Ecology Organisms Differences

Ecology Organisms Differences The adaptation of living things to their environment is such that their features are only suitable for survival in their respective environments. Although organisms can tolerate a deviation of the environmental conditions form the optimum, severe and persistent alterations may lead to the deterioration of the organisms’ condition or even death.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ecology Organisms Differences specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The terrestrial and aquatic environments present considerably different conditions for the existence of life. Although the aquatic and terrestrial microscopic organisms may not exhibit significant structural differences, plants and animals living in these environments have distinct and different characteristics that enable them to survive in their respective environments (Dejours, 1987). Plants feature a cuticle, which protects them from the external environmental conditions. Aquatic plants have a thin cuticle since they live in water and do not need to undertake water preservation. This is a feature of fresh water aquatic plants. In addition, the stomata, which are the respiratory openings for the plants, are in abundance on the upper side of the plant to facilitate rapid water loss to maintain osmotic balance. Water is a dense medium, and thus plants living in water have a weak shaft for supporting the foliage and the upperparts of the plant. Furthermore, the plants’ stem is relatively weaker and they tend to float in water. Aquatic plants are submerged either partially or wholly in water. Thus, water covers most of their surfaces and can be readily absorbed. Their roots are small, highly flexible, and adapted for absorbing oxygen rather than water. Aquatic plants may also feature wide leaves to enable them to float and enhance transpiration (Cavendish, 2001). On the other hand, terrestrial plants have a thick cuticle on their leaves for protect ion from excessive transpiration that could desiccate the plant’s cells. In addition, the plants’ stomata are few and are located on the bottom of the leaves away from direct sunlight and convection current. Air, the atmospheric medium in which terrestrial plants thrive, is much less dense compared to water. Thus, terrestrial plants need stronger stems and shafts for the support of the foliage and other upper parts of the plant. Terrestrial plants have rigid and highly developed roots that facilitate water absorption and anchorage. Terrestrial plants may have thin leaves or leaves of various shapes adapted to the environmental temperatures rather than a mechanism of support (Solomon, 2005).Advertising Looking for essay on ecology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of the major unique features of the aquatic animals is that their appendages have undergone differentiation into fins or webbed feet for mo vement in water. Their skin or outer covering is smooth and may consist of a mucus membrane to reduce friction during movement. Aquatic animals feature a thick subcutaneous fat deposit. This fat helps the animals to maintain a regular and constant body temperature in the relatively cold water. Most aquatic animals have transparent eyelid to protect against friction with water. Although some of aquatic animals have lungs for ventilation, most of the animals have gills for respiration or a combination of lungs and gills (Cavendish, 2001). On the other hand, terrestrial animals have limbs with separated digits for grasping or climbing. Furthermore, some flying animals have their limbs differentiated into wings for flight purposes. Most animals have their outer covering covered with fur or hair. This keeps the animal warm in the air and may serve to protect the skin. Most terrestrial animals have a thin subcutaneous fat layer, but have more muscles to aid their locomotion and elevation from the ground. Except for some reptiles such as snakes, most animals have thick and opaque eyelids to protect their eyes from solid objects and dryness. For terrestrial animals, lungs are the primary respiratory organs, and they are highly developed (Solomon, 2005). References Cavendish, M., B. b. (2001). Aquatic life of the world. New York: Benchmark books. Dejours, P. (1987). Comparative physiology: life in water and on land. Padova: Liviana. Solomon, E. P., Berg, L. R., Martin, D. W. (2005). Biology (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Thomson Learning.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ecology Organisms Differences specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Making Spanish Nouns and Adjectives Plural

