Assignment 7: Camosun Blog

LD

1.  How was the bog formed?

Thousands of years ago, the Cordilleran ice sheet stretched out toward the southern end of Puget Sound, overlaying the vicinity presently called Vancouver with a kilometer-thick layer of frosty ice. 12,500 years prior, as the ice withdrew, it deserted a scarred scene, thick with frigid till. A colossal bit of ice stayed in the territory which is presently Camosun Bog, as the ice dissolved gradually, a lake slowly formed.

2. What is the keystone species of a bog?  Read about Sphagnum moss.  How does Sphagnum maintain the acidic conditions.


Low oxygen, low nutrients and acidic conditions are favoured by sphagnum moss, the keystone species of any bog.  Also named peat moss, without Sphagnum , the bog would not exist. Sphagnum maintains the wet and acidic conditions favoured by bog plants.  It has the incredible ability to absorb water like a super sponge and it pumps hydrogen ions into its surroundings, thus creating a very acidic environment. Sphagnum cells selectively absorb mineral ions from and release hydrogen ions into the surrounding water. 

3.  What is peat?  How is it different from soil?


Peat moss is acidic, so depending at the pH stage of your soil, it is able to boom its acidity. The pH stage of peat moss is around 4.4, while neutral soil can have a pH of round 7. The biological functions of Sphagnum mosses act to create a habitat helping peat formation, a phenomenon termed 'habitat manipulation'. Soils consisting usually of peat are known as histosols. Peat forms in wetland situations, in which flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the ecosystem, slowing the decomposition.

4.  Why is digging through a bog like digging through time?

Peat decays so slowly that digging through Camosun bog is a bit like digging through time.  Each metre below the surface represents about 400 years. The bog has so many layers to it and years and years pass by so it would take forever to dig through each layer. A metaphor would be like a bog is a book and each page has a certain depth to it taking a lot of time to uncover and reach the very end.

Earliest Animal Assignment 3pgs -ld

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Unlike us humans’ sponges are different

Sponges retain freedom

For the cycle of life, we need ‘em

Sponges tend on re-invent themselves

They assemble and get sent in bundles

Finally separated by a single sieve

They break

Lost alone they cannot mingle

They flake

Several hours pass and

They slowly begin to clash

Finding one another and reconnecting

New sponges form and life begins again

Life like no other sponges win!

Cnidarians - ad

Assignment 4 - ad

Sponges Assignment- ad

Nature Notes Reflection with Senses -ld

REFLECTION WITH ALL YOUR SENSES

1.  The day is May 10^th and me and mom decided to take a refreshing hike in North Vancouver. The air smells new especially since the lockdown has happened so I have not got to experience going out often, so it smells like freshly cut grass. There is a small creek near me so I also can hear the water flowing and can see small little fish swimming down stream. I feel so at peace here and often hear birds chirping off in the distance I think they are communicating to each other. I feel so peaceful in this forest like I cold just stay here forever and be in my own little world. I see a wooden bridge that smells like fresh cut wood and makes me reminisce when I went camping with my family. The sky is so blue today and the clouds are as white as snow peeping out from the tall trees while I walk down a path. I can hear the rocks and gravel underneath my shoes crunching and leaves getting crinkled. Often there are bikers that zoom y me and they are going full speed down the trails with no setbacks. Many dogs are here with their owners and they bark at each other while passing by greeting one another. This place is so silent but so loud, you can only hear the sounds if you stop for a moment and actually concentrate to nature around you and it’s a beautiful feeling. No man-made machines around an no artificial noises from this place. I feel so calm and at peace with nature. After seeing and experiencing this place I will definitely come here again to clear my thoughts and take a day to relax and get away from technology for a bit.

1. This place is in North Vancouver, BC. A hiking trail. My observation time is 5pm and the weather is very sunny out and warm.

2. My mom actually found this place because I told her I want to go on a hike and its not to far out from home. There are so many great qualities of this place like the quietness you cannot achieve while living in the city and the smell of nature all around you. This place also allows pets if you have so we brought my dog.

3. My senses tell me that this place is safe and calm and not many humans are here so it’s a kind of get away place to clear your mind.

a. I see a wooden bridge and lots of trees and plants everywhere, the sky is also very blue and pretty.

b. The sounds I hear are very quiet, but I can hear the stream of the river flowing and crashing into the rocks and birds chirping.

c. The mood of this place is super relaxing, and it feels like I am on a different planet I recommend this place it is very soothing and destressing.

d. I smell the bark for the trees smell and dirt but also the strong scent of all the plants around me.

e. The air feels humid and hot, but it also has a subtle breeze of wind that comes by.

f. The living things around me are squirrels and fish and also plants and fungi.

g. We had to drive to get to this place it took about 30 minutes but once there you can walk like me or bike even.

h. This is a path so there are a few people that pass by every so often, but it is pretty empty here.

Assignment 4 HOCKEY CARDS -ld

Assignment 5 -ld

CHOICE A: Scary Story

You are learning about Cnidarians but there is a scary live threatening twist at stake.

Cnidarians just alike the monster found underneath your bed that have weird non-human qualities like no other. Ancient and old they lurk the seas deep under where not many can get to. Many risk lives to get to the location Cnidarians are found. Scientists cannot even figure out if they are plants or animals, so they stay mysterious and unknown. Cnidarians come in all different forms so they might surprise you without even knowing. Some come with tentacles that can reach out and grasp anything standing in its way. Might be useful to watch underwater one day just in case. They have mouths and even a stomach to digest food that could possibly end up being a body part you acquire. These mysterious creatures invented movement so it is possible to slither up unnoticed leaving a trail that others could not have possibly done during ancient days. Imagine seeing an under water unfamiliar creature slowly bending and contracting into different poses to grasp onto food to feast onto. They basically can shapeshift tricking your eyes and deceiving them as a normal object while they target their predator, you. Cnidarians unleash nematocysts while in combat release deadly poison piercing into the prey’s skin. The toxins release and exterminate any prey in the way. You do not want to mess with these Cnidarians the wrong move and a sharp bullet like pain will take you out in one blink of an eye. Cnidarians take no allies and they even choose to penetrate their own kinds flesh with evil intents. They do not take any empathy insight; humans, animals they do not see a difference just flesh. Beware Cnidarians take position of the world’s first jellyfish after many years pass by, the same jellyfish that sting and electrocute humans as we see to this very day. They shapeshift and evolve becoming more dangerous and years pass by and who knows how deadly the next Cnidarians could be. They potentially dominate the sea and thrive both under the depts of the sea and near the shore. Be careful these Cnidarians sparked life for many other deadly creatures you may witness under the ocean. One casual boating day in the ocean could end up as a toxic murder scene that no one expected.