Joshua Post #3

This week, we went out to the garden and took observations about our cabbage plants. We noticed that they appeared to be growing in size. At this point, they are about 3 inches tall. The plant leaves appear to be getting bigger, at about 2 inches. The plants are a sort of light green color. Our plant is in competition as has some predation. Some leaves happened to have some sort of organism eating away at it, most likely a small caterpillar, as it they had tiny holes through it. Besides this, our plants are doing fine.

Our plants participate in the movement of water through the biosphere. For instance, our plants participate in the water cycle through the process of transpiration from their leaves. They also participate through root intake of precipitation. Our plants roles in the water cycle have a correlation with the changes we observed because the plants are taking up water/precipitation from their roots, to which they then use for the process of photosynthesis. Through this, they make sugars, which the plant then uses for food to grow. During photosynthesis, some water gets turned into oxygen and hydrogen ions. Some of that oxygen will be used by the plant's cells, and some will be released.  The water that our plant does not need is transpired.  Additionally, transpiration also allows for more growth because during the growing season, temperatures are higher, and transpiration allows for plant cooling, which then allows them to grow.

Our plants also participate in the movement of carbon in the biosphere. They participate in the movement because they do photosynthesis. This means they take in respirated carbon, eliminating some carbon in the cycle, and turning it into usable oxygen and food. This connects to our observations because they use that food to grow, and we observed growth. Additionally, they add carbon into the atmosphere through respiration and root respiration. They also participate because when they die their fossils get turned to fossil fuels and then the carbon gets emitted into the atmosphere. Finally, they also participate in the movement because when leaves die and fall off, they will be decomposed. The bacteria and fungi that decompose it will take in it's carbon, and leave some residue in the soil.

Our plants participate in the movement of nitrogen in the biosphere. They participate in the movement through symbiosis, nitrogen fixation, and by getting nitrogen from the soil and water. There is also nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live in the roots of plants that turn nitrogen into ammonia, and then to nitrates. The nitrates provide the plant with nitrogen. They then get nutrients, which then helps them grow. They also participate in the movement of nitrogen through decomposition. When they die, they get decomposed and their nitrogen enters the cycle again. Finally, because plants can get eaten by animals, and then the animals get their nitrates, and when leaves are decomposed, the decomposers will take in it's nitrogen and also leave some residue in the soil.