♥ Fermi Quadrat Prairie Study 2006 ♥

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♥ Data ♥

Table of All Quadrats in Plot 17

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 ♥ Graphs of Dominance and Importance Value ♥

Graphs of Dominance and Importance Value of All Quadrats in Plot 17

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♥ Comparative Analysis ♥

I. Background Information

When analyzing prairie data, the three main points to observe are dominance, importance value, and density. Dominance shows the plants that appear the most frequently. This is an important factor in learning about the prairie because the dominant plants in an area are usually the plants that provide food and living space for prairie animals. Dominance tells researchers which plants are the most common throughout the prairie. For instance, tall grasses like Big Bluestem seem to be dominant in Plot 17 of Fermi Lab. Dominant plants may control the amount of sunlight other vegetation absorbs, and even the soil chemistry is affected as roots of dominant plants are sent into the soil.

Importance Value is the sum of relative dominance, relative frequency, and relative density. It shows researchers the importance of a plant in the whole prairie. Importance Value is useful because if you look at the importance value of different prairie plants over the years and watch the rises and falls of importance in the prairie, you can rank certain plants according to their values and see how they compare to past years of data. This will show how healthy certain plants are, since it includes dominance, frequency, and density.

Diversity shows how much variety there is in a plot. This is important because there shouldn't be too much dominance of one certain plant, and scarce amounts of every other type. This would not allow for different animals and insects...only those who feast on the plants that are included in the prairie. Finding the diversity of a prairie allows researchers to monitor the balance of different grasses and forbs, so the amount of every plant can be close to equal. Variety is the spice of life, and diversity is the spice of a prairie plot.

II. Comparison

The dominances, importance values, and diversities of my quadrat are very different from those of the whole Plot 17...and these totals differ slightly from those of 2005 and 2004. For instance, my quadrat only included nine different prairie plants and weeds, while Plot 17 may have contained the fifty-one possible plants, weeds, and forbs that are listed on the data collection sheet. Plot 17 as a whole has more diversity because it is larger and it has room for more plants. My quadrat was a one meter by one meter square and did not represent the wide variety of prairie vegetation.

However, there were some similarities between my quadrat and Plot 17. One was that both the quadrat and the plot contained a lot of Big Bluestem, the dominant plant of Fermi lab. It also contained Wild Bergamot and Indian Grass, the second and third most dominant plants. These three prairie plants probably showed up in many quadrats because they are the most common.

 The total dominances and importance values of 2006 have some similarities and some differences from those of 2005 and 2004. One thing they all have in common is that Big Bluestem dominates as the most dominant and important prairie plant, holding a spot at #1 for three straight years. It was a close lead in 2005 for dominance, as Big Bluestem was only .15 higher than Wild Bergamot. Another similarity is that Unlisted Grass-like is the most dominant and important weed, always leading by at least 100 in importance value. This was also seen in most quadrats.

The “top ten” species of plants and weeds are pretty consistent, but some species go through changes on the top ten scale. For instance, the Saw tooth Sunflower was never in the top ten until 2006, when it entered as number seven in dominance and number eight in importance value. Some plants alternate being numbers two and three, like Wild Bergamot and Indian Grass. In 2004, Wild Bergamot was number two. In 2005, it was number three while Indian Grass took its place. Now, in 2006, it has returned with Wild Bergamot a bit higher than Indian Grass. The small changes probably occur after the prairie is safely burned every year, because then new plants can grow and former dominant ones can start to die out. But in general, the most dominant plants and weeds will stay strong for as long as Fermi lab exists.

III. Ten-Year Prediction

I predict that in ten years, Fermi lab as we know it will go through some changes. I noticed that, in 1992, weeds dominated over plants. This is not true in 2006. The annual burnings of the prairie probably kill the short-rooted weeds, and the long and deep roots of prairie plants survive the fire.

 The “top ten” plants may be similar, but some plants may become more common or die out. For instance, Little Bluestems (18 to be exact) were spotted in the older Plot 16 of Fermi in 1992. Little Bluestem plants were not found at all in ’06. The species has probably died out slowly after many burnings and regrowth. With some plants, the opposite happens and plants or weeds suddenly become a part of the top ten. This is because seeds get carried by wind and animals’ fur over time and get replanted. However, I did notice that Big Bluestem was the top plant and Unlisted Grasslike was the top weed. This has held true in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Therefore, I believe that Big Bluestem and Unlisted Grasslike will keep appearing frequently in 2016.

There may be some plants and weeds that suddenly become a part of the top ten in the near future, but the names and dominances of those species are unpredictable. I believe, in general, that the top plants will stay strong and continue on as “dominators” while the top weeds, though still leading in their type, will slowly burn out every year until weeds make up only a small fraction of the prairie.

IV. Reflection

After our trip to Fermi Lab, I learned a lot of information about Fermi and about prairies in general. One thing I learned about was actually a lot of things...these being the instruments used to find wind speed, relative humidity, and soil temperature. To find wind speed, researchers use an anemometer. When you hold the anemometer with the measurements facing you and you facing the wind, the breeze will blow into one of the small holes at the base of the instrument, and a Styrofoam ball floats up to the appropriate measurement of wind speed in miles per hour. To find relative humidity, you use a sling psychrometer. On this instrument, there are two thermometers; a dry bulb and a wet bulb. The wet bulb has a wick that you pour water onto. After the wet bulb is damp, you spin the psychrometer by the handle above your head (and away from others!). After one minute, you take the readings of both bulbs. Take the reading for the dry bulb, and the difference between the dry and wet bulbs. When you have these two temperatures, find them on a relative humidity chart and you will locate the number of the current relative humidity. To calculate soil temperature, you use a soil thermometer. This is very similar to a meat thermometer and has a large, wide circle at the top and a needle jutting out the center. After you push the needle into the soil, you wait 15 minutes and then read the temperature from the top of the circle.

    I also learned a lot of fun facts about the pioneers when they first settled into the land of the prairies. One funny piece of info is that Indian Grass got its name from pioneer days, when early settlers mistook the tall, fluffy grasses or Native American headdresses and cowered in fear! Another odd fact is that Big Bluestem's nickname is "Turkey Foot" because the seed pockets are shaped like the feet of a turkey.

Even though my seventh-grade class had to come out to Fermi Lab on a thunder storming, thirty-degree day, it was surprisingly interesting and I came back home with a ton more knowledge.

♥-The End-♥

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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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