Plot Study Response

I have enjoyed the plot study project. I think it is a good way to learn more about the habitat where we live.  I think being able to touch, observe, and investigate my plot has been a more effective learning style than simply performing controlled labs or taking notes.  The projects have also been fun to do.  I learned a number of things from my plot study including how many types of fungus grow on my plot.  I hadn’t really realized just how many different kinds of mushrooms could be found on my plot and how hard it was to identify them.  I learned the relationships between species on my plot and how God designed every species with a specific purpose that correlated with other species around it.  I was amazed how each level on the food chain affects every other level on the food chain.  I observed the gradual process of leaves changing color.  If you aren’t observing the leaves at least once a week, the leaves will have changed without warning.  Observing the kinds of organisms that live on my plot was interesting.  I learned that my plot is a resting spot for deer when I found the imprints in the ground where they had slept.  I was also unaware of what a detritivore was, but through my plot study I learned that a detritivore is an organism lower than a decomposer.  A detritivore is a fungi or bacteria.  Now that my plot study has been completed, I will continue to make spending time in God's creation a priority, as well as giving God glory for his marvelous creation.  Learning the intricacies of creation and of how species are designed to live with each other makes me wonder even more at God's design.  Even learning about parasitism relationships makes me impressed with how God designed every creature with a specific purpose and equipped them with the tools and resources to do it.  Nature reveals the existence of God and I can use nature to express my faith to others.

Seasonal Changes

10-15-11: Today is the sixth time I have visited my plot and there are many big changes. The leaves are a variety of red and yellow and many have fallen on the ground. However, there are still a good number left to fall.

10-15-11: A closer view of the many leaves which have fallen on my plot.

10-1-11: This is my fifth visit to my plot. There is a decrease of leaves on the trees, but only a few are falling off each tree.

9-24-11: Today is the fourth visit to my plot. There aren't any noticeable changes in the leaves. However, there aren't any frogs swimming on the creek due to the cold weather.

9-18-11: Today was the third day I visited my plot. Overall there hasn't been a significant change. However, some leaves on the top of the tallest trees have started to yellow, but they are hard to see.

9-11-11: I have visited my plot for the second time this year. The sun is shining today,so the leaves on my plot appear a brighter green. Overall, there is no major change.

 

9-2-11: I have visited my plot for the first time and everything

is very green, since it is late summer.

                However it is very humid after a previous rain shower, so there is a lot of fog.                

Food Web

Producers and Consumers

List of Producers

·        Ferns

·        Oak Trees

·        Jack in the Pulpit

·        Wild Black Raspberry Bushes

List of Consumers

Herbivores

·        White Tailed Deer

·        Rabbits

·        Grasshoppers

·        Bees

Carnivores

·        Garter Snakes

·        Coyotes

·        Owls

·        Hawks

·        Spiders

·        Frog

·        Turkey Vulture

Omnivores

·        Fox

·        Raccoons

·        Crows

·        Squirrels

·        Opossums

·        Skunks

·        Mice

·        Woodpeckers

·        Blue Jays

Detritivores

·        Millipedes

·        Termites

·        Slugs 
·        Earthworms

Decomposers

·        Mushrooms

·        Mold

·        Bacteria

Biodiversity

Tricholoma saponaceum

Spiny Hedgehog (Sarcodon imbricatum)

Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea)

Coral Mushroom (Ramaria acrisiccescens)

 Black Trumpet Chanterelles (Cantharellaceae)

Underside of Black Trumpet Chanterelles (Cantharellaceae)

 

Plot Community

Plot Community

Competition

1.    The Red Fox competes against the Coyote for food.  They hunt almost identical prey and they are from the same family of Canidae.

2.     Numerous species of trees compete against each other for nutrients in the soil and sunlight.  They grow towards the sunlight and crowd out other trees.

Predation

1.    A hawk eats a rabbit. 

2.    A frog eats a fly.

Mutualism

1.    Certain ants make their home in a tree in exchange for helping to protect the tree. 
2.    A bee gets pollen from a wildflower, so it can make honey.  In turn, the flower becomes cross-pollinated, so it can bloom.

Parasitism

1.    A frog is infected with a parasite called Ribeiroia which can cause deformities in the frog. 
2.    A raccoon is infected with ticks and fleas that make their home in its fur and eat its blood.

Commensalism

1.    A bird makes its nest in a tree.  The bird benefits, but the tree isn’t harmed or helped. 
2.    A mite waiting on a flower for a moth to land.  The mite is helped, because it is given the opportunity to find a new home on the next moth landing on the flower.  The flower isn’t helped or harmed by the mite’s presence.

Taking Action

My friend's plot after we picked up all the trash!

I worked with a friend to pick up trash on her plot, because there wasn't any trash on mine.

Biotic or Not?

                                                          

Biotic Factors	Abiotic Factor
Ferns	Rocks
Trees	Sand
Skunk Cabbage	Water
Wild Flowers	Air
Moss	Light
Crows	Temperature
Eastern Screech-Owls	Air Pressure
Frogs
Chipmunks
Worms
Pileated Woodpeckers
Fox
Turkeys
Deer

Looking Closely

 The picture above is of moss that grew on my plot. I thought it was cool, because it showed all of the tiny roots that hold the moss into the ground. I used to think of moss just as the green carpet like stuff in the woods, but this showed a lot of intricate details like its root system.

The picture above is a water sample from the stream running through my plot. I think it is really cool, because the stream looked really clean without the microscope. However, it actually is filled with dirt, sand, and little  parasites.

My Plot is an Ecosystem

Species	Population	Community	Ecosystem
-Frog	-Knot of frogs	-Flies	-Stream
-Fox	-Skulk of Fox	-Water bugs	-Riverbank
-Deer	-Rafter of Turkeys	-Rabbits	-Trees
		-Squirrels	-Rocks