Biology Reference Libraries
Seed saving is the preserving of seeds from mature vegetables, herbs, and flowers used in subsequent years along with bulbs and tubers. Home gardeners have saved seeds for generations and the practice is now becoming common with organic farmers as well as permaculturists. Growers will clone plants so as not to produce seeds keeping the plant “true to type” to the parent plant. True to...
The Variable bushy feather star is commonly found concealed on shallow water reefs in the western Pacific Ocean. The parts that will be most often seen are the fern-like arms. The arms start at the base with five rays then begin to divide from there. The arms are flexible due to the multiple calcium filled joints, also called ossicle; therefore if needed these arms could coil up and provide...
The noble feather star (also known as the yellow feather star) reaches up to 15.75 inches in diameter with a cup-shaped body. There can be 35-40 arms extending out of the central part of the body. The arms are primarily yellow with the underside having a variation to include black, green, or white. The noble feather star feeds on food debris, phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton and...
The Mediterranean feather star is a filter feeder that obtains food by straining suspended matter and food particles from water. The star has a stalk that has up to forty tendrils, (threadlike organs) which help the star cling to hard surfaces. The “body” of the star is called a calyx and is shaped like a small cup. This calyx is surrounded by feathery pinnules bearing arms. These arms are...
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) is an extinct species that was found in Europe during the Pleistocene. Its range was large and included areas from Great Britain to Spain, Italy, Poland, the Balkans, areas of Germany, Russia, the Caucuses, Romania, and northern areas of Iran. Large numbers of skeletons have been found in Switzerland, southern Germany, Austria, northern Spain, Hungary, Croatia,...
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) can be found in North America and northern areas of Eurasia. There are sixteen recognized subspecies of the brown bear. This is the most widely distributed species of bear in the world, although its range is shrinking. Its range includes the Alaska and a few other areas of the United States, areas of Russia, and Romania and other areas of the Carpathian region, as...
The Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) is a subspecies of the American black bear. It once held a range that included Florida and southern areas of Georgia and Alabama. Today it occurs in these areas and in southern Mississippi, but its range is now fragmented. This species prefers a habitat within forested areas like sand-pine scrub, wetlands, oak scrub, and upland hardwood...
The cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) is a subspecies of the American black bear known as a color phase. It can be found in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and western areas of Canada. This species derives it common name from the reddish fur that occurs throughout its body. It can reach an average weight between 203 and 595 pounds. This species can vary in...
The spectacled bear or the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is native to South America. This bear is locally known as jukumari, ukuko, or ucumari and is the only remaining species of short-faced bear existing today, making it the sole member of the sub-family Tremarctinae. The range of the spectacled bear includes western Venezuela, eastern Panama, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, northwestern...
The Chinese liver fluke (Clonorchis sinensis) is a species of parasitic worm that is classified within the Platyhelminthes phylum. It can be found in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Japan, and China and is present in nearly 30,000,000 humans today. It is thought to be one of the world’s most pervading parasites. The Chinese liver fluke requires two intermediate, or secondary, hosts and one...
