APES ECO-COLUMN FORMAL LAB REPORT GUIDELINES
Required Format:
Typed, double spaced, 12 point font, 1” margins an all sides, page numbers, title page (w/name, project
members, title, date and NO page number), and section headings as outlined below. Graphs, charts and tables
should be done using a computer. If done by hand, use a ruler and ink. This is a group report so you and each
of your team members should participate in discussions concerning all aspects of the project. Everyone should
do their fair share and background research.
General Note: I recommend you clearly present the information about your eco-column to your reader. Your report
should include each of the sections listed below. The heart of your report should be your analysis and conclusion. Don’t
just answer questions…use this write-up as an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and ideas. This is a formal
lab report and should follow the formal lab write-up guidelines.
√ Title
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Abstract
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This should be informative and should describe the experiment that took place
Your reader should be able to read your title and have a pretty clear idea of what
the project is about. Do not entitle the project “Ecosystem column” or “Ecosystem
in a Bottle” or some other vague variation that would be unclear to someone not
in this class.
This should be one paragraph. It should summarize the entire project including
results and conclusions. The purpose is to let the reader know what the report is
about so that he or she can decide whether or not it will be a benefit to read. If you look
at professional journals, every professional report contains an abstract.
Introduction
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The purpose/objective should be clearly identified. Why did you conduct the
experiment? What specifically were you trying to discover by creating your
ecosystem columns?
There should be purposes specific to how collection of data was accomplished
and purposes specific to how and why your eco-column was designed
You should help the reader understand how your eco-column design simulates
a real ecosystem.
√ Background Information
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What is an eco-column and why is it a useful tool? How is it like or unlike
an ecosystem outside? Is it a closed or open system? These are a few ideas
to get you started. Do some research!!
√ Hypothesis
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Briefly summarize the hypothesis your team made regarding each chamber of your
eco-column.
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Be sure to clearly identify what the independent and dependent variables
are (eco-column design only).
Materials
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List the materials and equipment that you used during the project. This should be a
complete list. DO NOT write in a paragraph. Make a simple bulleted list.
Methods (Procedure)
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Write an explanation of how your eco-column was created. This should be a logical
step-by-step description in paragraph form that frequently refers to a well-illustrated
diagram (do not use the diagram I gave you – draw your own or include a digital
picture of how it looked before the experiment began).
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You should be detailed enough that someone unfamiliar with your project could take
this section and exactly repeat your entire experiment.
NOTE: You DO NOT have to explain how the bottles were constructed. You
may simple say “Eco-column bottles were cleaned, prepared, and cut according
to the directions provided by the teacher”.
This section should be in a narrative in clear and concise English, not recipe
form (i.e., do not say first we did this, then second we did this, then etc)
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The methods should be written PAST tense always telling what was done.
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The use of personal pronouns (I, we, she, he etc) should be avoided!
Instead of saying: “Then I took the sediment sample and added 23 mL of water
it”, you should say “Three mL of water was added to the sediment sample”.
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Some important details to include:
Precise (i.e. quantitative) descriptions of what/how much was added to each
of the three components. You may want to organize this into abiotic and biotic
components for each component (terrestrial, aquatic, decomposition).
The total duration of the experiment (# of days) and the total number of sampling
events. Be specific about tests and equipment.
What quantitative variables were measured and how?
What qualitative variables were measured and how?
The dates of any physical changes you made to the column (i.e., what your watering
regime was, etc)
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Results (Tables, Charts, and Figures)
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All of your data (both qualitative and quantitative) from every sampling event must
be neatly summarized in a table. You should have one table for each column
(terrestrial, decomposition, and aquatic).
Be sure to include the date of each sampling event
Include qualitative descriptions for each of the events
Tables should be appropriately labeled and contain the correct units
Did you discover any unexpected organisms (i.e. fungus grew or new
organisms appeared)? did you not see any new organisms? Be specific on where
you looked and what you found. Hint…a before and after table would be a
useful way to present this type of information.
Attach your daily observation log at the back of the report.
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You are responsible for creating at least a few (two or three) graphs (call them
figures in your report) that highlight the important trends in the data over time.
Plot variables that seem to have a relationship together on the same graph
Time should be on the x-axis and the variables should be on the y-axis.
All graphs should have an appropriate scale and the proper labels
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Analysis
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This is the heart and soul of your report. In this section you evaluate and interpret the
results of your study in terms of your hypothesis and the significance of the results.
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The idea is to explain/make sense of how and why your data came out the way it did.
Throughout this section you must provide valid conclusions and/or logical deductions
based upon a correct interpretation of your results and your knowledge of ecosystems.
You should highlight both similarities and differences in the trends over time.
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While explaining the key results to the reader, you are also to discuss and speculate
about the underlying causes/reasons behind these changes/trends as best as you can
giving as much detail as possible.
What does your data say about what has gone on in your eco-column
What connections can you make to natural systems?
Were water quality variables within an acceptable level of “health”? If not,
what might have caused certain variables to stray outside the “healthy” range?
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Now, think big picture. Answer the following questions and number them in
in this section. Show me that you and your team understand ecosystems and the
laws of matter and energy by applying them to your eco-column.
1.
Discuss how the three ecosystems (terrestrial, decomposition, aquatic) are
interrelated to each other (what are the links?)
2.
Describe how is matter being cycled and how energy flows in the column.
Be specific!
3.
Comment about the stability and sustainability of your column to other
columns in the class. Do some ecosystems appear to be more stable than
others? If so, why do you think this might be?
What is so “special” about the columns that flourished relative to those
that did not look so good? What appears to be the “key” variables
to this system?
Answering this question will require your group to talk with other groups
and sharing data and/or construction method differences, etc.
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Conclusion
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In this section evaluate the quality of your methods/procedures. Imagine that your
report was sent out to a professional reviewer. What might they say about the
quality of your experimental design?
You must point out flaws/limitations/weaknesses in the methods and design
of your eco-column. BE SPECIFIC!! DO NOT say the DO probe sucked! DO
NOT say “human error”.
Did you really keep constant variables constant? Did you accurately mimic a
natural ecosystem?
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Suggest at least two ways you could improve or modify your original design to
correct the flaws/limitations/weaknesses you stated.
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Good science leads to more questions than it answers. Suggest at least two new
ideas for a future APES eco-column projects. How might you improve or expand
the scope of this project? Could it be made more “realistic” of the real world?