Objective:
Each student chose a 20 by 20 feet square of land to study at O'Hair park. Students are supposed to catalog the changes of the environment through 6 weeks. I chose a patch of grass with two trees in the middle with some shrubs and grassy patches.
My Biome:
My biome is a grassy meadow with a tree and over grown bush in the middle. It doesn't have any prominent features. Just a lot of dry dirt and weeds.
Each student chose a 20 by 20 feet square of land to study at O'Hair park. Students are supposed to catalog the changes of the environment through 6 weeks. I chose a patch of grass with two trees in the middle with some shrubs and grassy patches.
My Biome:
My biome is a grassy meadow with a tree and over grown bush in the middle. It doesn't have any prominent features. Just a lot of dry dirt and weeds.
Focus Questions Week 1:
What type of California biome is your area and why?
My area is grassland because of its dry soil and excessive amount of grass.
What type of relationships do you see between organisms in your area? Name each relationship.
Competition/Parasitism - Some of the tree's roots are being worn away and little holes scatter the ground as if some type of small insect were eating at it.
Describe a food chain in your area?
Plants < Bugs
Focus Questions Week 2:
What is man's main impact in your area?
My areas main impact is the lack of shade.
What are the limiting factors in your area for plants? For animals?
A limiting factor of plants would be the soil not being nutritious enough for plants to grow. We found out that the soil in the dry riverbed is too acidic for any plants to grow. A limiting factor for animals could be the sand like riverbed soil. Usually, undercuts in the river can provide for prime burrowing ground for small mammals. But do the the crumbly nature of this soil, it is near impossible for animals to dig themselves a burrow.
Focus Questions Week 3:
Why are bacteria important for plants in your area? For animals? For soil? (What role do they play?)
Bacteria plays an important role in the nitrogen cycle. It helps with denitrification and nitrification in the soil. This is important to plants because nitrogen is a necessity for plant growth. In animals, bacteria helps digest and get rid of excess food in the stomach. Bacteria also helps the soil by decomposing matter and transferring its nutrients into the ground.
In general, where are fungi found? What is their role in the world?
Fungi are found everywhere. They are found in Antarctica, soil, and even inside you. They like to grow in slightly acidic places. Fungi recycle matter back into the soil, are food for humans and animals, used to make medicines, and have several other uses.
Do you have any in your area? Where? Why? If no, why not?
I have no visible traces fungi in my area. I think that it is because my soil, which is actually pretty much dry dirt, is not fit for fungal growth. My soil is not very acidic either.
Focus Questions Week 4:
Research the invertebrates in your area.
In my area, I found gnats and flies. There were not a lot but a decent amount.
What is their role?
Their purpose is to feed the larger animals which I have yet to see.
Where are they found and why?
They're found around the plants because that is what they feed on.
Focus Questions Week 5:
Identify any bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, or angiosperms (monocot or dicot) that you have in your area.
Bryophytes:
Moss around branches of trees
Seedless Vascular Plants:
None
Gymnosperms:
None
Angiosperms (monocot or dicot):
Monocots: grass that surrounds the entire site and grows over the whole area
Dicots: Both trees in the center of the site have dicot leaves
For each, explain why you classified them the way you did.
Dicots have leaf veins that are branched
Monocots have parallel veins
Bryophytes do not produce seeds so they can only reproduce by spore production
Focus Questions Week 6:
What are the essential nutrients needed in soil? Why are each important?
The most essential nutrients needed in soil is nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen is apart of all living cells and is necessary part of all protein, enzymes, and metabolic processes involved in synthesis and transfer of energy. Phosphorus is like nitrogen, and is an essential part of the process of photosynthesis. Potassium is absorbed by large amounts than any other mineral element except Nitrogen
Explain different methods of pollination you see in your area. Give at least 3 examples.
Wind pollination
Animal pollination
insect pollination
What are some adaptations the plants in your area have? (At least 3 examples)
Some adaptions the plants in my area had is some mosses grew higher up on trees or other plants to get more sunlight needed. With summer here, some plants began to grow bigger leaves to collect as much sunlight as possible. And some ferns and flowers grew long stems to escape the shadow of some larger trees to reach sunlight.
What type of California biome is your area and why?
My area is grassland because of its dry soil and excessive amount of grass.
What type of relationships do you see between organisms in your area? Name each relationship.
Competition/Parasitism - Some of the tree's roots are being worn away and little holes scatter the ground as if some type of small insect were eating at it.
Describe a food chain in your area?
Plants < Bugs
Focus Questions Week 2:
What is man's main impact in your area?
My areas main impact is the lack of shade.
What are the limiting factors in your area for plants? For animals?
A limiting factor of plants would be the soil not being nutritious enough for plants to grow. We found out that the soil in the dry riverbed is too acidic for any plants to grow. A limiting factor for animals could be the sand like riverbed soil. Usually, undercuts in the river can provide for prime burrowing ground for small mammals. But do the the crumbly nature of this soil, it is near impossible for animals to dig themselves a burrow.
Focus Questions Week 3:
Why are bacteria important for plants in your area? For animals? For soil? (What role do they play?)
