Student Blog Post Assignment #3: Biogeochemical Cycles and Your Plants

Student Blog Post Assignment #3

     Upon inspection of our romanesco plants this week it is clear that they have all grown significantly. The plants were small to begin with, two clearly healthier than the third. Plants A and B are healthy, green, and large. They are 17.5 and 12.5 inches in length respectively. Plant C although it has thrived less, has definitely grown in similar proportions to plant B at 12.1 inches in length.
     A plant's main impact in the water cycle is called transpiration. Transpiration is plants' equivalent to breathing; they absorb water from the soil and release vapor from pores in their leaves. This process allows plants to grow and function and is a necessary part of any ecosystem.
     Our plants actually play a very significant role in the Earth's carbon cycle. Plants take in what we see as a by-product: carbon, for transpiration. In turn they release oxygen into the atmosphere. The when plants die they are slowly decomposed by other organisms. This process breaks down the plant and puts carbon back into the soil. They are then reverted back to natural matter, which can allow them to become fossil fuels, releasing the carbon back into the atmosphere long after they have lived.  While our romanesco plants are alive they are constantly absorbing carbon, which allows them to sustain their bodily processes and grow. Right now, carbon in the plants is helping them grow taller, stronger, and straighter.
     In addition, our plants participate in the nitrogen cycle. They absorb nitrogen from the ground and bacteria in their roots optimize it for usage within the plants.Then once the plants have died, they are turned into ammonium, assuming they are left alone. This ammonium can then be decomposed into nitrites which can be absorbed by other plants to keep the cycle alive. For now, our plants are making the most of the nitrogen as it gives them strength and healthy and full coloring.