Biology Report …

For this assignment, I’ll focus on the Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

The Sonoran Desert ecosystem is located in North America, spanning parts of the United States and Mexico. Specifically:

  1. In the United States:
    • Southwestern Arizona
    • Southeastern California
  2. In Mexico:
    • Northwestern states of Sonora
    • Baja California
    • Baja California Sur

The Sonoran Desert covers approximately 100,000 to 120,000 square miles (260,000 to 310,800 square kilometers)135. Its geographic boundaries are:

  • West: Bordered by the Peninsular Ranges, separating it from California chaparral and woodlands2
  • North: Transitions to the Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau deserts12
  • East: Transitions to the Arizona Mountains forests and Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests2
  • South: Bordered by the Sonoran-Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest2

The Sonoran Desert’s location is roughly between latitude 25° to 33° North and longitude 105° to 118° West67. It includes diverse sub-regions such as the Colorado Desert, Gran Desierto de Altar, Lechuguilla Desert, Tonopah Desert, Yuha Desert, and Yuma Desert1.

Citations:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert
  2. https://lacgeo.com/sonoran-desert
  3. https://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/sonora.php
  4. https://open.oregonstate.education/rangelandecosystems/chapter/sonoran/
  5. https://www.britannica.com/place/Sonoran-Desert
  6. https://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/sonoran_desert.php
  7. https://geoalliance.asu.edu/sites/default/files/LessonFiles/Haile/Sonoran/HaileSonoranS.pdf
  8. https://atlas.co/explore/deserts/sonoran-desert/
  9. https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/sonoran-desert/
  10. https://thetravelingnaturalist.org/the-sonoran-desert-in-california-and-arizona/

Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share

Food Web

Producers:

  1. Cacti (e.g., Saguaro cactus)
  2. Creosote bush
  3. Brittlebush6

Primary Consumers (Herbivores):

  1. Desert tortoise
  2. Kangaroo rat2

Secondary Consumers (Omnivores or Small Carnivores):

  1. Coyote
  2. Rattlesnake2

Tertiary Consumer (Top Predator):

  1. Hawk2

Decomposer:

  1. Bacteria2

Food Web Diagram:

text                 Hawk
                /    \
         Coyote      Rattlesnake
        /      \    /
Desert Tortoise   Kangaroo Rat
    \            /
     \          /
      Cacti  Creosote Bush  Brittlebush
              \     |      /
               \    |     /
                 Bacteria

Energy Pyramid

text                 Hawk (1 kcal)
               /
         Coyote, Rattlesnake (10 kcal)
        /
Desert Tortoise, Kangaroo Rat (100 kcal)
    /
Cacti, Creosote Bush, Brittlebush (1000 kcal)

The energy pyramid shows how energy decreases by 90% at each trophic level due to the rule of 10%. This means that only 10% of the energy from one level is transferred to the next level, while 90% is lost as heat or used for the organism’s life processes2.

Symbiotic Relationships

Commensalism:

The cactus wren and the cholla cactus. The cactus wren builds its nest in the cholla cactus, benefiting from protection against predators, while the cactus is unaffected3.

Mutualism:

The phainopepla bird and the desert mistletoe. The bird eats the mistletoe berries, gaining energy, while dispersing the mistletoe seeds through its droppings, helping the plant to spread7.

Parasitism:

The desert mistletoe and the desert willow tree. The mistletoe grows on the willow tree, acquiring nutrients from it. This benefits the mistletoe but can harm or even kill the willow tree by depriving it of essential nutrients7.

Citations:

  1. https://study.com/academy/lesson/desert-biotic-and-abiotic-factors.html
  2. https://www.sciencefacts.net/desert-food-chain.html
  3. http://shawcloud.yolasite.com/soil-and-succession-and-symbiotic-relationships.php
  4. https://homework.study.com/explanation/select-an-ecosystem-in-your-area-forest-lake-desert-grassland-1-describe-the-structure-of-your-ecosystem-including-important-abiotic-features-and-dominant-plant-and-animal-species-2-explain.html
  5. https://byjus.com/biology/desert-ecosystem/
  6. https://study.com/learn/lesson/desert-producers-consumers-ecosystems-adaptations-examples.html
  7. https://desertbcraft.weebly.com/symbiotic-relationships.html
  8. https://creately.com/lp/food-web-maker/
  9. https://sigmaearth.com/what-is-the-food-web-of-the-desert-biome/

Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share

Romanov Report

WHat Happened

  1. Tsar Nicholas II made a big mistake by deciding to lead the army himself during World War I, even though he didn’t have any military experience. This left his unpopular wife and a controversial man named Rasputin in charge back home, which made people angry.
  2. The war caused a lot of economic problems in Russia. Food became very expensive and hard to find, which made people upset and hungry.
  3. For a long time, there had been tensions between the rich royal family (the Romanovs) and the poor farmers. These farmers were getting more and more unhappy and started to rebel against the government.
  4. Even the soldiers were getting tired of fighting. Many of them, especially in the capital city, started to disobey orders and join the protesters.

The Final Collapse began in March 1917 when people in the capital city, Petrograd (now called St. Petersburg), started protesting and going on strike. This grew into a big revolution called the February Revolution. Tsar Nicholas II lost support from everyone, including the army, and had to give up his throne on March 15, 1917.

After this, a temporary government took control, but they weren’t very popular either. In November 1917, another revolution called the October Revolution happened. This was led by a group called the Bolsheviks, who were led by Vladimir Lenin. The Bolsheviks took control of the government and eventually created the Soviet Union

WHy this was Significant

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was highly significant for several reasons:

  1. End of Imperial Rule: It overthrew the 300-year-old Romanov dynasty, ending centuries of autocratic rule in Russia12.
  2. First Socialist State: The revolution led to the creation of the world’s first socialist state, the USSR, which attempted to build a new type of government and society based on Marxist-Leninist ideology3.
  3. Global Impact: The revolution’s influence extended far beyond Russia’s borders, affecting Europe, Asia, and Latin America, making its impact truly global3.
  4. World War I: It led to Russia’s withdrawal from World War I, significantly altering the course of the war2.

How Did this shape the world after ww1

  1. Cold War Origins: The establishment of the Soviet Union as a result of the revolution played a crucial role in defining the Cold War in the following decades3.
  2. Social and Political Transformation: The revolution brought about radical changes in social, political, economic, and cultural orders within Russia and along its borders3.
  3. Ideological Shift: It represented a major shift in political ideology, inspiring communist movements worldwide and creating a counterpoint to capitalist systems13.
  4. Historical Model: The February Revolution, in particular, became a model for later “color revolutions” in the 21st century3.

The Russian Revolution’s significance continues to resonate today, influencing global politics, economic systems, and historical discourse. It remains a pivotal event in world history, marking a dramatic shift in power structures and ideologies that shaped much of the 20th century and beyond.

https://www.mytutor.co.uk/answers/1939/A-Level/History/Why-did-the-Romanov-dynasty-collapse-in-1917

https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/modern-history/fall-of-the-romanovs-reading

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~semp/romanov.htm

https://www.thecollector.com/the-romanovs-russian-empire-rise-and-fall

https://www.britannica.com/topic/October-Revolution-Russian-history