FERMI QUADRAT PRAIRIE STUDY 2006

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GPS LOCATION: N:41°50'27.4"    W:88°16'26.0"

STUDENT RESEARCHER: Ross

DATA:

Table of our Fermi Quadrat                       

                                                                                             Prairie Map

Table Of All Quadrats Of Plot 17

GRAPHS OF DOMINANCE AND IMPORTANCE VALUE:

Graphs of dominance and importance for all of the Quadrats

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS:

Before we went to Fermi Lab (the place where went to record data of all the plants) we learned how to map the area of our quadrat (the one meter by one meter square

area). We also learned how to get percents of each plant, and be able to identify data. So I was ready for Fermi lab. There are really only three things you need to compare different prairie plots from different years. They are dominance, importance value, and diversity.

            To begin with dominance is the total percent of a species or plant. This is help full to know because you can know how well a plant multiples.

            Second we have importance value. It is the sum of three different values. They are relative dominance, relative frequency, and relative density. This tells how dominate, how frequent, and how dense a plant is in the ecosystem. That means that the higher importance value you have the better.

            Lastly diversity is the total number of different species for all quadrats/total# of quadrats. Diversity is a measure of the number of species an area contains.

            When we got back from Fermi we compared the data of our little quadrat to the one of 04, 05, and 06 for the weeds and the prairie plants. The diversity in our quadrat we had four prairie plants. In order we had Indian Grass, Big Blue Stem, Wild Bergamot, and Tall Boneset. In 04 the top three were Big Blue Stem, Wild Bergamot, and Indian Grass. In 05 the top three plants were Big Blue Stem, Indian Grass, and Wild Bergamot. In 06 the top three were Big Blue Stem, Wild Bergamot, and Indian Grass. I think that the reason why my quadrat numbers are different then the other years was because I might have been in the place with the big amounts of Indian Grass and not as much Big Blue S and Wild Bergamot. Weed diversity I only had two in my little quadrat. They were Hairy Vetch, and Drummonds Aster. In 04 the top three were Grasslike, Tall Goldenrod, and Oval Leaf. In 05 the top three were Grasslike, Tall Goldenrod, and Oval Leaf. In 06 the top three were Grasslike, Sweet Clovers, and Tall Goldenrod. I think that the reason I did not have those weeds in my quadrat was because the weeds did not multiple to that area yet.

            In my quadrat the prairie plant with the highest dominance was Indiana Grass, second was Big Blue Stem. In 04 Big Blue Stem was number one and Wild Bergamot was number two. In 05 Big Blue Stem was number one and wild bergamot was number two. In 06 Big Blue Stem was number one and Wild Bergamot was number two. For the weed dominance in my quadrat we had Hairy Vetch and Drummonds Aster. In 04 Grasslike was number one and Tall goldenrod was number two. In 05 Grasslike was number one and Tall Goldenrod was number two. In 06 Grasslike was number one and Sweet Clovers was number two.

            In my quadrat the prairie plant with the highest importance value was Indian Grass and Big Blue Stem was number two. In 04 the plant with the highest importance value was Big Blue Stem and number two was Wild Bergamot. In 05 Big Blue Stem was number one and Indian Grass was number two. In 06 Big Blues stem was number one and Wild Bergamot was number two. For the importance value for the weeds Hairy Vetch was number one and Drummonds Aster was number two. In 04 Grasslike is number one and Tall Goldenrod was number two. In 05 Grasslike was number one and Tall Golden rod was number two. In 06 Grasslike was number one and sweet clovers is number two.  

            I think that in ten years that plot 17 will be slowly growing in population. I think this because with the exception of one year plot 17 has been growing little by little. I also think that in the future there will be more plants than weeds because with the exception of one weed there are more plants then weeds.

            I have learned a lot of stuff during my Fermi experience. One thing that I learned was how to map a quadrat. Another thing I learned was what importance value is and how to get it. I also learned what dominance is and how to get it. I also learned how to get diversity and what it is.           

COPYRIGHT:

© Copyright 2006, L&T Natural Images and Madison Jr. High, all rights reserved. Contact information: email at lccwik@comcast.net or tcoutts@naperville203.org

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.