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.

听一段学生与生态学教授的对话。教授:嗨，Mark，开始之前我先说一下，周一你缺课时我通知了大家，下周才能发回第一篇论文。不过我看过你的作业，写得非常好。好的，谢谢告知。不客气。你在邮件里提到想讨论校园附近的垃圾填埋场？是的，抱歉我可能没说清楚。没关系。你具体有什么计划？学生：您让我们在未来几个月持续记录观察日志，要求去校园或附近森林的植被茂密区域实地考察，并在日志中记录观察结果。没错，这个项目的目的是让你们深入了解所选地点，最终完成详细报告。明白。您虽然提供了推荐地点列表，但我最近读了一篇文章，萌生了观察另一种生态系统的想法。列表只是参考，并非硬性要求。你能主动探索预期之外的内容，这很好。文章讲的是人类活动干扰后的区域（如垃圾填埋场、废弃工业区）如何形成特殊栖息地。对，这类荒地包括废弃铁路、工厂等。仔细研究会发现，本土和入侵植被都在蓬勃生长。如今学界对这些地方的关注度不亚于自然遗址。我考虑研究镇外一处几年前关闭的垃圾填埋场。停用后，那里植被疯长，部分区域已形成类似森林的乔木群落。除了植物，整个生态系统（青蛙、昆虫、鸟类等）肯定也在演变，这些都需要纳入你的记录。所以我不必局限于传统森林环境，这样可以吗？当然，这个选题很有价值。期待你的研究发现，建议拍摄照片辅助分析。如果愿意，还可以在课堂上做个简短汇报，分享你的观察成果。