Student Blog Post Assignment #4: An Ecological Analysis of the Garden and your Plants by Bryce Magliari

Student Blog Post Assignment #4: An Ecological Analysis of the Garden and your Plants by Bryce Magliari

1. Some abiotic factors are the soil that the brussels sprouts grow in, and the Sunlight that makes the plant grow. The last abiotic factor is the elevation, as it changes the plant's growth and development, though this is mostly just from the temperature. Water is also an abiotic factor, as it needs water to survive. A biotic factor is worms, as this churns the soil, making the soil more full of nutrients. The other biotic factor are other plants, as they are competition for the brussels sprouts.

2. I realized that our brussels sprouts were having competition, as other plants are invading its area. Mallow and ripgut are primarily trying to take over the area, as the brussels sprouts are surrounded by it. Mallow and ripgut are weeds that are prone to take over gardens and other plants. So, in our little square of space, the brussels sprouts, mallow, and ripgut, are fighting over the space.

3. The winners are determined by who grows the fastest and who covers the most land, and who survives. The losers are determined by the slowest growing, who covers the least amount of land, and in some circumstances, who dies. However, it isn't always clear when is there a winner or loser. It can be complicated, as there could be future variables, like the lifespan of the plant(s) and the species of plants.

4. Other interactions are the interactions to the seasons and animals. Species may thrive in the Summer, but not the Winter. So, many could grow in the Summer, but quickly die off in the Winter. Humans can pick up brussels sprouts and kill the plant, and snails can come and eat the plant. So, humans and animals can kill these animals easily. However, worms and chickens can help the plants. Worms churn the soil under the ground, and chickens mix the soil above the ground. Both help the plants grow much faster, and most likely couldn't survive very well without them (the worms are usually more important than the chickens, as there are more worms than chickens.

5. There are examples of this is the chickens, they move around the soil, mixing it as they look for food. If you look closely, the soil is more mixed than soil without chickens. Also, this is shown as plants die in the Winter every year. Also, humans pick flowers, vegetables and fruits from trees (like brussels sprouts) all the time. I believe this is a secondary succession, and not a primary succession. They start out with soil, so it can't be primary.