Nature Preserve

Last Monday I took a walk through the UNCW nature preserve right before lecture! I was hoping to come across a snake of some kind because we had just come across some in my lab the previous week. As I walked through the preserve I took this photo thinking that the lighting was really pretty. Once I looked at the photo for a little longer I began to identify the different forest components. The different layers are the canopy, understorey, undergrowth and the forest floor. For this assignment, I really want to focus on the forest floor. The forest floor is where decomposition occurs! This is a super cool process which interestingly enough is usually odorless. This process also ties into other biogeochemical cycles that we have learned about in lecture such as the carbon cycle! The decay of plant and animal remains by way of fungus and other biological mediums releases carbon back into the soil where it will then be taken up by trees and other plants to continue the cycle. Although I have made this process seem really simple and fast, this process can take more time depending on what the dead plant/animal material is. I look forward to learning more about these cycles in the future!

Done