Post Assignment #4: Audrey Malone

     Some abiotic factors that our broccoli plants are by our rocks, dirt, and the fence that lines the garden bed. The broccoli plants depend on dirt due to the fact that dirt has nutrients that the plants depend on for survival. Another abiotic factor that is important is water. Plants rely on water for survival because water is crucial for photosyntheis that creates energy that the plants rely on to survive . Lastly the fence is used to keep other things out of the garden, so the broccoli plants don't get stepped on by humans. Some biotic factors that our broccoli plants rely on are worms. Worms are important because they decompose dead plants and animals giving nutrients back into the soil. After the plants absorb the nutrients in the soil helping plants grow. Another biotic factor are pollinators, pollinators are helpful because when the broccoli begins to flower then, the pollen from other plants will spread on the broccoli plant so it will blossom.
     I know that our broccoli plants are engaged in competition with weeds. We know this because they are competing for water and nutrients in the soil. The winner is decided through these by competitions by which plant lives and which plant dies. The determination is complicated because sometimes a plant can continue to grow even if it's losing nutrients or the plant could continue to grow, but end up being very small and malnourished. Another type of relationship that occurs with the broccoli is parasitism. This occurs if a slug is eating the leaves of the broccoli plant. Therefore the broccoli plant is getting nothing out of the relationship making it parasitism.
     Lastly our broccoli plant is involved in secondary succession. It seems like a primary producer(autotroph) because the broccoli plant can produce it's own food by using photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is based on water and  carbon dioxide . It is also secondary succession because the dirt and other plants were already growing in that ecosystem making it secondary succession. All in all I hope our broccoli plants continue to grow.