Field Study
Here are some pictures of my site:
Week 1:
Week 1:
Week 1:
- My site is part of the Temperate Forest Biome because of its deciduous trees and climate - warm, moist summers and mild winters.
- One relationship I see is the symbiotic relationship between mosquitoes and humans. It is a parasitic relationship where the mosquito benefits, but the human is harmed. Another relationship I see is the one between gnats and plants. The plant (such as grass) is eaten by the gnat. I also see a relationship between birds and all the insects living around my sight. These birds eat the insects, which make up the majority of their diet.
- One food chain in my area starts with the grass which gets its energy from the sun. This grass is eaten by the gnats, which are then eaten by the birds.
Week 2:
Week 2:
- Man's impact in my area is ground pollution, such as littering trash, and air pollution, such as when some people smoke marijuana around my site. This can poison the wildlife in addition to ruining the scenery.
- The only limiting factor for plants on my site is the amount of sunlight available. The tall oak and bay trees compete for sunlight up high, casting shadows on any plants lower to the ground, including grasses or the shorter umbrella tree. For animals, the limiting factor would be the amount of food available.
Week 3:
Week 3:
- Bacteria is important because it decomposes organic matter and excretes the matter as more fertile. This makes the soil more nutrient-rich which helps the plants to grow. The bacteria indirectly helps the animals in my area because these animals feed on the plants.
- Fungi are found in dry areas with acidic dirt. Fungi decompose decayed matter and excrete new, nutrient-rich material which makes the soil more fertile and halls plants to grow, so their role is similar to that of bacteria.
- There was not any fungi that I could observe in my site. This could be due to the high moisture levels of the dirt in my site and the compact, rocky composition.
Week 4:
Week 4:
- The invertebrates in my area consist mostly of insects. Some of these are mosquitoes, gnats, dragon flies, and water striders.
- The role of mosquitoes is primarily to feed birds and fish who prey on them. Gnats also provide food for animals higher up on the food chain and some pollinate plants. Dragon flies provide a food source for fish and amphibians and are an important part of the food chain. Water striders prey on other insects that land on the surface of the water, and are eaten by fish and frogs.
- Mosquitoes are found in the air, along with gnats and dragon flies, to both escape predators and hunt prey, such as other insects. Water striders are found on the surface of the water because they have adapted to take advantage of the surface tension of the water and hunt insects that land on the surface of the water.
Week 5:
Week 5:
- One example of a bryophyte on my site is moss. Moss is a bryophyte because it is non-vascular and reproduces with spores. An example of a seedless vascular plant is a fern. Ferns are seedless vascular plants because they do not reproduce with seeds; they reproduce with spores. Ferns also have xylem and phloem. I can observe three types of angiosperms: oak tree, bay tee, and umbrella tree. These are angiosperms because of their broad leaves and ovule-enclosed seeds.
Week 6:
Here are some plants on my site:
This is a drawing of my site:
Analysis
One change I noticed on my site is the growth of algae. For the the first few weeks, there was not much algae, if any. Then part way through, I noticed a small portion of the creek bed was had algae growing on it. As the weeks passed by, more and more algae grew until the entire creek bed was covered by it. In addition, most of the algae was green at the beginning, but after six weeks there was a lot of brown algae. This growth can be explained by the abundant sunlight the creek was receiving and the presence of nitrates or phosphates in the water. Another change I noticed was the slow recession of leafy coverage of the bay tree over my site. During the first couple of weeks, more than a third of my site (about 35%) was covered by bay leaves. However, towards the end of the six weeks, less than a third (about 30%) of my site was covered by bay leaves. This loss of foliage is due to seasonal changes, when the tree sheds old leaves to make room for new, green leaves that photosynthesize more. The third change I noticed was the fluctuation in the number of insects on my site. The area I observed over the past weeks had an abundant number of gnats, mosquitoes, dragonflies, and water striders. After observing and counting them each week and then analyzing the data, their numbers were seemingly random. However, after looking more closely, abiotic factors may have come into play. When the weather was warmer and more humid, more insects were present. But when it was colder or windy, less insects could be seen.
One dominant organism on my site was the oak tree. I have learned that oak trees are deciduous, live in the northern hemisphere in temperate climates, and can absorb 50 gallons of water a day. It has changed over the past few weeks in the size of its canopy. The leaves on this tree used to cover about 35% of my site but now cover only about 30%. Some factors that might have affected this tree are temperature, water supply, and fungal diseases. The temperature has fluctuated over the past weeks, from colder temperatures to hot temperatures, and this could have caused loss of foliage. There has also been very little rainfall which could negatively affect this organism. In addition, it is possible that this tree has a fungal disease which can kill it. This organism is dominant because of the large amount of sunlight it absorbs, its size, and the widespread effects it has on other organisms.
