My Plot Thoughts

     The plot study project was an interesting way to actually "get our hands wet" with biology. I thought it was a lot of fun, and it was a project that combined nature and technology; there was something for all types of people. I really liked visiting my plot every week and actually seeing the changes occur.
      The plot study project also taught me a lot about ecosystems. One thing I learned was that bacteria are actually really important! When animals die, decomposers break them down for nutrients. I never knew that bacteria was actually helpful. A second thing I learned was that having algae in the pond at my plot is a good thing, when you have the right amount. I always thought algae was just a gross, annoying substance that smelled bad, but now I know that it is actually helpful for dissolving oxygen. A third thing I learned was that my plot is actually a habitat fragmentation. I knew my plot was a habitat, but I learned that since it is a patch of forest surrounded by a school, church, and homes, the ecosystem was fragmented. I never thought of it that way, I guess I had thought that buildings had been built around the ecosystem, when they have actually been built on them, splitting them up. A fourth thing I learned was that although the sun is the main energy source for life on Earth, including most of the living things on my plot, only .1% of the energy that actually reaches Earth is used. I find that kind of strange, because it seems like the sun is so big but we gather such a small amount of energy from it. A final thing I learned while this plot study was taking place is the importance of keeping other areas of untouched nature like my plot protected. I always knew that it was important to have forests, but it never clicked into my head until this study. We are running out of nature, and it scares me. Walking through my plot on a glorious fall day, with the leaves changing color and the sun shining, I realized that my children might never get to see the sight that I have just seen, and that scares me. They might never get to see nature the way God intended it. Beautiful and free.
      This plot study has taught me a lot about nature and ecology. With this new information I will strive to do whatever I can to help stop the dissolving of plots such as mine. I will try to get more people aware of the dire situation, and I will definitely keep visiting my plot and picking up trash around it! Maybe I will even get a lot of my friends and family to join me, and we can enjoy nature together. Because I believe that that is the purpose of nature-to enjoy.

As the plot changes. . .

My plot has not changed dramatically since the beginning of this blog, but it has changed. The trees have gone from a dark shade of green to a light green, but I am still waiting for them to change color!!!

Tree Week One






Tree Week Three (same tree as above)

Middle of my plot week Two

Middle of my plot week Four

Middle of my plot week Five

A month of my Maple Tree

Week One

                                                Week Two

                                                Week Three    
    

                                                Week Four
          

                                               Week Five
My Tree Now . . .

The Bark of my tree. . .

My Food Web Is at the very bottom of this blog. . .

Biodiversity-Identifying Fungi

This type of fungus is a Giant Puffball mushroom.

This type of fungus is a Chanterelle mushroom.

This type of fungus is a Shiitake mushroom.

This type of fungus is an Oyster mushroom.

This type of fungus is a Button mushroom.

Plot Community

The interactions that occur on my plot are competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
Here are two examples of each interaction.

1.) Competition: Robins fighting for food and territory; ducks fighting over who gets to live in the pond.

2.) Predation: A cardinal eating a worm; an owl eating a mouse.

3.) Mutualism: A bird and a deer; bees and flowers.

4.) Commensalism: Spanish moss growing on an oak tree; squirrel and maple tree.

5.) Parasitism: Bush ticks and deer; Oak-Tree-Hoppers and oak tree leaves.

Producers & Consumers

Producers (produce their own food) on my plot:
ivy, oak trees, weeds, moss, 

Consumers (cannot produce their own food) on my plot:

Herbivores: rabbits, deer, bees, grasshoppers, some types of squirrels, chipmunks, beavers, termites,


Carnivores: cats, frogs, spiders, hawks, fox, owls, coyotes, 


Omnivores: me, raccoons, skunks, crows, rats, mice,


Decomposers: fungi, bacteria,


Detritivores: slugs, millipedes, worms,