Adaptations of Stream Organisms

     Our group investigated Crayfish and I learned a lot of interesting facts about this particular organism. First of all, they are omnivores and they would eat just about any organism that won't eat it first. They have three stages of life, but do not go through metamorphis because they are fish, not insects. I learned that Crayfish were one of the species that inspired Charles Darwin and other scientists to study plate tectonics because different species are found scattered around the world. Crayfish hatch as juvenile crayfish and do not go through larval stage, and they hatch from 2-20 weeks after the eggs are fertilized.
     Blackfly: 255 species and require blood to create eggs
     Gilled Snail: fertilization occurs internally and spend entire life span underwater
     Caddisfly: long body with 2 sets of wings and they help control algae population

     I loved the presentations. When I first found out about spending a day on presentations, I wasn't too excited. But the material was fascinating and the presentations were so interesting. The fact that we didn't know what to expect was the biggest challenge. I already know how to research, but I didn't know exactly what the teachers were looking for. To remedy this, we just did our best to provide as much information for our teachers and audience as we could and tried to cover the topic thouroughly. This project was a good experience for future reference and our hard work set the stage for other projects.
   
   

Adaptations of Stream Organisms

For this project, Grace, Kylie and I researched the water beetle, more commonly known as the water penny. An interesting fact about this bottom dweller is that after fertilization, the female slices open the stem of a plant and injects the egg into the hollow internal tube for protection. Also, the water penny does complete metamorphosis. It grows from egg, to larvae, to pupa, to adult. This bottom dweller needs a lot of dissolved oxygen, so it lives in high-riffle areas with fast moving water. Finally, the water penny is pollution-sensitive—therefore, if you find a lot in your stream, you have good water quality.

Caddis fly:

During the more vulnerable stage of its life, a caddisfly makes a casing out of pebbles, silt, leaves, and other substances to protect its body. Caddisflies are herbivores, and tend to consume algae. Because of this, they help control the algae population. Also, a female caddisfly can lay up to 800 eggs.

Crane fly:

Crane flies are mostly nocturnal, and feed during the night or twilight hours. They can’t be very well observed at this time, so they are believed to eat flower nectar. A crane fly’s body is completely water proof—its legs and wings have tiny hairs that are water repellant.

Flatworm:

Flatworms are bottom feeders, and like caddis flies, help regulate algae. They tend to live in still or stagnant water where algae and other plants can grow, and don’t need much dissolved oxygen. Flatworms can live produce sexually or asexually. In sexual reproduction, the eggs are laid in a gelatin on the lake or river bed.

My favorite part about this project was watching everybody else’s! All of the groups had such interesting things to say about their bottom dwellers, and each group was unique in the way they presented their project. For instance, Rachel and Jill’s—they made a news cast, which was hilarious, engaging and informing.

The most challenging part of this project, for me, was finding an interesting way to present the project. I originally wasn’t aware of what other people were doing in their presentation, but when I saw some of the particularly unique presentations, I started to get nervous because ours wasn’t that original. I felt that we still overcame this, though, because we passed around labeled pictures of the water penny. In the future, I think that I might go a step further and make a model of whatever it is I’m presenting, or even try something different like a prezi.

Maria Leckey

Adaptations of Stream Organisms

I really learned a lot about crayfish during this project. Our group divided the tasks among the three of us and I got the task of researching the adaptations of crayfish.  I learned that crayfish have eyes on movable stalks that allow them to see in different directions. They also can eject chemical signals that allow them to identify one another and signal mating. Crayfish can also change color to blend in with their surroundings. The study of crayfish actually led to the theory of plate tectonics, because crayfish are found virtually everywhere. They originated for a marine ancestor when the earth was the super continent of Pangaea.

Dobsonfly

• They have hooks under their bellies that allow them to  hang on to rocks.
• They have very strong jaws.

The Gilled Snail

• They can live in still or quiet areas.
• Their shell has a trap door that allows them to protect their selves.

Dragonfly

• They grow up to 1.5 to 3 inches in length
• They flap their wings 30 times per second.

I really enjoyed the information that I found out about crayfish. It was really interesting to find out that the study of crayfish actually led to the study of plate tectonics. I never saw crayfish as that big of a deal before, but they are. I also really enjoyed working with my group and enjoyed the information that they found out also.

The most challenging thing about this project was finding enough  information. I found it difficult to find information about how crayfish have changed since they originated. I overcame this by not giving up. I just kept researching and searching websites until I found enough information. By continuing to search I also found some websites that really added to the project. Overall it was a really great and fun project!

