Benchmark 3

A) Plant Biodiversity
Hypothesis/Background
We observed that our plot contains little biodiversity, therefore few varying plant species. Our
group believed that we would only find grass within our plot. We used the quadrat method to get
a general idea of plant life within our plot to be able to carry out with our landscape design plan.
This method is useful in finding the most common species on a plot of land.
Procedure
We gathered 3 1ft X 1ft quadrats made of PVC pipe
We placed these quadrats in randomly selected areas of the plot
We noted the different plant species and counted the number of each in each quadrat

Results
In this experiment, we observed 7 different plant species on our plot: Bermuda grass, forbs,
Johnson grass, dandelions, white prairie asters, goosegrass, and clover. Most of these species,
aside from the Bermuda grass are weeds, and will most likely need to be removed before the
implementation of our landscape design.

Quadrat
#

Bermuda
Grass

Forb

20

10

10

10

Total

74

Johnson
Grass

Dandelio
n

White
Prairie
Aster

Goosegrass

Clover

3
2

2
1

1
4

4
12

58

65

14

B) Insect Biodiversity
Insect diversity has a profound effect on our plot because the biotic factors that live on
our area are interconnected with everything: soil, plants, animals, microorganisms, nutrients,
etc. Without an abundance of insect diversity, our soil would not have essential nutrients, which
in turn damages plant growth and animal interest. Insects also help spread plants and keep
them healthy. Pollinator assists with plant reproduction by moving pollen into the stigma of
plants, while beneficial insects provide pest control and protect plants.
Prior to collecting our insects, our group hypothesized that our plot would lack diversity
of organisms, and be strictly ants. The reasoning for this was that we estimated that our plot
was mostly grass, which determines the diversity of our insects. In order to see the veracity of
our hypothesis, our group made 3 traps and placed them out randomly on our plot. This
sampling technique is important because it provides an accurate representation of our insect
community. Randomization reduces bias, which accounts for a good and accurate sample of
insects from our plot.
Procedure
The first thing we did for our sampling analysis is create insect traps
These insect traps use materials such as containers, alcohol, and container lids
To construct the trap, one must cut a square hole in the container lid, 1 inch away from
the edge. Then attach the lid to the container and pour alcohol in it.

Once the trap is constructed, one must dig a hole big enough for a container, and deep
enough for the dirt to be level with the containers lid.
With this in place, label the trap and leave it at a location over night (when insects are
most active)
Check the trap the next day, by removing the trap. Then pour the containers contents in
a strainer/mesh to filter out the alcohol and small debris.
Once all the contents are in the strainer, pour them into another container or holder, and
separate the insects from the dirt.
With the insects separated, use a (microscope) to see key feature of the insect: hair,
patterns, size, shape, amount of legs, shell structure, etc.
With these key characteristics identified with each insect, use a book of insects or the
internet to find the best match for each insect

Trap & location

Date (start & end)

Time (start & end)

Insect amount & names

Trap 1 near tree

10/15/16 to
10/16/16

12:00 pm to
12:00 pm

3 brown spiders and 1 mucky ground

beetle

Trap 2 near
flowers

10/15/16 to
10/16/16

12:00 pm to
12:00 pm

2 fire ants

Trap 3 near
grass

10/16/16 to
10/17/16

12:00 pm to
12:00 pm

1 black field cricket

Picture of our trap locations (members standing next to them)

C) Bird/Small Mammal/Biodiversity
Background
There is no biodiversity on our plot except for a few flowers and insects so we
hypothesized that there wouldnt be any birds on our plot. After birdwatching for about 50
minutes in the past 2 weeks, I didnt see any birds on or around our plot but there were sounds
of these birds even though they werent seen. How I took samples of birds on our plot was that I
stood in the middle of our plot and looked around through my binoculars. Since there werent
any birds on our plot, I decided to look around our plot and focused on one section in front of
our plot that had a lot of biodiversity. This section was behind A lot parking lot where all the
houses were and thats where most of the bird sounds were heard.
Procedure
First I would look around my surroundings to see if there are any birds close buy or on
my plot
I would then start looking for birds around our plot through binoculars
The area I focused on the most would be the the houses in front of our plot since it had a
whole bunch of trees and biodiversity
I would bird watched 2 days for 5 minutes each and another 2 days for 20 minutes each

