Organisms population analysis

Method 1: Point Sampling

1.)    39 organisms were found within intersections of 1 cm. As we sampled 4% of the original number, then 39*25 = 936 organisms (100%) is the estimated population.

2.)    Percent error: [(193-936)/193]*100% = 385%

Method 2: Quadrant sampling

The numbers found were: H7=0, C2=3, F1=2, A7=0, G4=1, F10=4, B5=3, B9=3, C8=2, A6=2

3.)    Average population for a quadrant is 2.

4.)    Estimated population is 2(population in each quadrant) * 100(quadrants) = 200 organisms.

5.)    Actual population of organism are 193. Percent error: [(193-200)/193]*100% = 3.63 %

6.)    I drew paper slips rather than just choosing 10 grid segments for this method because it would be a complete overall prediction from different locations of the grid. This way, there is a variety in the data we have and not

Method 3: Transect Sampling

A&B=9, B&C=14, C&D=11, D&E=6, E&F=3, F&G=3,G&H=8, H&I=10, I&J=12. Total=71.

7.)    Total organisms found within 1cm of a line were 71. Estimated population would be 71*5=355 organisms (because 20%*5=100%)

8.)    Total number of beans is 193. Percent error =[(193-355)/193]*100% = 83.9%

Method 4: Mark-Recapture Sampling

9.)    In my experiment I got: N=(19*7)/1 = 133/1 = 133

10.)      Percent error = [(193-133)/193]*100% = 31.1%

OVERALL ANALYSIS

11.)      Method 2 was the most accurate way of predicting the population because I calculated the average number of organisms in each quadrant and multiplied it by 100 leading to the closest number because it has a low percent error.

12.)      In methods 1 and 3, I could increase the number of sampled organisms of the total populations. For e.g. 4% to 20% and 20% to 25%.

13.)      The best analysis for sampling plant populations would be Method 3, because the person could be able to divide the rich land into lines/columns. He would have to calculate the number of plants within 1cm of the line, and would have to multiply the number by 5. This would be much easier than Method 1, but Method 2 would also be hard because the person would have to divide the land into equal 100 quadrants.

14.)      The best analysis for sampling animal populations would be the Lincoln-Peterson index because it involves capturing individuals from a population of interest, marking them, releasing them for a relatively short period of time, and then later recapturing individuals from the same population and counting the number of marked and unmarked individuals. The size of the entire population can be accurately estimated from the proportion of marked and unmarked animals. This would not work for plants because plants aren’t capable of moving and it will depend on the person who collects the data. 

Role of Invasive Species in Survival of the Fittest

this: 

How this: 

may affect

  

        From an evolutionary perspective states that the most fit organisms adapt to the habitat and survive, as humans we should completely be concerned about invasive species. An invasive species is a non native species that is displacing a native species. The specie that enter an ecosystem and competes the native species, which can cause many types to become extinct and can destroy an ecosystem. We are concerned with these species because they compete other native plants which cause one of them to die off. We should definitely be concerned about invasive species because they act as intruders to the ecosystem which may affect the food chains and/ or food webs. According to natural selection only the survival of the fittest survive while if non-native species attack the habitat of the ecosystem, a competition will take place which will lead to depletion in one of the species, one can predict that there is a possibility that the alien species may be the survival of the fittest or that the survival of the fittest organism may have been once the fit organism but may not be able to adapt to the new environment, and may lead to it’s depletion. But some invasive species might be harmful to the survival of the fittest while on the other hand they can be helpful to the survival of the fittest too. 

Alien/ Invasive Species Competition

The criteria I chose for the invasive species were: the population, life span, growth rate, environment damage and natural enemies. I chose these criteria because they are the major points that could be used to determine which invasive specie is the 'worst.' If the specie has a large population with a big life span and a fast growth rate and damages the environment heavily with having least number of natural enemies, one could conclude that this specie would be the worst as it can be called 'invincible' specie. The following are the 5 species I chose that I thought would be the worst five. The following are not in the rated format but rather in a list format which are judged by the criteria followed by the link of information accessed from. 

1. Acacia melanoxylon (tree)

Population N/A

Life Span: 15-50 years          

Growth Rate Very Fast

Environment Damage Replaces native non-tree vegetation such as grassland and shrubland. This weed affects agricultural crops, natural habitats and ecosystems. 700 cattle were killed by a poisonous weed overnight.

Natural Enemies Dicranosterna semipunctata (tortoise beetle)

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=197&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN

2. Acacia saligna (tree)

Population  N/A

Life Span  30-40 years

Growth Rate High. Annual seed production is about 10 000 seeds per 1 square metre of canopy cover.

