Measurements and Field Methods

Lab 4 Part 1
20 points
MEASUREMENT AND FIELD METHODS LAB (Online)

Qualitative

1.  Freshly cut grass smells amazing.

2.  My shorts are Teal.

Quantitative

1.  I caught a 3# Trout.

2.  I am 5’10” Tall.

A. Dimensional Analysis

a. A four-pound bass weighs how many grams?

i. Step 1:  Convert 4 pounds to grams

ii. Step 2:  1 pound = 453.592 grams

iii. Step 3:   4 pounds  X  453.592 grams = ? grams

                                                 1 pound

iv. Step 4:  4 pounds  X  453.592 grams = ? grams = 1814.37 grams

                                                     1 pound

B. Linear vs. Exponential Growth

Linear Growth:

Exponential Growth:

1. Answer these questions.

a. Which earning strategy is the most profitable? Linear Growth is much more profitable, earning an additional $6/day.

b. Which would have seemed most profitable if you had stopped at six days? If the Y-axis wasn’t labeled, it would seem as though exponential growth would be most profitable after six days.

Part II. Measurements of Biodiversity, Field Methods, Soil Testing 

A. Measurements of Biodiversity

Submit on your blog:

1. A photo of your sample site before the quadrat is laid out (1 point)

2. A photo of your sample site after the quadrat is laid out (1 point)

I used piles of rocks rather than string or rope.

3. Your random numbers (.5 point) My Random numbers were 1, 4, 7, 11, 9, 14, 15, 16

4. A photo or screenshot of your quadrat grid drawn on paper (or created in another form) showing the squares in the quadrat you sampled (1 point)

4 Sampled	3	2	1 Sampled
5	6	7 Sampled	8
12	11 Sampled	10	9 Sampled
13	14 Sampled	15 Sampled	16 Sampled

5. A list of species names with sketches (1 point)

Square 1:

Species Name	Number of Species in this square
Quadrant 1:
Clumpy Grass	5
Light green bush	3
Quadrant 4:
Tall Clump Grass	2
Poky Scallop Bush	3
Quadrant 7:
Clumpy Grass	4
Tall Grass Clump	2
Bark Bush	1
Quadrant 9:
Clumpy grass	3
Quadrant 11:
Tall Grass Clump	2
Bark Bush	2
Poky bush	1
Quadrant 13:
Tall Grass Clump	2
Poky Bush	3
Light Green	2
Quadrant 15:
Light Green	3
Grass clump	3
Quadrant 16:
Light Green	3
Poky Bush	2
Seed Pod	1

11. Answer these questions.

a. This exercise did not require random sampling to chose your site. State how you chose your site, and explain any biases you discovered in yourself while doing so. I walked down the road from my house, it was the most unvegetated area I could find.

b. Describe the differences in the number of species using each method. Which one seems to “capture” the scene the best? Remember we are not trying to get the most but a representative sample.

c. Discuss what you would change for either method to determine a more accurate species count (not to get more species!) I would have made sure my phone was still charged, so I could have taken more pictures, as well as to take ribbon to tie onto the species I had already counted as to make sure I didn’t count it previously.

C. Soil Testing

Submit on your blog:

1. Completed Table 2 (1 point)

2. Answers to questions a through i. Please number your answers accurately (.5 point each = 4.5 points)

3. Two photos with captions of the process of soil testing (2 points)

1. Collect soil and describe location of soil.

2. Test according to instructions in the soil test kit.

3. Record your results in Table 2. 

4. Find the ratings for your sample from the booklet in the kit and record in Table 2 or another version of this table, handwritten and photographed, ,spreadsheet, etc.

5. Take 2 photos of the process of soil testing.

Location       N level/rating    P level /rating      K level/rating     pH level/rating

Sample A                              Sycamore	N0	P1	K2	7.0
Sample B                            Across the road	N0	P2	K2.5	7.0

6. Answer these questions.

a. What is soil made of?  Soil is made up of minerals as well as decomposed plants and animals.

b. What nutrient (chemical cycles) are related to soil formation? The Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycles.

c. How do you know what soil is best for what plants? Using a Soil kit you can test for the levels previously tested then do research to see what plants would grow best in those conditions.

d. What would the world be like if there was no soil? There would little to no plants, as the soil supports plant life.

e. Why is soil important? Soil gives nutrients to plants, without plants then Earth’s atmosphere would change drastically, mankind and animals would struggle to if they weren’t able to adapt to very little oxygen.

f. Why do you think it is important to test soil for pH, N, P, and K? In other words, what is the role each of each of these elements in plant growth or health? Remember to cite any sources.  pH level is the acidity of the ground and certain plants prefer different amounts of acidity as well as Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Potassium.  Too little or Too much of a good thing is never a good thing.

g. How is soil type related to biodiversity?  Biodiversity is variety in species, these species decompose after they die, and enrich the soil.

h. How does soil type relate to biomes? Soil types mirror their biome, desert soil is generally dryer with clumps of vegetation. Whereas a Savannah grassland biome has more porus soil to absorb water and with a more even cover of vegetation.

i. Name 3 factors that might cause soil type to change over time in short term (days to hundred of years) or long (geologic) term. Forest Fires, Floods, deforestation.