Ecological survey of a local ecosystem

In Order to obtain a thorough understanding of the ecology and biodiversity which is in your own home town an excellent experiment to complete is a ecological, count of the relative number of distinct plants and animals which live in a small segment of forest. By completing this lab you will be given a thorough understanding of the different species of plants which are present in you local ecosystems.

Time required: 4-6 hours

Materials:

1. String
2. Four (4) stakes
3. Pencil and pad of paper
4. A field guide, which shows the different types of plants present in your area, this guide should be easy to understand and use.

Safety: While working in the woods or away from home, be sure to tell someone where you are going, take special care not to approach any wild animals, and avoid contact with poisonous plants such as poison ivy, oak and sumac.

Procedure:

1. Find a desirable location, which is out of the way, and easy to gain access to all parts of, measure out 30 foot by 30 foot area, and place a stake in each corner of this area.
2. Tie the string onto each of the stakes to mark out the area in which you will be working.
3. Start at one edge and work your way through the are, identifying each plant in your field guide and recording it on your data table. List all of the varieties of tree, shrub, perennial and annual, which you can find.
4. After you have observed and recorded all of the species of plants in your study area clean up your mess and leave the research plot, just as you found it.
5. After cleaning up, analyze you data chart and rank each species of plant by the number of individuals present in the test plot.
6. Record any other observations about the test plot, which may be useful, such as overall condition of the vegetation, amount of litter, etc.

Analysis:

1. Look over your field guide to, obtain a better understanding of how each of the plants which you observed, relate and help one another in the ecosystem. Describe at least one relationship which two distinct species of plants have with one another.
2. Since all ecosystems grow and change overtime, your specific test plot may differ from other test plots, in the same area. Use your field-guide as a resource to enable you to better, understand, at what point of development your test plot is at.

Further Research:

1. Return to the test plot during several different seasons, to observe the change which occurs in the plant life, perform another count and compare this data, to previous studies, in order to see if some plants are only present during specific times of the year.
2. Take photographs of the area and begin to compose an ecological scrapbook and visual time table keep for a long period of time, you will be able to accurately record the changes which have occurred in the various ecosystems.
3. In addition to recording the various species of plants which, are encountered record the animals, such as insects which you find in the ecosystem
4. Log onto 'A World of Diversity' and post messages or use the online chat functionality to collaborate and compare the differences between your test plot and the plots of others form around the globe.