Environment Damage  Seed are produced in large numbers and can survive fire, making it a competitive tree for native species.

Natural Enemies Coccidae (insects)

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1590&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN

3.  Solenopsis invicta (insect)

Population 200,000-300,000 in a mature RIFA colony.

Life Span Depends on size: Minor workers may live 30 to 60 days, media workers 60 to 90 days, major workers 90 to 180 days, and queens may live two to six years.

Growth Rate  The average number of workers ants in a mature RIFA colony is 200,000-300,000 individuals and with no natural predator makes the growth rate high.

Environment Damage  Causes severe, irreparable damages to economy/ecology as it has great damages which includes total crop losses(soyabean, citrus, corn), nursery infestations, livestock depletion and harm to human health (stings/allergic reactions).

Natural Enemies Two pathogens are: a protozoa Thelohania solenopsae and a fungus Beauveria bassiana

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=77&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN

4. Aedes albopictus (insect)

Population N/A

Life Span Laboratory studies showed that male and female Aedes mosquito survive an average of 20 to 30 days.

Growth Rate In high temperatures, there were high rates of population increase.

Environment Damage Aggressive biter that carries diseases which are harmful to humans, e.g. West Nile virus, yellow fever and dengue fever

Natural Enemies Other mosquito larvae, flatworms, swimming beetles, fungi, ciliates, paramecia, protozoans which act as parasites, predatory copepods and spiders are natural enemies to Asian tiger mosquitoes.

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=109&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN

5. Salvinia molesta (aquatic plant, herb)

Population N/A

Life Span N/A

Growth Rate  High. Reproduction can occur very quickly.

Environment Damage Pervasive aquatic fern that can greatly alter aquatic ecosystems  which forms very thick surface mats and completely blocks light and oxygen penetration and impedes (obstruct) water flow, clogs water conveyance, and eliminates all other plant/fish species.

Natural Enemies None

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=569&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN

The process to eliminate the first three species is very easy/simple. This is because the species with many natural enemies and/or slow growth rate and/or less environmental damage could be easily eliminated as they are least likely to be the 'worst' invasive specie. The first ones I would eliminate would be Aedes albopictus, Acacia melanoxylon, Acacia saligna, Salvinia molesta because these are the organisms that have the most natural enemies and are not very harmful to the environment. The specie that would be the most competitive for the competition would be the last or Solenopsis invicta because it has no natural predators and damages the environment heavily and reproduciton ocurs very fast. It damages and influences our daily life because RIFAs are attractive to electrical equipment. Air conditioners even traffic lights short out. Today, this world is a technological world which depends heavily on electricity, but if we find these RIFAs around the globe then most likely today's generation will be affected badly. 

Red Meat should not be consumed

Red Meat

White Meat

            Vs.

Meat can be divided into two major groups which are red meat and white meat. Examples of red meat would be cow, horse while white meat would be chicken, rabbits, etc. There should be a decrease in the number of red meat consumption, but other white meat like chicken, rabbit can be consumed. Red meat such as cows provides us very helpful dairy products such as milk which produce yoghurt and many other goods. Cows also give birth to more cows which continue to increase amount of milk or on the other hand bulls help in agricultural areas in poor states where farmers can’t afford machines. Also, according to my religion, Hinduism, cows are sacred and cow dung can be use as natural antiseptic and in many more ways. Also, cow urine is an excellent germicide and kills variety of germs. All diseases that are caused by germs are thereby destroyed. The American Institute for Cancer Research and World Cancer Research Fund stated in their report "Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective" that there is "convincing" evidence that red meat intake increases the risk for colorectal cancer, and that there is "suggestive" evidence that it increases the risk of oesophageal, lung, pancreatic and endometrial cancer. Red meat intake has been associated with an increased risk (19-51%) of type II diabetes. Interventions in which red meat is removed from the diet can lower albuminuria levels (protein that is used for correct distribution of fluids). Replacing red meat with a low protein or chicken diet can improve glomerular filtration rate. Red meat consumption is associated with cardiovascular diseases, possibly because of its high content of saturated fat which raises blood cholesterol which can lead to these heart diseases. The best way to reduce health disorders is to not consume red meat but rather white meat which is much safer. The deaths of men and women in Brazil are mostly due to cardiovascular diseases and Brazil is one of the most red meat consuming countries. 

Is the Indian Embassy field biologically diverse

Using the two main factors taken into account when measuring diversity (richness and evenness) I concluded that I think that the Indian Embassy field is a biologically diverse field. This is so because there is a large number and a variety of plants (species) in the area. Richness is the number of species per sample and evenness is a measure of the relative large quantity of the different species. When I compared the plants in the entire class, we had many similar plants with a variety even though the plants were taken from different locations of the field. The field is rich and has evenness, the plants are approximately evenly distributed among the field based on all the samples we had. 

