Student Number

Laboratory Exercise No.1 The Organism and Environment

Introduction An individual organism is viewed as a distinct unit of life. Its simplicity is broken down when organism is modular, rather than unitary. Modular organisms are those organisms composed of highly variable number of parts. Its growth and development are strongly affected by environmental conditions. Unitary organisms are those highly determine in form and remain distinct until they die. Organism changes in response to variation in their environment. In return, the surroundings are modified by these organisms. Environment refers to all elements in an organisms surroundings that can influence its behavior, reproduction and survival. It consists of biotic and abiotic components. By modifying physical characteristics of the habitat, organism affects one another and the distinction losses much of its usefulness. Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4. To determine the factors that affects the physical environment of an ecosystem. To identify unitary and modular organisms. To be able to explain how organisms modify their physical and biological environment. To describe responses of organisms to changes in the physical and biological environment.

Part I. The Organisms and Environment Materials Nylon Thermometer Meter stick

Psychometer Watch Digging tools

Light meter

Procedure A 1. Chose a site where forest is adjacent to grassland. 2. Using a string, run a 10m line transecting on each of the two sites. 3. At 1m above the ground, make readings of air temperature. At 5cm below the ground, get the soil temperature. Take note of the weather, time of the day, and the condition of the sky during tome of readings. 4. List all animal species found in both sides. Trace the presence of other animals using their left over tracks or excretory products. 5. List all the plant species growing along the transect line in the forest and grassland. Classify them according to their habit of growth (trees, shrub, herb, or vine). 6. Locate for trail of ants. Provide food sources near the trail. Observe their behavior, sequence of activities, time spent on each activity for 10minutes, disturb them after and document their behavioral responses.

Supplementary Questions: 1. Compare air and soil temperature, light intensity and relative humidity in the forest interior and grassland. 2. How are organisms contributing to the variations in theses abiotic parameters? 3. Identify plants in forest or grassland which are unitary. Are there modular animals in any of the two habitats? Why? 4. How are differences and similarities of plants found on both sides? 5. Describe the behavioral response of ants to the environmental disturbance, stimulus their habitat and niche? Part II: Preservation of Plants for the Herbarium Materials Old newspaper Pressers Blotters

Cotton Corrugated cardboard Oven drier

Procedure B 1. Gather plant species in which sizes are ideal for preservation. 2. Dip the plant in a pan or enameled tray filled with poisoning solution. Do constant turning of the specimen several times. 3. Layout the plant material between folded sheets of newspaper. Plant material should lie flat and no branch sprang out of the fold. 4. Arrange the specimens in the folded newspaper in this order: ventilator, corrugated cardboard, blotter, plant material in folded newspaper. 5. Place the stack in between two wooden pressers. Place the stacks in an oven drier where specimens are dried. 6. Mount the dried specimens in a mounting paper with any of the following: a. Spread out glue on the glass plate and lay the specimen on it. Lift the specimen so that all parts have come in contact with the glue. Transfer it to the mounting sheet. b. Invert the specimen on the paper where it has been stored. Brush the exposed area with glue. Transfer it to the mounting sheet. c. Lay the specimen on the mounting sheet and fasten it by sewing or hold it in place by using small strips of tape. 7. Label the herbarium using the following guide.
_______________ Date of Collection Common Name: Scientific Name: Height of Plant: Habitat: Economic Uses: ______________ Collection No.

Sampled by:

Part III. Lichen Search Lichens are association of algae and fungi. This occurs in various habitats like trunks and logs. They are very susceptible to air pollution. Crusty lichens grow flat and are usually embedded on the surfaces of rocks and trunks. Lichens that have lobbed surfaces partially attached to other surfaces are called leaf lichens. Those that branch or stand upright or hang from other surfaces are known as shrubby lichens. They both take long time to develop and any damage caused by them is long lasting. Materials Hand lens Scalpel

Glass container for samples

Procedure C 1. Search for at least 5 trees populated by lichens and collect samples of them. Take note of the color, shapes and kind. 1.1. Look for lichen critters (animals found on lichens). 1.2. Look for trees that rarely have lichens.