Field Study: O’hair Park
Week 1:
Week 3:
Week 5:
Site Introduction:
Objective: For this project our objective is to further our ecology unit and get actual field experience. With this project we will build up our observation, documentation, and analytical skills and technique.
Site Description:
Directions: Follow from front of park and continue until the grassy meadow where you take a left and continue until you reach a bench. There is deer trail right before the bench that brings you slightly uphill and to the area where I will be studying.
Observations: We visited our site in the early afternoon
-mostly sunny besides shaded areas from trees
-I saw some insects:
-1 butterfly (Black, unidentified)
-mosquitos
-small flies
-1 spider
-95% of area covered by plants
-mostly covered with several types of grass
-estimated at least 20 different plants in area
-3 flowers (2 purple, one yellow)
-several types of weeds
Prediction: I predict that my area will become more dry; some plants will turn more brownish. More flowers will bloom too.
Objective: For this project our objective is to further our ecology unit and get actual field experience. With this project we will build up our observation, documentation, and analytical skills and technique.
Site Description:
Directions: Follow from front of park and continue until the grassy meadow where you take a left and continue until you reach a bench. There is deer trail right before the bench that brings you slightly uphill and to the area where I will be studying.
Observations: We visited our site in the early afternoon
-mostly sunny besides shaded areas from trees
-I saw some insects:
-1 butterfly (Black, unidentified)
-mosquitos
-small flies
-1 spider
-95% of area covered by plants
-mostly covered with several types of grass
-estimated at least 20 different plants in area
-3 flowers (2 purple, one yellow)
-several types of weeds
Prediction: I predict that my area will become more dry; some plants will turn more brownish. More flowers will bloom too.
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
Week 1: April 27th - May 1st
+What biome is in your area today? Why?
-My area is in the biome chaparral.
-This is because of its mild weather, temperature, plant life, and rainfall. The land also consists of shrubs which is another characteristic.
+What relationships do you see between organisms in your area?
-lichen growing on trees
- spiderwebs
+Describe a food chain in your area?
-insects eat certain plants, insect eaten by larger insect, large insect is eaten by even larger insect, which is then eaten by a spider when caught in a spider web.
Week 2:
+ Man has impacted my area by leaving a pile of towels and empty pill bottles under a bush.
-There are also man made mounds in my area.
+Limiting Factors
-Some limiting factors for plants could be lack of shade or sunlight. Some areas are under direct sunlight while others are in complete shade.
-Some limiting factors for animals could be a lack of plant food to eat. In my area there isn't much variety of plants besides weeds.
Week 3:
+ Bacteria in soil is vital because they work as decomposers and consumers in the ecosystem.
-Decomposers break down dead animal carcass and return the nutrients of the animal back to the soil.
+Fungi are mostly found in topsoil.
-Fungi can be used as a food source for other animals.
-Fungi recycles nutrients from dead matter back to the soil to be reused by other plants.
+I probably have some fungi growing in the soil of my area. There are no mushrooms that I have noticed in my area however.
-This could be because conditions in my area are not extremely favorable for fungi. Fungi needs a certain pH level and temperature to thrive.
Week 4:
+Invertebrates make up most of the animals in most environments. They then make up most of the food chain. They can act as free living organisms and consumers. They also make up many important symbiotic relationships.
+Invertebrates can be found almost anywhere. Most worms and insects are invertebrates. If you just look at the ground you can find many invertebrates all over.
Week 5:
+ I did not find any bryophytes in my area.
+I found one seedless vascular plant. I classified it as such because it had long leaves and looked like some sort of fern.
+I did not find any gymnosperms in my area.
+I found a couple angiosperms in my area. Most of my area is covered in monocots. There are then a few dicots scattered around the plot. I could tell they were monocots because their leaves were long and thin and looked like some form of grass. I could tell that I had some dicots in my area because they were trees but had flowers. I also had some other smaller plants that i could tell were also dicots from their flowers.
Week 6:
+Dermal tissue is found in stems and roots while vascular tissue makes up the xylem and phloem of a plant and the ground tissue makes up the Parenchyma tissue, Collenchyma tissue, and Sclerenchyma tissue. Dermal tissue is used to prevent water loss and general protection for the plant. Vascular tissue is used to transport food, water, and minerals.
+Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Boron, Manganese, Zinc, Molybdenum, and Copper are the essential nutrients needed in soil.
-Nitrogen helps plants with rapid growth, increasing seed and fruit production and improving the quality of the plant's leaves.
-Phosphorus helps with transforming energy from the sun into chemical energy for the plant.
-Potassium helps in the building of proteins, photosynthesis, quality of fruit, and reduction of diseases.
-Sulfur helps in the formation of chlorophyll.
-Magnesium helps activate plant enzymes needed for growth.
-Calcium is an essential part of the cell wall in plants as well as helps provide for normal transport in the plant.
-Iron is vital for the formation of chlorophyll in a plant.
-Boron helps with regulating and using nutrients in plants.
-Manganese works with enzymes to help break down carbohydrates.
