Focus Questions

Week #1
1). What California biome is your area and why?
- I consider my area to be a temperate woodland and shrubland biome because it contains a
mixture of both shrub communities and and open woodlands.
- The area also has dry summers with nutrient-poor soils, along with the common animals of
squirrels, lizards, snakes, deer, and butterflies
- I also noticed that my exact location has many woody evergreen shrubs with small leaves just
like a typical temperate woodland shrubland would contain
2). What type of relationship do you see between organisms in your area? Name each
relationship you see and explain it. Name at least 3 of them.
- Some relationships of organisms I see within my area are the specific location of trees and
shrubs, the amount of flying insects vs ground insects, and the color of leaves in different trees
- The relationship between where the majority of the trees and shrubs with green foliage are
located is that they all grow underneath one large tree. My reasoning for this is that because they
are in a relatively shaded area, their leaves and stems are protected from the harsh rays, but still
receive a sufficient amount of sunlight to stay alive.
- When observing my area both in the afternoon and early evening, I noticed that they were a lot
more flying insects buzzing around than ground insects. This may be because the soil is no
longer damp enough to support much life, or that we are approaching the season where
mosquitoes and other flying insects flourish.
- I also saw a relationship within the colors of leaves on the trees, shrubs, and on the ground.
Starting from on the ground, the leaves were obviously dead so they had a dry brown-tan color.
Moving up the tree, the foliage was a grassy green and the color continued to get lighter as the
tree separated into branches. The shrubs, however, didnt have much leaves left remaining on
them, and the ones that were still there were a light green, transcending into a brown color.

3). Describe a food chain in your area.

Producers - oak trees, shrubs, clumps of grass

Week #2
1). What is mans impact in your area? (Name 2 specific examples of types of pollution)
- I saw a red plastic bag that carried dog poop on the ground as well as some sort of food
wrapper
- There were also deep footprints along the trail
- In terms of pollution the 2 types in my area are land pollution and noise pollution
Land Pollution: the sightings of litter beside the trail
Noise Pollution: the sounds of cars rapidly passing on the nearby street and the noise of the
neighbors dogs are definitely distractions to the wildlife
2). What are the limiting factors in your area for plants? For animals?
- The limiting factors in my area for plants are mainly grasses. There is an abundant amount of
empty space that could be filled with grass, however its is covered by crushed up leaves and the
lack of water definitely limits this growth

- In terms of animals, I have noticed there arent as many flying insects as you would expect to
see. Knowing that mosquitoes and gnats typically prefer damp environments is probably why
this number is decreasing

Week #3
1). Why are bacteria important for plants in your area? For soil? (What role do they play?)
- Bacteria are very important not only in my area, but all sites that contain plant life. The bacteria
allows for healthy plant growth by colonizing the plant root.
- For the soil, the bacteria helps with soil fertility to allow for a quality base for the plants. My
area is mostly made up of large trees and bushes with tall branches that provide shade. So by
having bacteria in the soil, it will supply nutrients for the trees roots
2). In general, where are fungi found? What is their role in the world?
- Fungi are generally found outside in forests or gardens, but in can also grow on food or even on
your feet which is called athletes foot.
- Their role in the world is to disassemble and decay dying and dead organic matter. I it werent
for fungi, the world would be full of rotting, stinking, un-decomposed animal corpses and plant
material.
3). Do you have any in your area? Where? Why? If no, why not?
- It does not seem that I have fungi in my area. However, there probably is some somewhere in
my area I just havent looked hard enough.
- The most likely area where fungi would be is on the trees where they capture water and
nutrients for them to promote and enhance growth

Week #4
1). Research the invertebrates in your area
Didnt find much this week other than flies
But in the past, I have seen beetles, dried up worms, dragonflies, butterflies,
mosquitoes, bees, and gnats
2). What is their role?
Theyre role, just like many other organisms, is to be a source of food for their
predators, in some cases provide necessary decomposition, and pollinate flowers.
3). Where are they found and why?
Most of them fly around, gravitating towards substances like manure, damp soil,
and other possible sources containing food or water.
While others were attracted to flowering plants and high up in the trees or along
the trunk

Week #5
1). Identify any bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, or angiosperms that
you have in your area.
- Angiosperms: purple spiky plant (dicot), simple green weed (monocot), leafy green plant
(dicot), long stringy dark and light green plant (monocot)
- Bryophytes: green moss along tree

2). Why did you classify them the way you did?
- I classified the purple silky plant as a angiosperm and a dicot because it was a type of flowering
plant with multiple leaves and non-parallel veins.
- The simple green weed is a angiosperm monocot because it has parallel veins and resembles a
type of grass
- The leafy green plant is classified as a angiosperm dicot because it contains a numerous amount
of leaves with non-parallel veins
- Lastly, the green moss growing up the tree is a bryophyte because it belongs to the moss family.

Week #6
1). What is the difference between dermal, vascular, and ground tissue? How are they
arranged in a plant?
- Dermal tissue provides protection and prevents water loss and is the outermost layer of the
three tissues
- Ground tissue is incorporated in photosynthesis, food shortage, and regeneration
- Vascular tissue transports water, minerals, and food and is the innermost layer

2). What are the essential nutrients needed in soil? Why are each important?
- The essential nutrients needed in soil are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Nitrogen - helps plants with rapid plant growth, improves quality of foliage, is a
part of chlorophyll, and is a huge component in the processes involved in the synthesis
and transfer of energy.
Phosphorus - essential part in photosynthesis, helps with the transformation of
solar energy into chemical energy, effects rapid growth, and is involved in the formation
of all oils, sugars, and starches.
Potassium - helps in the building of protein, photosynthesis, fruit quality, and
reduction of diseases.
3). Explain different methods of pollination you see in your area? Give at least 3 examples.
- Theyre not many active pollinators in my area and so it was difficult to find three examples,
but I have seen a few bees pollinate the purple spiky plants, months

4). What are some adaptations the plants in your area have?
- Because California is in a drought, the plants in my area have made the adaptions to survive
longer periods without constant water
- Many of plants went from living in sunny areas to shady areas because of the large trees that
began to cover more land as they grew.