FERMI QUADRAT PRAIRIE STUDY 2006

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DATA:

Table of our Fermi Quadrat

Table of all quadrats fo plot 17

GRAPHS OF DOMINANCE AND IMPORTANCE VALUE:

graphs of dominance and importance for all quadrats 2006

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS:

Part 1

            The density, dominance, importance value, and the importance value are all equally important in comparing a quadrat or, even bigger, a prairie. The importance value is found out by adding relative dominance, relative frequency, and relative density of a plant. The importance value tells us how dominant, frequent, and how dense a plant is in the ecosystem. The dominance is the kind of plant that is in the ecosystem. Dominant plants are very important because they supply most of the food and the living space for many animals in the ecosystem and around it. The dominance is a very important part in the food chain. The density is how many plants are in an ecosystem. The density is like 500 yellow coneflowers in a 1 acre piece of land. There is another kind of diversity; it is biological diversity which is the many different kinds of living things living in the same area. In general, the more diverse an environment, the better the environment.

            The density, diversity, dominance, and importance value are used to compare prairie plots because it tells if any plants are dying out or starting to. It also tells if one kind of plant is taking over land. If used correctly these four steps in taking data it should warn what plants need to be replanted or what plants need to be contained or burned. In my view if Fermi lab started to let people take data in 1992, it could have realized that in ten years the field could be infested with big bluestem. If no density, dominance, diversity, and importance value, was ever taken at Fermi lab then when someone realizes that the prairie is almost all one plant or one plant is stealing nutrients from other plants it would be too late to do anything. Imagine if Fermi was all just a bunch of crabgrass it wouldn’t be all that amazing and would fall down on its job. In my mind the density, diversity, dominance, and the importance value are some of the most important and delicate procedures in maintaining a prairie.

Part 2

Many differences separate my quadrat from all of Fermi plot 17. Plot 17 is about 1 acre and my quadrat is over 1 meter². For one thing my quadrat had minimal big bluestem when big bluestem is the most for plot 17. The dominance for most plants is in decimal points and my data only has 2 numbers with decimal points. For example yellow coneflower in my data was 6 for diversity and it was 0.33 for all of plot 17. Plot 17’s importance value is less than mine for most plants, but there are many more plants in plot 17 compared to my quadrat.

Part 3

I think that in 10 years my quadrats status will go down in all categories. If you look at the ’92 data it has very high dominance for most plants. Every year I have data, the data is usually a lot smaller in dominance. My prediction for importance value doesn’t change. When I come back when I’m 23 I expect my quadrat to be overall smaller. I expect less importance value, dominance, and diversity.

Part 4

Going to Fermi lab, I learned more than just plants can be useful. I’m not going to go on about the mushy, gushy “J I learned teamwork and had fun!” I’m cutting to the chase. I learned through this experience how to maintain, collect, and find data for a prairie and plants in general. This taught me that plants aren’t just green leafy things sticking out of the ground. They can help us keep everything in order in a prairie and unlock many keys of science.

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.