Real-Life Communication
You have always been fascinated by the huge redwood trees. You love
the way they tower majestically over the forest, and rise up through the mist
out of sight into the heavens. In high school, you read that the soil surrounding
redwood trees holds abnormally high concentrations of moisture, although nobody
knew why. It was for this reason -- to solve the mystery of the wet soil beneath
the redwoods -- that you decided to study plant physiology in university.
"There
are two main areas you can focus your research as a plant physiologist: botany
or agriculture," says Norm Hopper, an agricultural plant physiologist. "Botany
deals with plants in general, while agriculture deals more specifically with
crop production."
At first, you thought the soil stayed moist because
the tree's roots extended so wide that they pulled their moisture far from
the trunk of the tree. That theory didn't work out. Then you guessed that
the soil near the redwoods didn't receive much sunlight, but one of your colleagues
had already disproved that idea. Finally, you discovered that the amount of
moisture in the soil was dependent on the amount of fog in the area near the
trees.
After four years of studying the mystery of the redwoods, you
believe you have finally found the solution. However, now you must write a
report to explain your research and results. "It's standard that plant physiologists
communicate through writings in scientific journals, and through oral reports
given at conventions and seminars," says Hopper.