andil12journal

=Andrea Lee's Journal [7:30]=

**10/13/08**
__Free Journal__ The area that my group and I observed was one not too far from the Nature Center. There was a wide variety of plant life. There were very tall trees, of different species, and all within pretty close proximity of each other. Vine plants hung on them, and a few birds flew about. The ground was covered with small rocks embedded into the soil, and small plants. The plants ranged from plain, green, leaved ones to those with flowers, the only bright, distinct colors among the greenery. There were large boulders in the stream, on which algae and moss were growing. The stream was constantly flowing, though there were small parts of still water that were cut off from the body. A lot of the plants were introduced species, like the bamboo, but there were also the indigenous, like the breadfruit trees and taro. The animals were mostly insects, though I spotted some birds: pigeons, cardinals, and sparrows. My group member, Zhanna, identified some small fish. I just glimpsed a mouse. There were plenty of mosquitoes (I got so many mosquito bites!). Red and black ants, small spiders, carpenter and honeybees were also present. Concerning abiotic factors, I made note of the weather. It was all right; cloudy, but there was only a thin layer, so the sun shined through. Much of the area was shaded by the canopy of the trees. There was a mild breeze, and the temperature was relatively normal, slightly humid. We were there from about 10:15 to 11:15, so it was still morning. Usually, I would think that it'd be quite humid, with a great deal of condensation. The stream was the only source of water, and it was shallow, running water. I don't know what temperature the water was though, because another group member of mine, Zara, said there might be some obscure disease whose name I can't recall in the water, so I didn't feel like touching the water anymore. This would be a great place to study, for a few reasons. I chose Makiki Stream because it was convenient location-wise for me. It also fills all the requirements for an eco-place to study. Additionally, if I’d like to research, there’d be sufficient information at hand; I could just take a tour and learn so many things. There’s also an abundance of plant life, and I’ve been assigned the job of focusing on plants, so I should have no problems regarding that. Makiki Stream just has a diversity of organisms that coexist in such a harmonious fashion that would suit my project so well. __Assigned Journal__ The whole of Makiki Stream supports many niches in its vast ecosystem. There were quite a few niches that I observed. I saw a carpenter bee fly into a large tree stump. There were several holes around the trunk, and it was surrounded by flowers; perfect for bees. There were some honeybees flying about the flowers around that stump too; I saw them crawl inside, most likely to obtain nectar for food. Bees and flowers are an example of mutualism, since the bees eat the flowers' nectar and the bees pollinate the flowers. That was also where I saw the mouse, hiding in the grass around the stump. So that stump acted as a home for more than one organism, an ecosystem within an ecosystem. It supplied its small community with food, shelter, and competitive pressure to remain vigilant, an ideal ecosystem. Though I myself didn’t see any, there were also small fish in the stream. They were swept along by the current, but that’s where they lived. There are also supposed to be crayfish in the stream, but I didn't see any of those either. So the crayfish prey upon the fish, and the fish eat whatever it is they eat, whether it be algae or even smaller organisms. The plants were all very close to each other; they must have all been competing for space. The insects were everywhere, especially those mosquitoes. They must be well fed from all the people that take hikes and tours around Makiki Stream. I saw a spider, its web attached to the leaves of the plants, and a few insects caught in the web. Spiders can make their own niche by setting up their web in the place of their choosing. There was a rotting breadfruit on the ground, and swarms of an insect I couldn't identify were feasting on it. I also spotted a few leaves that had holes in them, probably chewed up by insects. The birds I saw probably ate the insects, seeds, and/or fruit borne by the trees. The mouse most likely ate the same things, though excluding the insects. The trees supplied their seeds and fruits for the birds and mice, and they in turn scatter their seeds, enabling the trees to move farther than they would have been able to on their own, and allowing them to grow in their own space. The plants were all very near to each other, so that's very important. [|Brief Video of the Path of the Stream]

