Before even starting this project, we had to learn about the basics of ecology, such as the different levels of a ecosystem, and different types of ecosystems. This project's goal was for us to look into the future and see the affects of our changes to the chosen land area over hundreds of years. We used our workdays to find a location, determine what kind of change we were going to do to that land and see how it affects that land. The first few days were dedicated to deciding where we were going to make our policy change, and what that policy change was going to be. We made predictions of what was going to happen to it in 50 years, 100 years, 300 years, and 1000 years. The plot of land our group used was a large lot across the street for the Harvest Market, and the land around it. It was slightly larger than a football field or about an acre. We picked this area because it is close to a place where many students go and hang out. At lunch, most students go to the shopping center where there are a lot of places to eat but there isn’t really a place where many people can sit down and hang out. We decided to make our plot of land into a park and a place to hang out. Our park will include many benches, barbecues, shade structure for when it is raining or is too sunny, a volleyball net, a bocce ball court, and a parking lot for many cars. Another use for our park is for school events such as fundraisers. People will also be able to rent the whole park area or just a certain part for personal parties. We made a presentation for this and also converted our proposal into a letter and sent it to a representative to see if our policy change can be put into action.
Concepts:
AbioticFactors: In biology and ecology, abiotic components or abiotic factors are non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems. BioticFactors: Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem. They are sorted into three groups: autotrophs, heterotrophs, and detritivores. Ecology: The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. FoodWeb: A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains. CarbonCycle: The series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels. NitrogenCycle: The series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms, including nitrogen fixation and decomposition. Ecological succession: the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. Two different types of succession—primary and secondary Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. CarryingCapacity: The number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental harm. Symbiosis: Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both Climate: the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
Reflection:
I think this project was an okay project for the beginning of the year but not very interesting. From the beginning, a lot of us were very confused on what we needed to have in the project and this carried through until the end of it. Many things went well, but a lot also didn't go so well. One good thing was that we managed our time very well, and were even able to finish what we thought we had to do before the project was over. Another thing that went well was that we definitely had more content than we needed, so in my opinion we overachieved. One thing that didn’t go so well was that our group was not working together very well and at every moment always had someone off task. This led to us having to work harder when we did due to not doing as much. Although we were still able to finish the project, we still need to be focused more next time. Something I could work on after this was how I did my work. I feel as though, for this project, I was not doing my best work and should work harder on the next project. Overall, I feel as though this project was okay at best, and I would have liked a little more guidance and direction to it.