Question

Field Study

Choose one of the following: grasses, trees OR insects.

Explore an area. The size of the area you will need to use depends on the organism type you choose and the environment of the area you are exploring. For example, you might choose grasses and your front yard and get enough variety to complete the assignment, but if you choose trees, and you have NO trees in your yard, then that won’t work.

Describe each unique (different) type of organism you find within your category. Choose an area that allows you to describeat least 5 unique types of organisms. Use descriptive words to describe each organism. If you know their scientific name, use that, or if not, use their common name. If you have a smart phone, take digital photos of each type of organism and include those with your descriptions. If you cannot take pictures, make sketches of each example of your category of organism.

Answer the questions below following your descriptions:

1. Describe the area you surveyed including its approximate location.

2. How large an area of your chosen environment did you have to survey to find at least 5 unique examples of the category you chose? If you could have gone anywhere to do this lab, where would a better environment have been to find unique examples of your choice?

3. A diverse population of organisms is a sign of a healthy biome. Would you consider the area you surveyed to be “healthy” according to the data you gathered? Why or why not?

Answer 1

1. The area surveyed was a kitchen garden in the backyard. It had a variety of plants, bearing vegetables, and some herbs. The vegetable plants were tomato plants, cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli. The herbs included a patch of lettuce, a patch of mint and another of coriander.

The 5 organisms which were observed in the yard were-

a] earthworms- Lumbricus terrestris [ they feed on organic waste and even soil and convert it into high quality nutrient. They help to loosen the soil, thus making it airy and helping the plants to breathe]

b] nematodes- Adenophorea [ help in recycling of nutrients in the soil as they decompose organic matter and make the nutrients available to the growing plants]

d] ants - Formicidae [ these are omnivorous animals and make anthills. They are food for various animals, like birds, and in return they also feed on some plants and insects living in the soil]

e] springtails [ they are tiny wingless creatures which live in damp soil and help to rot matter like wood, straw, hay etc and increase soil nutrient]

f] centipedes - Chilopoda [ they burrow into the soil, much like earthworms and help to make the soil airy, which is good for plants]

2. Since the kitchen yard is a small but vibrant ecosystem, the above mentioned creatures were found in a square area of a little more than 1 meter. A tropical forest area could be another choice for finding more unique examples.

3. Yes.

A variety of organisms were found in a small area of the surveyed biome. The organisms were in a state of dynamic relationship, with each of them in a healthy interactive state. The population of the organisms was also in a state of balance, without straining the available resources.