FERMI QUADRAT PRAIRIE STUDY 2006

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GPS LOCATION: N:  41°50'28.0    W:   88°16'26.6

STUDENT RESEARCHER:  Maureen G

Aerial view of Fermie Prairie Quadrats Plot 17

Fermi Lab Geographic Map

Top Data Table Graphs Comparative Analysis




















 

DATA:

Table of our Fermi Quadrat:

Plant Name Dominance Importance Value Total #  Plants Found Total Percentage Importance Value
Big Bluestem 1 31 4 1 31
Indian Grass 3 34 4 3 34
Mountain Mint 1 19 1 1 19
Rosinweed 4 31 3 4 31
Stiff Goldenrod 16 89 13 16 89
Wild Bergamot 26 147 25 26 147
Crab Grass 27 14049 3500 27 14049

Table of all Quadrats in 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:

Part I

Background Information

 

            When we, the Madison students, went to Fermi Lab, we studied the prairie and the plants it contained. From the dominance, importance value, and diversity of the prairie plants we determined the progress of the prairie and saw how healthy it is. But what are dominance, importance value, and diversity?

            Dominance is easy: plants that are the most noticeable or take up the mostly room. Dominance is very important because the dominant plants are most likely to feed and/or shelter a lot of the animals that live in the ecosystem. These plants take up the most space ABOVE ground, but what about BELOW? Yep, below ground too! Most of the time, there is two or three times the amount of prairie plant below the ground than above. This is important because the dominant plant(s) will most likely get more nutrients than the other plants, increasing its population.

            The next factor, importance value, is a total of three things: relative dominance, relative frequency, and relative density. So the importance value is simply how dominant a plant is, how frequent the plant appears, and how dense a plant is in its ecosystem.

            Density is how close together plants grow. If they are dense, there isn’t much space between them or any bare ground.

            Lastly, there is Biological Diversity. Sounds scientific, huh? Well, actually it’s very simple. From Webster’s: diverse means “differing from one another.” Biological diversity just means how DIVERSE the species of plants in the ecosystem are. To make a truly healthy ecosystem, the more diverse the better! So, many different kinds of plants make the ecosystem healthier, and provide more homes for the “locals” – insects and animals.

 

Part II

Comparison

 

            My quadrat differs from the entire Plot 17 significantly. First off, my quadrat is not as diverse as Plot 17. I expected this because of a few things. The most obvious is the fact that my quadrat is only a tiny piece of Plot 17. But maybe the soil in my quadrat is a little different so maybe different plants would live there. Whatever plants are in my quadrat are also in Plot 17. I had only 8 different species of prairie plants, while Plot 17 certainly had more than 15!

            However, just because Plot 17 is more diverse than my teensy quadrat, does not necessarily mean it is healthier. You must remember the noticeable size difference in my quadrat and Plot 17. If my quadrat was the same size as Plot 17 and the numbers of plants found remained the same, you could THEN safely say that Plot 17 is healthier than my quadrat.

            Second, dominance. The most dominant prairie plant in my quadrat is Wild Bergamot. In the whole Plot 17, Big Bluestem is dominant. Why? Maybe Big Bluestem does not grow as well by the road – where our quadrat was located. The most dominant weed, however, was the same in both my quadrat and Plot 17. A plant that was not on the list was the most dominant weed. Its “grass-like” appearance gave it its “name” – Unlisted Grass-like. But Unlisted Grass-like could be “anything”! It seems to me that “Unlisted Grass-like” grows everywhere!

            Last, importance value is also different. Wild Bergamot has the greatest importance value in my quadrat, while Big Bluestem is the most important prairie plant in Plot 17. We did not have much Big Bluestem in our quadrat. In fact, only 3! 3 Big Bluestems to our 25 Wild Bergamot plants!

 

Part III

Prediction

 

            I think that in 10 years the prairie will not have changed too much. Almost 14 years ago (by looking at the data from 1992) Indian Grass was the most dominant prairie plant. Today, however, Big Bluestem “rules” the prairie. For the last 2 years Big Bluestem has been the most dominant and important species. I’m not sure about the years in between 2004 and the year that Madison first started coming to the prairie (1992), but I believe that Big Bluestem has “taken over” the prairie. It was second to Indian Grass in 1992, but not anymore.

 

Part IV

Reflection

 

            When I went to Fermi Lab, I was astounded from the things I learned about prairies. They are very diverse! They support so much life! There are so many different plants and animals that live there. I didn’t know that so much of Illinois was prairie before the pioneers came in. I’ve driven by a few preservations of prairies and thought, “Wow, that’s a lot of grass!” Now I know two things. A) Almost the entire state of Illinois used to be prairie, and B) Its not just grass! There’s a lot more to a prairie than meets the eye.

 

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.