The Experiment

Close Up of the Two Plants

The experiment tests how light affects the growth of two different variations of fast plants. The test will compare how direct light, part shade, and indirect light alter the growth of the standard fast plant to the yellow-green variation. So far in the experiment the group had make a stand to hold a light over the 6 plants. Next screens were cut to place over two of the three sections of light. To create the shade, three screens were layered, allowing the least amount of light. Next one layer of screen makes the partial light. To make sure light does not seep between the different light intensities walls of styrofoam walls were put up between the sections. It do this one pice of styrofoam was wedged in between a base and glued. So the experiment would be ready next week three containers full of tap water to be distilled. Lastly the seeds were planted into six planters. Three standard fast plants and three yellow-green so one of each can be placed in the three different sections.

Complete Experiment Set Up

What is the Scientific Method?

The scientific method is very important process of proving or disproving a theory by measuring and the empirical date that is collect. There are a few basic  steps to the scientific method.
The first is to ask a question.
Then observe and investigate a phenomena.
The next step is to formulate a hypothesis.
Then make a prediction on what will occur in the experiment.
Next test the hypothesis through an experiment.
Then analyze the date taken from the experiment and see if it supports the hypothesis.
Lastly draw a conclusion from the evidence. If the conclusion does not support the hypothesis, the hypothesis can then be revised.

Abiotic factors are chemical or physical environmental factors in an ecosystem. In order to test how the different components effect the environment there are many tests that can be preformed. For example to test the soil one could take one species of plant and grow it in three or four different soil types. This would be interesting depending on what plant one chooses to preform the experiment on, because different species of plant have adapted to different kinds of soil. Think of a cactus verses a sunflower and how their soil differs. To keep the results accurate try to water them equally and make sure they are exposed to same amount sunlight. Another experiment is on sunlight could be done by growing four different plants. Place one in direct sunlight, one in semi-shade, one in indirect sunlight and the last without light. Then monitor the growth of the amount of plant growth. This experiment will also need to keep some constant components like the water and soil. These two experiment will isolate different key factors in an ecosystem

In the ecosystem experiment we dug up some moss and roots on the trail. Today we sorted through the moss and looked for the different organisms that within it. We also took notes on the vegetation and the different items surrounding the ecosystem. We were lucky enough to dig up an ant hill full of larva and small light orange ants.

Here's a list of the organisms we founds:

a.     25 fallen leaves

b.     5 acorns

c.      10 pieces of scat

d.     50 ants and ant larva

e.     a square foot of moss

f.      1 beetle larva

g.     3 sticks

h.     1 gall

Abiotic factors and chemical of physical components that effect an ecosystem.  One abiotic factor is that could be experimented with is sunlight. Sunlight is very important because it effects plant growth light hight and size. A simple experiment could be done if you dug up of two of the same species of plants and placed one in direct sunlight and the other in the shade. Then observe which plant had grown bigger or adapted to the environment. However to make the test more accurate it would be best to water them equally. This would monitor how sunlight effects the plant's growth. Another abiotic factor that can be tested is soil fertility. Soil fertility is very important because it determines what species of plants can grow in the environment. You could choose as many different types of soils as you want. For example sand, clay, and mulch and grow all the same species of plant with the same amount of sunshine and water. This way you could observe how the plants receive nutrients from the soil and how their growth is effected. You could apply this in a garden because plants like a cactus and poppy need different types of soil to grow.

Today, I visited a temperate deciduous forest ecosystem. The temperature is never extremely cold or hot  but the seasons still change. As autumn turns to winter many trees begin to drop their leaves as the cold sinks in. There are many key environmental factors that are important to keep this ecosystem in balance. Precipitation plays a major role in the structure of the ecosytem. The amount of rainfall determines the root structure of the plants as well as the size plants can reach. Another crucial aspect are the plants exposure to sunlight. Sunlight creates energy that plants need to feed themselves through the process of photosynthesis. Many of the trees also show signs of insect activity showing that plant life is an essential part of any ecosystem.