ECO LAB_Grassland Vegetation & Freshwater Analysis

quadrat method

one of the most widely used means of attaining quantitative information about the compositions and structure of plant communities

species-area curve

can be used to determine the size of the quadrat

Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index

The species diversity can be assessed using the

species richness

the number of species in the given area

species evenness

the degree to which species are distributed equally

minimum size of the quadrat

• where the number of species starts to be the same

• determine the richness of the area

formula of Frequency

the more important the plant is in the community

higher the frequency, ____

formula of Relative Frequency

Abundance of a species

compares the number of plants of that species with the total number of plants of all species in the study area

Formula of abundance

Density

Closely related to abundance but more useful in estimating the importance of a species is the ___. It is defined as the number of plants of a certain species per unit area

formula of density

formula of relative density

Percent Cover

the proportion of the total area occupied by the species

formula for Cover

Relative cover

gives a better indication of the importance of a species than does the absolute value

formula of Relative cover

Importance value

sum of the Relative frequency, relative density, relative cover, and relative abundance

Grassland

They belong to terrestrial biomes which are characterized by lands dominated by grasses rather than large shrubs or trees

Tropical Grassland

Types of Grassland:

• Savannas

• Grasslands with scattered trees are found in Africa, South America, and northern Australia

• Hot, tropical areas with temperatures averaging from 24 ºC –29ºC (75ºF –84ºF) and an annual rainfall of 51–127 cm (20–50 in)

• Savannas have an extensive dry season and consequent fires

Temperate Grassland

Types of Grassland:

• Found throughout central North America (prairies) and in Eurasia (steppes)

• Have annual fluctuations in temperature with hot summers and cold winters

• Annual precipitation ranges from 25.4 cm to 88.9 cm (10–35 in)

• Dominant vegetation tends to consist of grasses. The treeless condition is maintained by low precipitation, frequent fires, and grazing

aquatic ecosystem

can be classified as a freshwater or marine ecosystem

Lotic

refers to running waters such as rivers, streams, and springs

lentic

refers to standing waters like lakes, lagoons, and ponds

physical parameters

light penetration, temperature, current, color, and total suspended solids (TSS)

epilimnion

• penetrated by light

• warm, typically oxygen rich

• recurrent surface scum

• floating weed masses

Surface waters of constant temperature (usually warm) mixed throughout by wind and wave circulation

hypolimnion

• unpenetrated by light

• zone completely void of oxygen

• old water temperatures

• accumulating organic muck

• weds prevalent

• unusable by fish and all aerobic organisms

The deeper high-density water (this is usually much colder, although in tropical lakes the temperature difference between surface and bottom water may be only 2-3 ⁰C

Metalimnion (Compensation depth)

• boundary between the epilimnion and hypolimnion where there is an equal amount of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide

• zone of decreasing water temperature

• zone of decreasing dissolved oxygen

A fairly sharp gradational zone between the two

plankton and silt

Light penetration is affected also by the number of solids present in the water thereby making the water turbid due to the presence of ____ or the presence of ___ due to erosion

chemical factors

dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, alkalinity, hardness, and nutrients

dissolved oxygen (DO)

• produced by the phytoplankton or by diffusion from the atmosphere.

• it is the amount of oxygen from the atmosphere and from aquatic plants

• Can enter into the system through direct diffusion and as a by-product of photosynthesis

• Removed through respiration and decomposition

N, P, K, Ca, Mg

Most of the elements present in the like _____ and others are produced due to the leaching of rocks, erosion, and fertilizers and pesticides, wash out.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), conductivity, and salinity

measures N, P, K, Ca, and other elements

littoral zone

• nearshore area where sunlight penetrates all the way to the sediment and allows aquatic plants (macrophytes) to grow.

• most productive area of the lake

• influences the movement and processing of material flowing into the lake from terrestrial runoff, groundwater, or stream connections

• comprises a large proportion of the total lake area

emergent vegetation

• rooted in the upper littoral zone

• live near the water’s edge and along the banks of rivers and often have deep and dense roots that stabilize shadow soils at the water’s edge

floating vegetation

• is found in the middle littoral

• have leaves that float on the water’s surface. their roots may be attached to the substrate or floating in the water column

submerged vegetation

• often grows in the lower littoral

• also rooted to the bottom but their leaves grow entirely underwater

Nektons

are swimming organisms and, thus can choose where they go. It includes organisms such as fish, amphibians, turtles, large zooplankton, and insects.

