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.

The Effects of Soil Price on Cabbage Seeds Lab Report

Our experiment was testing whether or not the price of soil affected the germination of seeds inside the soil. We did this to test that exact thing. We hypothesized that if soil price affected seed germination, then seeds planted in more expensive soil would germinate at a higher rate. We used basic materials for our experiment; 3 price ranges of soils, 9 pots, 27 cabbage seeds, water, and sunlight. We conducted it by placing 3 seeds into every 9 pots, where there were 3 pots for each soil price. 7 seeds germinated from the cheap, 2 from the regular, and 6 from the expensive. At the end of our experiment, we found that the price of soil does not have a correlation to seeds germinated. Our findings are significant because in the future, even if it has not been proven, we have background knowledge that it has no correlation. 

Introduction:
The majority of plants need soil to grow. There are certain factors that affect seed germination, such as the substance used to water, amount of sunlight, amount of irrigation, etc. But would the price of the soil in which cabbage seeds were grown in effect the amount of germinated seeds? To find the answer, we purchased 3 differentially priced soils.  We planted 3 seeds in each of the prices, having 3 pots of each price. We did this so it would give us results that we could analyze. We hypothesized that if the amount of germinated cabbage seeds is affected by the price of the soil in which they are planted in, then more cabbage seeds planted in the higher end soil will germinate. We predicted that our results would support that, but that was not the outcome. (Highest priced to lowest in the image).

All 9, on the day planted (9/1/18).

Purpose:

The purpose of our experiment was to test whether or not the price of soil in which a cabbage seed is planted in will affect the speed of germination of the seeds. 

Hypothesis:

If the amount of germinated cabbage seeds is affected by the price of the soil in which they are planted in, then more cabbage seeds planted in the higher end soil will germinate.

Procedure:                               

Left: Cheap. Top Right: Expensive. Bottom Right: Regular

Materials: 

9 Small Pots
3 different priced soils ($6, $8, $11)
27 cabbage seeds
Water
Sunlight
Water bottle for watering




Steps:

1. Put Soil into Pots. 
2. Label pots according to the soil.
3. Place 3 seeds into each pot.
4. Cover seeds with Soil.
5. Water the same amount to all, every day. 
6. Put in sunlight for 6 hours each day. 



Regular, Cheap and Expensive 9/4

7. Check every 3 days. 
8. Collect results. 

Results: 

Graph

Growth Status by day

Data analysis:
Out of 9 total seeds planted in the cheap soil, 7 seeds germinated, and out of 9 in the regular soil, only 2 germinated. In the expensive soil, 6 out of 9 seeds germinated. This bar graph correctly represents our data because it shows the number of seeds germinating depending on the change in the independent variable, being the type of soil. The chart simply explains the status of the plants at certain days and the number of seeds germinating. We created the graph to show the data on the last day of conducting the experiment, to show a ‘total’.

Conclusion/Discussion:
Our results showed that, in contrast to our hypothesis, a higher priced soil did not result in more germinated seeds than soils priced at a lower rate. With each different soil type came a different number of germinated seeds that showed no correlation with the price of soil, as they appeared random. We got this result because the type of soil does not affect germination. This was not the result that we necessarily expected to get. We anticipated that our results would support our hypothesis, but that simply was not the outcome because that variable does not affect seed germination. Our experiment could have been conducted in a more efficient manner if we would have had more seeds per pot. We did not really have any strengths or limitations to our experiment. Our findings are significant and relate to the real world because, although we have not proven anything, we now have some data on whether or not soil price correlates with seed germination. If a hypothesis is proven wrong, you won't have to worry about soil price next time you plant seeds.

 PLANTS ON FINAL DAY OF EXPERIMENT 9/14

Naomi Bio

      My name is Naomi Diaz. I was born on the East side of San Jose. Both my parents are from El Salvador but moved here when they were kids. I have one sister who is seven years old and she is one dramatic girl. Most of my family lives in California, but I have a few family members who still live in El Salvador. Other then that, my "close" family just visits every so often.

      Recently, I haven't gardened but I do have experience. 6 years ago, my mom and I would go across the street and go behind the hospital my mom would work at and plant at the garden there. We planted cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, etc. We would go every other day and water them and make sure they were growing correctly. It was fun and relaxing growing plants, my mom and I had a lot of time to bond. In my family, I think my grandma would know a lot about gardening. Whenever I visit her, i would go to her backyard and see huge plants, livestock, and different types of trees. She would grow carrots, lemons, oranges, and she would have bunnies, rabbits, chickens, roosters, and dogs roaming around her backyard.

Joshua's Autobiography

My name is Joshua Jauregui. I was born and raised here in San Jose, Ca. My mom moved here from Mexico in 1988, where she met my dad. They then had me in 2004.

I have loved gardening since I was a small child. Me and my dad harvest something new each year, and have a variety of trees in our backyard. We have 2 Peach, 2 Apricot, 1 Avocado, 1 Orange, and 1 Cherry tree, as well as some palm trees. This year we decided that we would harvest tomatoes. We've harvested a big variety of vegetables in the past. I have always had an interest in cooking, although I've never tried it. Whenever I see my mom or dad cook, I always get drawn into the idea of learning how to cook. I love to travel, learn new things, and be around those that I love.

Brief Bio Karishma

My name is Karishma Miranda. My mom and dad moved to San Jose, CA in 2002. I was born here in California and lived here ever since. The majority of my family lives in India with an exception of a few.

My family does have a garden in our back yard and I do occasionally help out with all the gardening work. We grow all kinds of vegetables. We have zucchini, butternut squash, tomatoes, and many others. Both my parents are excellent at gardening and when it comes to gardening, I look up to both of them. My mom is an amazing cook. She can cook almost anything from scratch. I love all her food and I hope I can cook like her one day. I look up to both my parents when it comes to gardening and my mom when it comes to cooking.