2024 Year 9 Ecology Investigation: Biological Survey

By Sanuthi Sudasinghe

Introduction

In this investigation, we are investigating the ecology of Carey Baptist College’s section of
bushland to identify the common plant species, look for evidence of any animals and
determine the ecosystem's health. This investigation will be done by performing a modified
version of a biological survey called a quadrat analysis. A quadrat analysis is a systemic
method biologists employ to analyse the distribution of abundance of organisms within a
specific. This is done by placing a square or a rectangle, which is known as a quadrat,
randomly within a specific study area. Biologists observe and record organisms' presence
and diversity within the quadrat.

The Banksia Woodlands is a collection of plants and animals that make up an ecological
community that is only found around the Swan Coastal Plain of Western Australia. There are
many key features of a Banksia Woodlands ecological community, one of them being soil.
Banksia woodlands are usually found on well-drained, low-nutrient solids in the sands of
dune landforms. They are also common on wind-blown sands. Another key feature of
Banksia Woodland's ecological community is their structure. They vary in their height, cover
and density, and species composition across the region where they occur. Banksia
Woodlands have many common plants which is one of the key features used to identify
them. Some of the common plants or trees include Banksia littoralis (swamp banksia),
Nuytsia floribunda (Western Australia Christmas Tree) and Adenanthos cygnorum (woolly
bush). Location in WA is another key feature that the Banksia Woodlands ecological
community have. They only occur in or adjacent to the Swan Coastal Plain of Western
Australia, which stretches north and south of Perth. These are just some key features of a
Banksia Woodlands ecological community.

The Banksia Woodlands are important because they provide habitat to many species and
animals. Many animal species benefit from other native vegetation across the landscapes.
The ecological community also contribute towards the area’s air and water quality and helps
protect soils from erosion. They provide great significance to many locals, including the
original inhabitants of the area, the Noongar people and their language groups. The
ecological community includes valuable habitat features such as a nectar-producing
Banksia.
One of the main impacts on the Banksia Woodland ecological community is human activity.
This includes mining, industrial development, construction of new roads, or conversion of
large areas into cropping fields. This destroys the homes of many fauna and flora, it doesn’t
protect the environment. This can also have an impact on the quality of the air and the water.
Another impact on the Banksia Woodland ecological community is the introduction of
invasive weeds and feral animals. The effect it has on the community is that it can kill many
plants creating an unhealthy and unbalanced environment. Fire also has an impact on the
Banksia Woodland ecological community. It should be reduced as much as possible so it is
certain that the fire doesn’t disrupt the life cycles of different species of the ecological
community. They should help the habitat (such as help with the germination of seeds) rather
than destroy it.

The remaining patches of the ecological community are typically small over much of its
range but especially around Perth. Small sizes make remnants more vulnerable to
disturbances such as invasion by weeds or feral animals. The separation between the
patches also causes problems for ecological processes that support the health of the
ecological community, for example, the transfer of pollen and seed across its range. This can
interfere with the regeneration of the ecological community. Many fauna are also unable to
cross gaps between patches of suitable habitat or may face hazards in doing so, for
example, birds, mammals and reptiles are lost from areas where there is not enough native
vegetation nearby. The small populations held within patches are also vulnerable to local
extinction.

Scientists need to monitor ecosystems because the long-term data that they get from it is
extremely useful in understanding changes in the ecosystem health brought on by climate
change, invasive species and extreme weather events like droughts or floods. It can also
help explain other interactions between species and their environment. Monitoring the
ecosystem also allows scientists to keep us informed, helps us maintain our health, and
alerts us to further problems that may arise. Scientists who study the ecosystem are called
ecologists.

A lot of information can be gathered from monitoring the ecosystems. Some of the data that
scientists can collect is vegetation structure, composition, land cover and soil characteristics.
Ecological monitoring is an important scientific practice of taking systematic, repeated
measurements of environmental conditions, using the same methods in the same places
over time so long-term comparisons can be made. In this investigation, the information we
are collecting is the percentage of canopy cover area, soil temperature, soil composition
ratio, leaf litter and the percentage of bare soil.

The information collected through ecological monitoring can assist scientists in managing
ecosystems and the species they contain in several ways. By studying the vegetation
structure and composition scientists can gain information about the health and diversity of
the ecosystem. By monitoring land cover changes they can track the impacts of human
activity on the environment which can be a big problem sometimes. Soil characteristics,
including temperature and composition, can provide important information about the fertility
of the soil and its ability to support plant growth. By gathering information about leaf litter and
canopy cover, scientists can determine the health of the forest floor and the amount of
sunlight reaching it, which can impact the growth of plants. All this information can be used
to develop effective ecosystem management strategies that provide healthy and sustainable
ecosystems and the species they contain.