Making Spanish Nouns and Adjectives Plural If you know how to make nouns plural in English, youre close to knowing how to do so in Spanish. And once you know how to make Spanish nouns plural, you can simply follow the same rules for adjectives. Key Takeaways: Spanish Plurals The rules for making nouns plural in Spanish are similar to those of English, but Spanish has fewer exceptions.Nearly all nouns are made plural by adding s or es. The same rules are followed for adjectives.Sometimes it is necessary to add or delete an accent on the final vowel of a singular word when making it plural. The basic principle is the same: In Spanish, plurals end with the letter s, as is usually the case in English. Spanish plurals usually have an unaccented vowel preceding the s, as is often the case in English. The Basic Rule In fact, if you can remember that the Spanish plural is formed by making sure the plural word ends with s preceded by an unaccented vowel, usually e, youve taken care of nearly all of what youll have to learn. Most of whats left is learning the few exceptions as well as the spelling changes needed to make the written form of the language conform to what is spoken. The basic rule is this: If a word ends in anything other than an s preceded by an unstressed vowel, add either s or es to the end of the word so that it does. In some cases, a spelling change is needed to maintain the sound that would be needed to follow this rule. Heres how the rule is applied in various cases: Words Ending in an Unstressed Vowel When the word ends in a vowel without an accent, simply add the letter s. el libro, the book; los libros, the booksel gemelo, the twin; los gemelos, the twinsel pato, the duck; los patos, the ducks Nouns Ending in a Stressed Vowel A few nouns have a single syllable ending in a vowel or have multiple syllables and end in an accented vowel. In standard or formal writing, simply add the letters es. el tisà º, the tissue, los tisà ºes, the tissuesel hindà º, the Hindu, los hindà ºes, the Hindusel yo, the id; los yoes, the ids In everyday speech, however, it is common for such words to be made plural simply by adding s. Thus it would not be uncommon to hear someone talk about hindà ºs. Words Ending in a Consonant As is common in English, nouns ending in a consonant are made plural by adding es. el escultor; the sculptor; los escultores, the sculptorsla sociedad, the society; las sociedades, the societiesel azul, the blue one; los azules, the blue onesel mes, the month; los meses, the months Y is treated as a consonant for this rule: la ley, the law; las leyes, the laws. Words Ending in S Preceded by an Unstressed Vowel The plural form is the same as the singular form for nouns ending in an unstressed vowel followed by s. el lunes, Monday; los lunes, Mondaysel rompecabezas, the puzzle; los rompecabezas, the puzzlesla crisis, the crisis; las crisis, the crises The Exceptions Exceptions to the above rules are few. Here are the most common ones: Words Ending in É Words ending in a stressed e or à © simply need an s at the end: el cafà ©, the coffeehouse; los cafà ©s, the coffeehousesla fe, the faith; las fes, the faiths Foreign Words Some foreign words maintain the pluralization rules of the originating language. It is also very common to simply add an s to make plural words foreign regardless of what the originating language does. los jeans, the jeansel camping, the campground; los campings, campgroundsel curriculum vitae, the rà ©sumà ©; los curricula vitae, the rà ©sumà ©sel spam, a spam email or article; los spams, spam emails or articles Specific Exceptions A few words simply dont follow the rules. el pap, the father; los paps, the fathersla mam, the mother, las mams, the mothersel sof, the couch, los sofs, the couches Orthographic Changes Changes in either spelling or accents are needed sometimes due to the phonetic nature of the Spanish language. The rules above still apply - you just need to make sure a plural word is spelled the way it is pronounced, or that it is spelled according to Spanish convention. Here are the orthographic changes sometimes required: Nouns Ending in Z The z changes to c when followed by es: el pez, the fish; los peces, the fishes;el juez, the judge; los jueces, the judges Nouns Ending in an Accented vowel followed by S or N The written accent isnt needed in pluralizing a noun ending in a vowel followed by s or n. el interà ©s, the interest; los intereses, the interestsel francà ©s, the Frenchman, los franceses, the Frenchmenel avià ³n, the airplane; los aviones, the airplanes Nouns Ending in N in an Unstressed Syllable: But an accent is needed when a noun ending in an unstressed vowel and n is made plural: el examen, the exam; los exmenes, the examsel crimen, the crime; los crà ­menes, the crimes