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Planet Lines

Planet Lines. Kaitlyn Scrivano. THE CAMBRIDGE ECOSYSTEM. bASIC INFO. Map. http://prezi.com/g2cesx5awfvc/planetline-map / (ANNOTATED MAP IS PRINTED OUT). Location: Earth ; North America; USA; Massachusetts; Middlesex County; Cambridge

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Planet Lines

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  1. Planet Lines Kaitlyn Scrivano

  2. THE CAMBRIDGE ECOSYSTEM

  3. bASIC INFO Map http://prezi.com/g2cesx5awfvc/planetline-map/ (ANNOTATED MAP IS PRINTED OUT) • Location: Earth; North America; USA; Massachusetts; Middlesex County; Cambridge • Biome: Easter Deciduous Forest, Boston Basin Bioregion • Watershed: Charles River and in NW Cambridge N of Huron Ave. Mystic River (Alewife River sub-watershed)

  4. The Journey

  5. Stop 1-PORTER SHOPPING CENTER • Shopping: a girl’s best friend. Every time I need to take a break from class or grab a snack, I just take a stroll to the Porter Shopping Center. Of course, I do not do this often, since it is not the most relaxing place in the area. Volunteers are at every corner asking for donations. Cars beep and come from all directions. Cross walk lights do not give any pedestrian a chance to walk from one side to another. • Still, it is a systems paradise. Systems can be seen everywhere, such as a restaurant serving a customer and making profit. Below is a simplified fragment of system. It shows what a volunteer worker may do if he/she successfully received money from an individual and how that would benefit his/her organization. Volunteer gets a person’s attention Volunteer explains fundraiser Volunteer gets money from person Organization gets money for necessities/activities

  6. Darwin Tulip • Individual: The tulips were isolated from other flowers. They dominate the isolated area set aside for them. When a tulip opens, it shows an explosion pattern. • Population: Medium density, clustered together tightly. • Community: The tulips are exposed in the middle of a busy street. They are subjected to people stepping on them or cars hitting them. Humans and plants also connect through processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration, which provide each other with Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen for internal functions to occur. • Ecosystem: Tulips are primary producers, but in this environment, they are not likely to be subjected to many natural predators. • Landscape: The plants are on an isolated oval, cement island in the middle of a busy intersection. • Kingdom: Plantae • Phylum: Tracheophyta • Class: Lilliopsida • Order: Liliales • Family: Liliaceae • Genus:Tulipa • Species: Darwin

  7. STOP 2- Porter station • Every day, I go home by taking the Commuter Rail at the Porter Square T Stop. Through all the seasons, I have observed how the plants change and develop, from the leaves falling off the trees to the tiny roots growing between the tracks. One of the most interesting things to observe are the birds jumping throughout the tracks. I always feel the butterflies dancing in my stomach when I see the red lights proclaim “STAND BACK BOSTON TRAIN” and the little birds still play and fight. When this happens, I think about how we humans have paved over their habitat in order to transport ourselves. It also amazed me how the birds come right up to the humans. It seemed as though they didn’t mind me taking their photos (they were very good models). It showed me how humans and birds have grown side by side and have become an every day part of each other’s lives.

  8. ROCK Pigeons • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Aves • Order:Columbiformes • Family:Columbidae • Genus: Columba • Species: Livia • Individual: Pigeons rely on humans for food and have adapted to the urban ecosystem • Population: The pigeons coo at each other to communicate. • Community: The pigeons appeared apathetic to the hectic environment around them. They did have a symbiotic elationshipwith humans, however. When a human dropped some food, the pigeons benefited. • Ecosystem: Usually, pigeons are secondary consumers. • Landscape: The entire area was paved with the exception of a patch of greenery on the other side of the track and a few plants squeezing through the planks.

