Will Waterman

Unit 4 Lab
Human Biology – L. Frolich

List of Species and Interactions

1) Felis catus: domestic cat. This is my household cat who adds a great amount of joy to
my girlfriend’s and my life. Obviously, this is a domesticated animal! I interact with Bob,
the cat’s name, on a daily basis. We have a symbiotic relationship, as I give Bob food,
water and shelter, and in return, Bob gives me companionship, love and joy.

2) Canis lupus familiaris: domestic dog. These are my household dogs, Cody and Banner.
Again, they are domesticated and we have a symbiotic relationship, in that I give them
food, water and shelter and they give me companionship, love and joy.

3) Girasol gigante: Sunflowers mammoth. In the picture above, of Bob (our cat),
sunflowers are seen at the beginning of planting season. Now these sunflowers are over
10 feet tall! These sunflowers give us wonderful shade for the rest of the plants in our
garden, as well as pollen and nectar for bees.
4) Apis sp.: Honey bee. The honey bee, listed above, must love these sunflowers! In turn,
honey bees are eaten by insectivores. Also, the honey bee will pollinate all the sunflowers
by spreading the pollen from flower to flower.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee)
*A honey bee getting nectar from a flower, which will then pollinate other flowers by
spreading the pollen that attaches to its body when it goes to another flower.

5) Turdus migratorius: American Robin. This is an example of, perhaps, one of the birds
that feeds on the honey bees.

6) Pinus ponderosa: Ponderosa Pine. A classic tree of the southwest and of high-desert
ecosystems! Without this tree, Prescott would not be as wonderful as it is, in addition to
being a wonderful habitat for many other flora and fauna.

*Ponderosa Pines allowing other flora to grow as they offer much needed shade in the
high-desert regions.

7) Quercus arizonica: Arizona White Oak. Another classic tree of desert highlands! This
tree provides acorns for rodents and birds, as well as habitat and shade for many other
species.
8) Ulmus pumila: Siberian Elm. This is an invasive tree in the Prescott area. When
weeding our gardens, we must regularly pull this invasive tree out of our soils (saplings).

9) Zea mays: Corn. This is a staple of American food! In fact, this was a crop that Native
Americans regularly grew (and they alternated crop-locations to not completely drain
nutrients out of the soil). Now, we use this wonderful plant for High Fructose Corn Syrup
(what the heck is that, anyway?).

(http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/photogallery/cornsorghum+/pages/corn%20ears.htm)
*Corn being grown in the United States. Without this plant, we wouldn’t have the
sweetener that is consumed at an alarming rate!

10) Gallus domesticus: Domestic chicken. Where would we be without eggs! Although I
don’t have eggs of my own, I would love to get some. They eat lots of bugs and help
aerate soil. We essentially have a symbiotic relationship with these birds (although I
wouldn’t exactly call what goes on in most of the U.S. as “symbiotic” with these
creatures). They give us eggs and we give them food, water and shelter.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken)
*This bird aerates our soil and gives us protein-filled eggs. In return, we offer the birds
food, water and shelter!
11) Juniperus monosperma: One seeded Juniper tree. The Juniper woodlands are
dispersed around the high-desert area in Arizona, as are Alligator Junipers. These offer
shade and habitat for many species.

(http://www.naturesongs.com/vvplants/oneseedjuniper.html)
*This plant helps us in the Southwest prevent soil erosion and offers shade, habitat and
food for other animals and plants.

12) Aloysia triphylla: Lemon Verbena. As I write this, I’m staring at the Lemon Verbena
herb growing on my kitchen’s window sill. Thankfully we don’t have aphids, but these
bugs would love to call this plant home! This plant gives us an aromatic herb to have in
the home.

13) Vanessa cardui: Painted Lady butterfly. This butterfly pollinates flowers in our
garden and takes nectar from the plants. These butterflies are also nice to look at! They
are eaten by insectivores.

(http://www.rivernen.ca/insect_7.htm)
*This insect offers wonderful aesthetic value for humans that appreciate such things, as
well as pollination for our plants!
14) Ocimum basilicum: Basil. Another herb growing on the sill in my kitchen! This is a
wonderful addition to Italian-style meals, as it adds much flavor. Thankfully aphids don’t,
but they would love to call this plant home!

15) Anethum graveolens: Dill. This is another herb growing on my sill! This is wonderful
for cream-based dressings.

16) Allium schoenoprasum: Garden Chives. Another spice! I give this plant, and all the
other spices/herbs we use in food, water, sunshine and a safe place to not get eaten, and in
turn I take small portions for my food!

17) Zenaida macroura: Morning Dove. This is a bird that gives me wonderful songs to
wake up to in the morning! This bird also scratches and aerates my soil, as well as (most
likely) eats bugs in rocks around the garden.

18) Hibrido Crujiente: Pepper (crispy hybrid). This is a nutritious and nice addition to
many meals that grows in our garden. This plant offers food to bugs as well as food for
my household.

(http://www.burpee.com/product/vegetables/pepper,+sweet/sweet+pepper+crispy+hybrid
+-+1+pkt.+(40+seeds).do)
*This is a very nutritious seed pod!

19) Homo sapien: Human. These pesky things drive steel boxes driven by fossil fuels by
my house all day! I have a symbiotic relationship with these creatures in many ways; in
fact, many of these relationships could be considered mutualistic, parasitic, and
commensal! These creatures actually disrupt entire ecosystems! That’s historical and
groundbreaking.

20) Coccinella septempunctata: Seven spotted ladybug. These great bugs eat the aphids
off of our plants in the garden. Without them we would probably have dead and non-
producing plants! The larval form of this bug are even more veracious than the adult
specie. These bugs have a relationship with the plants by eating the aphids, which allows
the plants to produce the seeds that we are going to eat!