Gymnosperm

This is a cycad I saw in my grandparents' backyard.  A gymnosperm is a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit.  Cycads are classified as gymnosperms because they develop a large cone in the center for reproduction. 

K-Strategist

This is an oak tree from the front yard of a house in my neighborhood.  A k-strategist is an animal that produces few offspring that require a large amount of energy to produce and raise.  They have longer life expectancies ( compared to r-strategists) and can reproduce more than once.  An oak tree takes multiple years before it is mature enough to reproduce.  Oak trees reproduce for many years and have a life expectancy of hundreds of years. 

Predation

This is my dog eating meatloaf.  Predation is the preying of one animal on others.  Although my dogs love all kinds of meat, they were not trained to be hunters.  In this picture Desi is "preying" on her lunchtime snack. 

Tropism

This is a plant growing in my backyard.  Tropism is the turning of all or part of an organism in a particular direction in response to an external stimulus.  One type of tropism is phototropism. This is when a plant grows towards the sun, so they can use it for photosynthesis.  This plant is growing up, towards the sun. 

Hydrophobic

This is my friend's cat. To be hydrophobic is tending to repel or fail to mix with water.  Cats hate water because when becoming fully wet, they lose body heat. Cats also become very heavy when wet, which can be very uncomfortable for the animal. 

Territorial Behavior

This is my dog peeing on a walk. Territorial behavior are the methods by which an animal, or group of animals, protects its territory from incursions by others of its species.  Dogs mark and protect "their territory" by urinating. 

Homologous Structures

This is my aunt's cat's leg and my cousin's arm.  Homologous structures are structures derived from a common ancestor or same evolutionary or developmental origin.  A cat's leg and human's arm are considered homologous structures, proving that these two creatures had a common ancestor.