Girls+vs.+Wild

﻿ __ Girls Vs. Wild __



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Our site was located in the containment pond on the schools back property. We chose this location for the differing microclimates and the variety of abiotic and biotic factors we hoped to find. Directly North of our location transect line is a large red maple tree. Facing the south is the clump of Cattails and the concrete slab. Then to the East is the path opening to the other trials. Finally facing west you will see the hill to the corporate center beyond it. From our site to the back driveway is roughly about 50 feet. Then we were able to find markers for our microclimates. For the first micro climate we had a flag to mark it. The second one we used the high bushes that were clumped together. Finally we used a cluster of red plants to mark the third microclimate. =====

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 * During our study, we encountered many abiotic factors. First off, the area we studied was in a containment pond near the hole where the run-off water comes out on the Great Valley School Campus. There were many rocks near the cattails (cattails are biotic) which helped to anchor them into the soft ground. There was also some man made abiotic factors like the concrete and rubber used to make the tube to distribute the run-off water into the pond, sometimes bringing in pollution as well. The abiotic factor of whether or not there is water in the area depends on the weather activity. If it rains, or rained earlier the run-off water will sit in the containment pond, whereas on other days there may not be any water in it. The day we studied however, there was water in the area. **


 * Our microclimate has many abiotic and biotic factors. The abiotic drainage ditch kept a supply of water in the containment pond for the biotic factors such as the cattails that needed the water. We had a week of non-stop rain which kept a constant flow of water to the area for the plants. An abiotic factor is the runoff from the road that comes through the drainage. This runoff and pollution is harmful to the plants. Along with the runoff and pollution, there was trash too. These abiotic factors hurt the biotic factors; or the pollution and trash hurt the plants. **

Some of the ranges of abiotic factors: 1.) **Temperature (in degrees Celsius)** – ranged from 14.2 to 19.3 2.) **Light Intensity (in Lux)** - ranged from 239.19 to 15,461 3.) **Dew Point (in degrees Celsius)** – ranged from 7.1 to 13.0 4.) **Relative Humidity (in %)** – ranged from 61 to 77 5.) **Absolute Humidity (g/m^3)** – ranged from 8.0 to 11.5

During our study we encountered many different types of vegetation ranging from weeds to grasses.


 * = ** Weeds **  ||=  ** Grass **  ||
 * = dandelions ||= Hair Grass ||
 * = Daisy fleabane (figure 2) ||= Reed Meadow Grass ||
 * = Smart weed ||= Bulrush ||
 * = English Plantain ||= Spike Rush ||
 * = Heal-all (figure 1) ||= Soft Rush ||
 * = Bristle grass ||=  ||
 * = Cattail ||=  ||
 * = Goldenrod ||=  ||
 * = Clover ||=  ||
 * = Grass Sedge ||=  ||
 * = Ground Ivy ||=  ||

= = = ﻿Exploring our Microclimate: =


 * There are three different recognizable microclimates within our climate. **


 * Microclimate one is made of up Sample spaces one and two( as shown in figure 1). This microclimate is the grass area outside the containment pond. It is mostly made up of dandelions, clovers, grass, and other common land plants. In comparison to the other two identified microclimates, microclimate one is higher in elevation than the other two. The soil in this microclimate is drier than the soil in the other two microclimates and is completely covered in grass. There is slight human disturbance because it is on a dry area, but only slight because it is so far down towards the containment pond not many people are down there. The main cause of this microclimate is the difference in elevation and plant variation from samples one and two to samples three and four. **
 * Microclimate two contains samples three and four (shown in figure 2). This microclimate was the area in between the grass and the containment pond that holds tall weeds and grasses. It is the home to plants such as the daisy fleablane, soft rush, and wool sedge. This microclimate is on the hilly embankment to the containment pond, so it is partly elevated above the pond. The soil is damp here but it isn’t enough in the containment pond to be completely wet. Although humans aren’t directly involved, human disturbance is evident in the area because of the water drainage that comes to this pond. All of the run-off from the streets and lawns comes here making it a haven for oil from the roads and fertilizer from manicured lawns. Although microclimate two is elevated above the pond, the plants still use the polluted water from the containment pond. The main cause of this microclimate is its plant life and elevation. It is slightly different from microclimate one and two because it is located in the embankment between the two. Its plant life is different than both of the other microclimates as well; it embraces long weeds and grasses that excel in wet places. **