-Zinc regulates consumption of sugar.
-Molybdenum helps plant to use nitrogen.
-Copper helps with root metabolism and use of proteins.
+Methods of pollination in my area:
-wind pollination
-bee pollination
-bird pollination
+Examples of plant adaptations:
-sticky substance on weeds to transfer seeds
-drought resistant (most likely because area is not watered and still survives during drought season)
-lichens produce more than 500 biochemical compounds that help it survive most harsh conditions
+What biome is in your area today? Why?
-My area is in the biome chaparral.
-This is because of its mild weather, temperature, plant life, and rainfall. The land also consists of shrubs which is another characteristic.
+What relationships do you see between organisms in your area?
-lichen growing on trees
- spiderwebs
+Describe a food chain in your area?
-insects eat certain plants, insect eaten by larger insect, large insect is eaten by even larger insect, which is then eaten by a spider when caught in a spider web.
Week 2:
+ Man has impacted my area by leaving a pile of towels and empty pill bottles under a bush.
-There are also man made mounds in my area.
+Limiting Factors
-Some limiting factors for plants could be lack of shade or sunlight. Some areas are under direct sunlight while others are in complete shade.
-Some limiting factors for animals could be a lack of plant food to eat. In my area there isn't much variety of plants besides weeds.
Week 3:
+ Bacteria in soil is vital because they work as decomposers and consumers in the ecosystem.
-Decomposers break down dead animal carcass and return the nutrients of the animal back to the soil.
+Fungi are mostly found in topsoil.
-Fungi can be used as a food source for other animals.
-Fungi recycles nutrients from dead matter back to the soil to be reused by other plants.
+I probably have some fungi growing in the soil of my area. There are no mushrooms that I have noticed in my area however.
-This could be because conditions in my area are not extremely favorable for fungi. Fungi needs a certain pH level and temperature to thrive.
Week 4:
+Invertebrates make up most of the animals in most environments. They then make up most of the food chain. They can act as free living organisms and consumers. They also make up many important symbiotic relationships.
+Invertebrates can be found almost anywhere. Most worms and insects are invertebrates. If you just look at the ground you can find many invertebrates all over.
Week 5:
+ I did not find any bryophytes in my area.
+I found one seedless vascular plant. I classified it as such because it had long leaves and looked like some sort of fern.
+I did not find any gymnosperms in my area.
+I found a couple angiosperms in my area. Most of my area is covered in monocots. There are then a few dicots scattered around the plot. I could tell they were monocots because their leaves were long and thin and looked like some form of grass. I could tell that I had some dicots in my area because they were trees but had flowers. I also had some other smaller plants that i could tell were also dicots from their flowers.
Week 6:
+Dermal tissue is found in stems and roots while vascular tissue makes up the xylem and phloem of a plant and the ground tissue makes up the Parenchyma tissue, Collenchyma tissue, and Sclerenchyma tissue. Dermal tissue is used to prevent water loss and general protection for the plant. Vascular tissue is used to transport food, water, and minerals.
+Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Boron, Manganese, Zinc, Molybdenum, and Copper are the essential nutrients needed in soil.
-Nitrogen helps plants with rapid growth, increasing seed and fruit production and improving the quality of the plant's leaves.
-Phosphorus helps with transforming energy from the sun into chemical energy for the plant.
-Potassium helps in the building of proteins, photosynthesis, quality of fruit, and reduction of diseases.
-Sulfur helps in the formation of chlorophyll.
-Magnesium helps activate plant enzymes needed for growth.
-Calcium is an essential part of the cell wall in plants as well as helps provide for normal transport in the plant.
-Iron is vital for the formation of chlorophyll in a plant.
-Boron helps with regulating and using nutrients in plants.
-Manganese works with enzymes to help break down carbohydrates.
-Zinc regulates consumption of sugar.
-Molybdenum helps plant to use nitrogen.
-Copper helps with root metabolism and use of proteins.
+Methods of pollination in my area:
-wind pollination
-bee pollination
-bird pollination
+Examples of plant adaptations:
-sticky substance on weeds to transfer seeds
-drought resistant (most likely because area is not watered and still survives during drought season)
-lichens produce more than 500 biochemical compounds that help it survive most harsh conditions
ANALYSIS + CONCLUSION:
Changes in Site:
Over the past few weeks I have noticed some changes in my observed field study area. I noticed the grass has dried out drastically and grown taller. The grass has also turned a yellow brown as well as the leaves of the trees became more dried out. Another change I observed was the increase of weeds that covered my area. The number of insects I saw also increased. Both on the ground and in the air every time I went to my site there were more insects. This was probably from the slowly increasing temperature.
Dominant Organisms:
Throughout my observation I have noticed 3 dominant organisms. These include lichen, bees, and grass. My entire site is covered by grasses. This is probably because grass seems to be able to grow in almost any open space. They also have a very efficient seed dispersal system. The grass grows tall and the seeds on top latch onto any passing animal or breeze in the wind to carry it to more open space. These grasses have continuously grown throughout my observation and now seem to have plateaued and staying a consistent height.
