Modeling climate change in Rainforests by the use of mesocosms

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Hopper0810
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Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 4:03 pm
Occupation: Student

Modeling climate change in Rainforests by the use of mesocosms

Post by Hopper0810 »

Hello,
My idea is to Investigate plant growth of previously deforested areas of the rainforest where crops have been grown to feed cattle. To do this I will create four different mesocosms; one as a control, one using soil with nitrogen fertilizer, one using extreme heat, and one combining both the heat and the fertilizer. This is to demonstrate whether replanting trees in areas that have been deforested and turned into farms would affect the growth rate of the trees by either making them grow faster or slower. The nitrogen is representative of the fertilizer used to grow the crops that have been grown to feed the cattle. The heat is in reference to climate change and the increase in temperatures due to deforestation. My hypothesis is that the nitrogen combined with the heat stress should cancel each other out and the growth rate should not be affected. I was wondering for any thoughts on this experiment and if you had any ideas as to what I should use as the seeds. I think that the Wisconsin fast plants would be a good choice for something that I can measure the growth rate of since they grow quickly on their own and have been well experimented on in genetics, therefore, there should be large amounts of growth data on them. However, if you have a better idea as to what I should grow I'm all ears. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope you are having a great day.
koneill18
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Posts: 188
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:22 am
Occupation: Other Adult

Re: Modeling climate change in Rainforests by the use of mesocosms

Post by koneill18 »

Hello,

This sounds like a good experiment idea to me! The experimental design seems very feasible. I agree that the Wisconsin fast plant is a good choice since it will grow quickly and it's a well characterized model organism. I think you have a great experimental plan so far! Don't hesitate to reach out if you encounter any problems as your project progresses.
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