Laboratory Exercise 1: The Individual and Its Environment PDF

Laboratory Exercise 1 I. Title​​ ​ ​ : The Individual and Its Environment II. Time Allotment​ ​ : One week (6 hours laboratory) III. Rationale The primary focus during this field study revolved around investigating 'The Individual and Its Environment,' entailing meticu...

Laboratory Exercise 1 I. Title​​ ​ ​ : The Individual and Its Environment II. Time Allotment​ ​ : One week (6 hours laboratory) III. Rationale The primary focus during this field study revolved around investigating 'The Individual and Its Environment,' entailing meticulous exploration of a designated ecosystem. Through a series of planned activities, students will aim to unveil the dynamic interplay that governs interactions between various organisms and their immediate surroundings. The exercise is divided into four activities: (1) measuring the physico-chemical parameters of the chosen sunlit and shaded area, (2) measuring length and width of a leaf species, (3) plant observation in the chosen sunlit and shaded area, and (4) ants’ observation in the wild environment. Through measurements of temperature and pH levels at varying soil depths, they will unearth intriguing patterns that shed light on the pivotal role played by sunlight exposure in shaping soil conditions. These findings, in harmony with prior studies in soil and water ecology, underscored the critical significance of these factors in shaping the ecological dynamics of ecosystems (Jones et al., 2017; Schlesinger and Bernhardt, 2013). Also, these observations provided compelling evidence of the remarkable adaptability of plants to their specific environmental niches, aligning seamlessly with well-established ecological literature (Smith et al., 2020; Brown and Green, 2018). As to the ant’s observation, findings will illuminate the complex social structures and adaptive behaviors exhibited by ants in their natural habitat, thus contributing substantially to the expanding body of knowledge in ant ecology and reinforcing prior research (Wilson, 2003; Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990). In summary, the intensive fieldwork endeavors to significantly enriched their comprehension of the intricate interdependence between organisms and their environments. IV. Learning Objectives 1. To determine the variations in the physical and chemical factors in an environment in a small land area consisting of grasses and trees. 2. To identify organisms found in both areas (organisms which occur singly or in groups). 3. To explain how individual organisms modify their physical and biological environment. 4. To analyze the responses of individual organisms to variation in physical and biological environment. V. Materials Thermometer, improvised psychrometer or hygro-thermometer, shovel, meter sticks or transect tapes, watch, calibrated string (10m), soil and water pH meter, laboratory sheet VI. Procedure 1. Choose a site where a patch of forest is adjacent to a grassland area. Using a calibrated string, run a 10 meter transect line for each of the two sites.  2. Make three trials for each of the following factors (temperature, relative humidity, pH, wind direction, soil quality) at different locations within the transect line. Readings of air must be 1 meter above the ground, soil must be 5 cm below the soil surface and deeper soil must be 15 cm below the soil surface. Record the time of day as well, condition of sky and wind direction when readings are made. Record your data as in Table 1. Also, list all of other organisms present in the area. 3. Observe the different plant species found along the transect line in both areas. Get 20 leaves (at random) in one species and measure the length and width in mm and tabulate your data in Table 2. 4. Plot the data points as length vs width on a graphing paper. Do not join the points together. Determine y-intercept (a) and slope (b) of your graph. 5. Locate some ants in the forest and minimize any form of disturbance. Record where the ants are found and select one group of ants for observation. Observe carefully and document by noting in your data sheet the sequence of activities they perform and approximate time that will elapse for each type of activity. Note where and how fast they are going, the presence of some form of communication among individuals, what they carry with them and others. Do these for 15 minutes. 6. Disturb the same group of ants by removing a few of them. Document their behavioral response to the disturbance. 7. Collect different leaves, litter, twigs and other objects around you. Break or tear them into smaller pieces and lay them out close to the ants. Wait for a couple of minutes and then document their response to the objects. Repeat the procedure by using food particles like candies, breadcrumbs, etc. Note which ones are being ignored and those that are carried away. 8. Obtain prepared potted plants that naturally inhabit the open grassland conditions and shady forest interior. Observe the plant characteristics when they are in their natural environment. Transfer the “shade” plants into the open environment and “open” plants into the forest interior. Observe changes in plants' responses to their new environment. Record observations in the table. VII. References Brown, J. K., & Green, M. J. (2018). Ecological dynamics of plant species in sun-exposed and shaded regions. Ecology, 99(3), 554-564. Jones, D. L., Nguyen, C., & Smith, J. R. (2017). The pivotal role played by sunlight exposure in shaping soil conditions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 105, 1-10. Hölldobler, B., & Wilson, E. O. (1990). The intricate ways in which ants communicate, navigate their habitats, and respond to external disturbances. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 26(6), 401-410. Schlesinger, W. H., & Bernhardt, E. S. (2013). The critical significance of environmental factors in shaping the ecological dynamics of ecosystems. Ecology Letters, 16(S1), 1-8. Smith, A. B., Johnson, C. D., & Lee, K. (2020). The adaptability of plants to their specific environmental niches. Journal of Ecology, 108(5), 2154-2165. Wilson, E. O. (2003). The complex social structures and adaptive behaviors exhibited by ants in their natural habitat. Annual Review of Entomology, 48(1), 1-29.  Laboratory Exercise 1 The Individual and Its Environment Worksheet Name: __________________________________ Date Performed: _________________ Instructor: _______________ Section: _________ Date Submitted: _________________ Table 1. Readings of physico-chemical factors taken in the different sites. TRIALS AIR TEMP SOIL TEMP DEEPER SOIL RELATIVE SOIL PH WATER TEMP HUMIDITY su shad su shad sun shade sun shade su shad p Tem n e n e n e H p 1 2 3 AVERAGE Table 2. Raw data table on leaf sizes. LEAF NUMBER MAXIMUM LENGTH (mm) MAXIMUM WIDTH (mm) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Mean Length: Mean Width: Table 3. Observations made for shade and open environment. CHARACTERISTICS TRANSPLANTED IN THE TRANSPLANTED IN THE OPEN SHADE Plant size Leaf turgidity Leaf color Leaf shape Herbivore damage Other observations 4. ANTS OBSERVATIONS: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ LABORATORY REPORT You will be writing a lab report that encompasses field sampling, data analysis and interpretation based on the results obtained. Your lab report should include title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion and references (literature cited) sections. In addition to presenting your data, questions that you should address include: 1.​ Site Sketch and Site Photographs–Sketch your sampling site profile. Include in your sketch any permanent features near to your sampling site (e.g., roads, trees, bridges). Use the stream flow direction arrow for orientation of your sketch. Take photographs of the sampling sites 2.​ ​ Describe each measurement made, the results found (graphs may be helpful, especially when comparing the different areas sampled). Describe how these parameters can be used to draw implications about the environment. 3.​ ​ Interpret your results and discuss. Support your arguments by recent related literature. Use articles that are published within 10 years.