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Year 11 Biology

Field Project: Woodlands and Wetlands Ecosystem

An ecologist working in the field might seek to answer the following questions:
What are the components of the ecosystem?
what are the biotic components (what organisms live there?)
what are the abiotic components?
How many of the different organisms live there? (abundance)
Where are they found within the ecosystem? (distribution)
What is influencing their abundance and distribution?
(how do the organisms interact with each other and the abiotic factors?)
How are the organisms adapted to living in their niche within the ecosystem?

Given the time, skills and equipment available to us, it is not possible to even come close to answering
all of these questions. However, through this field trip you will gain some understanding of the biotic
and abiotic components of the site, and the skills and equipment that ecologists often employ in their
work.

In the space below, for your own reference, record information about the equipments/tools or procedures
as well as the safety aspects that you will receive during the briefing.

PART A. Creating an Overview Plan (dry sclerophyll woodland)


Your first task is to learn to draw an overview plan (birds eye view) of the woodlands.
1. In a group of 3, select an area 10m by 3m. Ideally this area should contain a variety of vegetation
showing some form of stratification (canopy layer >4.5m, shrub layer 1.5m 4.5m, understorey
2cm 1.5m).

2. Imagine looking at your selected area from the top down. Draw in the vegetation present as seen
from that view in the box provided below. Use symbols and a key to mark the vegetation; do not
attempt to make actual drawings.
Fiona Hong 2017
YOUR OVERVIEW PLAN EXAMPLE

Key

Canopy foliage

Small tree

Shrub; rounded leaves

Tall grass

Shrub; woody stem + flowering

KEY

Fiona Hong 2017


PART B. Setting and Mapping a Transect Line (Wetlands; Creek)

Purtinga @ Cornerstone College


"Purtinga" is a Peramangk word meaning "little creek" or place of witchety grubs.
Purtinga Creek starts as a number of smaller creeks in the hills behind Littlehampton. They connect
together to form Purtinga Creek which winds its way down through the town of Littlehampton, flows
through a tunnel under the freeway and then through the school. It continues on through Mount Barker
before joining Barker Creek. This creek joins up with other creeks and rivers and eventually joins the
Bremer River before flowing out in to Lake Alexandrina on the River Murray.
The Purtinga Wetland catches water that flows off the freeway, water that flows from the housing estate
over the railway line and also from part of Littlehampton on the other side of the freeway. This water
all flows through a pipe under the railway line before entering the wetland. The wetland then filters and
cleans this water before it flows into Purtinga Creek. The Wetland was constructed in 2008 and filled
for the first time in July that year.

The Purtinga Woodland area is dominated by a collection of large eucalyptus trees. Planted in
amongst these larger trees are a number of smaller trees, bushes, grasses and sedges. These
plantings began around 2007 when a large number of woody weeds were removed from the area.

Even though the Purtinga area is relatively small, there is quite a number of different habitats within this
ecosystem and consequently a large variety of organisms living there. It would, therefore, be a time-
consuming task to attempt to survey this entire area. In order to simplify our study of the creek we will
use a transect line.
A transect is a small sample of the area being studied. It involves marking out a straight line or strip
across the area and noting the biotic and abiotic components within this sample site. The result
provides a snapshot of a small cross-section of the whole ecosystem.
1. Select a site and set up transect line

The transect line should span across the creek and extend up to the banks and higher ground on both
sides to reflect the difference in biodiversity present in different microhabitats (eg. In water, moist
soil, dry land). Choose a site which would provide a good representation of the vegetation in the
area.

Set up your transect line. To do this you will need a 10m length of red/white tape or twine rope.
Stretch this across the creek in a perpendicular angle. The tape/rope can be pulled taut across the
creek. You may pin the line down using the rods provided.

2. Sketch a cross-section profile of your transect

Using the ruler provided, work out the profile of the area at the sites. Try to be as accurate as you can
with your diagram, which must be drawn to scale. (Example and space provided in the next pages)
On your sketch, mark in the position and height of the various forms of vegetation that are present
along your transect. A key should be used to identify the different plants on your sketch.

You may wish to use a camera to photograph your sampling sites. Please be very careful with
cameras and phones at the creek you wont want to drop it into the water.

Fiona Hong 2017


Example of a profile:

10 m 7m 5m 3m 1m 0m
zone 3 zone 2 zone 1 zone 2 zone 3

Tree Woody Shrub

Reeds _________ Water Level

---------- Zone boundary lines

Fiona Hong 2017


Transect profile of Creek

Key

Fiona Hong 2017


PART C. Measuring Abiotic Components
(measuring some non-living parts of the creek environment)

In your creek transect site you are to measure and record the following abiotic features. Present your
measurements in an appropriate form (eg. Table, chart)

Date/Time: record the date and time of day that you are recording the following.
Weather conditions: make a note of the weather conditions at the time of recording.)
1. Water temperature
Hold the bulb of the thermometer 2cm under the surface of the water to record the temperature.
2. Air temperature
Dry off the bulb of the thermometer and then hold it in the air to record the temperature.
3. Rate of flow of water
Measure out a certain distance of clear water around your transect. Place a cork or other floating
object in the water and record how long it takes to travel this length of water (making sure that it
doesnt get snagged on any object). Express the rate of flow in metres per second.
4. Depth of water
Using the ruler or a suitable stick, measure the depth of water in the deepest part of your
transect (as best you can without falling in!).
5. pH value of water
Dip a pH test strip into the water making sure the entire strip is exposed to the water. Using the
reference chart, determine the pH value.

6. Depth of bottom mud (optional)


If the bottom of the creek at your transect is muddy, try as best you can to determine the depth of
this mud. You may choose to do this by using a ruler or a suitable stick.

7. Moisture content of soil


Using the moisture meter, measure the moisture level of soils found along the transect. You
should aim to make at least two measurements to reflect changing soil moisture content with
respect to distance from the water. Mark the points at which measurements are taken in your
profile sketch. You may label these points M1, M2 and so on.

8. Light Intensity (UV rating)


Using the UV meter, take the UV readings at 3 different points along your transect. These points
should ideally span from the water towards the upper banks. Mark the points at which the
readings are taken in your profile sketch. You may label these points with U1, U2 and U3.

**NOTE**
You may choose to collect some samples of the water from the creek or soil from both sites for further
investigation. You may also like to take photos of specimen or organisms as part of your data collection.

Fiona Hong 2017


Record of Measurements Date:

**NOTE**
You may choose to collect some samples of the water from the creek or soil from both sites for further
investigation. You may also like to take photos of specimen or organisms as part of your data collection.

Abiotic Factor Dry Woodlands Purtinga Creek Purtinga Creek Purtinga Creek
Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3

Air Temperature

Water / Soil
Temperature

Rate of flow of
water

Depth of water

pH value of water /
soil

Moisture content
of soil

Light Intensity
(UV)

Fiona Hong 2017


Dry Woodlands Ecosystem Record of Biotic Factors

Organism Description of organism (eg. small thick oval-shaped leaves; thin woody stem)

Fiona Hong 2017


Purtinga Creek - Record of Biotic Factors

Organism Description and location along the transect line (eg. 2m mark)

Fiona Hong 2017

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