May 22, 2013

Today our experiment commenced after we collected three samples of leaves from trees and bushes surrounding grant high school. Our primary goal going forth is to identify each plant species.

Sample 1 Source
 Acer spicatum is a deciduous tree that can grow to approximately 10 meters in height (Source). Native to North America and found in woodland canopies, A. spicatum are dispersed by insects. Known more commonly as the Mountain Maple, this tree is unable to grow in the shade and prefers well-drained soil with acidic or neutral pH (Source). They are part of the Aceraceae family and have medicinal properties.

Sample 2 Source
Bromus inermis, more commonly known as smooth bromegrass, is an invasive, perennial grass that has made an extensive, negative impact on growth of native plants in North America by slowing their growth and increasing extinction (Source). B. inermis uses different dispersal methods including, growing rhizomes, dispersing their seeds in the wind and using animals. The stems are smooth and freestanding, usually reaching 1.5 meters in height. The leaf blades are smooth, flat and 15-40cm long, and  are greyish blue on the top side and green on the bottom. 

Sample 3 Source
Hedera helix is an invasive species of ivy native to Europe and Western Asia. H. helix, or English Ivy, grows to a height of between 20 and 80 feet. English Ivy is a vigorous, fast-growing, evergreen, woody perennial that is primarily grown as a climbing vine or trailing ground cover (Source). Over time, it may spread to as much as 100 feet in length. The leaves are typically dark green with whitish vains, waxy and somewhat leathery, with a measure of 3-4 inches across (Source).

After gathering, certain samples were smashed into a substance that we could accurately test.

Smashing Process 

We extracted a smaller portion of a sample for testing

Once the samples were in a testable size and form we added 100 microliters of nuclei lysis solution to the tube to then later be incubated at 65 degrees celsius.