Project Ideas

Garden Toolkit and curriculum provided by Back to the Roots® . Visit backtotheroots.com/curriculum to download all unit materials and view source listings.
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An ecosystem is an ecological system, or all the living things in an area interacting with one another and the resources available
there. Every living thing, or organism, has a special role to play as they interact with the same resources (the things that aren’t alive
like nutrients, minerals, air, water, and sunlight). Everything feeds something else, and eventually everything dies. Some organisms
have evolved to be able to break down the dead things to recycle the nutrients and continue the circle of life.
Which resources do you need to live? (Hint: See Chapter 1!)
New trees begin to grow and
the circle of life continues.
The new seeds enter the soil
and grow, grow, grow!
The fallen tree becomes a
home. Animals move in to live
in the tree as it decomposes,
breaking up the pieces that
are still together (and bring
new seeds along with them).
When the decomposition
is complete the result is a
nutrient rich soil full of lots of
living organisms!
The mycelium is not alone!
The soil food web is an ecosystem
below the soil. Worms, bugs,
bacteria, and other organisms
exchange nutrients as they eat
the mycelium and each other.
When the rain comes, the threads
weave together to push out from
the dead tree. The mushroom
forms and starts releasing spores
out into the world (more on this
in Chapter 3!).
As the mycelium grows it creates
new enzymes to try to break
down the wood and plant material
faster. Mycelium is really smart—
when it tries an enzyme that
doesn’t work, it tells the whole
system so it never wastes time
trying that enzyme again!
The mycelium has three jobs:
1) find food, 2) eat food, and 3)
reproduce. The mycelium puts
out a wave of special compounds
it produces called enzymes
which start to break down dead
trees and plant material (think
of enzymes working like milk to
break down a cookie!). Once the
enzymes break it down, it can be
used as food by the mycelium.
The mycelium grows through the
dead leaves and soil and comes
to break down the wood on the
tree.
Mushrooms play a very important role in the
ecosystem. They decompose (or break down) the dead
trees and leaves, making the nutrients available in the
soil for the rest of the system.
Living trees
drop leaves
Chapter 2: What do mushrooms do?
The Ecosystem
THE CIRCLE
OF LIFE
MUSHROOMS PLAY
A KEY ROLE
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