Synthesis
After surveying the plant biodiversity within the Altadena mountains, one trend that I found interesting was how the abundance of water affects the diversity supported. There was a greater biodiversity in the places with a stream running through than the dry mountain side. I concluded within one of my journals, that increased water in turn leads to increased biodiversity. In another one of my journals, I also determined that the increased abundance of water allows for the abundance of certain bacteria that can have a positive impact on human health. Not only does water increase biodiversity (which is important for ecosystems resilience), but it was also determined that it allowed for an increased abundance of bacteria within soil and greenery which both are potentially beneficial to human health.
The impact that water has on the larger ecosystem that is the Altadena mountains also extends to the color of the mountains.This was suggested in my journal discussing how the California Buckwheat changes color with abundance of water (which is seasonal). In addition, one of my journals discussed that in light of the recent drought, there has been an increase in fires, which makes sense. However, it can be further explained by the overgrowth of drought resistant shrubbery such as the Chaparral Yucca, which burns at very hot temperatures.
Ultimately, through my observation, the importance of water to the ecosystems of the Altadena mountains was made clear. Water is crucial to the biodiversity and thus the resilience and health of the ecosystem. Furthermore, it allows for the abundance of ion rich oxygen, greenery, and certain bacteria, which are all beneficial to human health. And lastly, the amount of rainfall has an effect on the prevalence of wildfires, which not only significantly harm an ecosystem, but also the environment at large. However, in order to improve these ecosystems, we need to tackle something that is not so simple. We need to return the normal balance of the world's environment. By doing this, we will return normal rainfall to the Altadena mountains, and potentially lower the regularity in which we see wildfires.
Sources:
iNaturalist
http://mentalfloss.com/article/60632/11-scientific-reasons-why-being-nature-relaxing
Matthews, Dorothy M., and Susan M. Jenks. “Ingestion of Mycobacterium Vaccae Decreases Anxiety-Related Behavior and Improves Learning in Mice.” Behavioural Processes, vol. 96, 2013, pp. 27–35., doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2013.02.007.
Suarez, M., & Sasal, Y. (2012). Drought-induced mortality affects understory vegetation: release after death. Ecological Research, 27(4), 715-724. doi:10.1007/s11284-012-0945-5
http://www.hcn.org/article
Lev-Yadun, S., & Gould, K. S. (2007). What Do Red and Yellow Autumn Leaves Signal?. Botanical Review, 73(4), 279-289.
http://calscape.org/Eriogonum-fasciculatum-(California-Buckwheat)
http://tchester.org/sgm/conditions/seasons/leaflog1998.html
Bio 10B class
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