  9. STOP 3-University Hall Parking Lot • Lesley has many different types of organisms right in their backyard. The parking lot of Lesley University is home to many native and invasive species. This area is a prime place for competition, as plants fight to obtain as many resources to survive as possible. The plant that has adapted better usually ends up winning this fight. It reminded me of the human population in many ways. Each human tries to obtain as many resources as possible to survive. The wealthy seem to end up with the most resources while the rest are left with little or nothing. How does this happen? We living in a system where , as Meadows says, “the rich get richer. “ Competition can have its system traps. If the other plants do not make adaptations to gain resources, it will never survive.

  10. Sycamore tree • Kingdom: Plantae • Subkingdom:Tracheobionta • Superdivision: Spermatophyta • Division: Magnoliophyta • Class: Magnoliopsida • Subclass :Hamamelididae • Order: Hamamelidales • Family :Platanaceae • Genus : Platanus L. • Species: Platanusoccidentalis • Individual: The tree is the only sycamore in the area because it is an invasive species. • Community: Since the tree has few competitors, it can use as many resources as it needs. As a result, it is larger than other trees because it has more room to expand. It provides shelter for birds. Lichens and moss also use the tree as their home. • Ecosystem: Primary Producer • Landscape: The tree is surrounded by a concrete sidewalk. There are only a few plant plots scattered around the area.

  11. STOP 4-ROSELAND STREET • Going through Mass. Ave is nothing new to me. I usually just walk from Doble campus to Porter campus without much thought. When the flowers started blooming, however, I started taking more time to “stop and smell the roses.” I noticed all the different types of life emerging. I saw relationships between different species. Some of the relationships were beneficial to both parties (bees and flowers) while others were competitive (dandelions and tulips).

  12. COMMON Dandelion • Kingdom: Plantae • Phylum: Anthophyta • Class: Magnoliopsida • Order:Asterales • Family: Asteraceae • Genus: Taraxacum • Species: Officinale • Individual: The weed is surrounded by other types of flowers. • It has an explosion pattern. • Population: These flowers have random dispersion patterns. They are r strategists (the wind spreads their seeds). • Community: These weeds compete with other plants (such as these flowers) for nutrients. • Ecosystem: Primary Producers • Landscape: The neighborhood this flower was observed in is comprised of many streets (corridors). There was one grassy patch near to this dandelion, where other dandelions were growing.

  13. STOP 5 and 6-Mellen and WENDELL Street • In the Spring, the flowers around the Lesley campuses blossom. It surprised me that so many different types of flowers share small plots of land. It made me aware of how difficult it could be for a plant to obtain necessary resources. Just as the flower populations started growing, so did the bumblebee populations. It showed me how dependent species are on one another. Below is an example of how the flower and bee populations grow. Competitors Tulip seeds are planted The tulip population

  14. Bumblebee (Mellen) • Individual: The bee was alone while pollinating • Population: Bees live in colonies. In each colony, only the queen bee is reproduces. • Community: Bees pollinating flowers is an example of mutualism. • Landscape: The street was a corridor with patches of plant life. • Kingdom :Animalia • Phylum :Uniramia • Class: Insecta/Hexapoda • Order: Hymenoptera • Family: Apidae • Genus: Bombus • Species:Terrestris

  15. BUMBLE BEE FOOD WEB-Keystone species

  16. DAFFODIL (Wendell) Individual: The flower grew by itself, not in a bunch. Population: Like all flowers, daffodils are r strategists. Community: The flower shared its space with other species of flowers, such as tulips. Ecosystem: Primary producer Landscape: Corridor with long strips of plant life along the sides. • Kingdom: Plantae • Phylum: Tracheophyta • Class: Liliopsida • Order: Liliales • Family: Amaryllidaceae • Genus : Narcissus • Species: Pseudonarcissus

  17. STOP 7 and 8- Everett and Oxford Streets (Harvard university) • After crossing Everett St., I was in “enemy territory.” Harvard students sneered at my neon green Lesley sweatshirt. It made me think about the boundary systems we establish. Why are we so possessive of what we have? Is it natural? Is there a way to conquer it? Should we embrace it or reject it? The robins did not seem to be affected by the human boundaries. They did not care if a worm was from Lesley or Harvard. Below is an example of how boundaries are formed. Others try to take it Defend it See what we “need” Claim it as our own Use it

