the leaves change into a warm red-purple tone. The leaves in particular have a diverse shape, the word ‘palmatum’ in latin means ‘hand-like’ referring to the unique shape of Japanese Maple leaves. On a phylogenetic tree, Japanese Maples are categorized within the seed plant family and more specifically consist of a species within the soapberry family.

Throughout all of our observations, there exists a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees. A common adaptation on all of these seed plant species is that they consist of seed pods. The cause of this adaptation in most species is to protect their seeds from other organisms such as birds or squirrels. The seed pods of coniferous trees are structured in cones where as deciduous trees possess nuts. Although our observations were observed in a variety of regions, we were still able to determine a common adaptation.