Angiosperms in Parks's Journal

September 22, 2020

Journal #1: Adaptations in Montreal Angiosperms

One common adaptation I’ve observed in all the angiosperms I have documented thus far during my iNaturalist project is that flowering plants with stamen all open up and display vibrant colours such as red, pink, white, orange, etc. I hypothesize this is an adaptation designed to attract pollinating species such as bumblebees, where the propagation of the flower species and the livelihood of the flower is dependant on pollination (reproduction), which bees and other pollinators are essential for.
A unique adaptation I found very interesting was the growth pattern of Salvia lavanduloides, a variety of flower that I observed in many flowerbeds and flowerpots across Little Burgundy. The upright and narrow growth pattern of Salvia allow it to survive better in drier weather due to the smaller plant size requiring less water and the upright orientation making it easier for the Salvia lavanduloides to absorb water in the soil due to the maximization of the area of soil not covered by flowers or leaves. This adaptation is crucial in making Salvia lavanduloides resistant to Montreal’s many heatwaves over the summer and the drier fall months to come.
The species Salvia lavanduloides belongs to the domain Eukarya, kingdom Plantae, phylum Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons), order Lamiales, family Lamiaceae and genus Salvia.

Posted on September 22, 2020 10:50 PM by spenceriddell spenceriddell | 0 comments | Leave a comment

September 21, 2020

Katelyn Law - Journal Post

With the White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) it is part of the family tree of Asteraceae, and it is also closely related to Ageratina miquihuana. They are part of the Eupatorieae flower and have very similar ancestors such as Lesser snakeroot.
One specific adaptation that all the species in my group that many of the flowering plants have adapted bright or unique colours to attract specific pollinators. This ensures that the flower will stand out from the rest of their background (normally a green leaf) and hope that the brighter and unique flowers will lead more pollinators to itself, over all the other plants.
One unique adaptation that I observed was with the Garden Cosmos and how it has adapted to have foliage that is like a fern and stem like. It seems like this allows the plant to grow in areas where access to water is less frequent.

Posted on September 21, 2020 10:03 PM by katelynl katelynl | 0 comments | Leave a comment

September 16, 2020

Jasper Sim - Journal Post

Focusing on the wild carrot (Daucus Carota) which is part of the Daucinae group, its next closest group of relatives according to OneZoom is Torilidinae. The Torilidinae and Daucinae merge into the larger group of Scandiceae.

One adaptation that all the plants in our project share is that they flower, a characteristic of angiosperms by definition.

A unique adaptation of the wild carrot (Daucus Carota) is that it produces many flowers that seem to be arranged in a hexagonal pattern like a snowflake. This could be in order to increase surface area for pollen production and transmission onto insects.

Posted on September 16, 2020 03:16 AM by jaspersim jaspersim

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