When I compared the data collected by all the Biology classes we found that there were 56 types of species with 193 units of the different types. Using the Simpson's index equation,

Simpson's index equation

=  3524  = 0.095 (0.095 is close to 0 rather than 1, because the lower the value, 

    37056                    the higher the diversity therefore, the field is diverse.)


Also for further proof, we can use the Simpson's Index of diversity equation:

Simpson's index of diversity equation

= 1 - 0.095 = 0.905 (0.905 is closer to 1 rather than 0, this shows that the field is diverse because the greater the value, the higher the rate of diversity.) 

Breeding Bunnies

• My original hypothesis was that if a trait survives from its natural selection, there is a possibility that this trait will be more frequent and appear over the next generations.

•  No changes are needed, my hypothesis was correct.

• The dominant alleles are the rabbits with thick fur and the recessive alleles are the rabbits with sparse fur. Both alleles remain almost equal during each generation.

• In the first generation, both dominant and recessive were equal in number with 50 each.

• Immigration and emigration affect the population and the gene frequency. Maybe the rabbits with thick fur might run slow and get hunted down while the rabbits with sparse hair might be able to run faster and survive. This might affect the gene pool also because if the gene pool decreases, the population will decrease and will reduce the chances of biological fitness and sometimes lead to extinction. If the gene pool increases, the chances of survival are higher.

• My results are most likely to be different than from the other groups because the location affects the survival of the rabbits (top and bottom of the mountain) and survival of heterozygous and homozygous is different (but there was no comparison in class).

• The results of this stimulation are an example of evolution as it demonstrates how specific specie will adapt to its habitat and atmosphere with maybe undergoing mutation over a period of time and also on the basis of survival of the fittest. 

Broméla project part II

Measurements of my plant Bromélia:

Size:

• Height of total Plant: 1.12 m
• Length of Leaf: 28 cm
• Height of Flower: 14 cm
• Width of plant Stem (not DBH because plant was small): 1 cm
• Length of 1 Petal: 4 cm
• Canopy: 46 cm

Light penetration of leaf using apparatus placed in the sun:

• Light penetration without leaf: 61,000 lux 
• Light penetration with leaf 1: 2250 lux 
• Percent difference of leaf 1: (61000-2250)/61000 = 0.9631 * 100 = 96.31 %
• Light penetration without leaf: 61,000
• Light penetration with leaf 2: 2160 lux 
• Percent difference of leaf 2: (61000-2160)/61000 = .9645 * 100 = 96.45 %
• Average penetration of both leaves: 2205 lux 
• Average penetration without leaf: 61,000 lux
• Average percent difference of both leaves: (61000-2205)/61000 = .9638 * 100 = 96.38 %

pH level of Soil:
pH is a measure of the acidity of basicity of an aqueous solution based on the hydrogen or hydroxide ions. The solution is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, where 0 is very acidic and 14 is very basic and where 7 is neutral (pure water).  

Global variation in soil pH. Red = acidic soil.
 Yellow = neutral soil. Blue = alkaline soil.
Black = no data.

• Weight of empty beaker: 30.09 g
• Weight of beaker with soil: 50.09 g
• Amount of liquid: 40 ml
• pH of soil taken from near the stem: 5.31 pH (strongly acidic). 
• Using the chart provided on the right, I can predict that the soil in my plant has measures of Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium, Boron, Iron and Manganese  and fungi. This shows that my plant has a variety of nutrients present in the the soil and that my plant will remain healthy in the present and future. 

• Based on the map (provided on the right), one could predict that the pH soil in Brazil is acidic. 

Soil temperature: 
A device that is used to measure the temperature of soil. The device includes a thermometer, that is to be stuck in the soil which is connected to a reading device that would tell the temperature of the surrounding/ atmosphere. 

• Location 1 (below the plant, near stem): 21.9 ^oC  
• Location 2 (end of one canopy): 21.5 ^oC  
• Location 3 (other end of canopy): 22.3 ^oC  
• Average of temperature of all three locations: 21.9 ^oC  

Bromélia is mostly grown in the Mata Atlantica and Cerrado, which means these places are its natural habitat. The family Broméliaceae is a type of vascular plant and there are various habitats for the different genres of the family. My plant gets sufficient water and sunlight. The gardeners take care of every plant and make sure that the plant receives enough water to survive. When I visit my plant, the soil is usually wet, which tells me that the plant has been watered. 

