FERMI QUADRAT PRAIRIE STUDY 2006

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DATA:

Table of Our Fermi Quadrat

Table of All Quadrats

Fermi Lab Rocks!!!

GRAPHS OF DOMINANCE AND IMPORTANCE VALUE:

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS:

Prairie Data Analysis

When we started our quadrat study, we had to collect information of our quadrat, such as importance value, dominance, and diversity. Each one is equally important. Importance value is the sum of relative dominance, relative frequency, and the relative density. These have to all be found for a plant. We have to find and combine all of this data for all of the quadrats. To find the importance value you have to add the relative dominance, relative frequency, and relative density. Importance value means how dominant, how frequent, and how dense a plant is in an ecosystem. We have to find the importance value for the prairie and weeds. Because of this, you cannot compare the prairie plants to weeds. Importance value is important and so is dominance. Dominant plants are the plants that are most in quantity, take more room, and are very noticeable. The dominant plants are important because they are used for food and shelter by animals. Dominant plants can also affect the growth of other plants also. They can affect how much a smaller plant does of does not get. They also may change the soil chemistry because of the roots. The roots are very deep. They are almost three times longer than the plant itself. As importance value and dominance is important, diversity affects the condition of the prairie. The biological diversity is the many different kinds of plants or living things that live together in about the same area. The more diversity there is, the better the land area is. Importance value, dominance and biological diversity is important and without knowing these three kinds of data, your land area of quadrat will not be identified.

Our quadrat had a very different record from the whole team.

            First of all, the dominant plant for plot 17 in 2006 was big blue stem, but in our quadrat, our dominant plant was golden rod. In our quadrat, the dominant weed was daisy fleabane because that was the only weed! That probably means that our prairie is improving. In plot 17, the dominant weed was an unlisted sort of weed-kind of grassy like. The types of plant’s diversity in our quadrat were low. We had four plants and they were golden rod, Indian grass, crab grass, and daisy fleabane. Daisy fleabane was our weed. In plot 17, they had several plants-the top five were big bluestem, wild bergamont, Indian grass, compass plant, and prairie dock. There were also a couple of weeds in plot 17 including, grassy-like weeds, sweet clovers, oval leaf weeds, tall golden rod, and yarrow, The importance value of our plants in out quadrat was 12% for Indian grass, 8% for daisy fleabane, and 30% for golden rod. In plot 17, the decimal value for big bluestem was 119.07, wild bergamont was 47.92, Indian grass was 30.52, compass plant was 13.32, and rosinweed was 11.83. As you can see, the data from our quadrat, and the data form our quadrat, and the data from all of plat 17 is very different.

In plot 16, 1992, the dominant plants that are the top 3 are unlisted- glasslike, Indian grass, and big blue stem. IN 2004, the top 3 dominant plants were, big blue stem, wild bergamont, and stiff goldenrod were the top 3 dominant plants. In 2006, big blue stem, wild bergamont, and Indian grass were the top 3 dominant plans. In 2005, it seems that stiff goldenrod had taken over Indian grass. In 1992, 2004, and 2006, all of them had Indian grass in their top 3. Maybe, because in 2005, we had the drought and maybe, Indian grass requires more water than big blue stem, wild bergamont, and stiff golden rod. Also, big blue stem had high numbers in 2004 and 2006. The drought must have affected blue stem also because in 2005, the numbers were really low. In ten years, I predict that big blue stem and Indian grass will still be in the top 3 but maybe something else will start dominating.

I have learned a lot about prairies in the last couple of weeks. I have learned different kids of plants that grow in a prairie. I have learned a lot about diversity, population, importance value, and basically, how to add up and find data. I have learned how prairies were formed and why they are disappearing. When we first started this unit, I seriously thought this was going to be a very boring couple of weeks in my life but I know now I was wrong. Prairies are actually really interesting and I ended up learning a lot of new and interesting facts.

The End!!!

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.
 

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