Q. Considering your exploration of ecosystems throughout the unit, what factors do you believe contribute to pleasant pond turning green?
A. Based on our exploration of ecosystems, Pleasant Pond is likely turning green due to an algal bloom driven by excess nutrients (specifically nitrogen and phosphorus) from fertilizer runoff. Warm, sunny weather accelerates this process, causing algae to grow rapidly.
Q. Discuss what you learned about the 4 matter cycles and energy transfer and mention photosynthesis’ role in these processes.
A. Water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles through the environment and living things repeatedly. These cycles require energy to move, and photosynthesis is the process that captures that energy. During photosynthesis, plants take in sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create food. This food contains stored energy that passes to animals when they eat the plants. This energy allows carbon to be built into bodies, nitrogen to be used for growth, and water to be moved through plants and back into the air. While matter stays on Earth and moves in circles, energy from the sun enters the system and eventually leaves as heat.
Q. Think back to your ecosystem in a bottle variable change (you changed 1 variable in your bottle by adding plants, blowing into the bottle, or adding fertilizer). Did the prediction you make come true?
A. The prediction wasn’t true. When we put in the nitrogen fertilizer, we expected the ecosystem to be lusher. However, the plants in the ecosystem had started to die after we put in the fertilizer. I think this is due to nitrogen fertilizer run off, where the excess fertilizer caused some green algae to disrupt the water ecosystem and ruin the whole ecosystem.
Q. If you could improve ONE aspect of your learning in this unit as a whole, what would it be and why? Provide a change that could enhance future learning experiences.
A. I think I can use the rubric as a final checklist before submitting assignments. This would help me ensure that I haven’t missed any specific details about the matter cycles or energy transfer requirements. By making this change, I can produce more accurate work and better understand exactly what is expected for each scientific concept.