The Nature Walk
Now that you know about allelopathy and have seen examples of
trees and
plants that demonstrate this characteristic on the computer, go outside
and
investigate!! Notice the spacing of trees in a forest. Are older trees
closer
together than younger trees or vise versa? What kinds of trees have very
little vegetation surrounding them? Is this lack of vegetation due to
extensive shading by the tree, a superior root structure that beats out
all
other plants, or do the trees exhibit allelopathy by secreting chemicals
into
the soil?
In addition, you can look for other things that exhibit the traits
of an
allelopathic tree. In the world around you, what people or objects take
over
others' space? You can see this idea in the big cities where
buildings dominate nature. Or perhaps, in your own life when the stuff in
your
room has taken over the entire space. What are the means used to
accomplish
this take over and what effect does it have on you?
Go Back
This document has been accessed 13,421 times since
3/25/96.
This document was last modified on Friday, May, 17, 2002
at 15:44:52