Table of Contents

Title...................................................PG(S) #

Introduction.........................................  5-6

Biotic vs Abiotic....................................     6

The Plant Environment.......................     7

The Underground Environment........ 8-9

The Ideal Soil....................................... 9-10

Soiltris Game Interactive....................    11

Type of Water in Soil........................12- 13

Soil Improvement.............................       14

Primary and Secondary Succession. 15- 16

Succession Interactive......................       17

Table of Contents (continued)

Title..................................................................PG(S)

Moisture Retention......................................... 18

Nutritional Deficiencies.................................  19

Content of Mixes............................................  20

Plant Food Fertilizers...................................... 21

Transpiration.................................................... 22

The water properties........................................ 23

Properties of Water Interactive........................ 24

Plant Food Elements....................................... 25-28

Ph Scales............................................................ 29

Biotic and abiotic factors................................... 30

Table of Contents ( continued pt. 2)

Title...................................................................PG(S)

Light.................................................................  32

Abiotic vs Biotic Factors Interactive.............   33

Photoperiodism.............................................   34

Other Reactions to Light...............................   35

Humidity..........................................................  35

Plant Diseases and Insects............................  35

Gases and Air Particles...................................   36

Macromolecules............................................... 36-39

DNA and RNA.....................................................  40

Nucleotides........................................................  41

Table of Contents (continued pt. 3)

Title......................................................PG(S)

Epic Test.................................................. 42

Conclusion................................................43

Throughout the book, There're hidden images of words highlighted in yellow. Those images will be on the same page as the yellow highlighted words. Once you read the text, try to find the figures! The green texts means they are important to remember as you will be learning but dont forgot to have fun!

Chemistry and Biochemistry of Plants

*Horticulture

Environmental Requirements for Good Plant Growth 

Living organisms contain relatively large amounts of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur. These are known as the bulk elements along with sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, chlorine, and phosphorus making these last 6 elements knows as microminerals. 

Biotic vs Abiotic

All life begins with the abiotic factors of ecosystems. Abiotic factors start with elements, sun and soil. The soil contents determine what can survive.

The Plant Environment

In order to grow properly, plants require a certain environment. The environment is divided into two parts: the Underground in which roots grow and live and the Aboveground in which the plant visibly exits. 

The Underground Environment

Rhizosphere: just 24 inches below the earth's surface. 

Soil is made up of sand, silt, clay, organic matter, and pore spaces which hold air and water. Soils are then classified by the percent they which contain. 

Soil particles vary greatly in size. A sand particle is much larger than silt while clay particles are the smallest of them all. They hold water and food elements more efficiently than larger particles. 

Some soils are formed from rock breaking down, others are forms of certain material that are deposited by water. A normal soil profile consists of three layers: (1) Topsoil- the depths normally plowed or tilled. (2) Subsoil- a well defined layer under topsoil. (3) Soil Bedrock- or lower subsoil. 

The Ideal Soil

The ideal soil soil is about 50% soil material. The solid matter is mainly minerals and a small portions of organic matter. The other 50% is pore space. 

The pores are small holes between solid matter and are filled with water and air in varying amounts. Ideal water/air ratio is half: half. The amount of water and air depends on the soil structure and type of soil. Sandy soil have large pores and water is lost quicker. These are called well-drained soils. If soils contains too much clay, they may not drain well enough to allow in pore space.

Type the link at the bottom into your search engine on a device. Then click the site that is accurate to which it should reveal a Tetris game related to soil composition. Play the game and get the highest score you can by being as close as you can to an Ideal Soil. Have fun!

Nutrien - Soiltris (leara-elearning.com)

Types of Water in Soil

*Gravitational: water that is unable to hold against the force of gravity. It is and becomes part of ground water.

*Capillary Water: is held against the force of gravity. It is held in the small pores of the soil. There are 3 types: (1) Free moving- moves in all directions. (2) Available or field capacity- water left after capillary movement stops, then roots move towards it. (3) Unavailable- held tightly and can only be moves as vapor. 

Sandy Soil: sandy or light soils that include soils in which clay or silt makes up less than 20% of the material by weight. These soils drain well, but have little capacity to hold moisture and plant food. 

