Edufount

Sitting comes naturally with living. Most daily tasks,from watching the television, eating, driving and performing official duties, are done in a comfortable sitting position. But there is overwhelming evidence associating prolonged sitting with mortality, with a few studies even insisting that a sedentary lifestyle is more lethal than obesity. Experts say an inactive lifestyle is a certain recipe for a complete degeneration of several parts of the body. According to them, sitting for long periods of time does not only lead to a strained neck and sore shoulders. They posit that an individual with a sedentary lifestyle has a greater risk of developing heart disease, a decrease in insulin production as well as colon, breast and endometrial cancer. A health practitioner, Dr. Ayo Falade, says it is important that people strike a balance when it comes to sitting for long periods. According to him, winning the war against a sedentary lifestyle comes with making conscious choices. ''T...

Sometimes, they may mean nothing, but other times, the following should be checked out with a doctor 1.RECURRENT HEADACHES Headaches can be innocent e.g after a stressful day at work, or could indicate something sinister e.g severe hypertension. 2.EXCESS URINATION Definitely, when one has taken in a lot of liquid, one is expected to urinate more, but on the flip side it could be an indication of diabetes. 3.SWOLLEN FEET This could occur as a result of standing for too long, in more serious cases it could be a symptom of cardiac or kidney problems. 4. REDUCED URINE OUTPUT If this is marked and significant , it could be a pointer towards an acute renal failure especially if the person has an adequate fluid intake. 5.EASY FATIGUE This could be a symptom of low blood levels, if accompanied with breathlessness, it could signify heart failure. 6.DELAYED URINE Especially in an elderly male, could signify an enlargement of the prostate gland, a condition known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (...

Saprophytes are the organisms that act as the rainforests decomposers, competing with the heavy rainfall which constantly washes away nutrients on the forest floors. Some fungi, called mycorrhizals, are examples of plant life that carry out this function. Decomposers work extremely efficiently and, together with the warmth and wetness which helps accelerate decomposition, can often break down dead animals and vegetation within 24 hours. Decomposition in montane forests, which are colder and less humid, however, can sometimes take up to six weeks. Many saprotrophs are so small, called microbes, that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Other decomposers, which include insects, grubs, snails, slugs, beetles and ants, aid in recycling valuable nutrients from dead organic matter which is then released back into the soil to be reabsorbed rapidly by plants and trees. Decayed matter contains essential nutrients like iron, calcium, potassium and phosphorous all of which are necessary to pro...

Farm tools are instruments we use in the farm to aid us in farm work, thereby making it easy. Such equipments include cutlass, wheel barrow hoe, shovel and axe. PICK AXE The pick axe is made up of a long wooden handle with a double headed thick metal blade that is attached to the handle through a loop. The head of the pick axe is made up of two edges, one part of the end of the blade is pointed, while the other end is flat and sharp edged. They are mainly used for breaking up of hard soil, and digging up of roots and tree stumps. HAND FORK When it is viewed, the hand fork, looks like the kitchen fork we eat with, just that it is a little bit bigger, it has a short wooden or metal handle with four prongs. It is used in mixing manure into the soil, for breaking the surface of the soil, so that air and water, can pass easily and it is also used for the removal of weeds on the seed bed. HAND TROWEL It is boat shaped or it is either curved sloop metal blade that is attached to a short woode...

Most stranglers are members of the fig family. In Spanish they are known as matapalo - 'killer tree'. The seed of the strangler fig starts life as an epiphyte high in the trees, borne by birds and monkeys which eat the fig fruit. The seedling fig sends down long roots to the ground from where it begins to surround the host tree. It grows quickly and eventually suffocates the host: when the host tree dies it leaves an enormous upright strangler with a hollow core. By using an adult tree as its host, the strangler fig avoids competition for light and nutrients at ground level.

Ninety per cent of the world's vine species grow in tropical rainforests. Lianas are a type of climbing vine found throughout tropical rainforests. They have thick, woody stems and come in various lengths (up to 3,000 ft) and varying shapes. They begin life on the forest floor but depend on trees for support as they climb upwards towards the sunlight they need for survival. They do this by attaching themselves to trees with sucker roots or tendrils and growing with the young sapling, or they climb by winding themselves round the tree's trunk. When they reach the top of the canopy they often spread to other trees or wrap themselves around other lianas. This network of vines gives support against strong winds to the shallow-rooted, top-heavy trees. However, when one tree falls several others may be pulled down also. Lianas include rattan palms, philodendron and Strychnos toxifera (from which the deadly poison strychnine is obtained). Rattans, the Asian lianas, have thorny stems a...

Both tropical and rainforests feature an incredible array of plants. Those that dangle from trees, rocks and vertical supports are called epiphytes. Tree epiphytes are called air plants because they have no firm grip in the earth. This fascinating collection of plants is also fun to grow indoors or out in the garden. Find answers on what is an epiphyte plant so you can introduce this unique form to your indoor or outdoor landscape. WHAT IS AN EPIPHYTE PLANT? The word epiphyte comes from the Greek "epi", which means "upon" and "phyton", which means plant. One of the amazing adaptations of epiphytes is their ability to attach to vertical surfaces and capture their water and much of their nutrient needs from sources other than soil. They may be found on branches, trunks and other structures. While epiphytes may live on other plants, they are not parasites. There are many types of epiphytes, with the majority being found in tropical and cloud forests. They get...