Blog Post #4 (Connor)

An Ecological Analysis of the Garden and Our Plants

          Our plant depends on abiotic factors. Examples include temperature, light, soil, and the strength of the light. Temperature, can alter how much water a plant absorbs because temperature can speed up evaporation. Light, defines how much energy a plant absorbs through photosynthesis. Soil is the area that a plant grows in, and is important because if the land is not fertile, roots cannot stretch out and grow.

         

           Our plants are engaged in competition with other plants, such as the ones in the garden because they compete for nutrients and space. For example, the plants compete over how much space their roots can have in the garden, because there is a limited gardening space.  Also, the plants compete over how much light they receive by stretching their leafs over one another to collect sunlight.

          

            After the competition is finished, it is always clear who wins. Because plants cannot relocate, if they lose in a competition, the plants die. The plants die because of a lack of nutrients and space. The plants then slowly wither and die as the other plant collects all the nutrients and prospers. However, the competition can become complicated if the plant does not give up and just comes back. In this case, the plant will keep absorbing leftover nutrients and grow to eventually overpower the other plant.

            The plants are also engaged in other forms of competition, such as predation and mutualism. For example, the plants are eaten by bugs, and are eventually going to be harvested and eaten by us. The plants are also engaged in mutualism, such as peaceful bacteria found in the plant that coexist with the plant and offers nutrients to help each other grow.

             Our plants are currently undergoing secondary succession, because the plants are growing in a newly made, man-made environment. Evidence that points toward this is that the area was once barren and with no plants. Now, the plants have given nutrients to the land and it is starting to look lush, with nutrient filled soil and with green surroundings.