Purpose

The purpose of this experiment is to conduct a quadrat analysis to investigate the common
plant species, evidence of any animals, and the ecosystem's health of Carey Baptist
College’s section of bushland.

Method

1. With the four people in your group assign the tasks: Photographer, Canopy Cover
person, Soil person and leaf litter person.
2. Pick a quadrat that has already been marked out with some string.
3. Your photographer should take photos of the north, east, south and west angles of
the quadrant. They should take photos of plant species and any evidence of fauna.
4. After taking the photos the photographer should map the location of the plants in the
quadrant with the printed worksheet given. This should have a key as well.
5. The canopy cover person’s task is to estimate the percentage of canopy cover in the
quadrant by
a. At 4 random spots in the quadrant look up at the sky through the cover scope
b. If you see any vegetation mark it as + on the worksheet
c. The number of + spots equals the percentage canopy cover
6. The soil person should first measure the soil temperature by pushing the
 thermometer 5mm into the soil.
7. After that they should measure the soil composition ratio by
a. Removing the leaf litter to expose soil.
b. Use the coring tool to extract soil.
c. Tip extracted soil into the measuring cylinder.
d. Add 50 ml water and stir. Settle for 5 minutes.
e. Record the ratio of humus (floating) to soil (sunk) and record results.
8. The leaf litter person needs to estimate the amount of leaf litter by checking for dead
leaves and branches.
9. After checking for the dead leaves or branches place one ruler horizontally on the
leaf litter and the other perpendicular to record the depth of litter in mm.
10. The leaf litter person should also estimate the percentage of bare soil by looking for
the amount of bare soil in each quadrant.

Results

Factor: Quadrant 1 Quadrant 2 Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4

% Canopy Cover 75 60 50 100

Soil Temp (℃) 26.1 31.9 23.3 26.0

Soil Composition Ratio (H:S) 1: 2 1: 8 8: 8 1:0

Leaf Litter (mm) 25 mm 35 mm 25 mm 40 mm

% Bare Soil 10 10 10 10

Flora Results:

Species Picture Taken from Adaptions

name Quadrat

Prickly Moses ● Doesn’t absorb water well,

(flower) they don’t need water to live.
This is good for hot dry
climates like the Banksia
Woodlands.

● Can thrive with any amount

of sunlight. This is perfect for
our specific quadrant as the
plants' sunlight had been
taken by vegetation in the
canopy.
Eucalyptus ● The waxy coating on the
Haemastoma eucalyptus tree’s leaves
(tree) helps the tree keep moist
and rescues water lost.

● Eucalyptus Trees have an

extensive root system that
has been adapted to harsh
growing conditions in
Australia. This allows the
tree to live for a longer
period.

Banksia ● The tree has a thick bark,

Menziessi which helps protect the tree
(tree) from fire.

● A lignotuber is a woody
swelling at the base of the
stem that can resprout after
a fire. This can help Banksia
Menziessii survive in
fire-prone environments
(Australia)

Banksia ● Banksia Sphaerocarpa

Sphaerocarpa adapted to survive in harsh
conditions by having deep
roots that can access water
deep below the ground.

● It also has thick, tough

leaves that conserve water
and help prevent water loss

Banksia ● Banksia Prionotes woody

Prionotes cones protect the seeds from
fire and predators until
conditions are right for
germination.

There was no evidence of fauna in the quadrat that was assigned.

Bushland Quadrat Map:

Pictures of the Quadrat:

Analysis

There were no signs of animals observed in the given quadrat. However, animals like
insects, small mammals, and birds may feed on the plant species found in the quadrat, and
contribute to the pollination of the flowers. We assume this because there are a lot of flowers
blossoming in our quadrat, so most likely different insects are pollinating in our So, we can’t
rely on our results to tell us any possible relationships between plants and animals but these
are our assumptions on what happening in our quadrat. The pictures below are flora in our
quadrant including Banksia Sphaerocarpa and Banksia Menziessi.

The leaf litter is 25mm for both Quadrant 1 and 3, and the leaf litter for Quadrant 2 is 35mm.
The leaf litter is highest in Quadrant 4 (40mm), which could indicate that there is more
decomposition occurring in this quadrant. These results are uneven. In this quadrant, there
is also a lot of canopy cover which tells us the leaves would have probably fallen causing
leaf litter which is decomposed.
The leaf litter is an important component of the local ecosystem as it provides a habitat for
many types of insects and microorganisms that break down the organic matter into nutrients,
which can be used by the plants. The nutrients go into the soil which is a natural fertilizer for
different plants.

