Presque Isle Community Ecology

After walking around Presque Isle I was able to find examples of many types of living.

-Parasitism: Mosquitoes

-Commensilism: moss

-Mutualism: squirrels and trees

-Intraspecific competition: Two pines trees from sun and water

-Interspecific competition: Pines and Spruce for sun and water

-Mircohabitat: Bugs on the rock. This microhabitat is different from the surrounding area because the bugs located on the rock choose to get its nutrients from the soil on and around the rock. Also, the bugs use the rock as a shelter. 

-Deer (niche): The deer are herbivores that live in the forest. They sleep in tall grasses at night. They are prey to carnivores like the coyote.

-Biogeochemical Cycles: When the trees in Presque Isle die and fall to the ground, they start to decompose. When they are decomposing, bacteria takes the Nitrogen from the plants and pulls it into the soil. The Nitrogen is then cycled back into the living plants and during photosynthesis, the Nitrogen is released. Also during the photosynthesis, Carbon is released into the air.

Quadrat: 

The tree that fell once was well

It now acts as home for some unknown

Mushroom, moss, and grass

Have found a sacred home at last

Mushroom and moss decompose

As grass grows and grows

The small community works together

As the wood becomes weathered

As time continually passes by

The tree will no longer be seen by the naked eye

Moss-

Microhabitat-

Deer-

Sand County Almanac Essay 2: The Odyssey

After reading the Odyssey and based on what we had learned in lecture, I believe that X and Y could be different atoms. This essay supports and explains the biogeochemical cycles because it "personifies" an atom traveling from one subject matter to another through ingestion, decomposition, and other methods. This reading got me thinking that we are, as humans, one with the earth. the atoms that comprise us come from all sorts of places and all sorts of things and with that being said, it gets me think that we colectively need to take better care of where we live. Some how I am connected to a multiude of things and I think that is pretty neat.

Sand County Almanac Essay 1: Think Like a Mountain

After reading Think Like a Mountain, I got a new perspective on things that go around me. The idea that the echo of one wolf howl can mean different to so many different things kind of excites me. I never really thought about how a deer or pine could perceive the echoes. But then as I read along and figured out where this story was going, I did get a bit uncomfortable. I am not a fan of the idea that if something were to happen to the wolves, then the mountains could be effected. The wolves are to keep the deer in proper numbers. If the wolves were to die out (humans hunting them), then the numbers of the deer would grow and they would be over-abundant leading to more plants being eaten and eventually enough would be eaten that the mountain, per se, could not keep with with the deer population and the deer would die off of starvation. I like the idea of "thinking like a mountain". To me it means sitting back and looking at the things that surround you and see how everything is connected. The mountain stands tall and oversees everything that goes on beneath it. Where  I am from there is a lot of Canadian Geese and even though they poop everywhere and their screeching can be annoying, they are protected and can not be hunted. If they were to die off, the coyote population could die off because a source of their food is gone.

A Jog Through the Bog

OK, maybe we didn't take a jog through the bog, but we did have a nice walk. I have to say, this was probably the best science class I have had. It's very often that I get to have a class in my favorite place; outside. Walking through the bog I learned a lot.

The bog located near Presque Isle came to be 8-10 thousand years ago when the glaciers dug holes when they where receding. Plants grew in these holes and bogs were created. Because of the cool climates, when the plants die, they don't decay completely creating layers of peat and mats of dead and living plants. The bog is highly acidic so the plants in the bog have to adapt to the conditions. Some plants in the bog include pitcher plant (below), labrador tea, tamarack, cranberries, sun dew, leather leaf, sweet gale, willow and arrow leaf, which provides protection for ducks and songbirds.

Bogs also improve the quality of water and are an important habitat for migrating birds and wide life. Sadly, more than 50% of coastal wetlands have been lost to filling and development so it is best if we are conscious and take of care of the wetlands.

As mentioned above, the pitcher plant is a common plant in the bogs and it is probably the most unique. The pitcher plant is carnivorous (meat eating). The insects are digested by special enzymes and provide nitrogen to the plant. It has dark red flowers and the leafs have dark red veins. The leaves are cupped shaped to make it easier to fill with water when it rains. 

The water of the bogs are brown due to the staining from the roots of the plants. The water for the bog near Presque isle comes from rainfall and seepage from Lake Superior through the porous soil. Alder trees (small trees with dark brown speckled bark) are abundant around the edges of the bog. The roots of Alders help with the nitrogen by gathering the nitrogen in the air and bringing it down to the soil for other plants. Alders are also used by beavers for food and housing.

I can not wait to come back to the bog and explore more around it and see what else it has to offer! Below are some pictures that I took during the class trip.

 

 

Inquiry Wheel

After learning about the Inquiry Wheel, I think it is a lot better than the Scientific Method for this project. The Inquiry Wheel is all about asking questions and that is just what we will do during this project.

