Lab 3 - 5 Trees

1.) Carya illinoinensis (Pecan) - This large decidous tree is a species of hickory native to North America and can live for over three hundred years.

2.) Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood) - A small decidous tree native to eastern North America usually with small flowers and a hard, dense wood.

3.) Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo) - An ancient tree that has been widely cultivated and used for medicinal purposes. It is the only living member in its class.

4.) Magnolia grandiflora (Southern Magnolia) - A medium to large evergreen tree with a heavy, hard wood that is native to the SE United States.

5.) Quercus hemisphaerica (Laurel Oak) - A medium sized tree that is in the red oak section of the genus Quercus. Native to the southeastern portion of the U.S. and prefers sandy soils.

Lab 3 - 5 Shrubs

1.) Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet) - An evergreen sometimes grown as an ornamental shrub, the fruit of which has been used in herbal medicine.

2.) Ilex Opaca (American Holly) - A medium sized evergreen with sharp, pointed leaves that is native to the eastern U.S.

3.) Rhododendron atlanticum (Dwarf azalea) - One of many species of azaleas, this one is a decidous shrub native to the eastern United States.

4.) Camellia japonica (Japanese Camellia) - A shrub native to Japan but is also the state flower of Alabama.

5.) Ligustrum vulgare (Ligustrum) - Also called the Common Privet, this shrub is one of many species in the Ligustrum family. Its berries are poisonous to humans but are usually eaten by birds.

Lab 3 - 5 Plants

1.) Aloe vera (Aloe) - Widely grown as an ornamental plant, grows best in arid climates.

2.) Allium hollandicum (Onion) - One of many species in the onion family, the one pictured is similar (I believe) to the ones seen during lab.

3.) Ophiopogon japonicus (Monkey grass) - is a perennial plant native to Japan and grown for ornamental purposes.

4.) Lantana camara (Lantana) - An ornamental plant that is also considered an invasive species in some tropical areas.

5.) Hosta (Hosta) - A genus of many lily-like plants with broad leaves that vary in size. The picture is a representative one that resembled the one seen during lab.

Lab 2

In this lab the class took a trip to the Ocmulgee River and gathered data in two different areas. The first area was the number of clams found in different places across the width of the river. In the photo below, the number on each marker indicates the number of clams found in each sand sample that was taken. The filled dots represent zero clams.

Also note that since the imagery from Google Earth is not current, so this is an approximation. A white shape has also been added to represent an additional sand bank that otherwise does not appear in the image.

The other area in which data was collected was the height of the riverbed. Measurements were made from one side of the river to the other, with the initial riverbank height set as zero elevation. In the picture below, the number by each marker gives how many feet below the initial height each point was measured to be. The markers are placed to be in approximately 50 foot intervals.

The actual measurements were made in 10 foot increments, however, and so a graph (shown below) was created by Dr. Rood using all the measurements to help give a more accurate feel for the elevation changes across the river's width.

Lab 1 Part 3 - Happy Place(s)

I chose two spots for my happy place. Both of them are in Nicaragua, where I had a missional internship for a month this summer. Both places are shown below in relation to each other and Managua (the resolution isn't great for Third-World Latin America, apparently).

The first, Imagine Ministry (below), is where I spent a lot of time; more than any other place I went to. I spent time at the school and worked on houses in the surrounding community.

The second place, the school at Los Cedros, is where I stayed for several days during my internship. I stayed on the school compound in the community (below), spending time with the youth there. I also ended up getting my camera stolen and climbed a small mountain :D.

Lab 1 Part 2 - 3 Maps

This is a choropleth map. It uses different colors to help quickly visualize general data trends over larger areas (in this case counties). Choropleth maps may contain contrasting colors, a color scale, or a monochromatic scale.

Dot-density maps, like the one above, use a predetermined shape, color, and scale (in this map, 1 dot for every 100,000 people). This map uses concentration to show data trends over an area. The more data (in this case the higher the population) there is in an area, more corresponding dots there will be in that area.

This last map is called a proportional symbol map. It uses a fixed shape of a fixed color, but the size changes in proportion to the amount of data. Thus, the more data there is in an area, the larger the shape in that area will be. In this case, the more the forest industry in a country produces, the larger the dot for that country.

Lab 1 Part 1 - Isarithmic Map of GA Precipitation

Komodo Dragon!

The Komodo dragon is a large species of monitor lizard that inhabits several Indonesian islands. Also known as the "land crocodile" by natives, the Komodo dragon can grow to be up to 10 feet long and can weigh up to 300 pounds. They were first documented by Europeans in 1910, and can live anywhere from 30-50 years.

The Komodo dragon is a carnivore and eats mainly mammals, though it will also eat birds and sometimes younger dragons. It has also, on occasion, been reported to have attacked humans. Though it is a large creature it can run at up to 12 mph for short distances, and younger dragons will often climb trees to seek shelter and safety. The Komodo dragon's deadly bite, which was once thought to be caused because of the bacteria in its mouth, has been also been recently shown to contain toxic proteins.

The Komodo dragon is also on the endangered species list. Many factors have contributed to their decline, including loss of habitat and poaching of not only the dragons themselves, but also of some their prey as well. Several wildlife preserves have been created on the islands to help preserve their numbers, and their are numerous Komodo dragons in captivity. They are also officially under the protection of the Indonesian government, and it has been recently estimated that there are up to 5,000 Komodo dragons still in the wild.