The vegetation cover in the quadrat affects ecological relationships in many ways. The
canopy cover results that we got for each quadrant are 75% for the first quadrant, 60% for
the second quadrant, 50% for the third quadrant, and 100% for the fourth quadrant. These
results are very uneven. As you can see the fourth quadrant has the most canopy cover and
it also has the most leaf litter as well. For example, the canopy cover can influence the
amount of sunlight that reaches the ground, which can affect the growth of plants and the
availability of resources for other organisms. The canopy cover can also be a place for
organisms to access shade in some of the unbearable weather of Australia. That is how it
affects different ecological relationships.

There was a diversity of plant species observed in the given quadrat, which is important
because it provides a variety of habitats for the different types of animals in the ecosystem.
The presence of different plant species also helps to maintain the ecological balance in the
ecosystem. Our quadrat seemed to have more plant species than others because the
quadrat has better characteristics such as good canopy cover and leaf material. Some of the
plant species found in our quadrat included: Prickly Moses (flower), Eucalyptus
Haemastoma (tree), Banksia Menziessii (tree), Banksia Sphaerocarpa, and Banksia
Prionotes. The total number of species in our quadrant was around 6-7.

It is important to have a good diversity of plants because it improves soil health, prevents soil
flora erosion and is a good resource for organisms (to consume). For instance, each plant
species has unique adaptations that enable it to survive in specific environmental conditions.
Therefore, the presence of different plant species increases the biodiversity and the chances
of survival of the entire ecosystem.

In the quadrat, there was a rubbish piece, which was surprisingly an Uncle Toby’s plastic
wrapper. There were no obvious weeds in our quadrat, as it is not a major problem and isn’t
something you would see in a school bushland. Surrounding the quadrat were plenty of
rubbish pieces, it was overall around the whole school bushland.
Based on the results, it appears that the bushland is not healthy. The presence of different
plant species, the presence of rubbish, and the unbalanced distribution of canopy cover and
soil composition ratio all indicate that the ecosystem is unhealthy and not maintained.
Another reason is that most of our results were out of the ideal range. We have a canopy
cover percentage that is over the ideal range, and our soil temperatures of the quadrat were
very big outliers. This shows that it is important to continue monitoring the ecosystem
regularly to ensure its long-term health and sustainability.

Recommendations

There are many recommendations I would place if Carey Baptist College wanted to improve
its section of bushland. One of them includes maintaining the leaf litter by regularly removing
excess litter to prevent the risk of different hazards.
● In the results, our leaf litter was not within the ideal range at all, and from the
pictures, you can see there is lots of leaf litter.
● This can cause impacts on the soil and it also makes the bush more prone to fire
which is certainly not what you want, especially near a school.

Secondly, there should be more species being planted in the bush. This is because of the
diversity of some quadrats, by looking at the surroundings of our quadrats, all we can see is
the same plant over and over again.
● In order for Carey’s bushland to achieve a good biodiversity of plants we should be
able to see multiple different species that interact with each other.
● Having a higher and stronger biodiversity prevents the bushland from dying out, and
it can overcome different situations such as climate change or weather disturbances.

Some of the ways students can be involved in the management of the bushland is by
recording and tracking the details over a long period.
● This can be done by students during sessions in science (whenever they are learning
about ecology) as an activity or can even be done in homeroom sessions.
● Tracking will tell you the overall progress what needs to be improved and which
action can be taken by the school itself.
● It is a very fun activity and the students will enjoy it.

Finally, another way students can be involved in the management of the bushland is by
picking up rubbish.
 ● This will make sure that no waste goes into the bush whatsoever, allowing the safety
of organisms.
● It will make sure that no organisms consume the waste.
● The school can make a reward system to make sure more students can get involved.

Conclusion

The purpose of this experiment is to conduct a quadrat analysis to investigate the common
plant species, evidence of any animals, and the ecosystem's health of Carey Baptist
College’s section of bushland. This was achieved by searching the quadrat that was
assigned and taking photos and notes of plant species and any evidence of fauna. We
measured factors in the school’s bushland such as canopy cover, soil composition ratio, soil
temperature, leaf litter and bare soil. From this experiment, we can see that we can
determine the health of the ecosystem if the factors of the bushland fit the ideal range and
have good biodiversity of different plants.

References

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