Trumanator+wiki+page

= //__**Charles River Ecosystem!**__// =

//By: Trumanator//
//Hello! Hola! My name is Trumanator, I’m in 6th grade, and I go to the Amigos School. This wiki is about the Charles River ecosystem, and I have tons of cool and interesting facts about it. I am doing this wiki as a class assignment, but also because I want to share my experience with other people out there. During our field trip, we observed many fascinating animals, we recorded data (on the water and also the animals. And of course, we had fun doing it!

On a sunny, cheerful day in Cambridge, MA, our science teacher Mrs. Ferhani made a snap decision to go the Charles River, which is about 5-10 minutes away from our school. When we arrived, we settled down and got out all sorts of tools to test the water. We found out that the turbidity of the water was 8 JTU, which means the water was quite murky (due to the litter people throw in). We found out that the pH was 8, and that the dissolved oxygen was 4 ppm (parts per million), which means there was a fair amount of oxygen in the water. The trees were tall, and the shade provided us a nice place to jot down scientific information while birds chirped happily… Most people think of the Charles River as a dirty, gritty place. But in actuality, it’s bursting with biotic, or living, things. The base of all life comes from Producers, who give us oxygen. The ones we saw included: grass, algae, phyto plankton, different kinds of trees, lichen, and moss. We also saw all three kinds of consumers. We saw Primary Consumers (herbivores), like Canada Geese, Ducks, fish, ducks, Skipper Moths, carpenter ants and other insects. We also observed Secondary consumers (omnivores), such as Fish, Cormorants, and pigeons. A few Tertiary consumers (carnivores) also caught our eyes, for example: Cormorants, and fish (they can be all three types of consumers). Last but not least, we saw Decomposers (who help decompose different things) such as Worms, Fungi, Mushrooms, and Mold. Who knew there could be an urban area bursting with so much life? Check out my cool web! Or my awesome energy pyramid!//

//All in all, this field trip fascinated me more than any other of the Ecosystem field trips my class went on. Why, you may ask. Well, I honestly don’t know. I think it just// //interested me the most, with all its biotic and abiotic life. Who knew a river smack dab in the middle of two busy streets could be so full of life? I learned a few things, also. I learned that burdock are not plants, but are SEEDS of plants. I also learned that the area around the Charles River is covered in Canada Geese (and unfortunately, what they leave behind!). And finally, I learned that you can have fun while doing science!//