Field Trips and Labs (Fall 2019) | Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology Lab

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Field trip to see Bellevue House Kitchen Gardens (September 9th 2019).

Elizabeth Pilon guiding students around the kitchen garden at Bellevue house that was established for Canada's first prime minister John A MacDonald in 1848

Elizabeth Pilon discussing the diversity of plants within the Bellevue house kitchen garden

Heritage species of apple trees at Bellevue house... and Mike Hann stashing a souvenir sample!

Field trip to see Forman Farm, Ironwood Organics Farm, and Q.U.B.S. Bracken Tract (October 5th 2019).

Large group of students listening to tour guide in parking lot

Charlie explaining the heating and water/nutrient circulation technology behind hydroponic farming

Hydroponically produced tomatoes at Forman farm

Charlie explaining the benefits and problematic issues associated with hydroponic production

Charlie showing the wood chip pellets that his farm factory produces

Ironwood Organics Farm

Chris Wooding of Ironwood Organics Farm: "Our goal is to maximise species diversity......Conventional agriculture relies on dirt; Sustainable agriculture relies on soil....Herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, insecticides... all end up inside (human body)....Our restorative farming practices have doubled the soil carbon concentration from 2.5% to 5%."

Chris pointing out the nitrogen-fixing bacterial symbiotic nodules on a bean plant root system

There's nothing like being and seeing things in the field to understand the application of terrestrial ecosystem ecology concepts

The mobile hen house allows Chris to rotate the hens through multiple patches of the field over time, enhancing the fertility of the latter

Hazelnut production at Ironwood Organics farm

Queen's University Biological Station Bracken tract factorial water availability x fertilisation x deer herbivory exclusion experiment:

Getting a chance to see and discuss soil-types and their influence on terrestrial ecosystem functioning

Lab activities: Food insecurity and poverty; The biology of compost and vermiculture soils

Jeff So looking for activity on a soil microscope slide

Students looking for soil mesofauna such as insects, nematodes, and springtails

Food insecurity: A demonstration game lead by Mara Shaw of the local charity Loving Spoonful to illustrate just how financially difficult it is for those in poverty to 'make ends meet'

Lumbricus terrestris - the european earthworm that has been invading across N. America over the past 200 years

Soil ecology demonstration lab, including vermiculture bin in foreground

Field trip to see Ravensfield farm (October 20th 2019).

Titia Posthuma: "A farmer needs to work with the land, letting it determine what can be grown most effectively.....It's the soil that matters - you need to work with, and enhance the soil....Animals, and especially ruminants, are the essential means of taking recalcitrant vegetation such as grasses and making it into high quality soil organic matter."