8th Grade Leaf
litter project to compare decomposition rates
Students use
litter-bag experiments to measure leaf-litter decomposition rates. They
collaborate with other schools around the world to compare decomposition
conditions and rates. This project is
completed following the protocol developed by Dr. Jennifer Powers, Univ. of
Minnesota.
Students begin
by interpreting a processional publication
by Dr. Jennifer Powers and from that devise their own
procedures. Then, they use experimental and observational approaches to
investigate and biogeochemical and ecosystem processes across local, regional,
and global scales. Specifically, they study:
á
the
patterns of carbon and nitrogen dynamics in different ecosystems,
á
the effects
of anthropogenic environmental changes including land-cover change, global
warming, and nitrogen deposition on element cycling processes,
á
the
feedbacks among soil fertility, plant processes and microbial communities, and,
á
how
individual plant and microbial species influence element cycling processes.