Adaptations of Stream Organisms

My group and I researched the Water Penny, which is surprisingly interesting for an organism that literally looks like a penny. Some very neat adaptations include ones for protection. The female lays up to 600 eggs inside the stem of a plant in order to keep her offspring from harm. Also, their shape is part of their adaptation. The fact that they can flatten themselves to hide on the rocks they cling onto keeps the water pennies safe from predators. Though water pennies have some very beneficial adaptations, they are heterothermic, meaning they have little to no control over their body temperatures. This makes them very susceptible to drastic climate change. These are very pollution sensitive creatures so they indicate good water quality. Water pennies always live in areas with lots of dissolved oxygen, like riffle areas.

Black Fly-
Attracted to mammals because of the CO2 and sweat.
Black flies have a silk-like thread to float to more oxygen

Dobsonfly-
They molt 10-12 times throughout their lifetime. 
Dobsonflies don't eat as adults

Crayfish-
Crayfish can emit chemicals for communication.
Some types of crayfish can change color.

I enjoyed thinking of ways to present that would be interesting, regardless of whether or not we could put each idea into effect. Watching other presentations definitely got me thinking about next time and what I could change to make my presentation more compelling. 

As a person with zero artistic talent, I always find it difficult to pull together a visual. After brainstorming something creative, I try it, fail miserably, and end up with a poster. Our poster definitely was not the worst I've ever done, but it could have been better. Next time I hope to find some other way of using a visual without trying something too artistic for my abilities. 

Adaptations of Stream Organisms

I helped to investigate the Riffle Beetle along with the rest of my group. The Riffle Beetle is a pretty complex and very interesting macroinvertebrate that can be found in many rivers, including the Shenandoah River. One aspect of this organism that I found interesting is that it is classified as a Class 1 organism. This means that it needs a habitat of good water quality in order to survive and is therefore a good indicator of a water source with minimal pollution. I also learned that the Riffle Beetle larvae breath by plastron, a group of tightly packed hairs. The females lay an average of nine eggs in small crevices on the bottom of rivers or streams. Some Riffle Beetles have functioning wings, but some have vestigial wings, depending on the species of beetle. Also, the whole life cycle of this organism is relatively long compared to that of many macroinvertebrates at 3 to 4 years.

Mayfly
-The average Mayfly survives as an adult for only one day.
-Mayfly raise their tail up in self-defense when confronted.

Gilled Snail
-Some gilled snails have both sexes.
-The tissue that connects this snail's body to its shell hold oxygen.

Water Penny
-Water Pennies are nocturnal.
-They lay their eggs in plant stems which help to protect them from predators.

I really enjoyed the freedom we were given with this project. I loved how we could choose our partners and mode of presentation. I felt that I learned a lot because I was able to have control over these aspects of the project.

The most challenging aspect of this project was delegating which member of the group would do which job, while keeping these tasks equal to each person. I believe that through good communication and with each person being willing and able to do their job, we overcame this obstacle.

Introduction

Hi everyone, my name is Robert Van Wyck and I attend Luray High School. Luray is a solid 25-30 minutes away from Gov. school but I actually don't mind the ride because Forest Goebel, Trisha Lal and I carpool every morning. I play football, basketball and soccer for Luray which occupies almost all of my time. Basketball in Luray is more of an occupation than a sport and is all year round, every week.  I like to play guitar and piano in my free time. I also like to hang out with my friends and occasionally play video games. As far as learning about and using new technology goes, as embarrassing as it is I honestly don't know how to use Microsoft Excel. Excel is so popular and a necessity in math but I really just can't figure it out. Also, if you're asking about what types of technology I would like to use in school, then I think it would be awesome to use ipads. We use them in our home school and they're very beneficial and fun.

Adaptations of Stream Organisms

I discovered many things that I didn't know about the clubtail dragonfly by doing this project. First, I learned that they have a long, straw-like tail to help them breathe. They go through an incomplete metamorphosis, with only three stages. They usually stay fairly close to their breeding sites as they mature into the adult stage. The female dragonflies can lay up to 5,000 eggs. Lastly, their lifespan can be anywhere from six months to two years.

Dobsonfly

• Stays underwater for most of its life
• Has a lifespan of only three to ten days 

Mayfly

Goes through an incomplete life cycle composed of three stages

Live in rough, running waters because they require a high amount of dissolved oxygen

Damselfly

• Metabolism changes based on environment
• Have claws to help them stay on the rocks in the water

I really enjoyed working with a group on this project! I feel that working with others and talking about what we have discovered allows me to learn and obtain information much more efficiently than working alone. The visual aspects of the project made it a lot more fun as well.

It was challenging to decide what kind of visual aid we were going to use, because there are so many choices and pros and cons to each of them. When we decided on creating a prezi, it was frustrating at times when the computer wasn't working correctly. However, we asked for help and by using Mrs. Bates' computer, we overcame our difficulties. 

Overall, I enjoyed working on this project and hope we can do more group activities like this in the future!