Responses to Questions

1) After Thanksgiving break you return to the HTHMA garden to find that your crops have not been watered in over two weeks. Most of your plants are dead and those that are alive are barely hanging on.  In relation to the process of photosynthesis, describe what has happened to your plants. 

Our plants will not be recieving water over Thanksgiving break, thus breaking the necesary formula for photosynthesis to occur: H2O + CO2 ----in the presence of light----> O2 + glucose. Our plants then had to start breaking down nutrients in the chlorophyll and the roots in order to survive

2) Upon microscopic inspection of the underside of your plant’s leaves, you notice that in an attempt to conserve water the stomata (aka stomates) are closed. Explain in detail how this impacts the light independent reactions of photosynthesis.

If the stomata are closed, then the plant has haulted the process of photosynthesis and is no longer uptaking CO2. The calvin cycle has been haulted at this point in photosynthesis.

SEED BANK

With recent global warming and climactic change, it is scientifically predicted that temperatures will dramatically increase within the next few decades. Seed banks have been attempted, but failed due to temperature inaccuracy or human error. Recently, a new seed bank was created; “The Norwegian government paid to build the vault in a mountainside near Longyearbyen, in the remote Svalbard islands between Norway and the North Pole. Building began last year” (CNN). Some of the other seed banks were not successful because they did not keep the seeds at a constant temperature; but in the Svalbard Seed Bank, the seeds will be kept at a constant freezing temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius, and the seeds will be able to last up to a thousand years! (Reuters).

“A third of the planet's plants are categorized as threatened with extinction, which could have dramatic effects on human life, trade and the environment” (Reuters); it is critical to have a mass storage of all seeds in case of a catastrophic disaster. The vault is built 130 meters inside a frozen mountain (427 feet) and is able to withstand a variety of threats such as “ war, natural disasters, lack of funding or simply poor agricultural management” (CNN).

With the current economic situation that our generation is faced with, the Svaldbard Seed Bank is a good location in case of insufficient funding. “Each seed costs about 2,000 pounds to collect and store” (Reuters); the Seed Bank contains approximately 400,000 seeds, and is able to hold an estimated “4.5 million distinct samples of seeds—encompassing almost every variety of most important food crops in the world” (CNN).

With the recent terrorist attack on 9/11, and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis in Haiti, or a major earthquake, the vault in Norway is a global imperative to keeping our earth’s seeds safe. An interesting fact about the Svalbard Seed Bank is that no one person has all the codes for the entrance of the Global Vault (NYT). The Global Seed Vault is the most high tech and secure seed bank we’ve seen yet and is our best bet for human survival in case of a disaster.

Garden Plot

Fingerling carrots: When planting your carrots, make sure the soil is in good condition and fine, not too wet! Space your carrots about 20 to 30 centimetres apart and about a centimetre or so deep; once sown, top the soil off with some sand. Try to keep carrots weed-free for best results.
Sparkler Radishes: Sparkler radishes are very small when they mature. Sparkler radishes grow well in moist soil; deeper containers such as pots seem to work very well. Space the sparkler radishes about 2 inches apart.
California late white garlic: Plant your california late white garlic about an inch or so deep and about 4 inches apart. Make sure your soil is fertile and well drained!!

LIFE IN A CUBIC FOOT

 rose bush

 Small white larvae

soldier bug

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&biw=1280&bih=868&tbm=isch&tbnid=WkA8YQSRcUgS-M:&imgrefurl=http://www.ent.iastate.edu/soybeaninsects/node/144&docid=EaQa_oYvUO3cmM&imgurl=http://www.ent.iastate.edu/soybeaninsects/files/images/stinkbugs.jpg&w=600&h=148&ei=L1OoTtKcL6WuiQKI19W3DQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=585&vpy=229&dur=1109&hovh=111&hovw=453&tx=212&ty=77&sig=104116669480858287274&page=2&tbnh=50&tbnw=204&start=22&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:22

roly poly / pill bug : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidiidae

geophilomorph / centipede : http://www.flickr.com/photos/11403562@N07/5448496347
http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/geophilomorph/Recent

 Earth Worm

Initial Plant Rx - Part I

1. Chives
Chives are an herb, and the smallest species of the edible onion. Chives need to be germinated in 60 to 70 degrees F temperature, and kept moist. After 4 weeks, the shoots will be ready to be planted out. Chives are perennials, and will grow, harvest, die back, and then return the next year. When growing chives, you want to start in a pot, and then later transplant the herbs outside. When the flowers start to die back,  cut the chives 2 to 3 inches down, and they will grow back. Chives like a pH level of about 6 to 7. Once in the ground, chives do not require feed, unless the soil is especially poor. Keep the chives weed-free and well watered. Due to their sulfur compounds, chives repel insects; chive flowers attract bees.

2. Dill
Dill is another perennial herb, and grows well in direct sunlight for a minimum of 6 hours a day, preferably with some moisture in the air. Plant the seeds in loose soil near the surface; in about 2 weeks, the dill will start to emerge. It prefers rich, well-drained soil. If the air is not moist, then mist your dill. Dill makes a good companion plant for cucumbers.

3. Garlic Chives / Chines Chives/Leeks
Garlic chives are an herb, and like full sun with damp soil. It takes one to three weeks to germinate, and six to seven weeks to harvest. Garlic chive seeds like to be six to nine inches apart from one another. They prefer a pH level of about 6.2 to 6.8.

Where do plants conduct photosynthesis?

1. Leaf.

2. Place leaf in boiling water, and remove after two minutes.

3. Place limp leaf in hot alcohol (not boiling).

4. Drop iodine or iodide solution on the leaf.

Lab - Carbon Fixation in Elodea

1. Why does the phenol red change color when we blow bubbles into the tube? Phenol red is an indicator in this experiment. What did it indicate?
The phenol red changes to a yellow color in the presence of CO2. The color change indicated whether or not the plant absorbed the CO2.

2. How long did it take to observe a color change in the phenol red? What does the color change indicate in terms of the Elodea plant?
It took about 30 minutes to see a color change, from yellow to red. This means the elodea plant absorbed the CO2.

3. If carbon fixation occurs during the light independent stage of photosynthesis, why did the procedure call for placement of the test tubes under grow lights?
CO2 + H2O -----light-----> glucose + O2
The plant needs light in order to absorb the CO2, and convert it to glucose and oxygen.

4. Did you see a change in color of the phenol red test tube with no elodea added? Why or why not?
No, because there was no plant absorbing the CO2 

5. Does carbon fixation occur in humans? Can you think of any other organisms that fix carbon?
No, carbon fixation occurs primarily in plants. 

6. How is does a plant use carbon? What is meant by the term “carbon fixation”? 
A plant uses carbon during photosynthesis. The plant uses carbon dioxide and water, in the presence of light, to make glucose and oxygen. Plants make there own food. Carbon fixation means that some living things, like plants, are able to break down carbon from CO2 to the carbon in organic compounds.

7. Identify and explain the control in this experiment. What is the purpose in having a control?
The tube without the plant was the control. Having a control is important to show change.

Before light..