User:Noy Kaufman/Notebook/Biology 210 at AU

EXAMINING BIOLOGICAL LIFE AT AU June 30th, 2015

Purpose:

Life on earth has evolved to be very diverse. Gene flow, gene drift, and mutations are some modes of natural selection that contributed to the biodiversity and to the expending of certain communities. 

Large communities, or ecosystems, contain both living organisms (biotic) and non living organisms (abiotic), all of which contribute and affect the structure and characteristics of the ecosystem (Bentley, Walters-Conte, Zeller, 2015). In this lab, a sample from a selected ecosystem, also called a transect, will be analyzed and studied. The different communities within the transect inhibit different niches with different environmental conditions and requirements that are best fit for the specific community.

Methods:

Groups of four people were assigned and each group chose their own 20 X 20 meters transect in the AU campus. My group chose a transect behind Hurst Hall. Once the transect was examined thoroughly, the biotic and abiotic organisms were listed and a detailed map was created and pictures of the transect were taken. A sample containing soil and vegetation was retrieved from a representative area of the transect and placed in a plastic bag. 12 grams of the sample were placed in a plastic jar along with 500 mLs of deerpark water. 0.1 grams of dried milk were added to the mixture and the jar was thoroughly mixed for 10 seconds. The jar and lid were labeled and the jar was left open in the lab for three days until the next lab.

Results:

Our transect is located in the space behind the EQB building and Hurst Hall. The transect was mostly composed of grass and some trees; some biotic organisms that were present in the transect are: grass, trees, flowers, fungi, bees, flies, worms, birds, and squirrels. Abiotic factors included: soil, water, air, light, statues, lams, and sprinklers. Since the transect is located in the borders of the campus, there is a sidewalk and a road right next to it, so there is some human interactions and some traffic around the area.