7.

1 Introduction
Just a few hundred meters from busy Chinatown, the urban landscape gives way to
sculpted parks and dense tropical jungle. Covering 92 hectares, the Lake Gardens were
created during the colonial era as an urban retreat where the British administrators could
escape the hurly burly of downtown (as well as people of other races).
This park was pleasantly restful; it covered a huge area, planted with a variety of native
plants, trees and shrubs - it's hard to believe that this calm open space existed just a few
hundred meters from the main train station. In the middle is a huge children's adventure
playground and nearby is the sprawling lake for which the gardens were named. Boats
can be rented for around RM6 per hour and tai chi practitioners can be observed in the
early morning.
The hills were dotted with interesting attractions, including two of KL's best: the Islamic
Arts Museum and Kuala Lumpur Bird Park. The dense foliage created a lot of humidity
so strolling around can be a sweaty experience - a drier way to see the gardens is to hire a
taxi and ask the driver to wait while you explore each of the sights. At weekends, a tourist
tram rolls between the main gardens for a nominal charge.
The Lake Gardens was an area dedicated to beauty and contemplation, located to the west
of the city centre. The site of the city's first park, the Lake Gardens area today was
dedicated to leisurely pursuits and offers a number of attractions for its visitors. The park
itself, known simply as Lake Gardens, or Taman Tasik Perdana, was dominated by a
man-made lake, Sydney Lake, and had several specialty gardens and areas. The Carcosa
Seri Negara, the former British Governor's official residence, overlooked the park from a
nearby hilltop on the west side and had been till recently, a heritage hotel offering its
visitors the rare opportunity to experience the opulent colonial British lifestyle.
The central region of the Lake Gardens housed two of the city's best known private parks,
the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park and the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park. Boasting an amazing
variety of birds and butterflies, both parks were well-frequented by foreigners and locals
alike. Overlooking the lake on the east hill was the Tun Abdul Razak Memorial, the
former home of the second Malaysian Prime Minister that housed an archival collection

dedicated to him. Just a stone's throw away is the National Planetarium, a rather recent
addition to the Lake Gardens area. Completed in 1993, this unique building with its
distinctly futuristic dome represented the country's commitment to space science.
On the slopes of the Lake Garden's east side were two museums, the Royal Malaysian
Police Museum and the Islamic Arts Museum, while the iconic National Mosque lied at
the edge of the Lake Gardens, just opposite the old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. Two
other attractions of note lied at the peripheral edges of the Lake Gardens area, the
National Monument at the north, and the National Museum at the south.

7.2 Apparatus and Materials

7.2.1 Soil sampling technique
Apparatus
Metal cylinder and piston(to dig out soil)
Shovel

Quantity
1
1

Material
Soil sample(collected from 3 different places)

Quantity
400g from each places

7.2.2 Determination of the texture of the soil

Apparatus
500cm3 measuring cylinder

Quantity
1

Materials
100cm3 soil sample
300cm3 water

Quantity
1
1

7.2.3 Determination of the water content of soil

Apparatus
Aluminium foil pie dish
Balance
Oven
Desiccator
Tongs
Thermometer

Quantity
1
1
1
1
1
1

Materials
Soil

Quantity
80gm

7.2.4 Determination of organic matter content

Apparatus
Desiccators and lid
Tripod
Bunsen burner
Asbestos mat
Fireclay triangle tongs

Quantity
1
1
1
1
1

Materials
Dried soil sample

Quantity
(retained from experiment 4.3)

7.2.5 Determination of air content of soil

Apparatus
Tin can of volume about 400cm3
500cm3 beaker
Metal seeker
Spatula
500cm3 measuring cylinder

Quantity
2
2
1
4
1

Materials
Water
Soil

Quantity
1100cm3
600cm3

7.2.6 Determination of soil pH

Apparatus
Long test-tube
Test-tube rack
Spatula
10cm3 pipette

Quantity
3
1
4
1

Materials
Soil sample
Distilled water
Barium sulphate
BDH universal indicator

Quantity
3cm3
30cm3
3cm3
15cm3

7.2.7 Determination of the types of soil organisms

Apparatus
Tullgren funnel
Retort stand
Beakers
Magnifying glass
Glass slide
Microscope
Baermann funnel

Quantity
1
1
3
1
3
1
1

Materials
Formalin

Quantity
100cm3

7.2.8 Determination of the density of plant species in a habitat

Apparatus
Quadrats measuring

Quantity
1m2

7.3 Reference List

1. Neil A. Camphell and Jane.B Reece, Biology Concepts and Connections, 25 Nov
2011
2. Phil Bradfield, As Level Biology, 25 Nov 2011
3. Define abiotic and biotic factor, 4

Dec

2011,

between.net/science/difference-between-abiotic-and-biotic/,
www.enhow.com/Hobbies and Science

www.difference

4. Define

ecology,

24

Nov

2011,

www.eoearth.org/article/Ecology
5. Define population, 6 Dec 2011,
6.
7.
8.
9.

<en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology>,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_density
Define soil, 6 Dec 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil
Soil pH, 6 Dec 2011, http://www.eoearth.org/article/Soil
Miller Levine, Biology Prentice Hall, 23 Nov 2011
Define ecosystem, 30 Nov 2011, <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem>,

www.eoearth.org/article/Ecosystem?topic=58074
10. Cecie Starr and Ralph Taggart, Biology The Unity and Diversity of Life, 24 Nov
2011
11. Define niche and habitat,3 Dec 2011, <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological-niche>,
<en.wikipedia.org/wiki/habitat>, www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Habitat
12. http://regentsprep.org/regents/biology/units/ecology/biotic.cfm
13. http://www.water.rutgers.edu/Rain_Gardens/factsheet29.pdf
14. http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modzz/00001813.html
15. http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/soil200/components/air.htm
16. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH
17. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_types_of_organisms_are_found_in_soil

7.4 Formula of calculation

1. Relative density of a species=(density of a species/total densities to all species)x100
2. Frequency=(no of quadrats contain a species /total no of quadrats sample)x100
3. Relative frequency=(frequency of a species/frequency of all species sampled)x100
4. % of sand component=(weight of sand/weight of soil sample)x100
5. % of water content of soil=(weight of water/weight of soil)x100
6. % of organic component=(weight of organic matter/weight of soil sample)x100
7. % volume of air in soil sample=(volume of air in soil/volume of soil sample)x100

7.5 Photos