To Harvest or Not to Harvest – Vol. 1 No. 22

• agriculture

  (a gri kəl chər): The science or practice of preparing the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock.

• agriculture

  (a gri kəl chər): The science or practice of preparing the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock.

• control

  (kǝn trōl): A variable factor that has been kept constant and which is used as a standard of comparison to the experimental component in a controlled experiment.

• deciduous

  (di si jǝ wǝs): Having parts, like leaves, that fall off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle.

• ecosystem service

  (ē kō si stǝm sǝr vǝs): Any of the various benefits provided by plants, animals, and the communities they form.

• edible

  (e də bəl): Fit to be eaten.

• invasive species

  (in vā siv spē sēz): An organism that is not native to the place where it is found and tends to grow and spread easily usually to the detriment (harm) of native species and ecosystems.

• medicinal

  (mə dis nəl or mə di sə nəl): Tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain.

• naturalize

  (na chə rə līz): To cause something, such as a plant, to become established as if native.

• nutrient cycling

  (nü trē ənt sī k(ə-)liŋ): The uptake, use, release, and storage of nutrients by plants and their environments.

• orchard

  (ȯr chərd): Place where many tree selections are planted for the harvesting of their seeds and fruits.

• perennial

  (pǝ ren ē ǝl): Present at all seasons of the year.

• rhizome

  (rī zōm): A thick plant stem that grows underground and has shoots and roots growing from it.

• 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.

• transect

  (tran(t) sekt): A sample area usually in the form of a long continuous strip.

Editorial Review Board Comments

• “That the ecosystem is a gift and it is our duty to protect it.”

• “I learned how and why experiments are conducted.”

• “Definitions for words should not only be in the glossary, but also as footnotes.”

• “I learned why it is important to know how to sustainably harvest black cohosh/medicinal plants.”

• “I learned that over-harvesting could lead to a lack of certain nutrients for an organism, which can lead to lack of nutrients for multiple organisms in an ecosystem.”

• “The most important thing I learned was that there was a decline in the population of black cohosh as a result of harvesting the plant.”

• “I would add more examples that can relate to the readers day to day life.”

• “Go a little bit more in depth in some areas and include some jokes with the questions.”

• “It would be nice if students around the country can read this and other research on the topic. ”

Additional Resources