means where birds were heard

What day bird were

being watched

How many minutes

How many birds seen

How many birds

heard

October 17

5 minutes

None

October 18

5 minutes

None

October 24

20 minutes

None

October 25

20 minutes

None

Trophic Interactions & Energy Levels

Conclusion
We predicted from our initial observations of our plot that it lacked much biodiversity and
that we would find little to no more than the grass that covers the entire plot. After conducting
the plant biodiversity quadrat experiment, we discovered the existence of 7 different species on
the plot: Bermuda grass, forbs, Johnson grass, dandelions, white prairie asters, goosegrass,
and clovers. Most of these are common weeds native to the prairie. Plant biodiversity is vital to
have within a landscape because it attracts different insects and birds. The appearance of
insects, especially pollinators, would be very beneficial to our plot because they sustain plant
life, especially in flowers like those we are looking to plant on the plot. These flowers will attract
pollinators that will benefit both themselves and possible surrounding landscapes. In order for
the success of the plants we plan to implement, the current weeds (specifically Johnson grass,
forbs, dandelions) will need to be removed from the areas that will contain the new plants. The
Bermuda grass found throughout our plot is a non-native species, and could potentially cause
problems for the new plants we are planning to introduce. The only way possible to deal with the
invasive species of Bermuda (or any other invasive grass) is to physically pull out all of the
grass and its roots. Although this would be time consuming, it will be worth it because invasive
species have all types of disadvantages: overpopulating the area, displacing native plants, and
sometimes provided an unattractive landscape.
After setting up our insect traps, letting them stay for a day, and identifying the insects
caught within them, our group realized the true nature of our plot. Our plot has little diversity of
insects within it, and this is mainly due to the lack of plants we have. Without having a diversity
of plants, different types of insects will have no reason to visit our plot. The main species we can
identify on our plot are small spiders and lots of fire ants; other species are beetles and crickets
but these aren't as abundant as spiders and ants. However, because of their important roles of
providing organic matter to soil, pollinating plants, eating pests, and creating a balanced food
chain, insect biodiversity is incredibly important. Without different types of insects that do
different types of roles that benefit our plot, the soil and plants would not strive as greatly as
they could. These insects can provide all kinds of benefits to the soil. For example, the ground
beetles do an excellent job of mixing fertilizers within the soil, and help control the population of
ground bugs. However, due to our plot having red fire ants, which are invasive, we must
readjust the type of ecological balance we want between the communities with our plot. Red fire
ants imported into Texas are infamous for displacing other native ants and can create problems
with the plot by creating ant piles and annoying stings. By adding plants that can attract insect
predators, we can somewhat help control the population of red fire ants. Hopefully, with enough
insect diversity, the red fire ants will not be the most popular insect on our plot. With diverse
plants that help illuminate our landscape and adjust the balance of insect population, we can
hope to create more biodiversity by attracting all sorts of insects that feed, live, or simply use the
wide variety of plants.
There are no species of birds or mammals that visit our plot frequently or at all based on
our observations. Insects, birds, and animals are ecologically important because they help with
the diversity on a plot. They assist the environment by bringing nutrients to plants and soil which
improves the plots health and life. Insects, such as bees, help the most for a plot because they
pollinate the plants which makes the plot look nicer so it could attract more mammals and

productivity on the plot. Since there are no birds or mammals on our plot, theyre not affecting it
in any way, but in general birds and mammals can do a lot to keep a plot sustainable and
stable. Birds make every place a chance for discovery and bring more wilderness into the plot.
Theyre important because they keep the systems in balance and they pollinate the plants,
disperse seeds, and recycle nutrients back into the earth. Our plot doesnt have much wildlife
because there are not many birds that come onto our plot to help pollinate it. This could also be
the reason we don't have many mammals on our plot. Animals also could help maintain a
sustainable environment by using their manure. This is most important on farms because they
can be a tool for the farm and it becomes a major pollutant. Since there arent any birds or
animals on our plot, we cant deal with them but we do have many insects. We dont need to do
anything to the insects since we need them to help pollinate our plot to increase its biodiversity.
We can increase its biodiversity by planting more flowers and trees. Since right now our plot is
really dull with just a few flowers, its not attracting many birds or mammals so we need to
increase its productivity. Our results of the bird watching werent very great as said; we had no
birds on or around our plot. We did hear many birds around but none were seen. As explained,
this shows we dont have a lot of biodiversity on our plot because nothing is attracting any birds
or animals to it. Biodiversity is important because it boosts the productivity of the ecosystem and
attracts animals to help pollinate and make the plot healthy. Since we dont have many animals
or birds on our plot, our plot isnt considered very healthy,but the insects have helped our plot
greatly by pollinating the flowers and helping more flowers grow on our plot.