Bromélias can resist pathogenic organisms however they are very sensitive to fungicides and insecticides and soak these products easily. There is a tank where the water and nutrients are stored for a certain period of time which makes sure that the plant does not die with the lack of water in a dry climate such as Brasilia, this  makes a higher chance of my plant to survive and reproduce successfully. 

Mutualistic relations between plants and fungi are very common. The fungus helps the host plant to absorb inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil. Another mutualistic relation is that ants carry seeds away from their mother plant because they are most likely to survive and sprout if they are farther from their mother plant and sometimes also protect the plant from other insects/animals to eat its leaves while the plant provides shelter to the ants with its flower. 

Correlation between factor and skill

My hypothesis was, the lower the ratio of head/body, the more balanced the children would be. When I added the line of best fit to the graph, the hypothesis was correct. But, when I looked at the graph as a scatter plot, by viewing each point individually the hypothesis didn’t match in this situation. My conclusion is that the correlation is weak because ratio of head/body is not a big factor to interfere with the balance time. Therefore, the ratio of head/body can not predict the balance time.

Future prediction of Brazil's population

According to the current population status of Brazil, we can predict many changes in both long and short terms. In the next 15-20 years, I think that Brazil’s population will grow. Although, due to low fertility rate the population might decrease over a very long period of time. Brazilian life expectancy at birth increased from 44 to 68 years and the total fertility rate declined from 6.2 to 2.2 during 1950-2000. So, there will be more older citizens that children which will decrease the total population. This might take centuries unless there is something special that occurs like a war which is most unlikely to happen. After 50 or more years, I think that Brazil’s population growth model will become a zero growth and after more years a negative growth.

The population has a very big effect on the environment and economy of every country. Brazil will undergo the same economic and environmental impacts. The changes in the short term will be advantageous for the economy because it will provide strong labour force.  But in the long term, the labour force will weaken as there will be fewer amounts of upcoming workers while old workers retire. A benefit is that there will be no unemployment and higher salaries because of no competition. As a low population, less environmental resources will be utilized which may increase the economic status by exporting the resources. 

Plant project (Bromélia)

                              

Common name: Bromélia

Scientific name: Billbergia pyramidalis

Location of plant is behind the photocopy room shown below

After zoom

      Map of school                                                              Plant location

4 pictures of the plant are given. 
The beautiful red flowers attracted me as they were different and unique.

The changes in the plant that I expect is the plant to grow taller.

Surprises after studying for 20 minutes or aspects not noticed before were that there is only one flower in the entire plant and is located on the top center. The plant has alternate leaves and scalar venation. There are many plants located near my plant therefore; there may be competition for water, nutrients, space and sunlight. 

How is pyramid like science process?

The pyramid project involves four people to create a pyramid out of plastic cups, by using four tied strings to an elastic band. Each person of the group has to pull the string to maximize the size of the elastic band from each side. The size should be able to fit around the top of the plastic cup which would make it easier to move.

This project was like a science project because thinking, imagery and ideas were needed before starting the project. If a small error was made the process was to be started all over again. Scientific method requires various steps to be followed and initiated again if the result does not come through. Equal pull force by other team members with focused attention was needed to accomplish the mission. Once the pyramid was created, our results were reported to the teacher. 

Why did I choose IB Biology?

IB stands for International Baccalaureate which is recognized worldwide. IB Diploma is a two-year programme that involves maximum six IB standard and higher level courses including IB Biology. IB Biology will prepare me for a college level understanding of the subject.

Biology creates awareness of how researchers work and exchange information with each other.  In simple words, Biology is the study of life and its main objective is to make understand the world around us.

I chose IB Biology because my interest in this subject had developed last year. I constantly want to keep my interest in Biology and increase my knowledge by studying at a harder and advance level. 

How is puzzle like Science?

Science is knowledge which helps us to understand the world around us. There are both discovered and undiscovered solutions of questions or problems we have for science. Science has left some unsolved puzzles to solve for us to come up with new conclusions. These conclusions are drawn by a step by step process known as the scientific method. 

Puzzle is an unsolved game that involves perceptions and careful observations. In puzzles we try all different alternate options until we reach a perfect solution to the puzzle. A puzzle is similar to the scientific method because one cannot reach to its solution easily, it takes time and is solved after repeated efforts i.e. bit by bit. In a puzzle we make mistakes in the beginning but we correct those mistakes by replacing the puzzle pieces. 

Science is a puzzle because science is somewhat solved, somewhat unsolved, correct, incorrect, missing, found, just as a puzzle would be. Puzzle is solved by using scientific methods. First, we are given a question (or puzzle) to solve, then we make a hypothesis or guess what the solution would be. Afterwards, we test our possible solution and analyze our data to reach out a conclusion.