Blogpost #4: An Ecological Analysis of the Garden and your Plants

   Abiotic factors that that our plant depends on for survival is the weather. Like the sunlight, and rain, soil, and climate. The plant needs sunlight to be able to perform photosynthesis to create food and energy for itself, and it needs rain so that it can get water and stay alive.  The soil need to be able to support the plant with its minerals and absorb water. Climate has to have lots of sunlight and have rain with proper temperatures. Biotic factors affect the growth of the plants with things such as Herbivory, Parasitism, and Mutualism. Herbivores are animals that eat and feed off of the plants for survival, for example there are certain bugs and animals that feed off of our plant to stay alive. Parasitism is when the plant is harmed by another organism but the organism benefits. For example if there were aphids on our plant eating away at it that benefit them but not our plant. Also Mutualism which is when both plant and organism would benefit. For example if the bacteria Rhizobium lived within the roots of our plant, the bacteria gets its energy from the roots and it also provides the plant with nitrogen it can absorb. I also know my plant is engaged in competition because its near other plants. It is competing for sunlight. Our plant needs sunlight to make and store food so it can survive. Everyone who is growing plants around ours is in competition with our plant. The winner is determined by who grows the best. It can be sometimes hard to tell who wins and who loses because there is limited amount of essential ingredients to start with. This forces the plants to have to have a head-to-head competition, which forces them to share the resources as possible. Other interactions among plants are when a plant is growing off another. Where one plant uses the other to grow. The one that grows off the other one benefits from its nutrients and sunlight, the one that is being grown off of is being negatively affected because it is losing resources. Evidence in the garden that is is succeeding is that all of the plants are growing and look healthy. They all get sunlight, have proper soil, water, and resources for survival. This is secondary succession because the plants were planted by us in the garden after they had already grown for a while as well.

Blogpost #3: Biogeochemical Cycles and your Plants

   This week our plant has grown a lot. It is a lot larger and very green. It looks like there is more than one root that has spouted out of the ground and is wider then the other plants out there. Our plant participates in the water cycle with transpiration. This is the process where moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of the leaves, where it changes to vapor and is released into the atmosphere. The role in the water cycle relate to the changes in the plant making it look healthier, more green, and larger. Our plant participates in the Carbon cycle by doing photosynthesis, this is when the plant takes in Carbon Dioxide and water using the chlorophyll in its leaves and energy from the sun, it releases oxygen and water vapor and sugar. Our plants role in the Carbon cycle relates to the changes in how it looks by helping it grow, and keeping it alive. Without photosynthesis the plant would not be able to feed itself, causing it to die. So the plant does photosynthesis to affect the growth, and in our plant it has paid off for it because it looks a lot bigger. Our plants role in the movement of Nitrogen starts with bacteria. Bacteria helps change the nitrogen so plants can use it. Animals then will get Nitrogen from the plants that absorb it. Nitrogen can relate to the plants growth this week because without nitrogen, out plant could not live. It helps make the chlorophyll in our plant which helps with photosynthesis to make its food and energy.