Birds are another dominant organism on my site. One type of bird on my site is the mockingbird. It is gray, black, and white in color, about 10" long, and can mimic long complex songs. The mockingbird could have been affected by predators, food availability, and climate. It is a dominant organism because of the effects it has on other organisms such as plants and insects.
The third dominant organism in my area is blackberry bush. I learned how to identify it by looking at the leaves, that its leaves hurt you when you touch them, and that it is a dicot. It has changed by growing a lot over the past weeks. The plants used to be shorter and cover less ground, but now they have grown substantially. Lately, the creek has been increasing in water volume which could account for this growth. The temperature has also risen recently which could contribute. They are dominant because they can ward off predators with their thorns and stinging leaves, they are an important part in the food chain, and they are numerous.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we did meet our objective of observing or site and changes over time, as well as gaining knowledge about different organisms in our surrounding area. I predicted that the leaves on the trees would fall off, the creek would dry up, and the climate would change and warm up, all due to seasonal patterns in our area. After observing my site for 6 weeks, these predictions turned out to be correct. I have learned the different classifications of plants such as angiosperms, gymnosperms, monocots, dicots, and bryophytes. I learned how different organisms reproduce and what climates they live in, as well as how they are all connected. Food webs are one way the world around us is connected, and changes that affect only some organisms directly, affect many organisms indirectly. During this project, I widened my appreciation of nature.
Opinion:
This field study project was one of the more useful projects this year. It exceeded my expectations in terms of knowledge and I learned a lot more than I expected to learn. I enjoyed learning and collecting data outside which was a nice change from a classroom. I also liked the freedom to observe my site and the certain distance from campus. There was enough direction and guidance for me to keep on track, but not enough to get annoying which was a plus. Looking back on this project, I wouldn't change much.
One dominant organism on my site was the oak tree. I have learned that oak trees are deciduous, live in the northern hemisphere in temperate climates, and can absorb 50 gallons of water a day. It has changed over the past few weeks in the size of its canopy. The leaves on this tree used to cover about 35% of my site but now cover only about 30%. Some factors that might have affected this tree are temperature, water supply, and fungal diseases. The temperature has fluctuated over the past weeks, from colder temperatures to hot temperatures, and this could have caused loss of foliage. There has also been very little rainfall which could negatively affect this organism. In addition, it is possible that this tree has a fungal disease which can kill it. This organism is dominant because of the large amount of sunlight it absorbs, its size, and the widespread effects it has on other organisms.
Birds are another dominant organism on my site. One type of bird on my site is the mockingbird. It is gray, black, and white in color, about 10" long, and can mimic long complex songs. The mockingbird could have been affected by predators, food availability, and climate. It is a dominant organism because of the effects it has on other organisms such as plants and insects.
The third dominant organism in my area is blackberry bush. I learned how to identify it by looking at the leaves, that its leaves hurt you when you touch them, and that it is a dicot. It has changed by growing a lot over the past weeks. The plants used to be shorter and cover less ground, but now they have grown substantially. Lately, the creek has been increasing in water volume which could account for this growth. The temperature has also risen recently which could contribute. They are dominant because they can ward off predators with their thorns and stinging leaves, they are an important part in the food chain, and they are numerous.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we did meet our objective of observing or site and changes over time, as well as gaining knowledge about different organisms in our surrounding area. I predicted that the leaves on the trees would fall off, the creek would dry up, and the climate would change and warm up, all due to seasonal patterns in our area. After observing my site for 6 weeks, these predictions turned out to be correct. I have learned the different classifications of plants such as angiosperms, gymnosperms, monocots, dicots, and bryophytes. I learned how different organisms reproduce and what climates they live in, as well as how they are all connected. Food webs are one way the world around us is connected, and changes that affect only some organisms directly, affect many organisms indirectly. During this project, I widened my appreciation of nature.
Opinion:
This field study project was one of the more useful projects this year. It exceeded my expectations in terms of knowledge and I learned a lot more than I expected to learn. I enjoyed learning and collecting data outside which was a nice change from a classroom. I also liked the freedom to observe my site and the certain distance from campus. There was enough direction and guidance for me to keep on track, but not enough to get annoying which was a plus. Looking back on this project, I wouldn't change much.