Student Blog Post Assignment #3: Biogeochemical Cycles and Your Plants by Bryce Magliari

Student Blog Post Assignment #3: Biogeochemical Cycles and Your Plants by Bryce Magliari

1. I have noticed that my brussels sprouts have grown quite a bit in the last week. It has 2 major leaves that go inwards, like it is cupping inwards. They have a very shiny tint of green, and have lots of veins in the leaves. There are many leaves connecting from the stem, so it has grown to be more like a bush of brussels sprouts. The plant is just mostly just sprout from one stock. The plant also has grown to 5 inches tall!

2. Our plants participate in the water cycle when they take water from the soil, and using it in the process know as photosynthesis. However, some of the water evaporates from the leaves, and this process is known as "transpiration" instead. This correlates to the changes we noticed this week, because since the leaves had gotten bigger, more water can evaporate out. Since the root system has likely gotten stronger alongside the plant, it should take in more water.

3. Our plants participate in the carbon cycle by taking Carbon Dioxide out of the atmosphere to use in photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process that plants use to create energy (sugar, for example) for themselves. After that happens, when an animal eats the plant, they end up breaking down the molecules and what is left of the Carbon Dioxide. The plants in the carbon cycle show the fact that the plants have in fact grown. If they hadn't done a carbon cycle, they wouldn't produce energy, and wouldn't have grown at all!

4. The brussels sprouts participate with the nitrogen by needing a constant stream of nitrogen to survive. Plants also use nitrogen by absorbing nitrate and ammonium ions. The plants have gotten stronger from the nitrogen, and the plants grow much taller and bigger. The stem and the leaves are much bigger now thanks to nitrogen. Nitrogen is also important in chlorophyll and photosynthesis. Without nitrogen, the plants can't grow very taller and wouldn't be green. So, the brussels sprouts are green and growing thanks to nitrogen.