Download June_2002_Q6_-_Emma_McDonnell_13

June 2002
No. 6
(a)(i) Edaphic Factor: Mineral Content
Difference between the two woodlands: I think that larch tress the following year
will have less minerals present for them to draw-in and use for growth in comparison
to the oak trees.
Explanation for the difference: I believe this as the leaves of the larch trees
decomposing on the ground require minerals to decompose, hence taking valuable
minerals from the ground which could have been used by the tree. However, the oak
leaves decompose at a more rapid pace and therefore are decomposed for leaf growth
the following year and therefore there are more minerals present for growth of the
tree.
(ii) Aeration
(b)(i) In order to test this prediction, I would make use of a quadrat device. When
sampling the areas within the larch and oak woodlands, I would use random coordinates and place the quadrat in these random positions. In order to estimate the
number of plants present from each position, it is required that each herb layer plant
within the quadrat is counted and recorded. To obtain reliable data I will repeat this
process ten times in each woodland. The data will be recorded by means of a table,
containing each quadrat position and the abundance of herbs within each. The mineral
content of the soil (edaphic factor) will be sampled by investigating which minerals
were present in each of the two woodland’s soils and then compared to the findings of
the herbs present in these areas; to view any correlation between both sets of results.
(ii) A suitable graphical technique for the data collected could be a bar chart showing
how many herb layer plants were present where there was a particular mineral present
in the soil.
Emma McDonnell