Eric Keefauver

Period 5

Discussion Questions

The Taiga biome also known as the Boreal forest or the snow forest is characterized by

coniferous trees, consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The Taiga is also known for its

very cold and dry winters. I chose the pinus mugo to propagate because its was a dwarf pine.

Making it easier to handle, especially when cloning the specimen. The advantages of choosing

this specimen were less water was required and it was easier to handle and clone because of its

size. The propagation method I chose was stem cuttings. Basically you cut at a 45 degree angle

and dip it in a root hormone then place it into rockwool. The reason I chose to do a stem cutting

is because it was easier and less time consuming than root division or any other propagation

method. The dependant variables played a big role because the light and the water were the two

main things keeping the specimen alive, also the conditions it was in played a big role in the

survival of the specimen. Three examples of controlled variables are light, water, and

temperature. The growth and the health of our specimens diminished at the last few weeks of our

data collection. The pine tree adapts to live in the taiga by shedding all its needles in the harsh

winter to store energy. All of our specimens died so there is no care regimen that i would

recommend. Also i could not predict when they should have been transplanted due to their death.

The main challenges i faced during propagation was getting the specimen to root after taking the

stem cutting. My explanation to why these specimens did not grow was because the wrong

propagation method was used. I could improve my specimens success by using a different

propagation method if I were to repeat this experiment.