My Response

I felt like the plot study was a great idea. I really liked seasonal changes the best because i got to sea how the trees and the plots surroundings changed. I learned more about how quickly the leaves can change. Although this project was a bit challenging for me in the sense that i had to squeeze in the time to go look at my plot and take pictures and such because of after school activities such as soccer, i learned we should pay more attention to nature. God created it so we need to keep it clean since it is so beautiful and we don`t want to change that by cluttering it.I also learned that there is more going on than what you would see at a quick glance. Another thing is the relationships, i had no idea that so many animals helped, or helped themselves, each other to be better than what they would be without the other. Also from doing this project i learned how to use technology better such as taking pictures and learning how to do a blog. After this project is done i feel that i am going to have a new perspective on nature, one with more understanding on what exactly happens in my plot or any other plot. Though i am not sure what i will do specifically with the knowledge gained from my plot or ecology in general I do know that my plot is in my mind way cooler now than when I first started this project.

Seasonal Changes

Biodiversity: Trees/leaves

dogwood

Maple Tree

Siebold crabapple

spruce tree

rhododendron

butterfly  bush 

In my plot i have many maple trees, and not many others, so i added pictures of leaves from a bush too, and it has been difficult to visit my plot lately so I'm missing all the neat things that are going on everyday inside that area.

Food Web

producers and consumers

In my plot there are producers and consumers, there are examples here from my plot. raccoon, it is an omnivore, and its Latin name is procyon lotor. Next is the deer, a herbivore, Latin name is odocoileus. Next is the porcupine it is a herbivore and the Latin name is erethizon dorsatum. Next is the rabbit and it is a herbivore, and its Latin name is oryctolagus cuniculus. Next is the red tailed hawk it is a carnivore and its Latin name is louteo. Next is the Great Blue Heron it is a carinivore and Latin name ardea herodias. Next is Garden snake it is a carnivore, and Latin name is ophidia. Next is Field Mouse it is a herbivore and Latin name microtus. Next is the Fox and it is an omnivore Latin name is vulpes. Next is Mushroom it is a decomposer and its Latin name is pleurotus ostreatus. Next is the Robin its a omnivore and its latin name is turdus. Next is the rat and it is an omnivore and the Latin name is rattus. Next is the ant and its aomnivore with a Latin name of formica. Next is the crow who is a decomposer and  its Latin name is cornix. Next is the tick it is a decomposer its Latin name is tecinicus. Next is the owl its a carnivore and has a Latin name of noctua. Next is the squirrel it is an omnivore and its Latin name is sciurus. Next is the daddy long legs spider it is a carnivore and has a Latin name of pholcidae. Next is the frog it is a herbivore with a Latin name of rana. Next is the catipillar it is a herbivore and its Latin name is papilio indra. Next is the snapping turtle its omnivore and its Latin name is chelydra. Next is the painted turtle it is an omnivore and its Latin name is chrysemys. Next is the minnow its a herbivore and its Latin name is pimephales notatus. Next is the worm it is a detrivore it has a Latin name of gusano. Next is the mosquito its a decomposer and its Latin name is anopheles quadrimaculatus. Next is the bat its an omnivore and has a Latin name of chiroptera. Next is the fish some are herbivores some are carnivores and the Latin name is namaycush. Next is the cardinal its a herbivore and its Latin name is cardinalis. Next is the blue jay it is a herbivore and its Latin name is cyanocitta cristata. Lastly the woodpecker it is a herbivore and it has a Latin name of picus.

Plot Community

There are many different types of relationships in nature, like competition. The frogs and turtles compete for water space, just like the fish and turtles. Predation is another relationship that is found in nature, like the birds, the hawk is a predator to the mice, and the blue heron is a predator to the fish. Also there are symbiosis relationships the first being mutualism were both species benifit. Such as a bee and flower. the bee gets food and the flower gets pollinated. Same with the butterfly and flower, the butterfly gets food and the flower gets pollinated. Another type of symbiosis relationship is commensalism, this is when there is a relationship between two species and one benefits and the other does not but is not harmed. Such as an ant carrying a leaf or the fish in water. There is a symbiosis relationship that one species benefits and the other doesn't, this is called parasitism. This happens with deer having ticks or the deer having round worm.

Taking Action

When looking at my plot it looks nice, but there was some trash from various activities. So today i went to my plot and picked  up the trash that was there. these are pictures of my plot and the trash that was collected.

Biotic or Not?

In my plot there are many different things. they are usually biotic and some are abiotic. examples of the abiotic items are the rocks, the water,  the sand, the clouds, and the air. There are also biotic features to my plot which include the things that were living or are still living. Such as these that are found in my plot. there are birds, ants, trees, leaves, grass, spiders, mosquitos, the fish in the pond, the turtles, the seaweed, caterpillars, leeches, frogs, snakes, and bunnies. these are all either biotic or abiotic features about my plot

Looking Closley

I saw two different things under the microscope, one was of a blade of grass that was found in my plot. under the microscope it looked different. it had cells in a rectangular type of form with the length being longer than the width so it was a skinny rectangle. another object that i observed was a leaf from a clover, it was different than the grass. It had a circular shape to the cells instead of the rectangle. It looked much like bubble rap, but without being as organized in straight rows.

My Plot is an Ecosystem

There are many different levels of organization in my plot there are atoms, in everything like the birds and the leaves. Then there are molecuels that are in things like grass or bark on a tree. then cells which can be found in lots of places too such as in a squirrel or leaf. then there are tissues which can be found on birds and fish. then organs, like in any living thing like a rat or human. organ systems are next and found in birds in the sky and chipmunks on the ground. then organisms like spiders or misquitos. population such as many spiders or squirrels. communities are next like a community of plants or a community of bees. this all makes up an ecostystem and this ecosytem is my plot.

Nature Poem Expression

I wrote a poem about my plot and drew and colored a picture to represent my plot.

Meet my Plot

 

My plot study location was chosen here because it is easy to get to since it is very close to my home, off of hall street across from forest hills central. My plot looks like an ordinary woods with a pond in the back. It has many different types of birds, animals, insect, and fish, and all kinds of plants too. it also contains mud grass and leaves. when I enter my plot i can hear birds chirping and frogs gurgles and the winds humming. I can feel the ground soft in some areas and hard in others, also i can feel the wind in my face and the trees, the water, the grass, the reeds, and all the animals and insects if I`m fast enough. I think that a plot study is a great way to observe nature and how it changes over time and through the seasons, and I am not sure as of now what i will be doing for any of the projects.