FERMI QUADRAT PRAIRIE STUDY 2006

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Brittany D.

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Data Table

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Comparative Analysis

GPS LOCATION: N: 41° 30'28.4 W: 88° 16'24.5

STUDENT RESEARCHER: Brittany D.

Aerial view of Fermi Prairie Quadrates: Plot 17

Pictures of the Prairie life

DATA:

Table of our Fermi Quadrat

Plant Name	Density	Importance Value
big blue stem	7	81.495
Indian grass	75	25.347
switch grass	15	20.83
prairie dock	1	15.528
crab crass	270	60.972
yellow corn grass	6	14.771
sweet leaf clover	10	57.942

Table of all Quadrats of plot 17

RAW DATA
Native Plants	Total Plants Found	Total Percentage Found	# of Quadrats Found In	Density	Frequency	Dominance	Relative Density	Relative Frequency	Relative Dominance	Importance Value
Big Bluestem	200	423	11	16.67	0.92	35.25	40.57	27.5	48.62	116.69
Compass Plant	12	30	1	1	0.08	2.5	2.43	2.5	3.45	8.38
Indian Grass	126	222	8	10.5	0.67	18.5	25.56	20	25.52	71.08
Switch Grass	34	38	2	2.83	0.17	3.17	6.9	5	4.37	16.27
Prairie Dock	7	44	3	0.58	0.25	3.67	1.42	7.5	5.06	13.98
Rosinweed	6	5	3	0.5	0.25	0.42	1.22	7.5	0.57	9.29
Yellow Coneflower	5	4	2	0.42	0.17	0.33	1.01	5	0.46	6.47
Wild Bergamot	91	80	4	7.58	0.33	6.67	18.46	10	9.2	37.65
New England Aster	1	15	1	0.08	0.08	1.25	0.2	2.5	1.72	4.43
Tall Boneset	8	7	3	0.67	0.25	0.58	1.62	7.5	0.81	9.93
Foxglove Beard Tongue	1	1	1	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.2	2.5	0.12	2.82
Indian Hemp	2	1	1	0.17	0.08	0.08	0.41	2.5	0.12	3.02

Non-Native (Weed) Plants	Total Plants Found	Total Percentage Found	# of Quadrats Found In	Density	Frequency	Dominance	Relative Density	Relative Frequency	Relative Dominance	Importance Value
Daisy Fleabane	1	1	1	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.02	3.03	0.16	3.21
Wild Carrot	86	18	3	7.17	0.25	1.5	2.02	9.09	2.85	13.96
Sweet Clovers (tall)	168	140	5	14	0.42	11.67	3.95	15.15	22.15	41.26
Yarrow	18	27	4	1.5	0.33	2.25	0.42	12.12	4.27	16.82
Tall goldenrod	25	16	4	2.08	0.33	1.33	0.59	12.12	2.53	15.24
Clovers (ground)	2	10	1	0.17	0.08	0.83	0.05	3.03	1.58	4.66
Hairy Vetch	3	17	2	0.25	0.17	1.42	0.07	6.06	2.69	8.82
Drummonds Aster	6	4	1	0.5	0.08	0.33	0.14	3.03	0.63	3.8
Unlisted-Oval leaf	111	154	4	9.25	0.33	12.83	2.61	12.12	24.37	39.1
Unlisted-Grasslike	3831	245	8	319.25	0.67	20.42	90.12	24.24	38.77	153.13

SORTED DATA BELOW

Native Plants by Dominance	Dominance		Native Plants by I.V	Importance Value
Big Bluestem	35.25		Big Bluestem	116.69
Indian Grass	18.5		Indian Grass	71.08
Wild Bergamot	6.67		Wild Bergamot	37.65
Prairie Dock	3.67		Switch Grass	16.27
Switch Grass	3.17		Prairie Dock	13.98
Compass Plant	2.5		Tall Boneset	9.93
New England Aster	1.25		Rosinweed	9.29
Tall Boneset	0.58		Compass Plant	8.38
Rosinweed	0.42		Yellow Coneflower	6.47
Yellow Coneflower	0.33		New England Aster	4.43
Foxglove Beard Tongue	0.08		Indian Hemp	3.02
Indian Hemp	0.08		Foxglove Beard Tongue	2.82


