Introduction
IntheMonongahelaNationalForestofWestVirginia(Figure20.1),scientistshaveamystery
to solve: the mystery of the missing plantnutrients, which are substances in the soil that
plants need to grow. For several years, the trees there have not grown as well as they
should. Soil scientists believe that the soil is missing many of the important nutrients that
the trees and other plants there need to grow. They have conducted many years of research
to determine why the nutrients are disappearing and why the trees are not growing like they
should.
Mary Lusk was one of the soil scientists who worked to solve the mystery of the missing
nutrients in the forest. She gathered samples of the soil and tested it for important nutrients.
Shesawthatthesoilhasverylowlevelsofplantnutrients, suchasmagnesiumandcalcium. If
these nutrients are not in the soil, the trees cannot grow well. She wondered why the soil had
such low levels of these nutrients. After a little more research, she developed the hypothesis
that air pollution from nearby factories has been putting chemicals in the environment that
are removingthe nutrientsfrom the soil. In a sense, the pollution is “snatching”the nutrients
and carrying them out of the soil.
Scientists in the Monongahela National Forest are still researching the missing plant nutri-
ents. They are trying to learn what they can do to help keep the nutrients in the soil, so the
trees will grow better. The forest is an important natural resource. A natural resource is
something from nature that we depend on. We depend on the Monongahela National Forest
for many reasons, including:
- Recreation, such as hiking, camping, and picnics.
- The forest is vital habitat for many animals, including 9 endangered species and 50
different species of rare plants. - The forest contains 207 kilometers (129 miles) of streams for fishing, particularly trout
fishing. - Hunters use the forest for hunting deer, squirrels, turkeys, rabbits, mink, and foxes.
- The forest contains materials that we use, such as coal, gas, limestone, and gravel.
- The forest has abundant hardwood trees used for timber, which is sold for over 7
million dollars a year.
Like the Monongahela National Forest, we use many parts of the Earth for many reasons
(Figure20.2). We depend on materials from the Earth for food, water, building materials,
timber, recreation, and energy. However, human activities can degrade these natural re-
sources, just like air pollution from factories is speeding up the loss of soil nutrients in West
Virginia (Figure20.3). We need toconserveour natural resources so they will always
be around. When we practice conservation, we make sure resources will be available in the
future, both for ourselves and for other organisms.