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Introduction

Did you ever measure your height to see how much taller you were than the year before? This change is your annual growth. In humans, annual growth depends on factors such as your age (babies grow at a faster rate than teenagers) and your genesA segment of a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule contained in the nucleus of a cell that acts as a kind of code for the production of some specific protein. Genes carry instructions for the formation, functioning, and transmission of specific traits from one generation to another. (which make sure your growth pattern is similar to that of your parents and grandparents). How can we determine the annual growth of other organisms, and what factors can we find that affect their growth?

Trees are probably the tallest living organisms you will see in your life. Yet most trees around you grew from seeds no larger than the eraser on a pencil. The process by which these tiny seeds become trees is fascinating and easy to observe, when you know what to look for.

1. Introduction
2. How does a tree grow?
3. Lichens: another kind of annual growth
4. Lichens can survive harsh environments
5. Experiment 1 - Tree Growth: What can be learned from the growth patterns of trees?
6. Experiment 2 - Lichen Growth: What can be learned from the environment by observing lichens?
7. Design Your Own Experiment