SCIENCE

= __//Plant Nutrient Primary secondary nutrients//__ = Plants have nutritional requirements just like humans in order to grow, develop and complete their life cycle. The supply of nutrients to the plants should be balanced, ensuring not to over or under-fertilize. Nutrients are classified according to their importance to plants and are categorized by Primary, Secondary and Micro nutrients.

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, form the structural matter in plants and are freely available from air and water. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium may not be available in quantities or forms sufficient to support plant growth and additional nutrients must be added.

Primary nutrients: The primary, or macro, nutrients required by plants are Carbon ©, Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K).

Nitrogen (N) Nitrogen is important for normal plant development. Nitrogen is a component of amino acids, a protein which include nucleic acids, enzymes, light-harvesting pigment and chlorophyll. Nitrogen promotes plant growth and dense, bright foliage.

Phosphorus (P) Phosphorus commonly misspelled "Phosphorous" is an essential part of the enzyme responsible for aiding crops to fix light energy. Nucleic acids carries genetic information and is important in stimulating root development. Phosphorus is an integral part of nucleic acids.

Potassium (K) Potassium assist in the processes which ensure carbon assimilation and the transport of photosynthates through the plant for storage of sugars and proteins, and growth. Potassium is important for water regulation and intake. Sufficient potassium help plants resist frost, drought and certain diseases.

Secondary nutrients: In addition to the primary nutrients listed above, plants also need secondary nutrients like Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Ma), Chlorine (Cl - not always essential), Sodium (Na).

Sulphur (S) Sulphur forms part of two important amino acids which are part of the many building blocks of protein. Sulphur is found in B1 vitamin and several other enzymes.

Calcium (Ca) Calcium is essential for plant growth, cell division and enlargement. Calcium is a component of cell membranes and is important for developing the root system, shoot tips and storage organs. Calcium aids in pollen development and help plants to retain their foliage.

Magnesium (Ma) Magnesium occurs in chlorophyll and is also an activator of enzymes.

Micro nutrients: Aside for the primary and secondary nutrient requirements, plants also need several micro nutrients. Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Maganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo), Boron (B) and Cobalt (Co) are all essential for proper plant development.

Iron (Fe) Iron gives green color to plant foliage. Iron is part of the make up of enzymes and aids in protein synthesis, photosynthesis and the metabolic functions of plants. Iron is also required for chlorophyll synthesis.

Zinc (Zn) Zinc increases the metabolic rate of plants. Zinc deficiencies will cause impaired cell functions. Zinc is also part of the make up of enzymes.

Maganese (Mn) Maganese is part of the make up of enzymes and help in photosynthesis and the metabolic functions of plants.

Copper (Cu) Copper contains amine oxidase (CuAO) has been suggested to play a role in H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide) production in plant cell walls during cell development and in response to pathogen attack. Copper functions as a catalyst in photosynthesis and respiration. It is a constituent of several enzyme systems involved in building and converting amino acids to proteins. Copper is important in carbohydrate and protein metabolism and is important in the formation of lining in plant cell walls which leads to the structural strength of the cells, and the plant. Copper also affects the flavor, the storage ability, and the sugar content of fruits.

Molybdenum (Mo) Molybdenum is part of the make up of enzymes and aids in the metabolic functions of plant. Molybdenum is also required for nitrogen fixing bacteria

Boron (B) Assist in the metabolic function of plant and aids in cell division.

Cobalt (Co) Ethylene synthesis is a process that inhibits shoot development. Cobalt is an ion that inhibits ethylene synthesis, thus, allowing shoots to develop. media type="youtube" key="k3UXY9U0orA" height="344" width="425"

__//What is a cell://__ __//Especies that endangered in Peru//__
=Reviewed by GL: No taxonomical classification. =

=
 **//1.- Anderson's Mouse Opossum : MARMOSA ANDERSONI //** ======

=
 ======

=
**//A small mouse- like marsupial with a prehensile – or grasping – tail, and no pouch. Little is known about this rare and cryptic species. It is nocturnal and thought to inhabit moist areas of montane forest in the Andes. Its diet consists of a wide range of invertebrates, small vertebrates and eggs. Known from only seven specimens, this Critically Endangered opossum is threatened with extinction by habitat loss caused by the continued clearing of brush in the Andes. 2- Short- tailed Chinchilla : Chinchilla chinchilla//** ======

<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> //**In Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. The rodents were very popular because of their luxurious fur, causing their numbers to dwindle greatly.**// ===<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**//<span style="color: rgb(255,0,0);">3.- <span style="color: rgb(0,0,0);">The Andean Condor: <span style="color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Vultur Gryphus //** ===

=
<span style="display: block; font-size: 16pt; color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> ======

=
<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**//<span style="color: rgb(0,0,0);">These majestic birds are found in the Andes Mountains, and along the coast of Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Bolivia. Factors in their endangerment include hunting, deforestation, air pollution and food and water contamination, as well as reduction in available food supply (declining populations of prey). Their slow reproductive rate is also a factor, as they lay eggs only every second year. There is not yet an accurate census of the numbers left, though there are believed to be only a few thousand left in the wild <span style="font-size: 18pt; color: red; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> //** ======

**//<span style="color: rgb(255,0,0);">4.- //**Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey:<span style="color: rgb(0,0,0);">Oreonax flavicauda
<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">

