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  • Leaf Me Alone! The Movement of Nutrients Between Trees and the Soil
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Leaf Me Alone! The Movement of Nutrients Between Trees and the Soil

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Wilderness
  • Biomass
  • Decomposers
  • Food Chain
  • Forest management
  • Luquillo Experimental Forest
  • Nutrient Cycle
  • Photosynthesis
  • Soil
  • Tropical
A black and white drawing of three piles of leaves; each holding a sign. One says "Grade A", one says "Choice", and one says "Economy".
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In this study, the scientists studied trees growing on Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean Sea. The scientists wanted to know if different trees contribute different amounts of nutrients to the soil. By learning if some kinds of trees contribute more nutrients to the soil, the scientists could determine if those kinds of trees should be planted in areas where the soil needs more nutrients.

Leaf Me Alone! The Movement of Nutrients Between Trees and the Soil

Part Of

Tropical Forest - Vol. 3 No. 1

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  • Test your knowledge decomposers, organisms, and species.

    Word Search – Leaf Me Alone!

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Wilderness
    • Analyze
    • Biomass
    • Decomposer
    • Nutrients
    • Organic
    • Organism
    • Species
    • Vocabulary
    Test your knowledge decomposers, organisms, and species.
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Leaf Me Alone! The Movement of Nutrients Between Trees and the Soil

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Glossary

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  • analyze

    (a nǝ līz): To study or find out the nature and relationship of the parts of something.

  • biomass

    (bī ō mas): The amount of living matter (in a unit area or volume of habitat).

  • complexity

    (kǝm plek sǝ tē): Something that is complex, or hard to separate, analyze, or solve.

  • decomposer

    (dē kǝm pō zǝr): An organism (like a bacterium or a fungus) that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter.

  • external

    (ek stǝr nǝl): Of, relating to, or connected with the outside or an outer part.

  • forest manager

    (fȯr ǝst ma ni jǝr): A person who manages a forest; in the Forest Service, forest managers focus on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health (definition from USDA Forest Service).

  • nutrient

    (nü trē ǝnt): A substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life.

  • organic

    (ȯr ga nik): Of, relating to, or obtained from living things.

  • organism

    (ȯr gǝ ni zǝm): An individual living thing that carries on the activities of life by means of organs which have separate functions but are dependent on each other: a living person, plant, or animal.

  • quality

    (kwä lǝ tē): A basic characteristic.

  • quantify

    (kwän tǝ fī): To determine, express, or measure the quantity of.

  • species

    (spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.

  • A photo of Dr. Ariel Lugo and a group of people hiking along a river.

    Ariel Lugo

    Tropical Ecologist

    “My favorite science experience is trying to understand the functioning of natural ecosystems in collaboration with bright people, including high school students.” “[Another] favorite science experience is interacting with other...
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  • Elvira Cuevas sits on a kayak and lets her legs dangle over the sides.

    Elvira Cuevas

    Ecologist

    I like being a scientist because I get to discover new things about the natural environment. My favorite science experience is working in the field. I can see how the...
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Jump To

  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Education Files

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Time, Continuity, and Change

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

USDA and Forest Service Logos

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

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  • Meet the Scientists

    Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • Reflection Section

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  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


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