Field Study at O'Hair
Objective: Each student chose a 20 by 20 feet square of land to study at O'Hair park. The students are supposed to catalog the changes of the environment through 8 weeks. I chose a patch of grass with a large oak tree right in the middle.
My Biome: My biome is a grassy meadow with a single tree right in the middle. It doesn't have any prominent features. Just a lot of dirt and weeds.
My Biome: My biome is a grassy meadow with a single tree right in the middle. It doesn't have any prominent features. Just a lot of dirt and weeds.
Week One Pictures
Week Two Pictures
Week Three Pictures
Week Four Pictures
Week Five Pictures
Week 6 Pictures
Predictions: I predict that the soil will become dryer, the tree's leaves will become browner and the grass will die away.
Flora:
Quercus kelloggii
Fauna:
Flies
Gnats
Mosquitoes
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. the oak tree does not provide enough shade so it seems that most plants that try to grow there die.
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. The 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 the feed on.
Flora:
Quercus kelloggii
Fauna:
Flies
Gnats
Mosquitoes
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. the oak tree does not provide enough shade so it seems that most plants that try to grow there die.
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. The 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 the feed on.
Focus Questions Week 5:
Identify any bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, or angiosperms (moncot or dicot) that you have in your area. (At least 5 different plants). For each explain why you classified them the way you did.
Gymnosperms:
Tree (has cones)
Bryophytes:
Moss around base of tree
Monocot Angiosperm:
Grass around entire portion of land. (Monocot: single stem)
Dicot Angiosperm:
Flowers on opposite side of tree. (Dicot: multiple spring offs of stem.)
Seedless Vascular:
Ferns off to the side of the tree. (do not disperse seeds.)
Focus Questions Week 6:
What are the essential nutrients needed in soil? Why are each important?
Essential nutrients needed in soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen helps the plants by incorporating itself in
chlorophyll. Phosphorus assists in the process of creating oil, sugars and starches. Potassium is absorbed in large quantity by most plants and assists in protein synthesis.
Explain different methods of pollination you see in your area. Give at least 3 examples.
Wind pollination
Animal pollination
Insects pollination
What are some adaptations the plants in your area have? (At least 3 examples)
Some mosses in my environment grew up higher on trees to get more nutrients. Other plant grew larger leaves so they could receive more sunlight. Some ferns and flowers grow larger stems to get out of the shade and into the sunlight.
Analysis/Conclusion
My site has undergone many significant changes throughout this project. The tree in the middle of my site has started to decompose. The grass and weeds have significantly grown and my fly count has increased since the beginning. A small group of flowers in my site have started blossoming and with that, I've noticed more insects around my area. The insects also used part of the decomposing tree, as a place to live or partially for shade. Most of the plants in the area are using the slowly decomposing trunk as a home. Birds use the dead tree limbs 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 from our soil-testing lab. It was also very hard and very 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 a bunch of flies buzzing around in the heat. 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 flying around. 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 into the field and seeing the interactions in real life was very interesting. I learned more than I ever could have leaned in a classroom. I would have done better website updates if I had the chance. Going more in depth would've been interesting if I had the time. Overall I enjoyed the project very much and would try it again.
Identify any bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, or angiosperms (moncot or dicot) that you have in your area. (At least 5 different plants). For each explain why you classified them the way you did.
Gymnosperms:
Tree (has cones)
Bryophytes:
Moss around base of tree
Monocot Angiosperm:
Grass around entire portion of land. (Monocot: single stem)
Dicot Angiosperm:
Flowers on opposite side of tree. (Dicot: multiple spring offs of stem.)
Seedless Vascular:
Ferns off to the side of the tree. (do not disperse seeds.)
Focus Questions Week 6:
What are the essential nutrients needed in soil? Why are each important?
Essential nutrients needed in soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen helps the plants by incorporating itself in
chlorophyll. Phosphorus assists in the process of creating oil, sugars and starches. Potassium is absorbed in large quantity by most plants and assists in protein synthesis.
Explain different methods of pollination you see in your area. Give at least 3 examples.
Wind pollination
Animal pollination
Insects pollination
What are some adaptations the plants in your area have? (At least 3 examples)
Some mosses in my environment grew up higher on trees to get more nutrients. Other plant grew larger leaves so they could receive more sunlight. Some ferns and flowers grow larger stems to get out of the shade and into the sunlight.
Analysis/Conclusion
My site has undergone many significant changes throughout this project. The tree in the middle of my site has started to decompose. The grass and weeds have significantly grown and my fly count has increased since the beginning. A small group of flowers in my site have started blossoming and with that, I've noticed more insects around my area. The insects also used part of the decomposing tree, as a place to live or partially for shade. Most of the plants in the area are using the slowly decomposing trunk as a home. Birds use the dead tree limbs 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 from our soil-testing lab. It was also very hard and very 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 a bunch of flies buzzing around in the heat. 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 flying around. 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 into the field and seeing the interactions in real life was very interesting. I learned more than I ever could have leaned in a classroom. I would have done better website updates if I had the chance. Going more in depth would've been interesting if I had the time. Overall I enjoyed the project very much and would try it again.