Let’s continue thinking about what might be going on with the soil in the restoration project area by comparing soil that is rich in nutrients and soil that does not have as many nutrients.
Let’s continue thinking about what might be going on with the soil in the restoration project area by comparing soil that is rich in nutrients and soil that does not have as many nutrients.
Plant Growth in Different Soils
What do you notice about the plant grown in nutrient-rich soil compared to the plant grown in nutrient-poor soil?
The plants in the nutrient rich soil _______________
The plants in the nutrient poor soil ________________
This picture shows photos of plants that were grown without enough nutrients.
Based on the pictures, what happens to plants without enough nutrients?
The plants without enough nutrients __________________
What is different about the body matter of a plant growing in nutrient-rich soil compared to a plant growing in nutrient-poor soil?
The plant growing in nutrient rich soil _____________
Now that we have seen the difference in plant growth between nutrient-rich soil and nutrient-poor soil, let’s investigate further to figure out How do nutrients in the soil help plants grow?
Directions: How Do Nutrients in the Soil Help Plants Grow?
Login to the Sim by clicking the link below
https://apps.learning.amplify.com/ecosystemrestoration/#/
Change the ecosystem so the nutrients disappear from the soil. (Think what adds nutrients to the soil…)
Observe what happens to the plants in the ecosystem.
Answer the questions below, based on your observations.
How did you remove nutrients from the soil in the ecosystem?
Observe what happens to the plants when there are no nutrients. What did you observe?
Add the nutrients back into the soil. What do you observe about the plants?
Check For Understanding
What do you notice about the food matter that plants make when they are healthy? How is that different from when they are unhealthy?
In the Simulation ecosystem, what is the connection between the plants and the mushrooms?
Criteria For Success:
Identify what the mushrooms do.
Explain how it affects the plant.
Explain what’s happening in Picture A compared to Picture B. Why is that happening?
In picture A, plants ______________ because ______________
In picture B, plants ______________ because ______________
What do nutrients do for plants?
How do nutrients affect an ecosystem?
Today, we figured out the role that nutrients play in creating bigger and taller plants. Why do we care if plants are bigger and taller?
Check For Understanding
What are nutrients, what do nutrients do?
What do nutrients do for plants?
What kind of organisms put nutrients into the soil?
How do these organism get food?