Lab # 2: How does your biome grow?
Problem: What impact do abiotic factors have on biomes?
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that if we put the same kind of seed into a biome that has
only dirt and water then it grow better then the biome that was several other variables into
it.
Materials
Control
Dirt
Water
Bottle
Seed
Variables Added
Dirt
Water
Bottle
Seed
Abiotic Variables: Leaves, potenillas, dead
marigolds, portcullis, sticks, rocks, grass,
snapdragons, and berries.
Procedures: 1. Contain a bottle to contain our biome.
Data & Observations:
What I have noticed throughout this exercise is that no seed has grown. Another thing is
that the biomes reek. This is methane gas, and is caused by the stuff decomposing inside
the confined space. I also notice that some web-like stuff has devolved on our bottle that
is full of the abiotic at the end. The stuff inside this bottle has also appeared to have
decomposed slightly. There are also some green speckles that we did not notice at the
beginning of this lab.
Analyze & Conclude:
1. On which abiotic factor did you focus? Why?
We had a control biome in our experiment. So, one bottle had only dirt and water,
while the other had these in addition to several other dead plants and such.
2. Did this abiotic factor seem to have a significant impact on the dependent variable
in your simulated ecosystem? Explain.
No it did not because nothing happened in our control biome either.
3. Describe the control in your experiment. What was held constant in the control?
Why was it set up that way?
The one with many abiotic was not very controlled because someone took the cap off
our bottle in the middle of our experiment. The other bottle was more controlled
because the cap was left on and the amount of water was also controlled.
4. How does your experiment relate to biomes and abiotic factors in nature?
Our biomes relate to nature because you have abiotic factors that either help or hinder
the grow of biotic things.
5. What are some possible sources of error in your experiment?
Some possible sources of error in our experiment would include that the cap came off
of our bottle causing our bottle to dry out and outside air to flow in the bottle.
6. Exchange your procedure and data with another group in your class. What do
their data show about the biome they chose to simulate? What conclusions can
you draw about the abiotic factors in a biome?
No one’s biomes grew seeds thus this was a similar factor. We can draw the
conclusion about the abiotic factors in our biome is that the abiotic didn’t help our
seed grow.
7. What are the limitations of the design of this experiment? Are there additional
factors at work?
Some limitations is that it cannot get proper and direct sunlight inside of the
classroom. Another limitation would be that the organic matter has not yet fully
decomposed, not fully allowing the seed to get all of the nutrients. So, this
additional factor would be time.
Write and Discuss
Write a short paragraph describing your findings and indicating whether or not they
support your hypothesis. Discuss any questions your results have raised.
We had hypothesized that the seed would grow better in the bottle that had only dirt and
water, and we were not completely wrong, because neither grew. Some questions that
come to mind are whether the results would have been different if there was more time
for things to play out. The taking off of the cap also makes me wonder if things would
have turned out differently.
1. Describe the rainfall pattern and abiotic factors that make up the biome you live
in. How do these factors impact the plants, animals, and agriculture in your area?
The rainfall in our biome varies with each season, this impacts our organisms and
they must adapt accordingly.
2. If you were to maintain your biomes in the classroom or at home, what abiotic
factors would you change from your original model? Make a prediction about
what you would observe under the new conditions.
We think that if we were to keep up the abiotic factors would eventually fall apart
and decompose into the ground.