Hevea brasiliensis:The Rubber Tree
During the Age of Exploration many people were sent out to seek unknown plant species that might serve as raw material, remedy, or ornament. Of all the great feats of that era of botanical discovery, none was more imposing than that of the domestication of rubber. New World inhabitants had shown rubber, which they obtained from several tropical plant species, to early explorers, including Columbus. Since it was an unstable product, it remained for more than three centuries a mere curiosity. Then, in 1839, it was found that through treatment with sulfur and heat (vulcanization), rubber's elastic properties could be made more permanent. (1)
Hevea brasiliensis is the source of virtually all the world's rubber production. Cutting the bark of this tree releases the latex which is then collected, preserved, and stabilized. The latex is located in the inner bark of the tree and flows in the vessels of the tree. Latex is thought to be a defense against insect predators for the tree. (1)
Hevea brasiliensis was first found in the Amazon basin. The rubber trade became a mainstay of the Brazilian economy, providing at its height almost 40 % of its export revenues. It was not long before the idea was conceived of domesticating rubber. However, Brazil was not the site of the successful commercialization of rubber. Rubber cultivation was, instead, transferred to Southeast Asia. Soon abundant and cheap, rubber was put to thousands of uses. Its reduced cost was an important factor in the emergence of a mass market of automobiles; from two-thirds to three-quarters of the demand for rubber soon came from the makers of tires and tubes for motor vehicles. (1) After tires, latex products, footwear, belts and hoses, and wire cables are the most important uses for rubber. (3) Rubber is harvested in Africa, Central and South America, and in Asia, the latter accounting for greater than 90% of production.
There are 11 species of Hevea. Hevea brasiliensis is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family (spurge family). Although not limited to the Euphorbiaceae, latex production is one of its distinguishing characteristics. (7)
The plants of the Euphorbiaceae family are mostly monoecious herbs, shrubs, and trees, sometimes succulent and cactus-like, and comprise one of the largest families of plants with about 300 genera and 7,500 species that are further characterized by the frequent occurrence of milky sap. (6)
The flowering and pollination of the Hevea brasiliensis tree are also distinguishing characteristics of this plant.
Many variations and species of plants can be found all around the world and in different habitats. These variations and characteristics are due to their adaptations to the natural habitat surrounding them. In three of many climatic zones, the arid, tropical and temperate zone, plants that vary greatly from each other are found in these locations. In this experiment, we’ll be observing the connection between the adaptations of the plants to their environment at the Fullerton Arboretum. The arboretum is a space containing numerous plants from different environments. The plants are carefully looked after and organized into their specific habitat. Therefore, we’ll be able to take a look at the plants within multiple
The hedera helix is a climbable tree plant. The flowers are grown from late summer to late fall. The plant is full of nectar, which is the main nutrient some insects and others need.
Dandelions, known to the botanist as Taraxacum officinale, are classified in the Composite (Compositae) family of flowering plants. The genus name, Taraxacum is derived from the Persian word for "bitter herb," (Myer, 1994). Accompanying the golden ruse of the dandelion are the daisies, aster, sunflowers, goldenrod, Joe Pye weed and many other wildflowers.
As a result of these factors, the flora has adapted to these conditions in a variety of ways including their shape, leaf type, root system, and color. One of the most prominent adapt...
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Stiles F. G. (1975) Ecology, flowering phenology, and hummingbird pollination of some Costa Rican Heliconia species. Ecology 56: 285–301.
Brazil, a country of natural resources running everywhere needing saving, destroyed everyday by humankind. with 2/3’s of the Amazon forest home in brazil, we must keep an eye on how it is being sustained, what is being done to keep it safe and when we believe we will be able to not only stop deforestation, but grow back the earth’s creatures natural habitats. The sheer beauty of our world is worth trying to help our ecosystem and helping the environment and ensuring its sustainability.