Our project involves seeing what type of fertilizer helps grow the healthiest plant. Every so often during the project, you must ask yourself questions to make sure that the experiment is going smoothly and that you are getting accurate results. If your results are accurate, then ask yourself what can be done to make it better and change what needs to be done. The Inquiry Wheel is a messy process but it is necessary for the results you need.

It's Still Alive?

All you have is a plastic bag, paper towel, some beans, a popcorn kernel, rubber band and a cotton ball. Now go outside and pick some things that could fit in the bag (grass, ants, dandelions...). In your bag, what is a live, dead or once was living? Mark your answers in an excel spread sheet.

After a week of the sealed bag sitting near the window, magic happened. Well, biology happen but it was like magic. What I thought was dead, became alive! The beans started to sprout with in the bag! I learned that given only the basic necessities, things and either become alive or stay alive.

This is an activity that I would definitely incorporate in my classroom because if I excited about seeing the results, i think the students would be really excited about it!

What's In The Box?!?

You're given a film container with something in it. You can't see inside the container and you can't open it. What is in the container?

The possibilities are endless as to what is inside. Start asking yourself what could it be. Could it be just one object? Is there two things in there? What does it sound like? Just keep asking yourself questions about what is inside. Eventually you'll guess it, right?

Ok, here is Clue #1: Here are some possible objectss that could be inside the film container. Do you think you know what it is now? Question some more.
Clue #2: You probably what another empty container to compare the two. Now do you have an idea? Do any of the objects sound the same?
Clue#3: What if I told you you could weight the containers?
Based on the three clues, you should have a pretty good idea what is inside the first container. Were you right??

I really like this activity because it really gets me thinking. Most times, I am given information but I really don't' think about it. It was honestly difficult to come up with as many questions about what I thought was inside the container. This is also a good way to  help students understand the inquiry wheel and how the scientific method is only used for writing. In science, you must ask lots of questions and check up on those questions. It is ok if your answer is wrong because you can always ask more questions and within time, you will get your answer. As Dr. Lowe puts it, "Science is messy!"

Here is an example of the Inquiry Wheel:

BREAKING NEWS: DHMO Is Everywhere

BREAKING NEWS: DHMO Is Everywhere

Before you read any further, watch the video in the above link.

What do you think? Should we start banning DHMO?

If you answered yes, then you answered like most people and you just banned water!
DHMO = DiHydrogen MonOxide = H20 = water

After seeing the video for the first time I, too, "banned water" and I felt so silly. When someone told me what DHMO stood for, I thought, "how could I not have seen that in the first place!" It really taught me that people (including me) need to start paying attention to where they are getting their information. I have an issue of believing anything someone tells me. I now know that I should do some background research before I start to put out my opinion.

If I ever get the opportunity to teach upper elementary/middle school science, I plan on showing this video and seeing if the students decide to "ban water"! This activity is silly but it gets you thinking about how not everything that we hear is true.

8th Grade Biology Test

After taking the 8th grade biology test, I learned that I am the type of student that learns stuff for the tests but then forgets about it. I honestly felt as if I should have known all, if not, most of the questions. They were pretty basic. Over the summer, I took a environmental science class, so now I feel like I really should have known the answers and done much better than did. If i could retake it, I would definitely take my time and really think about what each question is asking. I am truly surprised I did not do better.

Nature Celebration: Fishing In Purple

Where I am from, it's not everyday that a 20 year old girl will go fishing with her father. I am not your everyday girl. My dad and I drove out to Port Huron to try some fishing. His dream was to catch a walleye to have for dinner.

Let me give you some background information. Growing up, my dad always went fishing with his friends and cousins. I always hear about stories about all the fish they would catch and the trips that they went on. As my dad grew up, work and other things took up his time and fishing was put on the back burner. It wasn't until this past summer that he realized he needed a break from everything and that is when he broke out is old poles. Well, after not using them for quite some time, they didn't work for what he wanted to catch. It was the big fish that caught his attention.

He knew that I was into being outside and doing things like shooting and hiking, so he asked if I wanted to join him in his fishing adventures. Without hesitation I said yes! By the next weekend we had gone to Bass Pro Shop and got ourselves new fishing poles and tackle. We headed out to Port Huron and set up our spot: sitting on the boardwalk on the edge of America facing Canada across the river. With the tackle on the poles and the poles in the water, all we had to do now was wait.

We didn't say too much to each other. A lot of time was spent looking at the water or up into the sky. It was then I noticed it: the purple sky. The sun was to our backs and it was the time it should be setting. As each minute passed, the color tone and saturation deepened going from a pale blue to a deep purple mixed with pinks. The moment could not have been any more perfect as a sailboat sailed across the river. And to make this moment even better, just as the sun was about to set and the sky turning from a deep purple to a dark night sky, both fishing poles started to dancing signaling us that we had caught my dad's dream; two 13 inch walleyes.