Standing On the Shoulders of Giants: How Well Do Big-Leaf Mahogany Trees Grow in Different Conditions?

Article Middle School 1 Classroom Period Agriculture

To ensure that big-leaf mahogany harvesting is sustainable, scientists and land managers must know the conditions in which mahogany grows. Therefore, the scientists in this study wanted to examine how big-leaf mahogany responds to different amounts of rainfall and availability of nutrients in the soil.

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Standing On the Shoulders of Giants (Time Warp Monograph Series) Vol. 1 No. 13

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Glossary

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accumulate
(ə kyü m(y)e lāt): To gather or pile up little by little; to increase in quantity, number, or amount.
analysis
(ǝ na lǝ sǝs): An examination of a whole to discover its elements and their relations.
appendix
(ə pen diks): (plural: appendixes or appendices) Additional material attached at the end of a piece of writing.
clarity
(kler ət ē): The quality or state of being clear or easily understood.
endangered
(in dān jǝrd): Threatened with extinction.
extinction
(ik stiŋk shən): The state of no longer existing.
fauna
(fȯ nə): Animal life, especially the animals characteristic of a region, period, or special environment.
flora
(flȯr ə): Plant, bacterial, or fungal life, especially such life characteristic of a region, period, or special environment.
hypothetical
(hī pə the ti kəl): (1) Imagined as an example for further thought; (2) assumed.
integral
(in ti grəl or in te grəl): (1) Needed for completeness; (2) lacking nothing essential.
karst
(kärst): An irregular limestone region with sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns.
longitudinal
(län jə tüd nəl): Involving the repeated observation of a set of subjects over time with respect to one or more study variables.
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.
physiology
(fiz ē äl ə jē): A branch of biology dealing with the processes and activities by which life is carried on and which are special features of the functioning of living things, tissues, and cells.
prescribed fire
(pri skrībd fī ǝr): The controlled use of fire under specific weather conditions to restore health to an ecosystem that depends on fire; also known as a prescribed burn or controlled burn.
randomly
(ran dǝm lē): So that each possibility has a definite and especially an equal probability of occurring.
sample
(sam pəl): A small subset group, representative of the entire group.
spectrometer
(spek trä mə tər): An instrument that spreads particles or radiation into an ordered sequence (such as by mass or energy).
stable isotope
(stā bəl ī sə tōp): An isotope that shows no tendency to undergo radioactive decomposition.
sustainable
(sǝ stā nǝ bǝl): Of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not used up or permanently damaged.
unregulated
(ən re gyə lā təd): Not controlled.
vulnerable
(vəl n(ə-)rə bəl): Open to attack or damage.

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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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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Ernesto Medina

Plant Ecophysiologist

My favorite science experience is being outside in the field, observing how plants respond physiologically to their environment. I like designing experiments to answer the questions that arise from observations,...
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Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Culture
Global Connections
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
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.