Planktons

are organisms that can go where the water takes them.

formula of total number of planktons

formula of enumeration factor

L

Interpretation of the formula of enumeration factor:

• length of one strip of the Sedgewick Rafter counting chamber

W

Interpretation of the formula of enumeration factor:

• width of one strip of the Sedgewick Rafter counting chamber

D

Interpretation of the formula of enumeration factor:

• depth of one strip of the Sedgewick Rafter counting chamber

S

Interpretation of the formula of enumeration factor:

Formula of the abundance of the littoral macrophytes

Freshwater ecosystem

it is a body of water with very low salt concentration

Limnetic Zone

The open water area in lakes

Benthic zone

• bottom part consisting of organic sediments and soil

• considered as the’ digestive system’ of lakes

Euphotic Zone

• portion of water that receives sunlight

• where algae and other aquatic plants thrive (in addition to the littoral zone)

Profundal Zone

• located under the thermocline where the sunlight does not penetrate the water

• depends on the age and water clarity

• typically has a low population of fish because of the lack of oxygen

Stratification

It is the development of relatively stable light and warm layers above colder deeper layers within bodies of water.

Secchi depth

• a reasonable approximation of the photic zone

• an estimator of compensation depth (depth at which output from photosynthesis is equal to the costs of respiration for the plant: below this depth plants do not persist) for plants

Temperature

varies also within the water column where it is affected by light penetration

Stenothermic

organisms with narrow-range temperature tolerance

Eurythermic

organisms with wide-range temperature tolerance

Total solids

refer to waterborne particles that vary in particle size and can be suspended or dissolved in water

Total suspended solids (TSS)

non-filtrable, Everything that is retained by a filter is considered suspended solids

Total dissolved solids (TSS)

filtrable

Turbidity

It is the degree of opaqueness developed in water by means of suspended matter

Settling suspended matters

those substances which in motionless water, will settle to the bottom sooner or later

Non-settling suspended matters

Finely divided solids or those materials whose specific gravity is less than water

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

it represents the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter under aerobic (oxygen is present) conditions at a specified temperature

inversely proportional

BOD and DO are _______ to each other

Elevation

the amount of oxygen in elevation increases. Since streams get much of their oxygen from the atmosphere, streams at higher elevations will generally have less oxygen

Salinity

salty water holds less oxygen than fresh water.

• It is the quantity of dissolved salt content of the water

Temperature

cold water holds more dissolved oxygen than warm water

Turbulence

more _____ creates more opportunities for oxygen to enter streams

pH

It is the quantity of hydrogen (H+ ) ions in the water.

Halophytes

plants that naturally inhabit saline environments and benefit from having substantial amounts of salt in the growth media

Halophiles

organisms represented by archaea, bacteria, and eukarya for which the main characteristic is their salinity requirement, halophilic “salt-loving”

Nitrogen

• It is the limiting nutrient during photosynthesis.

• Enters into aquaculture through rainfall, in-situ N2 fixation, river runoff and diffusion from sediments, uneaten feeds, and fish wast

Ammonia

• is the initial product of the decomposition of nitrogenous organic wastes and respiration.

• is directly correlated with temperature and pH

Nitrites

These are completed through nitrification done by aerobic, gram-negative, chemoautotrophic bacteria found naturally in the system.

Nitrates

• is formed through nitrification process (i.e. oxidation of NO2 into NO3 by the action of aerobic bacteria.

• Stable, highly soluble in water, least toxic

• High levels can lead to osmoregulation, oxygen transport, eutrophication, and algal bloom.

Phosphorus

• in bodies of water, it typically exists in the form of phosphates.

• Another limiting factor in plants

• High levels can lead to osmoregulation, oxygen transport, eutrophication, and algal bloom.

Hardness

It is the measure of the quantity of divalent (salts with 2 positive charges) ions such as calcium, magnesium and/or iron in water

Calcium carbonate

is a general term that indicates the total quantity of divalent salts present and does not specifically identify whether calcium, magnesium, and/or some other divalent ions are causing water hardness.

Trophic Status

It is the overall level of biological productivity within a lake and is a key characteristic of water quality.

Oligotrophic lakes

contain low levels of phosphorus and usually support limited biological production (that is, low algal biomass) and thus low concentrations of chl-a.

Mesotrophic lakes

have moderate levels of phosphorus and support greater biological production and chl-a. These lakes have moderate water clarity.

Eutrophic lakes

have even greater concentrations of phosphorus and chl-a.

Hypereutrophic lakes

have concentrations of phosphorus and chl-a beyond even that of eutrophic lakes.

Benthos

bottom dwellers

epifauna

type of benthos that live on the substrate (organism)

epiflora

type of benthos that live on the substrate (plant)

infauna

type of benthos that live on the inside the substrate, buried or burrowing in the sediment

phytoplankton

plankton that is plant-like an an photosynthesize

zooplankton

plankton that is animal like

sacroplankton

plankton that feeds on decaying matters

Meroplankton

plankton that is temporary, larval stages of larger organisms that spend part of their life cycle as plankton

mesoplankton

small, free-floating aquatic organisms

microplankton

plankton that is 20-200 micrometers in size

Limnoplankton

plankton that lives in Freshwater (ponds and lakes)

rheoplankton

plankton that lives in Running water (rivers and streams)

heleoplankton

plankton that lives in swamps and marshes

haliplankton

plankton that lives in Salty waters (oceans)

hypalmyroplankton

plankton that lives in Brackish water (estuaries)

epiplankton

plankton that live near the surface of the water