 * Microclimate three is made up of samples five- ten (shown in figure 3). This area is the containment pond itself. It has the lowest elevation of all three of our microclimates. The soil is wet and packed down in this area with large rocks on top and plants growing through the water. After any rainfall, the containment pond is always more full of water because it is the drainage for street run-off making it a prime place for pollution. As mentioned previously in microclimate two, the run-off contains oil and fertilizers making the water coming to this area polluted. All of the plants in this area seem to survive despite this dirty water. The main plants in this area are bull rush, spike rush, and cattails whom all thrive in wet places. The main cause of this microclimate is the low elevation and water-filled area. The plants in this area specifically survive in wet places and will continue to live even if they are completely underwater. **


 * || Microclimate one  ||  Microclimate two  ||  Microclimate three  ||
 * Temp (c) || 15.2-19.3  ||  14.2-18.8  ||  15-18.6  ||
 * Light intensity (lux) || 239.19-10486.55  ||  4170.03-10764.50  ||  487-25461.10  ||
 * Dew point (c) || 7.1-12.7  ||  7.7-12.7  ||  7.7-13.0  ||
 * Relative humidity || 62%-70%  ||  68%-77%  ||  60%-73%  ||
 * Absolute humidity || 8.0-11.4  ||  8.3-11.5  ||  8.3-11.7  ||

= = =** Micro Climate 1- Plots 1 & 2 **=

This microclimate is found on the edge of the containment pond near our first flag.
==== Dandelion- Dandelions are found abundantly in temperate areas of the U.S. like we live in. It also is said to be most common in yards, but can also be hard to see because they tend to be conspicuous in lawns. ====

Grass-Ground is found all over the world in a range of any type of soil or climates.
==== Heal-All- Heal Alls are found primarily on the East coast ranging anywhere from Maine to Florida and stretching out to Arkansas and Wisconsin. It also says that this plant may be found in waste places such as our containment pond. ==== ==== Ground Ivy- Ground Ivy is said to be found in most areas of the United State except the Rocky Mountain region. Also it is said to like moist and shady areas. It can however survive in sunny areas because we have little shade in this particular microclimate. ====

[[image:webkit-fake-url://29B06DD8-D171-4CB5-96BF-D892E13D15D9/application.pdf caption="Ground Ivy"]]
= = =** Microclimate 2- Plots 3 & 4 **=

Daisy Fleabane- Daisy Fleabane is mostly found in temperate areas and sometimes along roadsides in grassy areas like the one outside our containment pond.

Bristle grass- Bristle Grass and Soft Rush are abundantly found along the East Coast of the United States. They are also very common to wet places and waste places.

English Plantain- English Plantains are found along roadsides and in lawns. This plant is also common to the United States especially in the Northeast.

Wool Grass Sedge- Grass Sedge is found worldwide, but is most common ton temperate climates. They grow normally in water or in moist soils.

Hair Grass & Reed Meadow Grass- Hair Grass and Reed Meadow Grasses are typically found in places where they are able to receive a lot of sunlight which they would be able to do in this area. Hair Grass is more common to drier areas, but can tolerate wet areas like our site. However, Reed Meadow Grass is found mostly in wet places. ==

= Microclimate 3- Plots 5-10 =

Cattail – Cattails are found in North America, specifically in marshes, irrigation ditches, rice fields and other wet areas. They are desired for a lot of irrigation ditches because their stocks make it difficult for other animals to make habitats. Spike Rush – Spike Rush grows in marsh areas where the soil is very moist. They grow in clumps and form large mats which make it hard to uproot and separate from the mud. Bulrush – Bulrush is a type of grass that grows in North America in wet areas.



__**Works Cited **__

 Works Cited Brown, Lauren. //Grasses: An Identification Guide//. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1979. N. pag. Print. Cameron, John. “Heal-All.” //New Hampshire Wildflowers//. N.p., 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . Chayka, K. "Minnesota Wildflowers." // Minnesota Wildflowers //. N.p. 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/page/grasses-sedges-rushes “Daisy Fleabane.” //Illinois Wildflower//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . //A Golden Guide: Weeds//. New York: Western Publishing, n.d. N. pag. Print. Greive, M. “Plantain, Common.” //Botanical.com//. N.p., 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . H, Richard, Joseph C Neal, and Joseph M DiTomaso. //Weeds of the Northeast//. South Korea: Cornell University, 1997. N. pag. Print. Logan, Barbara. "Wildflowers of Fairbanks". Roots Web. N.p., 2001. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~soakbear/wildflowers.htm Martin, Alexander C. //A Golden Guide: Weeds//. New York: Western Publishing, n.d. N. pag. Print. Slichter, Paul. "Brown Wooly Sedge, Cottongrass Bulrush, Woolgrass, Bulrush." // Bulrushes of the Columbia River Gorge. // N.p., 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/gorge/sedge/scirpus/cyperinus.html S Schli