**10/31/08**
__Free Journal__ For this project, I will be studying plants. Makiki Stream has a great variety of plants: ferns, moss, bamboo, weeds, and many more. I can’t identify them all, but the differences in species are easily apparent among them. All these plants live within close confines of each other, not much breathing room for the most part. Why are there so many different species of trees so close together? Is it because there's so little space left? Had it been this crowded before the appearance of invasive species? Because it was raining for much of this week, and taking the time since we'd last visited the stream into consideration, the area changed noticeably. The rocks were in different locations, and plants were chopped off, both obviously human work. That inspired some questions. Were the rocks moved to regulate the stream's flow? The stream was higher than before, from the rainfall of the week. It was much murkier too, perhaps because of the runoff from the ground. Had the plants been cut because they'd been invading a native plant's space? That's what happens often at Makiki Stream; last year we came to Makiki Stream for a clean up, and we picked up trash and pulled out weeds. There's a manmade walkway, shaded by bamboo. But why does the bamboo only grow by the walkway on one side of the stream? Was it specifically planted there? It only grows in that area, so that's my assumption. Actually, the whole designated area is shaded, or at least in the morning time, when we've come, from all the trees. How does bamboo reproduce anyway? It doesn't have flowers or seeds, that I'm aware of. So to answer the question on my own, I did some research concerning bamboo. Apparently bamboo is part of the grass family, and the largest by far. It's also the fastest growing wood plant. And as it happens, bamboo do have seeds, although I'd never seen any. Bamboo of the same stock (not quite sure what is meant by 'stock') all flower at the same time, theoretically because when predators eat all the bamboo, there's supposed to still be enough seeds left that the bamboo can reproduce. __Assigned Journal__ The vine plants with heart-shaped leaves (I don’t know the actual name) caught my eye. They’ve developed an adaptation that allows them to thrive. They grow upon tall trees, getting sunlight from the tree’s height and their long, overhanging rots absorb nutrients from the air and ground. They also end up strangling the tree, inhibiting its growth, so it’s a parasitic relationship. This variation proves advantageous for them, for if they were to live on the ground, they’d be deprived of sunlight, growing in the shade of the tall trees. Of course, the trees lose out in this situation. Most of the rocks within or beside the stream have patches of moss growing on them. Moss is unlike most plants, lacking flowers, seeds, and leaves in the more commonly known sense. It doesn't really have roots either. Thus, few plants grown on rocks like moss. So they have a neatly established habitat and basically no competition. They produce by spores too, so they don't depend on any other species to help them along, like flower and seed plants. They're quite self-efficient. The downside would be that since the rocks are moved every now and then (by human intervention), the moss could either be crushed, drowned, or both, depending on which way the rock happens to land. The breadfruit tree produces breadfruit, amazing as it is. Breadfruit is quite large and has a thick skin. Mostly bugs pick at it, maybe some birds too. It's possible the breadfruit could rot away before being eaten completely, and the seeds inside would remain near the original tree, defeating the purpose of the fruit. Unless someone happens to come along and place the breadfruit on a rock, as displayed in the picture. In which case, the seeds won't be much use on a rock. A plant that I'd seen on my previous visit had been decomposing, its edges browning and yellowed. Whatever disease it had contracted killed it, because when I came again, it wasn't there. Perhaps it was only that individual plant, or the entire species, but they had yet to develop a variation to combat the disease and further the chance of survival.

**11/23/08**
__Free Journal__ Because of the downpour yesterday, everything was damp. It was humid, and there was a very earthy smell in the air. It was pretty windy too. The stream was much higher and gushing around the boulders placed there to direct the flow (or that’s what I assume). The water was very murky from all the runoff too. All the bugs were crawling around, probably trying to find somewhere dry.

If the temperature is warmer, then moss will grow more quickly. If I were to test this hypothesis, I have two rocks covered in about the same amount of moss, and put one in a room temperature environment, and the other in a significantly warmer environment. I could leave them for some time, and then see which of the two has more moss afterwards.

If a plant is located nearer to the stream, then it will grow healthier because the soil around the stream will have more water. To do this experiment, I could look for plants of the same species, and some are located near the stream, the others farther away. I could measure the height, estimate which have more leaves, and see which appears healthier. Afterwards, I compare my data to reach the conclusion of which location grows healthier plants.

If there are certain species of plants that fish prefer to eat, then that species of plant will be eaten more frequently. To test this, I could make an experiment where I have three fish of the same species and two different plant species. In one container, there'd be one fish and plant species A, and in another, one fish and plant species B. In another container there'd be one fish and both plant species, and I'd compare the two species to see which the fish ate more of.

__Assigned Journal__

**11/7/08**
__Free Journal__ This morning the stream was basically back to normal, the rainfall having gone away. It was really sunny, but in the morning, that area is shaded by canopy. The plants all looked pretty healthy. My experiment was to test the hypothesis: if a plant is located nearer the stream, then it will grow healthier. I found a four plants of the same species, where there were two near the stream and two farther away. I measured the length, from where the plant emerged from the ground to its highest point, and eyeballed which looked to have the most leaves.

The plants species I chose to use was one of the smaller ones, maybe a weed. All the plants looked equally healthy, as far as I could tell. Just looking at the data, you could assume that plants grew better farther from the stream. However, I believe that I can make no real conclusion from the data collected. I didn't include the plant's age, which I wouldn't have been able to determine anyway, and an older plant would have grown far more than a younger obviously.

__Assigned Journal__ The plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, using it in photosynthesis, and also return carbon dioxide with cellular respiration. The herbivores eat the plants and the seeds of the plants, gaining carbon dioxide in the form of glucose by consumption. The same happens with omnivores, but the herbivores are the food. Carnivores eat both (depending), and receive glucose that way. All organisms use cellular respiration, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. All organisms die, and they become detritus and are eaten by detritivores, who then return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere with cellular respiration. If organisms aren't eaten, they sink into the earth and become fossil fuel.