Listen to a conversation between a student and his ecology professor.

P: Hi Mark, before we start, I noticed you weren't in class on Monday when I announced that I won't be able to return everyone's first paper until next week. I did look at yours, though, and it was very good.

Okay, thanks for letting me know.

No problem. So in your email, you said you wanted to discuss a landfill, somewhere near campus?

Yes, sorry if I wasn't clear.

That's okay. What are you planning?

S: Well, you asked us to keep a journal over the next few months. We're supposed to visit an area with plenty of plants and trees on campus or possibly a nearby forest. We should document our observations about the area in our journal.

Yes, the idea for this project is for you to become very familiar with that place, and then you'll write about it in detail.

Right. And you gave us a list of suggestions of places we could visit, but I read an article recently that gave me the idea of observing a different type of ecosystem.

Okay, the list I gave you wasn't meant to be exhaustive. It's nice that you took the initiative, and you're doing more than just what's expected.

So the articles about the types of habitats that develop in places that were really disturbed by human activity, like landfills or abandoned industrial sites.

Yes, these types of wastelands like abandoned railroad tracks and factories. When we look more closely, we find many types of vegetation, both native and invasive, doing quite well, and there's a growing interest in studying these places, as we would any other natural site.

I'm thinking of an area just outside of town. It was a landfill until several years ago, but since it was closed and it's not a garbage dump anymore, the area has become quite overgrown. There are sections of it with large trees today, almost like a forest.

And I'm sure it's not just the vegetation, but a whole ecosystem that must be developing, frogs, insects, birds, and you would have to include those in your account too.

So it's okay with you if I don't write my journal about a traditional forest environment?

Yes, I think this is a great idea, and I look forward to reading what you'll find out about this type of ecosystem. I'd also like you to take pictures and include them to back up your observations and analysis. And if you're not opposed to it, it would be really useful if you could give a little talk in class to share what you learned from your observations.