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Blog Entry 4

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 Date and time of visit: 11/03/2020 3:30pm Weather Conditions: 87° F, Cold breeze, and Slightly windy Site Description: Most of the site has stayed the same since the last visit. Based on the results so far there might not be that much of a change to some of these plants. I found more debris in the site, similar to what I found last time, just less of it. The debris I did find was pretty different from what I’d normally see. One of the drawings included was this brown oddly shaped leaf that was not from any tree I could see in the site or anywhere near it, it must have traveled quite a distance to end up here. Another interesting piece of debris that I found was this spiky seed from what I believe to be a sweetgum tree, which is also not located on-site or anywhere near it but is located in California. I believe the spiky portion of the seed, the outside layer, is to keep predators from eating it, which to me is an interesting idea. This tree has a physical defense for its seeds in...

Blog Entry 3

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 Date and time of visit: 10/27/2020 2:20pm Weather Conditions: 87° F, Cold breeze, and Slightly windy Site Description: Most of the site has stayed the same since the last visit. Based on the results so far there might not be that much of a change to some of these plants. The flowers on a potted plant to the left side of the site have started to bloom. Most of them are still in their bulbs but a few here and there have opened up already. I noticed some vines by these flowers that were growing around the bottom area (the same side of the site). These vines do not seem to grow vertically or at least are not able to with the current structure near them, although I think they would grow vertically if assisted. There have been some high winds recently so there is some debris from other yards/plants on the grass, such as dead branches and leaves originating from plants that are not located on this site. I checked on the plant that was growing out of the wood area supporting the top of th...

Blog Entry 2

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 Date and time of visit: 10/19/2020 3:35pm Weather Conditions: 85° F, Dry, and Slightly windy Site Description: Most of the site has stayed the same since the last visit. Based on previous experience there might not be that much of a change to some of these plants. I noticed that some of the leaves that are located on a plant on the right side against the house are lighter around the edges. I am not completely sure what this means but I can only assume it has to do with the changing of the seasons. This plant has seen a lot of ash land on it as it has very broad leaves that are quite strong, being able to support some extra weight from the ash, however small in weight it may be. I have noticed that this plant has less ash than before, meaning it has started to decay, be absorbed by the plant, or just get blown away by the wind. I noticed that a small flower had grown nearby the plant growing out of the wood that I documented last week. There are no other flowers nearby, so I am won...

Blog Entry 1

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Date and time of visit: 10/14/2020 4:00pm Weather Conditions: 95° F, Dry, and Slightly windy The site is located in my backyard, in Windsor CA. During my visit to the sight, I saw no animals and very little insects (there are usually at least some birds). The first thing I checked was the trees in the back portion of the yard, orange and lemon trees. The orange tree currently has fully developed fruit on it, while the lemon tree has fruit that has not yet completed forming. After checking on the trees I moved onto the smaller plants which were mostly shrubs, as well as some potted plants and hedges. During my initial lookover, I noticed a couple of small mushrooms growing towards the back left corner of the yard, which normally appear to break down leftover organic material. As this is the first visit there are not many things that I immediately notice are different, the grass is kept at a low level as it is regularly cut, and not plants have been removed or planted recently. Interesti...

Photosynthesis and Carbon Cycling

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LAB - Exercise 1, Pigment Separation Leaves used in the experiment, Groups A, B, and C respectively. Leaves used in the experiment, Groups A, B, and C respectively. Filter papers for each test. Note: Filter papers were not included in the lab kit, so a coffee filter was used in its stead. 2 of the leaf fragments had 4 visible pigments, and the other had 3. The distance traveled varied slightly between the 3 groups but stayed in a short-range. Most of the filter papers reflected similar colors and not the colors of the leaves themselves. The time of year these were taken from would most likely be average as the plants had yet to change. LAB - Exercise 2, Photosynthesis Subject A: High CO2                                   Subject B: Plain H20 Subject C: Dark The tube in figure A has a plant and was placed into a CO2 enriched environment by combining baking soda with water. The tube in figure B ...