Bacteria plays an important role in the nitrogen cycle. It helps with denitrification and nitrification in the soil. This is important to plants because nitrogen is a necessity for plant growth. In animals, bacteria helps digest and get rid of excess food in the stomach. Bacteria also helps the soil by decomposing matter and transferring its nutrients into the ground.
In general, where are fungi found? What is their role in the world?
Fungi are found everywhere. They are found in Antarctica, soil, and even inside you. They like to grow in slightly acidic places. Fungi recycle matter back into the soil, are food for humans and animals, used to make medicines, and have several other uses.
Do you have any in your area? Where? Why? If no, why not?
I have no visible traces fungi in my area. I think that it is because my soil, which is actually pretty much dry dirt, is not fit for fungal growth. My soil is not very acidic either.
Focus Questions Week 4:
Research the invertebrates in your area.
In my area, I found gnats and flies. There were not a lot but a decent amount.
What is their role?
Their purpose is to feed the larger animals which I have yet to see.
Where are they found and why?
They're found around the plants because that is what they feed on.
Focus Questions Week 5:
Identify any bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, or angiosperms (monocot or dicot) that you have in your area.
Bryophytes:
Moss around branches of trees
Seedless Vascular Plants:
None
Gymnosperms:
None
Angiosperms (monocot or dicot):
Monocots: grass that surrounds the entire site and grows over the whole area
Dicots: Both trees in the center of the site have dicot leaves
For each, explain why you classified them the way you did.
Dicots have leaf veins that are branched
Monocots have parallel veins
Bryophytes do not produce seeds so they can only reproduce by spore production
Focus Questions Week 6:
What are the essential nutrients needed in soil? Why are each important?
The most essential nutrients needed in soil is nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen is apart of all living cells and is necessary part of all protein, enzymes, and metabolic processes involved in synthesis and transfer of energy. Phosphorus is like nitrogen, and is an essential part of the process of photosynthesis. Potassium is absorbed by large amounts than any other mineral element except Nitrogen
Explain different methods of pollination you see in your area. Give at least 3 examples.
Wind pollination
Animal pollination
insect pollination
What are some adaptations the plants in your area have? (At least 3 examples)
Some adaptions the plants in my area had is some mosses grew higher up on trees or other plants to get more sunlight needed. With summer here, some plants began to grow bigger leaves to collect as much sunlight as possible. And some ferns and flowers grew long stems to escape the shadow of some larger trees to reach sunlight.
Analysis/Conclusion
My site has undergone many significant changes throughout this project. One big bush in the middle of my site has started to decompose. The grass and weeds have significantly grown and my gnat and butterfly count has increased since the beginning. Another tree in my site has started blossoming and with that, I’ve noticed more insects around my area. The insects also used part of the decomposing bush, as a place to live or partially for shade. The moss and plants use the trunk as a place to anchor themselves and have grown increasingly to reach sunlight. Birds use the branches as a place to rest. Another major change I noticed was the growth of grass and flowers in my site. The soil in my site was very poor in nitrogen as I found out in our soil-testing lab. It was also very hard and dry. Very few flowers other than the dominant grass and weeds were able to grow. In the first week of observations, I noticed a very low amount of insect activity in my area. However, a week later, there was an abundance of them swarming around in the heat wave that our town was going through. I enjoyed seeing this change because it was an immediate change that I could easily notice and record. I could really notice how the heat affects the amount of insect activity. The warmer the day, the more insects will be out and about. This was interesting to discover and I would like to learn more about why this occurs.
Overall, I have learned very much from my field study project. I learned about how various ecosystems interact with each other and became much more observant of my surroundings. I also learned about the diversity in O'Hair Park because I never really noticed all the different species of plants and organisms there were. The park ranger who visited told us that O'Hair park at one point was a homestead. We could tell this by the foreign, decorative plants and pomegranate trees that lined the small driveway. There was also evidence in my site of fencing that may have been put up to mark the road or plot of land. My predictions were correct. The insect count grew incredibly and the ground definitely became a lot drier due to the drought and the upcoming summer.
I really enjoyed this project. Going out side and doing the experiments myself and observing all the nature in our parks was really rewarding. I couldn’t learn as much as I did reading a textbook in a classroom. I learned a lot from just observing a little site and how much heat and water affects certain factors of an ecosystem. One thing I could have done differently is my website. I could have gone much more in depth with my findings and observations. But overall it was a really great project.
Overall, I have learned very much from my field study project. I learned about how various ecosystems interact with each other and became much more observant of my surroundings. I also learned about the diversity in O'Hair Park because I never really noticed all the different species of plants and organisms there were. The park ranger who visited told us that O'Hair park at one point was a homestead. We could tell this by the foreign, decorative plants and pomegranate trees that lined the small driveway. There was also evidence in my site of fencing that may have been put up to mark the road or plot of land. My predictions were correct. The insect count grew incredibly and the ground definitely became a lot drier due to the drought and the upcoming summer.
I really enjoyed this project. Going out side and doing the experiments myself and observing all the nature in our parks was really rewarding. I couldn’t learn as much as I did reading a textbook in a classroom. I learned a lot from just observing a little site and how much heat and water affects certain factors of an ecosystem. One thing I could have done differently is my website. I could have gone much more in depth with my findings and observations. But overall it was a really great project.