PLANET FOLLY

EMILY F/OLIVIA W/ANALIESE G/SUMMER C/LYDIA L PUBLISHING HOUSE

ISSUE #1/ MAY 7 2012

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the biomes

Kepler 22b The newfound planet is a rocky, ocean like world of a gaseous or liquid composition. It has 2.4 times the radius of Earth and is 600 light years away. The temperature is roughly 72 degrees Fahrenheit and there might be a possibility of icecaps.

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The biome is submerged under water

ocean Ocean Biome Evidence and Reasoning:

We chose flounders and crabs because they

are involved in a mutual relationship where

the flounders live on the crabs. We chose sea

turtles, trout, sea bass, and algae because

both of the fish eat algae off the turtle which

helps 3 out of the 4 animals. We have sea

otters and kelp because sea otters eat sea

urchins which eat kelp. Seaweed is useful to

this biome too because it is good protection

for many fish. Dolphins and penguins help

keep the fish population under control. Sea

slugs, sea cucumbers, and marine worms are

there to be decomposers and we chose a

seal to have a fourth level consumer. We

chose plankton to be another producer and

sharks to be another consumer. We did not

choose to put box jellyfish because these are

very potent and can kill in one sting. Also, we

didn’t choose minnows because they are

small and are unnecessary to the food chain.

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climate Rainfall and temperature depends on location and surrounding areas

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The biome has rich, nutrient soil, a large canopy, 3-4 tree species per square kilometer, and a multitude of lakes and rivers.

temperate forest Temperate Forest Evidence and Reasoning:

We decided to have blueberry bush, north red oak tree,

clover, and post oak because they are all producers that

have many different animals that rely on them. This means

that each one of them could be the producer of many

different food chains. It would lead to a healthier ecosystem,

consisting of berries, nuts, green plants, and branches from

both of the north red oak and post oak trees. We also chose

deer, squirrels and rabbits because those animals are basic

first level consumers that could easily fit into many different

food chains, like the producers we chose. They are also

animals that us, humans, could benefit from because they

contain a good amount of meat. The reasons why we chose

the timber wolf, owl, and eagle is because they will be able to

contain the amount of first level consumers, even out the

population numbers, and provide other sources of food. For

third and fourth level consumers we chose the red fox,

cougar, and mountain lion for the same reasons as we chose

the second level consumers, to control the population and

add more sources of food. We chose to have shelf fungus,

mushrooms, and snails to take care of the remains of the

animals and return the nutrients to the soil for the producers

to use. We did not include a symbiotic relationship for this

region because we did not feel it was necessary since these

selected animals can fend for themselves without the aid of

others.

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climate Rainfall is 75 to 150 cm a year

Temperature can range from -30 to 30 degrees Celsius

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The biome has poor soil quality, is extremely hot and arid, and there is no water landforms.

desert Desert Biome Evidence and Reasoning:

Planet Folly chose the plants, fungi and animals of the desert region based

upon which animals, fungi, and plants would interact the best together. The

producers we chose were buckwheat bush, black bush, prickly pear, and the

daisy flower because the people of Planet Folly thought that they could

interact together in the most efficient way. We liked that they provided many

flexible food chains opposed to one specific chain. These producers offer

leaves and healthy nutrients, and also fruit for the first level consumers. The

first level consumers that fit the job of regulating the growth of the plant

producers were the gazelle, jackrabbit, desert beetle, and mice. Another

reason why we chose these animals to be the first level consumers was that

they could switch roles together in the food chains. For example, a mouse

can eat a daisy while a gazelle could also eat the same daisy providing a

different food chain. We chose the second level consumers, like the coyote,

fox, rat, and shrew, because they could be many different levels of

consumers. For example we could have the Fox be a third level consumer

by having it eat the rat, a fourth level consumer by eating an owl, or a

second level, like we have it, by eating a jack rabbit. Another reason why we

chose the second level consumers were that they could control the first level

consumers. We chose the third level and fourth level consumers (snake,

rattlesnake, owl, eagle) for the same reason we chose the second level

consumers. They were interchangeable and could control the population of

the lower level consumers. Planet Folly chose the button mushroom, dung

beetle, millipede and slug because they are good decomposers. They all

work very well in completing the job of a decomposer. The cactus helps the

eagle protect its eggs when it has sharp thorns detouring other animals from

eating them. This is a commensalism relationship because the eagle is

benefitting while the cactus is unaffected. An animal not chosen were horses

because they require gallons of water daily, which the desert could not

provide for them.

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climate Rainfall is less than 30 cm

Temperature can range from below 32ºF at night to above 100ºF in the day

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The biome does not have any tall plants, only clusters of trees, shrubs, and grasses. Brush fires occur often.

grassland Grassland Biome Evidence and Reasoning:

For the Grassland region of Planet Folly, we wanted to select producers

that would fulfill the ecosystems role of supplying food for first level

consumers to have energy. The producers inhibiting the grasslands are

wild grass, baobab trees, western bluegrass, and shrubs. These all have

one important factor in common; they have natural resources and vitamins

in them that help the first level consumers grow. The first level consumers

such as the antelope, baboon, prairie dog, and gazelle because these are

herbivores and do not require anything except the nutrient rich plants

listed as the producers. They can easily control the population of the

producers, which is an important job of a consumer. Also, they are a good

source of meat for humans, providing extra food when the colonists run

low on plants. The second level consumers selected for this planet were

the cheetah, leopard and snake. These were chosen because they are

animals that can be placed many on many different trophic levels. The

reason why the lion and hyena were chosen (third and fourth level

consumers) was that they could stabilize the lower consumer’s population

and do the job of a typical higher level consumer well. The decomposers

chosen were slime mold, deceiver, blusher, and ballerina waxcap. These

were selected for the same reason all of the other decomposers were

selected for, a way to return nutrients to the soil once the consumers die.

