Abbie Weimer- Blog Post #3: Biogeochemical Cycles and our Plant

Our plant hasn’t grown much this week, but it seems to be liking its new environment. The leaves are looking a nice shade of green, and the broccoli plant doesn’t seem to be withering at all. It is about 4.5 inches now, and its roots are beginning to grow deeper into the soil we planted it in. Overall, our plant is thriving.

Our broccoli plant participates in the movement of water in the biosphere every day. It absorbs water through its roots in the soil, and that water is used to make sugar, which is the plants food. The excess water is then released into the atmosphere as water vapor, through a process called transpiration. Our plant is growing rapidly because of this.

All plants are a part of the carbon cycle. Our broccoli plant and the rest of the plants in the world take in carbon through their leaves and use it to make food. This process releases a byproduct of oxygen into the atmosphere, allowing other organisms to breathe. In addition, when the plant dies or is consumed by another species, carbon is released back into the biosphere. If our plant didn’t take part in the carbon cycle, it would not be alive.

The broccoli plant participates in the nitrogen cycle first by absorbing nitrogen from the soil. The roots take in nitrates (nitrogen molecules converted into ammonia and then into nitrates by bacteria) and use them to make proteins. It uses these proteins to further the plants growth progression. Once the plant is eaten or decomposes, the nitrogen is released back into the biosphere. Our plant wouldn’t survive without nitrogen, as it would grow weak and die without the proteins it needs.