Non-Native (Weed) Plants by Dominance	Dominance		Non-Native (Weed) Plants by I.V.	Importance Value
Unlisted-Grasslike	20.42		Unlisted-Grasslike	153.13
Unlisted-Oval leaf	12.83		Sweet Clovers (tall)	41.26
Sweet Clovers (tall)	11.67		Unlisted-Oval leaf	39.1
Yarrow	2.25		Yarrow	16.82
Wild Carrot	1.5		Tall goldenrod	15.24
Hairy Vetch	1.42		Wild Carrot	13.96
Tall goldenrod	1.33		Hairy Vetch	8.82
Clovers (ground)	0.83		Clovers (ground)	4.66
Drummonds Aster	0.33		Drummonds Aster	3.8
Daisy Fleabane	0.08		Daisy Fleabane	3.21




ALL SPECIES	Dominance	Importance Value		ALL SPECIES	Dominance		ALL SPECIES	Importance Value
Big Bluestem	35.25	116.69		Big Bluestem	35.25		Unlisted-Grasslike	153.13
Compass Plant	2.5	8.38		Unlisted-Grasslike	20.42		Big Bluestem	116.69
Indian Grass	18.5	71.08		Indian Grass	18.5		Indian Grass	71.08
Switch Grass	3.17	16.27		Unlisted-Oval leaf	12.83		Sweet Clovers (tall)	41.26
Prairie Dock	3.67	13.98		Sweet Clovers (tall)	11.67		Unlisted-Oval leaf	39.1
Rosinweed	0.42	9.29		Wild Bergamot	6.67		Wild Bergamot	37.65
Yellow Coneflower	0.33	6.47		Prairie Dock	3.67		Yarrow	16.82
Wild Bergamot	6.67	37.65		Switch Grass	3.17		Switch Grass	16.27
New England Aster	1.25	4.43		Compass Plant	2.5		Tall goldenrod	15.24
Tall Boneset	0.58	9.93		Yarrow	2.25		Prairie Dock	13.98
Foxglove Beard Tongue	0.08	2.82		Wild Carrot	1.5		Wild Carrot	13.96
Indian Hemp	0.08	3.02		Hairy Vetch	1.42		Tall Boneset	9.93
Daisy Fleabane	0.08	3.21		Tall goldenrod	1.33		Rosinweed	9.29
Wild Carrot	1.5	13.96		New England Aster	1.25		Hairy Vetch	8.82
Sweet Clovers (tall)	11.67	41.26		Clovers (ground)	0.83		Compass Plant	8.38
Yarrow	2.25	16.82		Tall Boneset	0.58		Yellow Coneflower	6.47
Tall goldenrod	1.33	15.24		Rosinweed	0.42		Clovers (ground)	4.66
Clovers (ground)	0.83	4.66		Yellow Coneflower	0.33		New England Aster	4.43
Hairy Vetch	1.42	8.82		Drummonds Aster	0.33		Drummonds Aster	3.8
Drummonds Aster	0.33	3.8		Foxglove Beard Tongue	0.08		Daisy Fleabane	3.21
Unlisted-Oval leaf	12.83	39.1		Indian Hemp	0.08		Indian Hemp	3.02
Unlisted-Grasslike	20.42	153.13		Daisy Fleabane	0.08		Foxglove Beard Tongue	2.82

GRAPHS OF DOMINANCE AND IMPORTANCE VALUE:

GRAPHS OF DOMINANCE AND IMPORTANCE VALUE for all Quadrats 2006

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS:

Comparative Analysis

Intro

There are four important things to help with Prairie Analysis. They are Background information; witch is dominance, importance value, and diversity. The second part is comparison witch is types of plants, importance of the plants, and how much the plant dominates. And the third point is prediction; which is what will happen to the prairie in the future if it keeps growing at the same pace. And the last one is a reflection witch is what I’ve learned doing all this; working with the prairie.

