Angelina Post 4

Some abiotic factors our plants depend on for their survival are climate, air, water, space, temperature, light, and soil. These help our plants to grow and be healthy. If there are not enough of these factors, too much of them, or they don’t meet our plants’ needs, then our plants will die. Some biotic factors that affect our plants are pests, insects, diseases, and weeds. These factors slow down their growth. Pests cause damage to our crops by feeding on them. Weeds reduce our plants’ resources by competing for nutrients and light.

Our plants are engaged in competition because sometimes there are not enough resources for them. Because of this, our plants have to compete against the same species and other types of plants to obtain the resources they need to survive. They compete for nutrients, air, water, sunlight, and space.

The “winners” in the competition are the plants that are more like generalists. This means that they are able to thrive in a wide variety of skills in competition. The “losers” are the plants that are not strong competitors in many skills. It is alway so clear cut who “wins” and who “loses”, because the plants that have all the skills to compete will win over the ones that don’t. Sometimes it is harder to determine the winners and losers when they both have the same level of skills and can compete about the same.

Another interaction our plants are involved in is communication with each other. They communicate through the air by releasing odorous chemicals called volatile organic compounds. Our plants also communicate through the soil by releasing soluble chemicals into the rhizosphere and transporting them along thread-like networks formed by soil fungi. This interaction of communication helps plants know how far they are from each other and transmit information. Another interaction is between plants and animals. Our plants depend on animals for nutrients, pollination, and seed dispersal. Animals depend on our plants for oxygen and shelter.

Succession is occurring in the garden ecosystem because the types of species are slowly evolving over time. The plants started out small and are now growing taller and larger. There are also new plants growing. This is secondary succession because the plants were grown in a place that already had soil. This is not primary succession, because primary succession occurs in essentially lifeless areas where soil is incapable of sustaining life.

Karishma Post 3

This week our team went out to the garden and took a look at our plant. It appears to be about three inches tall and is growing at a healthy rate. The leaves have grown to be much bigger and wider and nothing appears to be dead. Overall, our plant is healthy and doing well.

Our cabbage plant participates in the movement of water through the biosphere by performing transpiration. Transpiration is the process where water evaporates off of the plants' leaves. The process of transpiration aids plants because it cools them off and also pumps water and minerals in order for plants to perform photosynthesis. Transpiration plays a major role in the growth of plants. For that reason, one of the main factors that contributed to the growth of our plant is transpiration. Our plant uses water to perform photosynthesis as well. The plants use water, along with carbon and sun energy, to make sugars and oxygen. When it rains or the plants are watered, the plant used its roots to take in the water. This is known as root uptake. Through these processes, our cabbage plant participates in the movement of water through the biosphere.

Our plant also contributes to the movement of carbon through the biosphere by performing photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants take in sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water and convert it into sugars. Plants also participate in plant respiration. Plant respiration is where plants use the sugars they make and convert it back into carbon dioxide that is emitted back into the atmosphere. When a lart of the plant falls off into the soil, the plant begins to decompose and turn into carbon dioxide. Similarly, if an animal eats the plant, carbon dioxide is transferred from animal to plant.  Lastly, when plants die they turn into fossils. These fossils turn into fossil fuels and go back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Our cabbage plant participates in the movement of nitrogen through the biosphere during the process of nitrification. During nitrification bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates (NO3/NO2). The roots of plants uptake these nitrates. They use these nitrates in order to make proteins. Animals then eat these plants and that is how they get their proteins. When organisms decompose, they release nitrogen into the atmosphere as well.

Angelina Post 3

This week, we went go check on our plants in the garden and noticed some changes. They grew about three inches taller. Also, more leaves grew and became wider. The plants look very healthy. They all have green leaves, with none dead or dying.


Our plants participate in the movement of water in the biosphere through transpiration. Moisture is carried through the plants from the roots to pores, where it changes to vapor and is released to the atmosphere. This means that the water from the plants evaporate into the air. Transpiration is very important for the growth of our plants, because our plants need it to be healthy. It helped them to grow by cooling it down and moving water and minerals into their leaves so photosynthesis could happen.

Our plants participate in the movement of carbon the biosphere through photosynthesis. They do this by absorbing carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to make their own food, grow, and release oxygen. The plants gather more carbon as they grow. The carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when they decay, where it is consumed by plants in the continuing cycle. When plants die and are buried, they may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon such as coal and oil over a million years. As humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The carbon cycle gives our plants carbon dioxide. It helped them perform photosynthesis so they could grow healthily.

Our plants participate in the movement of nitrogen in the biosphere through the nitrogen cycle. During nitrogen fixation, special bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ammonia, which our plants use. Then, the ammonia is converted into nitrate ions in which our plants can take in as nutrients during nitrification. After the nitrogen is used by our plants and all the living organisms, decomposed bacteria convert the nitrogen-rich waste compounds into simpler ones during ammonification. Finally, during denitrification, other bacteria convert the simple nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas, which is released back into the atmosphere. Then the cycle starts again. Our plants grew healthily by using the ammonia that was converted from the nitrogen gas by the special bacteria. Also, they used the nitrate ions from the ammonia as nutrients.