The second dominant organisms I observed were bees. Bees were all over my site and especially clustered on certain plants. While I did see some yellow jacket and such bees were definitely more common. What I saw were most likely honey bees. Honey bees are essential to the ecosystem. Bees pollinate the plants in the area and spread the plant's pollen from flower to flower. I also noticed that the bees were attracted and clustered around certain plants. For example, I saw the majority of the bees on this flowering tree. I noticed the number of bees increased the more the tree flowered.
The third dominant organism I noticed was lichen. This one was not as obvious but I still noticed lichen growing on many of the fallen trees and rocks in the area. Lichen is known for it resilience. It can grow almost anywhere and even emits biochemical compounds to be able to adapt to its surroundings. I am actually surprised that there was not even more lichen growing in my site.
Conclusion:
Overall, I believe that we accomplished this project's objectives. I have learned about observing and taking data. As well as then taking that data and interpreting what it might mean. I learned more about ecosystems and how all the organisms interact with each other. My initial predictions have come true. I predicted the plants would dry out and more flowers would bloom. This is very true, most of the plants in my area dried out to some degree and lots of plants bloomed with flowers. Finally, my final thoughts on this project are that it was very interesting. It was cool to step out of the classroom and witness what we are learning first hand. While at first this project may seem a little boring it is still very effective in teaching skills scientists today use. However, I believe it would have been cooler and more effective if we started observation in late winter to early summer to see a more drastic change.
Opinion of project:
I thoroughly enjoyed this project. I enjoyed being able to expand my skills of observing. It sounds boring and easy but there is actually more to it than you might think. You must be able to be quiet and just listen, and interpret everything around you. You must be able to see the ecosystem and how all the animals interact with each other.
I also enjoyed this lab because for a future career I would like to be a research scientist. To be a research scientist I must have this skill of observation. It was also cool to think that this a technique that actual scientists use today.
Using my skills of observation it was very cool to watch the subtle changes in my area over these two months. While yes the changes were very subtle, there was definite change between spring and summer. Watching all the animal interactions also change was very interesting. I got to see ecology first hand and that was a very cool experience.
Over the past few weeks I have noticed some changes in my observed field study area. I noticed the grass has dried out drastically and grown taller. The grass has also turned a yellow brown as well as the leaves of the trees became more dried out. Another change I observed was the increase of weeds that covered my area. The number of insects I saw also increased. Both on the ground and in the air every time I went to my site there were more insects. This was probably from the slowly increasing temperature.
Dominant Organisms:
Throughout my observation I have noticed 3 dominant organisms. These include lichen, bees, and grass. My entire site is covered by grasses. This is probably because grass seems to be able to grow in almost any open space. They also have a very efficient seed dispersal system. The grass grows tall and the seeds on top latch onto any passing animal or breeze in the wind to carry it to more open space. These grasses have continuously grown throughout my observation and now seem to have plateaued and staying a consistent height.
The second dominant organisms I observed were bees. Bees were all over my site and especially clustered on certain plants. While I did see some yellow jacket and such bees were definitely more common. What I saw were most likely honey bees. Honey bees are essential to the ecosystem. Bees pollinate the plants in the area and spread the plant's pollen from flower to flower. I also noticed that the bees were attracted and clustered around certain plants. For example, I saw the majority of the bees on this flowering tree. I noticed the number of bees increased the more the tree flowered.
The third dominant organism I noticed was lichen. This one was not as obvious but I still noticed lichen growing on many of the fallen trees and rocks in the area. Lichen is known for it resilience. It can grow almost anywhere and even emits biochemical compounds to be able to adapt to its surroundings. I am actually surprised that there was not even more lichen growing in my site.
Conclusion:
Overall, I believe that we accomplished this project's objectives. I have learned about observing and taking data. As well as then taking that data and interpreting what it might mean. I learned more about ecosystems and how all the organisms interact with each other. My initial predictions have come true. I predicted the plants would dry out and more flowers would bloom. This is very true, most of the plants in my area dried out to some degree and lots of plants bloomed with flowers. Finally, my final thoughts on this project are that it was very interesting. It was cool to step out of the classroom and witness what we are learning first hand. While at first this project may seem a little boring it is still very effective in teaching skills scientists today use. However, I believe it would have been cooler and more effective if we started observation in late winter to early summer to see a more drastic change.
Opinion of project:
I thoroughly enjoyed this project. I enjoyed being able to expand my skills of observing. It sounds boring and easy but there is actually more to it than you might think. You must be able to be quiet and just listen, and interpret everything around you. You must be able to see the ecosystem and how all the animals interact with each other.
I also enjoyed this lab because for a future career I would like to be a research scientist. To be a research scientist I must have this skill of observation. It was also cool to think that this a technique that actual scientists use today.
Using my skills of observation it was very cool to watch the subtle changes in my area over these two months. While yes the changes were very subtle, there was definite change between spring and summer. Watching all the animal interactions also change was very interesting. I got to see ecology first hand and that was a very cool experience.