Clayey Soil: must contain at least 30% clay. It is heavy soil which makes for poor drainage and aeration capacities. Clayey soils tend to hold too much moisture. 

Loamy Soil: the most desirable for general use. It is a mixture of equal parts of sand, silt and clay. 

Soil Improvement 

Soils may be improved by adding increased drainage, irrigation methods, plant food, organic matter; organic matter is decomposed organisms which go back to abiotic factors, use of tile drains to remove the soil, raising plant beds, and/or place ditches between planting beds.  14

Primary and Secondary Succession

Primary Succession that begins in essentially lifeless areas, such as regions in which there is no soil or where the soil is incapable of sustaining life (because of recent lava flows, newly formed sand dunes, or rocks left from a retreating glacier). 

Secondary Succession is regrowth after a form of destruction has occurred. A good example of this occurs in oak and hickory forests cleared by wildfire. Wildfires will burn most vegetation and kill animals unable to flee the area.

Type the link at the bottom into your search engine on a device. Then click the site that is accurate to which it should reveal a interactive simulation that is titled "Succession Interactive!" related to both Primary and Secondary  Successions and abiotic and biotic factors. It also goes over pioneer species which is something that wont be gone over in this book but is very cool to learn about. Play the interactive and get the highest score you can on the quiz that goes along with it. Have fun!

Succession Interactive (biomanbio.com)

Moisture Retention

Moisture Retention can be achieved by adding organic matter, using mulch, by irrigating, using fertilizer to add plant food, and by increasing any abiotic factors.

An increase in any abiotic factor won't increase succession. It must be several abiotic factors working together. If abiotic factors are missing any abiotic factors will suffer.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional or plant food deficiencies often show up on the leaves. 

*Yellow or pale; indicates a nitrogen deficiency. 

*Purple; color on the underside, shows a phosphorus deficiency. 

By the time these symptoms appear, damage has already been done. Soil test would have determined the plants needs. 

Biotic factors that help improve succession level to soil, a person can artificially improve succession level therefore improving the ability to grow various plants.

Content of Mixes:

* Perlite- a gray-white material of volcanic origin. Used to improve aeration.

* Sphagnum Moss- the dehydrated remains of acid bog plants used in shredded form. Used for covering seed because it has good moisture retention.

* Peat Moss- particularly decomposed vegetation that has been preserved underwater. High moisture holding capacity. 

* Limestong- ground natural limestone

* Tree bark- usually the bark of pone or oak trees broken into small pieces.

* Slowing releasing fertilizers- contain plant food which is gradually made available to plants. 

Plant Food and Fertilizers 

Water is the most important plant food. It makes up 90% of the weight of plants. Water is the most limiting factor of plant growth. All food elements are dissolved in water and move into the plant in a soluble form. Only 1% of the water is absorbed by the plant. 99% is lost through the process of transpiration.

Transpiration

Transpiration of water is high when soils are wet and the stomata open wide to allow more water to escape. For each 10*C temperature increase, the loss of water is doubled. Stomata opens in response to light. Roots pull water which is drawn up by the xylem to leaves and leak out the stomata.

The water properties which allow for life are:

* Hydrogen Bonding- capillary action, surface tension, transpiration, cohesion, adhesion.

* Universal Solvent- digestion, dissolve, hydrolyze, enzyme break

* Heat of Vaporization- cool body, maintain homeostasis in living things.

* Resists Change- allow for climate. 

Type the link at the bottom into your search engine on a device. Then click the site that is accurate to which it should reveal lab sheets related to properties of water. Read the text and follow the instructions. Have a partner do this lab with you to compare results with. Have fun!

Properties of Water - BIOLOGY JUNCTION

Plant Food Elements

Major Elements: require in large amount; (1) Nitrogen (2) Phosphorus (3) Potassium

Minor Elements: require in smaller amounts; (1) Calcium (2) Magnesium (3) Sulfur (4) Iron (5) Manganese (6) Boron (7) Copper (8) Zinc

Zinc 

Zinc encourages above ground vegetation growth and help the plant produce chlorophyll, which produces the dark green colors on leaves.

Too much nitrogen may lower plants resistance to disease, weaken the stem, lower the quality of fruit, and delay maturity of hardness of tissue.