=
<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**//The hair is long and thick, an adaptation to its cold montane forest habitat. Its color is deep mahogany, with yellow on the underside of the rear surface of the tail and a whitish patch on the muzzle. The average weight is 5.7 kg (12.5 lb) for females and 8.3 kg (18.3 lb) for males. The yellow-tailed woolly monkey lives in the montane cloud forests of the Peruvian Andes at elevations of 1700 - 2500 m (5600' - 8200'), where there are steep gorges and ravines//** ======

<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">//<span style="color: rgb(255,0,0);">5.- Andean Cat://
===<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> === ===<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">//The Andean cat is about the size of a large house cat. Its head and body length is 58 - 85 cm (23 - 33"). A male weighed 4.0 kg (9 lb), and a female weighed 4.5 kg (10 lb). Its fur is long, soft and thick. It is mainly ash grey with brown-yellowish blotches that are distributed as vertical lines on both sides of the body, giving the appearance of continuous stripes. The Andean cat's nose is black, and its belly is pale with dark spots. Its tail is very long and is probably an aid to balance when the cat is chasing chinchillas and mountain viscacha as they leap around the rocky habitat. The tail is fluffy and cylindrical, with 6 - 9 wide rings of dark brown to black color. The legs also have dark and narrower blotches or stripes, but they do not form complete rings.// === ===<span style="display: block; color: rgb(255,0,0); font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">//6.-// <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">V**icuña** //Vicugna vicugna// //It is one of two wild// //South American// //camelids////, along with the// guanaco//, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes. It is a relative of the// llama//, and is now believed to be the wild ancestor of domesticated// alpacas, //which are raised for their// fiber//. Vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every 3 years. When knitted together, the product of the vicuña's fur is very soft and warm. It is understood that the// Inca //raised vicuñas for their wool, and that it was against the law for any but royalty to wear vicuña garments.// //<span style="color: rgb(255,0,0);">7.- Giant Armadillo <span style="color: rgb(0,0,0);">Priodontes maximus // === ===<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> ===

<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**//The giant armadillo is the largest of all armadillos and found in South America, east of the Andes, from northwestern Venezuela to northeastern Argentina. Adults grow as long as 35 inches and can weigh over 70 lb. The necks and backs of armadillos are covered with flexible carapaces (shells) consisting of 14 to 17 moveable bands of horn and bone. Their heads are also covered with a similar oval shield. The head, tail and lower edges of the giant armadillo are nearly white, and the rest of the body is dark brown. Underneath the carapace, its naked body appears wrinkly and pinkish in color. It has powerful claws with a very large central claw similar to the claw of the giant anteater. Giant armadillos are very fast on the ground and can sometimes balance themselves on their hind legs and tails, with their forefeet off the ground.

Giant armadillos have suffered from loss of habitat due to agricultural development and human settlement, and they are also overhunted by humans for food. Some are killed by farmers because they are thought to damage crops. This species was listed as endangered in 1976, and the continued study of the species and its habitat is necessary to plan additional conservation efforts.//**

===<span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">//<span style="color: rgb(255,0,0);">8.- <span style="color: rgb(0,0,0);">The Amazon Pink River Dolphin, Inia Geoffrensis // === ===<span style="display: block; font-size: 16pt; color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 16pt; color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: Calibri; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">//known as boutu by the inhabitants of the jungle, is classified as a vulnerable species on the endangered species list. It is one of only five species of freshwater dolphins in the world. It inhabits muddy rivers, relying on echolocation to hunt for prey. These dolphins may be pink or pale blue; they are often albino. Factors threatening these unique animals include damming, building canals and diversion of river courses.// === ===<span style="display: block; color: rgb(255,0,0); font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">//9.-// <span style="display: block; color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**//The Amazonian Manatee,//** **//<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Trichechus inunguis, //** === <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
 * //is a freshwater species of manatee, found throughout the northern Amazon River Basin and its tributaries. It is the smallest of the three manatee species, and a few are found in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. All manatees are entirely aquatic mammals that do not leave the water for the duration of their life cycle. They feed on plants and water vegetation, and are gentle, non-aggressive animals with flippers as forelimbs and no hind limbs; rather they possess a flat, cylindrical shaped tail. Factors in their endangered status include hunting, drowning in fishing nets, and loss of food supply resulting from deforestation//**

===<span style="display: block; color: rgb(255,0,0); font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">//10.-// <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**//<span style="font-size: 18pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Humboldt penguin. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">( Spheniscus humboldti) //** === <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> //**<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; text-align: left;">Human activity and its effects on the Humbolt penguin's nesting behavior contributed to the decline of the species. Since the 1850s, the nesting habitat of the Humbolt penguin has been destroyed because of quano harvesting for fertilizer. In the early 1960s the penguin population was estimated at 50,000. Today there are an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 breeding pairs in the wild, and 900 individuals in zoos and aquariums. Other contributing factors to the birds' decline are decreases in their food source (mainly anchovies) from overfishing, incidental captures in fishing nets, and petroleum pollution. **//

__<span style="color: rgb(255,0,0);">//Sources:// __<span style="display: block; font-size: 60%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
===<span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">__<span style="display: block; font-size: 60%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">http://ezinearticles.com/?Endangered-Animals-of-Peru&id=542341 __ ===

<span style="display: block; font-size: 60%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
===<span style="display: block; font-size: 60%; color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[][] ===