If, as adults, people have the right to serve on juries and make major decisions that can influence a whole nation, then at 18 people should be able to consume alcohol without having to worry about breaking the law. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would encourage people to drink responsibly and it would reduce traffic accidents that are caused by people driving under the influence. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 is proving its ineffectiveness day after day and it is causing people more harm than good.
Legal drinking age varies by many countries. In U.S.A, There has been a lot of debate when it comes to the legal drinking age here in US. When it comes to law. There is always an opinion, some are for it and some are against. When it comes to the legal drinking age being 21 we are totally against it. Many people still say the government should prohibit using alcoholic drinks at the age of 18. Legal adults deserve to be treated as such it is time the arbitrary drinking age of 21 Was lowered to 18, because there is no evidence that the National Minimum Drinking Age Act is effective or protects the people it is intended to protect . The Notional Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984 in an attempt to decrease the number of drunk driving related accidents. The act threatens to decrease a state’s budget for high way construction and maintenance if it sets its drinking age under 21. According to Cuccoli , “ Keeping the drinking age at such a low age is leading to more cases of binge drinking,” (Cuccoli). Mothers against drunk driving reports that the number of alcohol related fatalities involving a vehicle decreased from 26, 173 to 16, 885 between 1982 and 2005.
An ongoing debate has been occurring trying to decide if the legal drinking age should remain at 21 or be lowered. Teenagers seem to be consuming alcohol with no regard to the legal age. Drinking underage can lead to many problems but these problems can potentially be resolved by lowering the drinking age. Taking a look at some of the myths verse the realities will help grasp why the drinking age to consume alcohol is legally 21.
People who think the drinking age should be lowered are because of three facts. Under the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, fewer young adults drink, but when they do drink they tend to drink more, which lead to a more serious problem - binge drinking. Furthermore, people can vote, adopt children, sign up for Iraq or become a commercial pilot at 18. Therefore, it is double standard to set the drinking age at 21. Another point is that kids are going to drink regardless of its legality. It is better to lower the drinking age so they can do it legally and parents can reach to them more easily. On the other hand, some people think the government should not lower the drinking age becau...
As we, all know in the United States the current legal age for drinking is 21. In today’s society, many people are bringing up in conversation such as, “Is the drinking age appropriate (should it be lower, higher or stay the same)?” Even though we do consider ourselves as adults at the age of 18 we are able to vote and serve in military etc. With those rights, many would agree to lower the age rate for drinking alcohol since most of us do consider ourselves adults and think they can hold such responsible on their own. There are much more life changing decisions and other things to be worried about than having to serve alcohol to someone who is consider as a minor to the adults that are more suitable and age appropriate to drink alcohol. In
I’m here to persuade you in supporting a lower legal drinking age to age 18 because 1. It would eliminate temptation of breaking law (to drink) 2. Reduce unsafe drinking activities (Binge drinking) 3. It should correspond to the age of adulthood
In the lab exercise regarding plant structure and function, we examined slides containing the different kinds of roots (monocot, dicot). We labeled the parts and pointed out the different roles of each in the plant structure. Also, we examined monocot stems and dicot stems in order to familiarize ourselves with its external and internal structures. We sketched and labeled the parts of the stem and looked closely at the positions of each part. In the last part of the lab, we classified leaves into different kinds according to their leaf venation, bases of leaves, and apices of leaves. As an additional exercise, we sketched 20 animals and classified them according to phylum and class. We were also able to discover the scientific and common names of the animals. Overall, the exercises we did enabled us to familiarize ourselves with plant structure thus, gaining a better understanding for plant life and its importance.
These movies are history lessons to the audience since they show something we were not able to witness or take part in. Consider war movies such as “The Tuskegee Airmen and Memphis Belle”. Though not one hundred percent accurate, both depict actual events of historical wars. They are examples of how movies can teach the newer generation about what their distant relatives did for their country. Another type of informative movies describes the cultures and societies around the world. “City of God” is a prime example. These movies show the hardships that people in other countries face in their day-to-day lives. Again, these are just two simple examples of how movies can be learning tools for a mass