Terrestrial Carbon Cycle

The carbon is in the atmosphere and human and animals body also as carbon dioxide. This plant is taking carbon from the air to make its food. the plant also used the sun light to help them  make their food. When the animal eat the fruit or the food made from the plant, the animal store the carbon inside of their body. Then the animal use the carbon to grow. Then bigger animals eat smaller one, and carbon is keeping moving one body to another.

The plant uses carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, the stored carbon as the it grows release in both carbon dioxide and oxygen. Carbon release when the leaves fall and decompose to become part of the soil. Ultimately, the decomposition of the tree and animals focusing consulting all settled on the soil where they get buried in the sediment and moving to different places.

Indeed, all living things breath, and when the animals breath out some of the carbons release back to the air as carbon dioxide. In fact, when the plant or the animal die most of stored carbon goes back to the soil  some of them go back to the air, but most of them keep track in the soil.

Germination and Productivity

Introduction

In this lab the study was about the germination of seeds both in the light and in the dark. In fact, the assumption of the experiment ask question and make the hypothesis as science to know the truth of germination. Eventually, different method come up to determine the fact of this experiment, bring some result of  both germinations light and dark.

•    Question: Can plants germinate in the dark?
•   Hypothesis: Seed don't germinate in the dark
•   Treatments: Light and dark
•     Experiment control: Germination seedling in the dark

Method

1.            Get a 6*6 tra
2.       Put soil organic in each of hole
3.       Water in the soil to make it moisture
4.         Four seeds in each of the them
5.         Check after one week to see what happened

Result

Dark and light treatment

Percent germination of dark
57/144 * 100= 39.6%

percent germination of light

69/144 * 100% = 48%

 Light

Before:   Wet plants: 18.9 g.
After:      Dried plants: 10 g.
Duration: 8mn
Loss: 8.9g.
Temperature 400F

Dark
weight before dry 11.4g
weight after dry 2.0g

GPP and NPP

Calculate the GPP  of the dark treatment:

GPP= NPP + R

Then: NPP= 10g and R= 18.9g

GPP= 10g+18.9g             GPP= 28.9g

Calculate the GPP of the light treatment

GPP= NPP + R

Then: NPP= 2..g and R=11.4g

GPP= 2.0g + 11.4g         GPP= 13.4g

Comparison

The difference in appearance between the dark and light treatment plants are:  

• The dark treatment had a color yellow. No photosynthesis because that treatment was in  a dark area.
• The light treatment had a color green because that treatment was in presence of sunlight, that's why the light treatment plant reflects green by photosynthesis 

There was growth in the dark treatment plants.

The seed can germinate in the dark without receiving sunlight. It does not mean the can growth for long period. However, the seed grow in the dark are weak, and thy will never green. 

Observation of Marmot Dam at Sandy River

The interesting thing that surprised me was the date of construction of the Dam from  1930 to 2007. In my mind, I did not think the people already had the capacity to build the Dam. Basically, when you look at both sides of the river you can see the differentiation of the forest. One side is covered with conifer trees, and the other with deciduous trees. 

  

Indeed, the decision made to destroy the Dam shows that the people value the wildlife in Oregon. That's interesting, isn't it? In my perspective,  I think that it was a good decision to conserve and protect the fish species in Sandy river. As the person gave us the tour said, the fish needs space and distance to travel back and forth in the river. Good one!!

In the riparian zone of the Dam removal there is a secondary succession taking place where the trees start to grow by testing the soil to see which species will thrive. Definitely, I saw seedling Douglas firs among the species growing after the removal. Then, a part of the Marmot contains rock that we can consider as the primary succession there are not even trees in that space. This helps me understand the differentiation of the ecological succession of plants.

In the southern part of Marmot Dam the overstory forest is comprised of Douglas firs that can be considered co-dominant trees. In fact,  it is a secondary succession forest, and it is an even age forest where the establishment of the plant age class forms natural seeding. Basically, the trees compete to fight for nutrients, and to get more sun because with more sun a tree grows faster.

My focus on the soil in the southern part is really meaningful to me by observing and touching the soil. Eventually, the soil is like a sponge, that is a good thing. The more aerated the soil the better the trees grow. And then, the woody debris plays an important role in the forest to contribute the nutrient for the trees after the decomposition by fungi.