Some animals we did not chose are skunks because they don’t have a

leading role in the ecosystem and just emit foul odor, disturbing the

colonists. We also did not chose mosquitoes because we do not want the

colonists to contract the deadly disease malaria, because there are limited

medical supplies. An example of commensalism is that the snake is able

to camouflage itself prom prey like gazelle in a shrub, while the shrub is

not harmed or benefited.

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climate Rainfall is less than 75 in of rain a year

Temperature can range from -40ºF to 70ºF

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The biome has poor soil quality, is extremely hot and arid, and there is no water landforms.

alpine Alpine Biome Evidence and Reasoning:

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climate Rainfall is less than 30 cm

Temperature can range from below 32ºF at night to above 100ºF in the day

For the Alpine Biome in the newly established Planet Folly, we aspired to have a successful ecosystem which reached the needs of all the animals in the food chains. We feel like we have completed this by including tussock grass, facelia plant, and wildflowers as producers. These could deal with the extremely cold climate while being able to provide food for the consumers of the region. Llamas, marmotas and chinchillas were chosen for first level consumers because they have thick coats which will make the cold weather livable. They also fulfill the role of first level consumers, eat producers and stabilize the producer’s populations numbers. The second level consumers such as the mountain lion, snowy owl, and eagle were selected because they can control the number of first level consumers. Also, another reason for this particular bunch of second level consumers is that they are carnivores, devouring the meat of the first level consumers. The third level consumers, like the snow leopards and wolves, were selected for the same reason that the second level consumers were chosen. Another reason they were chosen were that they could also become second level consumers and fourth level consumer easily. They are basically interchangeable in the environment, replacing the third level consumers when needed. The decomposers chosen were the earthworm, liverwurst, and moss. These are basic decomposers that can live in this region and weather easily. They replenish the nutrients from the bodies of the consumers, and give it back to the producers to continue the cycle. An animal not chosen was the snake because these are cold blooded, and need the sun to live, which is not usually out in the alpine region. An example of commensalism is that the marmota can hide from predators like the snowy owl in the facelia plant. The marmota benefits, but the facelia plant does not, but is also not harmed in any way.

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WATER CYCLE

1. Evaporation- the sun heats up water and it turns it into water vapor which rises 2. Condensation- as water vapor rises, it gets colder and comes together to form clouds 3. Precipitation- the clouds become too dense and can’t hold anymore so it rains Run Off- When the rainwater comes back to earth it

runs off and joins streams, seas, oceans, and underground

water sources

NITROGEN CYCLE

The process of nitrogen being fixed, used by plants and animals, and later returned to the atmosphere is referred to as the nitrogen cycle 1. Bacteria fixes nitrogen of converts it so it can be used by plants and animals 2. nitrogen is used by plants to make proteins, amino acids etc. 3. nitrogen is transferred to animals from plants and used to make animal proteins, amino acids etc. 4. animals decompose and nitrogen is returned to the ground and the atmosphere

CARBON CYCLE

1. The plants use carbon for photosynthesis to make food. 2. The animals eat the many plants and consume the carbon through digestion. 3. Then the animals die and decompose and the carbon turns into fossil fuels (coal and oil). 4. Fossil fuels are used for energy and carbon is released into the atmosphere.

biogeochemical cycles On Planet Folly there are three cycles: the Nitrogen Cycle, Water Cycle, and Carbon Cycle

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Temperature and

precipitation

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human impact

Throughout the years of inhabiting and trying to make a life on Planet Folly, the many colonists have made positive improvements on the planet. Unlike planet Earth, the colonists made great effort to preserve the trees in the temperate forests, and have added nutrients to the soil in the grasslands. They live as one with nature, only taking what is needed, and replenishing what they took. They have used the many hills in the grasslands and the temperate forests to their advantage by using them as houses. The colonists have not drilled into the land, but instead they have used their engineers to create solar panels to collect energy to power the transportation. They harvested the rainfall and helped keep the river and lake levels at the appropriate levels.

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HOW TO Reduce your carbon footprint

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Since we are living in a new, resource-filled planet with new life occurring, we do not want to make the same mistake we did with Earth by underestimating our consumption rates. Some of our primary goals in achieving success in our Planet Folly, are to be 100% plastic free and instead use recycled materials from things such as plants. We don’t want to have any landfills that could contaminate and ruin the fertile soil in the grasslands

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and temperate forests. We also can use solar energy in the place of gasoline to power motor vehicles like cars, trains, and airplanes. We want to build an underground subway that connects all of the biomes on Planet Folly, and have it travel under the oceans too. To help the production of food and save energy manufacturing it, we could have several greenhouses to grow crops for the community.

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celebrations join Planet Folly in embracing our cultural changes

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Folly Day: This is a day where we reflect

on our mistakes of the year. We then

write a mistake and burn it to represent

the washing away of our failures. We

then come up with ideas to fix our

mistakes. This helps us plan better for

the future and to conserve. We also

have a holiday celebrating the day of our

arrival to the new planet called Oli

Ehrakb. The name for this holiday comes

from the man who was the first settler

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to Planet Folly. He not only made the

great first steps, but he had the idea to

establish a democracy for the

community so that all the members

could participate. The last significant day

we celebrate is the Sustenance Fiesta

Rave day where all of our communities

from the biomes come together at a

meeting place and share all of the food

we have found or grown.

BREAKING NEWS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR9ZF7089oM&feature=youtu.be