Environmental Systems and Societies - Angel, Amreen, Fardosa, Mark
A random sampling method was chosen for this project to give an accurate estimate that
avoids bias. Organisms are often patchily distributed and random sampling avoids observer
bias as all areas of the site are equally likely of being sampled. Our site contains
environmental variation and its practically impossible to count every organism on the site.
Count of the flowers and leaves on the plant
Our site had areas with abundant grass and larger biodiversities of organisms as well as
rocky areas with little to no biological biodiversity due to development of infrastructure.
Hence this site was a heterogenous choice with a moderate diversity.
(Chenopodium album), a very common disturbance-tolerant weed - Predicted by a plant
identifier app
Ant Colony
Ants, not visible
Grass
Organism on a rock
Worm
Descriptions
A worm that lives in soil was observed in grassed area of site. The worm had a long body
type which was cylindrical and soft-bodied. The presence of earthworms in the soil is
indicative of a moist soil. Moreover, earthworms enhance soil aeration and nutrient cycling
by breaking down organic matter.
Grass was present at some spots on site quite thickly covering the ground. As a result, these
grassed areas supported a higher level of biodiversity than expected. Grass roots are
valuable in soil moisture retention as well as erosion reduction, thus creating favourable
conditions for other organisms.
A small herbaceous plant was seen growing at the foot of buildings in compacted rock. The
plant had several stems with broad green leaves, and seemed adjusted to the disturbed
environment. This indica will thus be able to produce good product yield. It has the presence
to suggest tolerance to low soil quality and human disturbance, where few other plant
species were able to establish.
Ants were seen walking on the ground or on their nest which was located close to the plant.
The soil contained a small opening, indicating organised nesting behaviour for this species.
The presence of ants contributes to soil mixing and soil nutrification and is a reflection of the
available but limited resource supply in the area.
Location of the site - Near the School field, at the centre of pavements , representative of
industrial development and green field. Biodiversity is scarce in this area.
Specific location: 6.81239° S, 39.27799° E
Site was measured using the measurer app, approximately rectangularly shaped
Approximately 20% of the site is covered with any plant/ organism.
Abundance refers to total no of individuals of a species in a given area or sample while
density referees to number of individuals per unit area.
Two limitations discussed was sampling error since random sampling may not be a full
representation of the entire site. This may cause overestimation or underestimation of
organism numbers
There was a difficulty detecting organisms because some organisms were on trees , above
us, and others underground. Flies were seen but not captured because they moved away
from the site. This may result in slightly inaccurate counts.
Improvements to increase reliability include increasing the sampling side to reduce effect of
anomalous results and produce a more reliable mean. Stratified sampling can help give a
better representation of the site’s heterogeneity.
In another season, organism abundance and density would likely vary due to changes in
temperature, rainfall and food availability. Warmer seasons and wetter seasons cause more
plant growth and invertebrate/ insect activity, leading to higher biodiversity and vice versa.
Conclusion
biodiversity is scarce in our chosen sampling site due to the location being an intersection of
pavements/ industrial development and natural fields. However, a warmer or wetter season
may likely increase the biodiversity. The experiment was a representative estimate but could
be made more accurate by using a larger sample size and conducting it over a larger period
of time to reduce seasonal variation.