  18. Earthworm (Everett) • Individual: Earthworms live underground • Population: Earthworms carry both sets of reproductive organs, but still need to mate in order to reproduce. • Community: The worm is the primary prey for many birds in the area (especially the robins). • Ecosystem: Decomposers • Landscape: Mostly grassy with a few small corridors. • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Annelida • Class: Clitellata • Subclass: Oligochaeta • Order: Haplotaxida • Family: Lumbricidae • Genus: Lumbricus • Species: Terrestris

  19. AMERICAN ROBIN (OXFORD) • Individual: The robin used its beak to catch its food • Population: Robins are k strategists and care for their young • Community: Predator to the earthworm • Ecosystem: Secondary consumers • Landscape: Very grassy area with many paths criss-crossing through it • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Aves • Order : Passeriformes • Family : Turdidae • Genus: Turdus • Species: Migratorius

  20. STOP 9-Entrance to Harvard Yard • When entering Harvard YardI started to see more and more human domination over the landscape. The trees were all spaces almost evenly, the classrooms dominated, and students and tourists flooded the area. There were no weeds and new grass seed was placed onto the landscape. It once again reminded me of the “Rich get Richer” concept. Humans have built a system in which they dominate all types of ecosystems: forests, oceans, etc. As a result, other species are being pushed out. It made me wonder about our influence over the world. If by some chance every human wanted to return to a simpler way of life, would it be possible or have we done too much damage? Is there a way to fix all of this damage?

  21. House Sparrows • Individual: Uses beak to feed young. Invasive species. • Population: Sparrows are usually seen together (medium density). K strategists. • Community: All the birds in the area compete for similar resources (such as worms and nesting locations). The sparrows are very aggressive. • Ecosystem: Secondary consumers. • Landscape: Mostly paved. The sparrows usually stay hidden in the branches of the small patch of shrubs near the entrance to Harvard Yard. • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Aves • Order: Passeriformes • Family: Ploceidae • Genus: Passer • Species: Domesticus

  22. STOP 9-Harvard Yard • Harvard is one of the most famous universities in the world. Although the university has been around for hundreds of years, it, too, has followed the trend of self-organized criticality. When Harvard was first founded, students did not use IPads or cell phones. Google was unheard of. “Tweeting” meant a bird sound, not a social network. As time went on, the way students learned became more complex. Walkmans gave way to tiny IPod shuffles. Big, bulky computers were condensed to flat-screen laptops and tablets. The world has become more fast paced, so the technology needs to develop in order efficiently to keep up.

  23. EASTERN GREY Squirrel • Individual: Squirrels’ teeth allow them to crack open nuts. • Population: K strategists, polygamous • Community: Mutual relationship with trees. The tree provides the squirrel with food and shelter. The squirrel hides acorns (forgets where they are), causing more trees to grow. • Ecosystem: Primary consumers • Landscape: Very grassy with many criss-crossing pathways throughout. • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Mammalia • Order: Rodentia • Family: Sciuridae • Genus: Sciurus • Species: Carolinensis

  24. Stop 10-Harvard Square • Harvard Square is one of the most popular human gathering spots in the Cambridge area. It is a hub for business, socializing, and connecting. Harvard Square is a great example of networking. Harvard students connect with tourists. Musicians connect with patrons enjoying their lunch. People even connect with others who are not in the Square (texting, social networking, etc.). In a way, Harvard Square is the real life version of the Oracle of Bacon website. You never know if your waitress served your former classmate or if the musician on the corner is best friends with your cousin. My friends Mickey and Elise have traveled through the Square with me on many occasions. Elise and Mickey have never met. The following slide is my attempt at an “Oracle of Bacon.” Through it, I am proving how Elise and Mickey are connected through their relationships with other people and Johnson and Wales University.