Part One: Background Information

Dominance is a very important part in the background information. To me, Dominance means to let you know which plant and weed will dominate and the amount of that certain plant. You would need that information to let you know how accurate the prairie is growing. You see, one plant being dominant, means that the rest of the plants can take something from it. For stance, if you have a big blue stem, and a sweet clover witch is lower to the ground, the big blue is going to give the clover more shade helping it grow because I guess when you’re a smaller plant you are shaded and not getting enough sunlight. The plants have to adapt to one being bigger, or one getting more shade or even one getting most sunlight. Next, importance value is a very important factor in healthy plant development. It tells scientist witch plants grow more or dominate the plot of plants. For instance, lets say big blue stem, witch usually is pretty important because they are so high and shade for most plants. And let's say we have sweet-clover. The big blue stem is shade for the sweet clover and helping it grow. And last, but not least, diversity. Diversity is the different types of plants that are in a Quadrat. Like there might be a patch of big blue stem and a patch of Indian grass. That plot would have a diversity of 2. The plots need diversity to stay alive. Just incase something happens. Like a swarm of bugs came that only ate big blue stem, well then since there where only 2 kinds of plants, that plot would be in trouble because there would only be 1 type of plant left.

Part Two: Comparison

Plants in 2005	Plants in 2006	My single Quadrat
Big blue stem	Big Blue stem	Big Blue stem
Wild bergamot	Wild bergamot	Crab grass
stiff goldenrod	Indian grass	switch grass
Indian grass	compass plant	Indian grass
Prairie cord grass	prairie dock	green leaf plant
yellow cord	switch grass	yellow cord grass

As you can see, the big blue stem the dominant plant in my Quadrat and plot 17 for two years. Yellow cord grass and switch grass have been at the bottom for 2 years and in my Quadrat.

	plant name	dominance	importance value
2005	big blue stem	4.38	70.41
	Indian grass	4.23	37.3
	wild bergamot	3.79	27.86
	prairie cord grass	3.06	25.35
	stiff golden rod	3	19.83
2006	big blue stem	119.07	70.41
	wild bergamot	47.92	37.3
	Indian grass	30.52	27.86
	compass plant	13.57	25.35
	rosin weed	13.32	19.83

This chart is comparing importance value and dominance. This chart shows how the big blue was dominant through both years. But, rosin weed was not the least dominant in 2005. This shows the progress over a year.

Part Three: Prediction

In ten years the makeup of plot 17 will not have changed dramatically. The plants big blue stem, and Indian grass will still at the top for dominance and the plants, rosin weed, yellow cord grass, and prairie cord grass will still be in the bottom. Unless there is a dramatic change in weather, precipitation, and global warming, the prairie should keep the same chemical makeup and stay almost the same.

Part 4: What I learned

I have learned that I can find out how healthy a prairie is just by what is in it. I have also learned what the ingredients are to a healthy plant. I am very proud of Illinois’ prairie and how I contributed to it.

COPYRIGHT:

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
This project was created by the 7th grade students of team 7 UPS from Madison Jr. High, Naperville Consolidated Unit School District #203 in Naperville, Illinois with the help of their teacher Mrs. Trudi Coutts along with Technology Lab Director Mrs. Margaret Gilmore. Support for the project came from Principal Ms. Erin Anderson and the other dedicated and cooperative faculty and staff of Madison Jr. High.

REFERENCES:
Fermilab Education Department particularly the SIMply Prairie Project. Authors: Bill Fraccaro, Johnson School, Wheaton, IL; Larry Cwik and Pat Franzen, Madison Junior High School, Naperville, IL; and Bernie Jokiel, Gary D, Jewel Middle School, North Aurora, IL.
Created for the NTEP II Fermilab LInC program sponsored by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Education Office and Friends of Fermilab, and funded by United States Department of Energy, Illinois State Board of Education, North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium which is operated by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), and the National Science Foundation.

Pictures of Prairie Plants

Big Blue Stem

Indian grass