Effect of Woody Litter Mass on Soil Invertebrate Diversity
Discussion
Hannah Willis After performing our experiment we came to the conclusion that the amount of woody litter mass did not have a statistically significant effect on the amount of soil invertebrate diversity of an area. In each of the different areas, the P-Values were above 0.05 meaning that there was no significant correlation between woody litter mass and soil invertebrate diversity. There were 36 total invertebrates found between all the areas we measured with 8 different species. We also found that species diversity between all the groups ended up being 1.27 which means the diversity in the environments was very low. The evenness was 0.71 which is closer to 1, so the communities
…show more content…
In fact in one paper I found it states that in order for this subject to be understood better, experiments done on smaller spatial scales would need to be done over a much larger area in order for there to be any real accurate findings and correlations made (De Deyn). There is also stated in a paper that diversity may not be linked to the certain factor that we chose to measure but instead to more specific environmental factors such as water and energy which woody litter amount would not have played an important role in. (De Deyn). Another more specific study was done examining the influence of two different plants on soil-borne bacterial communities in which ultimately they came to the conclusion that they did see some variation in invertebrate diversity but the exact reasons why and correlations were still unknown and not understood …show more content…
It is important that more studies are done so that we can make correlations between the two in order to ensure ecosystem survival. In every ecosystem, every component from a gene to a species has a role to fill in an ecosystem. If it is not understood how above ground components effect below ground-diversity, we will not have the knowledge we need to better understand what keeps an ecosystem thriving. Without this knowledge we would lack the tools we need to understand how to keep biodiversity at high levels to ensure no extinction of a species or community. With pollution, deforestation, and other harmful effects on the environment taking over areas, it is necessary to the survival of life that we begin to make these correlations to understand biodiversity and the harm that lack of above ground diversity can have on the base components of an
When going to the sand dunes of the Illinois Beach State Park, we wanted to test the effects of different environment on succession, ecosystem development. The problem was to find out if there is a succession (ecosystem development) of plant communities taking place. If the sand dune’s closer to the lake are newer than those further inland, then, I believe succession will take place because the newest dunes do not have rich enough soil to support more complex plants like trees and shrubs growing in the areas that have already gone through later stage succession. The data supported our hypothesis.
In the article, “Loss of Dung Beetles Puts Ecosystems in Deep Doo-Doo”, the author discusses the effects dung beetles have on an ecosystem, and how these beetles cohabitate in their surrounding areas. The study was conducted to determine how dung beetles function in their environment, and what happens to them as a result. Additionally, researchers wanted to figure out if there was any loss of biodiversity or destruction of the ecosystem within the beetle population. Researchers placed a population of beetles in two different areas to observe their behaviors. One of the areas was a hydroelectric dam in a tropical forest of Venezuela, and the other was a much smaller island. The results indicated that the larger bees left the smaller islands
Since organisms living in communities form interdependent relationships, a change in the abundance of one species will not only affect the physical and more direct interactions, but could indirectly affect the number of other species within the community as a consequence (Wootton 1993). These indirect affects rise because the interactions between pairs of species are not independent of other species, such as increasing the density of vegetation may increase the survival rate of the prey, reducing the intensity of the interaction between the predator and prey (Wootton 1993, 1994). An
Read "Lab 3: Biodiversity." This lab will allow you to investigate how various organisms alter their environments. Additionally, it will allow you to assess the health of ecosystems based upon their biodiversity. Then, you will utilize this information and your eScience lab kit to complete Demonstration 1 and Experiment 1 on the Week Three Lab Reporting Form. Make sure to complete all of the following items before submission:
Research by Su et al. (1996) revealed that different hardwood content in stands influences balsam fir defoliation and mortality caused by spruce budworm. Defoliation and mortality are less in stand with high hardwood content than in stands with low hardwoods (MacLean 1980; Bergeron et al. 1995; Su et al. 1996). This results in higher canopy openness in stands with high conifer content than in high hardwood content
Through our research we aimed to determine if there were any differences in water quality of both the north and south forks of Strawberry Creek. As time progresses and the environment changes it is important to keep track of how certain species are being impacted by these features, and how they cope with change. We hypothesized that due to the lack of pollution, the south fork will promote a greater diversity of macroinvertebrates. This was due to the fact that there was less runoff and trash that could be introduced to the water in the south fork, than there was in the north fork. We gathered data by analyzing the different organisms living in both forks. We collected a total of fifty vials composed of five organisms from each fork, and inspected them under microscopic view. After gathering data and identifying the different kinds of organisms living in the different forks we assessed whether the organisms from the samples could live in high or low resolution water. We also took a t-test to assess the probability of these differences being due to relevant factors or by chance. Our major findings suggest that organisms in the south fork showed a higher demand to living in cleaner water indicating that our hypothesis was correct.