  25. ORACLE OF johnson and wales university Me My friend Elise Mickey’s BF Chris: Class of 2012 My friend Mickey Wants to be a Pastry Chef Wants to go into Business Mickey’s high school friend Mel JOHNSON AND WALES UNIVERSITY

  26. Humans Individual: A human is a social creature that usually enjoys interacting with others and with the environment Population: Humans share music, ideas, and goods with each other. All ages are seen together. They are k strategists (e.g. mothers with baby strollers). I was curious if humans are considered monogamous or polygamous creatures. Community: Humans tend to dominate the urban ecosystem; however, they do have mutual relationships with other species. They give food droppings to other animals (a symbiotic relationship) and they eat meat products in restaurants (predator vs. prey). Ecosystem: Humans are omnivorous. They can be primary, secondary, or tertiary consumers. Landscape: The Harvard Square landscape is mostly paved; however, there are a few patches of grass and trees (isolated or grouped) scattered throughout. • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Mammalia • Order: Primata • Family: Hominidae • Genus: Homo • Species: Homo sapien

  27. Not only did I observe natural patterns on my walk, but I also noticed the ways humans mimicked those patterns. For example, the flowers on this slide are examples of explosion patterns. Every pedal connects to the flower’s center. A human-made example would be the Bruins’ logo. Each spike connects to the central “B.” The following slide shows examples of branching patterns. Within the trunk of the tree, I observed tiny indents that resembled a branching pattern. That pattern is repeated throughout the whole tree. A human branching example would be the MBTA. All the tracks branch out to different areas in order to transport people across the state.

  28. FRACTALS AND PATTERNS

  29. Ozymandias by Percy ByssHe Shelley Throughout my walk, I kept making the same observation. No matter how many streets we pave or how high the buildings tower, nature will always find a way to continue living. One could argue that the leverage point to the human development system is nature. There will always be that one dandelion that keeps growing back. There will always be a tiny twig growing between the planks of the rail road track. The statue of Ozymandias was created in order to immortalize the “King of Kings” forever. However, years after his reign ended, there is nothing but ruins. His statue has been conquered by nature. Everything human is temporary, but nature lives on. • I met a traveller from an antique land • Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone • Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, • Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown • And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command • Tell that its sculptor well those passions read • Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, • The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. • And on the pedestal these words appear: • `My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: • Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!' • Nothing beside remains. Round the decay • Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, • The lone and level sands stretch far away".

  30. CREATIVE PIECE

  31. SOURCES • Meadows, Donella. (2008). Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company. • https://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/taxonomy.html • http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/pidgeons/ • http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PLOC • http://www.arkive.org/common-dandelion/taraxacum-officinale-agg/#text=Facts • http://www.arkive.org/narcissus/narcissus-longispathus/#text=Facts • http://www.arkive.org/house-sparrow/passer-domesticus/#text=Facts • http://www.wildbirds.com/IdentifyBirds/BirdTaxonomy/tabid/109/Default.aspx • http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/spring99projects/tulips.htm • http://www.alientravelguide.com/science/biology/life/animals/chordata/vertebra/aves/columbif/ • http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Taraxacum-officinale.htm • http://www.bumblebee.org/invertebrates/Taxonomy.htm

  32. Sources cntd. • http://www.buzzle.com/articles/earthworm-classification-taxonomy.html • http://www.backyardnature.net/namelatn.htm • http://www.floridanature.org/species.asp?species=Sciurus_carolinensis • http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/rock_pigeon/lifehistory • http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Rock_Pigeon • http://www.pestworldforkids.org/bees.html • http://qpanimals.pbworks.com/w/page/5925153/Bumble%20Bee • http://lhsfoss.org/fossweb/teachers/materials/plantanimal/earthworms.html • http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sciurus_carolinensis.html • http://www.tulsaaudubon.org/housesparrow-starlinginfo.htm • http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/149590/daffodil • http://www.online-literature.com/shelley_percy/672/

  33. IMAGE SOURCES • http://www.chicagobotanic.org/inbloom/highlight_archive/highlight_051011.php • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_gray_squirrel • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BumbleBee-OnPavement.jpg • http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-20934/Earthworm • http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-birds-of-ontario • http://www.birdsamore.com/byb/sparrow-house.htm

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