I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 617 - 616: The Small World in the Rice Paddy

Fang Ye said, "Of course, an ecosystem also contains many different food chains!"

Besides frogs, other beneficial farm animals include various spiders, some of which spin webs in rice paddies to prey on flying insects like rice planthoppers and moths, while other spiders do not build webs and hunt like rangers on the straws and leaves of the rice, swiftly capturing the flying insects before they can escape!"

There are also dragonflies, which are carnivorous insects that can catch prey while flying. Not only do they catch pests like moths, but they are also excellent at eliminating mosquitoes in the rice paddies!"

Not just the adult mosquitoes that fly are their food, but also the mosquito larvae 'wrigglers' in the water can't escape their predation. Rice paddies are an ideal habitat for dragonflies.

Now there are no dragonflies in our rice paddies yet, but we already have frogs, so can dragonflies be far behind? Maybe they'll appear after the next round of sowing!"

The children let out a chorus of amazed sounds: "Oh~"

"Sometimes I see dragonflies near the green belt downstairs of my building!"

"Just now when we were cutting the rice, I saw a spider run away!"

Tang Xiaoxin complained, "I really wish there were more dragonflies, I hate mosquitoes the most!"

For some reason, she did not know why, she was inexplicably loved by mosquitoes!

In the family, the mosquitoes always targeted her, and each bite would swell up large and take several days to go down.

One summer, she was bitten on the mouth and her lips swelled up like sausages. She had planned to hang out with her classmates, but she was too embarrassed to go out with that look and stayed at home for a week. It was terribly uncomfortable.

Fang Ye said, "Beneath the water of the rice paddies, there's also a wealth of life!"

For example, fish like crucian carp and loaches feed on small insects and plant and animal debris that falls into the water.

They have to avoid predation by birds like herons, as well as fierce carnivorous insects in the water.

For instance, predaceous diving beetles, also known as water tigers, are adept hunters in the water with extremely fast swimming speeds!"

So many plants and animals, they eat, drink, excrete, live, age, get sick, and die here. The waste produced, the fallen withered leaves, the remains of animals, this 'trash' can be processed by the rice paddy's own ecosystem.

Take snails, for instance. Perhaps everyone's impression of them comes from eating seafood barbecues, where you slurp a mouthful of broth and pick out a piece with a toothpick, delicious and spicy."

The little chubby boy who was clamoring for crusty rice previously couldn't help but swallow his saliva, prompting laughter from the parents!

They recalled the wonderful memories of catching water tigers, loaches, and snails in the fields as children.

"Snails, usually hidden in the murky waters and hardly noticeable, are actually the janitors of the field, hardworking cleaners dealing with the trash!

Their diet includes not only the microscopic plankton algae in the rice paddy, which are invisible to the naked eye, but they also consume withered leaves and promptly clean up animal carcasses to prevent them from rotting and smelling bad in the water, affecting water quality.

In this process, creatures like predaceous diving beetles also become involved, breaking down the 'trash' into finer and finer pieces.

Then, bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms invisible to the naked eye will carry out the final cleanup work, reducing the organic material back to inorganic minerals, which become nutrients for plant growth, re-entering the cycle."

Rice plants, water algae, duckweed!

Mosquitoes, planthoppers, moths, spiders, dragonflies!

Grasshoppers, frogs, mice, snakes, herons!

Loaches, predaceous diving beetles, snails, microorganisms!

The children listened to Fang Ye describe, and a three-dimensional picture gradually formed in their minds.

As it turns out, aside from rice, there were so many other creatures in the rice paddies, creating a vibrant little world.

If this had been explained right when the rice planting started, it surely wouldn't have had much of an impact.

But having personally planted seedlings in the paddy, witnessed the growth of the rice, and seen the various creatures in the field, experiencing this process deepened their understanding significantly after Fang Ye's recap.

Fang Ye said, "These food chains intertwine to form a complex food web.

The more complex the food web, the stronger its ability to resist external disturbances. The simpler the food web, the more prone it is to fluctuations and destruction.

In today's farmlands, the excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers makes it impossible for animals like spiders, frogs, and snakes to survive, which encourages the proliferation of pests and necessitates more pesticide applications. Mice nibble on crops, leading to the deployment of rat poison and setting up of mousetraps.

Microorganisms cannot survive, the soil's fertility decreases without increase, and more chemical fertilizers must be applied continuously. The soil will also gradually harden and become a vicious cycle.

The rice we've grown, using organic fertilizers fermented from animal manure and without any pesticides, can still thrive robustly.

Of course, the yield will definitely be lower compared to fields where chemicals and pesticides are used, and it requires patience to let the soil recover its health. Given the current situation with such a large population and pressure on food supply, it might not be able to become the mainstream method of production.

However, such rice paddies are comparable to small wetlands, providing habitats for frogs, birds, and many other animals. The increase in biodiversity has a positive effect on improving the surrounding ecological environment."

A parent expressed surprise, "Director, the yield of this rice seems to be not low at all! I see that the grains are quite plump!"

Fang Ye smiled faintly, isn't that stating the obvious!

On top of the organic fertilizer, a bit of spiritual soil had also been mixed into the field when it was being prepared, so of course the rice would grow well.

Tang Xiaoxin was very clever and gave an example, "Using chemical fertilizers is like targeting exam scores, memorizing formulas, doing a large quantity of practice problems, memorizing reading comprehension strategies, memorizing essay templates!

However, our learning is not just for exams. More importantly, it's for developing logical thinking, understanding some philosophies of life, and cultivating literary appreciation, which can be useful for a lifetime. Yet parents and teachers all care about exam scores."

Qian Keke quickly agreed, nodding, "That's right, that's right! Grades aren't the most important thing, I'm lively and healthy."

Mother Qian couldn't help shaking her head, "This child has the nerve to say that, to you, having a good time is what's most important, isn't it!"

Qian Keke retorted, "I'm super great at biology!"

Previously, her biology grades had always hovered around the passing mark, but now they were nearly perfect, which even surprised her.

For students, interest in what they are learning is also a key factor affecting their grades.

For these children in the rice paddy, with such personal learning experiences, it's likely that their future biology grades will be good.

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Fang Ye laughed, "That's pretty much the idea. Okay, everyone, have you all rested enough? Let's get moving again!"

The children dispersed in a hubbub, continuing energetically with the rice harvesting. Now about half was left to be harvested.

After threshing, it was time to dry the rice!

Fang Ye called over the animal keeper from the mini-farm and had them fill a half bag of the grains from the bin to take for drying.

Today he had promised to let everyone taste the freshly harvested rice, and with such a short time frame, it was impossible to dry all of it. Even with hot weather and dry ground, it would normally take three to four days.

A small amount would be processed first with machines while the rest would be dried slowly after the visitors had left.