Sarah Cairns: iNaturalist Bioblitz

1.) Through OneZoom I researched the phylogenetic placement of the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). The least specific placement was All Life which then narrowed down to --> kingdom: Plantae, Clade: Tracheophytes, Clade: Angiosperms, Clade: Eudicots, Clade: Rosids, Order: Vitales, Family: Vitaceae, Genus: Parthenocissus, and finally Species: quinquefolia.
2.) One unique adaptation of pine trees is that they have needles rather than leaves. These needles retain water better than leaves do and they transport this extra water to the roots of the tree. The needle shape also allows them to shed heavy snowfall without breaking off.
3..) A common characteristic in all of our observations was the green color of the plants. They appear green because they have chlorophyll that absorbs sunlight which allows these plants to photosynthesize.

Posted on September 19, 2021 11:53 PM by sarah_cairns