This is constructed by planting different type of plant species in the same proximal area that will benefit both plant species, establishing a mutualistic relationship. The nurse plant effect can be applied to further examine how the habitat structure of PLL flowers beds along different gradient influence invertebrates (Hai et al 2008)
The sparrow had a total of one species with a relative abundance of 0.0526. The earthworm had a total of six species with a relative abundance of 0.3158. The red-headed woodpecker had a total of one species with a relative abundance of 0.0526. The bigger brown spider had a total of one species with a relative abundance of 0.0526 (see Figure 1). The total number of species in the wooded area was nineteen with the species evenness of 0.7823. It also had a Shannon diversity index of 1.6266 and species richness of eight (see Table 1). The twelve different species at the water’s edge site are turtle, buzzard, deer, frog, beaver, tiny brown spider, small black bird, small yellow and brown stripes spider, dark with brown stripes spider, water spider, tibellus spider, and dog. The turtle had a total of five species with a relative abundance of 0.1515. The buzzard had a total of three species with a relative abundance of 0.0909. The deer had a total of one species with a relative abundance of 0.0303. The frog had a total of one species with a relative abundance of 0.0303. The beaver had a total of two species with a relative abundance of 0.0606. The tiny brown spider had a total of one species with a relative
Environmental pollution can adversely influence the ecosystem by minimizing the health and safety of the neighboring environment much needed for the organisms’ to existence. Habitat destruction is the second hazard that comes from human life increasing. To maintain human’s keep living, it is required to create regions for urban development, agriculture, and other much needed elements and pleasing living factors. Then again, the necessities to please the life of humans pose a threat to the life of organisms in the particular area. In the temperate forest ecosystem, numerous abiotic features play a part of its continued existence between the local organisms. The abiotic factors, which are nonliving factors that affect living organisms, are example things like its weather, light source, temperature, soil, minerals, air and water. The combination of these elements aid in the survival of the ecosystem alone and provide certain survival of the organisms in the environment (Viau, 2000). The organisms in the temperate forest ecosystem have undergone adjustments to assist or sustain the available resources and live through in the surrounding environment. Suitable modification ensures the survival of an organism in a particular
In times of trouble, governments turn to propaganda to persuade their civilians to stay positive. After the onset of WWII in Britain, The Ministry of Information was given the task to create a set of three propaganda pieces that worked to boost morale. Of the series, two displayed "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution; Will Bring Us Victory" and "Freedom is in Peril; Defend it with all Your Might," while the final read "Keep Calm and Carry on." The first two were displayed around the streets of Britain. The final was only to be released if Germany invaded Britain, and as it never happened, it ultimately was never viewed by the public. Although never publicly debuted during the war, the "Keep Calm and Carry on" propaganda piece
Each study site is 1 km by 0.5 km in area. Three rodent trapping webs and four replicate experimental blocks of plots are randomly located at each study site to measure vegetation responses to the exclusion of small mammals. Each block of plots is 96 meters on each side. Each block of plots consists of 4 experimental study plots, each occupying 1/4 of each block. The blocks of study plots are all oriented on a site in an X/Y coordinate system, with the top to the north. Treatments within each block include one unfenced control plot (Treatment C), one plot fenced with hardware cloth and poultry wire to exclude rodents and rabbits (Treatment R). The two treatments were randomly assigned to each of the four possible plots in each block independently, and their arrangements differ from block to block. Each of the plots in a replicate block are separated by 20 meters. Each experimental measurement plot measures 36 meters by 36 meters. A grid of 36 sampling points is positioned at 5.8-meter intervals on a systematically located 6 by 6 point grid within each plot. A permanent one-meter by one-meter vegetation measurement quadrat is located at each of the 36 points. A 3-meter wide buffer area is situated between the grid of 36 points and the perimeter of each plot. The foliage canopy area and maximum height of each plant species is measured from each quadrat. All cover values are measured from the vegetation measurement frame, which is 1 meter by 1 meter, and partitioned into a grid of 100, 10 cm by 10 cm squares. Cover is measured by counting the number of
Men are often perceived as masculine, good looking, strong, and smelling good; that is if they want to try to find the prettiest girls based on consensus. They need to stand out and be the impressive masculine figure they are supposedly drawn up to be. Advertisements are the reason for a population to think and feel this way, because they have the products that are sold to a target audience. Men want to be the best they can be, so they will in turn open their ears to what seems to be attracting women. Stereotypes are created surrounding men masculinity, thus resulting in situations where men are constantly trying to reach their peak and conform to what “works”.
The next clue to this being a modern short story is it implying facts and psychological truths rather than stating them. “But perfect, perfect little house. Who could possibly mind the smell?” I think that this introduction to the dollhouse is implying that it represents the upper class. It looks beautiful and gets everyone’s attention, but it has a bad smell of paint, like the arrogant and stuck up attitudes of the Burnells.
After I carried out the entire investigation, I got the results showing biodiversity of two different ecosystems trough Simpson`s reciprocal index showed in graph 3. If we look generally on biodiversity index of both ecosystems, in both cases it is higher than 1, meaning that biodiversity index is not low. As the maximum value is equal to the number of species in the sample, we can say that in case of meadow, biodiversity is optimal, at medium
The patterns of biological diversity in rivers and streams among taxa vary on a spatial and temporal scale (Ligeiro et al. 2010; McGarvey and Terra 2015). Variations in stream ecology can be contributed to water quality, habitat, and history of disturbance (Lingeiro et al. 2010). Creeks and streams feed into rivers and other larger bodies of water, which provide food, water, and other commercial and recreational services as well as a home to an array of plants and animals which rely on clean water. The health of these smaller bodies of water can act as indicators for the health of the larger watershed.