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Exercise No. 1 (Basic Ecological Principles)

This document is an exercise assignment from a Forest Ecology student at Caraga State University. [1] The objective is to learn basic ecological principles like the relationships between biotic components in an ecosystem. [2] The student is instructed to observe a forest ecosystem and describe various interactions like leaf decomposition, biomass differences between trophic levels, evidence of competition between trees, and the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers. [3] They are to record their observations and conclusions in their data notebook.

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Francis Carl Oliver Sanchez
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320 views3 pages

Exercise No. 1 (Basic Ecological Principles)

This document is an exercise assignment from a Forest Ecology student at Caraga State University. [1] The objective is to learn basic ecological principles like the relationships between biotic components in an ecosystem. [2] The student is instructed to observe a forest ecosystem and describe various interactions like leaf decomposition, biomass differences between trophic levels, evidence of competition between trees, and the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers. [3] They are to record their observations and conclusions in their data notebook.

Uploaded by

Francis Carl Oliver Sanchez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CARAGA STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources


Ampayon, Butuan City

EXERCISE NO. 1
BASIC ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES

Presented to:

FOR. RECE RUBY G. TERING


Instructor

Presented by:

NAME OF D. STUDENT
Forest Ecology Student

Date of Submission
I. Introduction

 What is ecology and forest ecology?


 What is an ecosystem?
 Components of an ecosystem (biotic and abiotic)
 Relationships of the components

II. Objectives

The objective of this exercise is to know the basic ecological principles e.g. the
relationship of the biotic components in an ecosystem.

III. Materials

Ball pens
Data notebook

IV. Methodology

1. Carefully remove the uppermost, recently-dropped leaves. Note that these leaves
are in the earlier stages of decomposition. You can still see the shape and structure
of the leaves. Examine the next layer of leaves and notice the signs of
decomposition.

Look at the number of leaf layers on the forest floor and describe each layer.
Continue uncovering successively older layers. In lower levels, note thin threadlike
fungal mycelia. At successively lower levels, how does the leaf fragment size
change? How many years do you think leaf litter lasts in the forest before it is
recycled into new soil? Where do dead leaves and branches go?

2. Look at the forest around you. Why is there more biomass of plants than animals?
In general, the biomass of secondary consumers is less than that of the primary
consumers. Why should this be so?

3. Look at the trees around you. What resources do you think they are competing for?
Do you see any evidence of this competition? Why is there little or no grass in the
forest? If you stopped mowing your lawn, what would happen to the grass? What
would the lawn look like in twenty years? How about 100 years? Why? From the
point of view of the grass, what type of interactor is the lawn mower? How about
from perspective of the trees?
4. Are there any animals present which assist in the physical fragmentation of
leaves? Do you see any evidence of animals? To answer this, pick a few tree or bush
leaves and look at them closely. Do you see any evidence of herbivory (predation
on plants)? check some leaves to see if they are intact?

5. How do kinds of leaves differ? Are there thickness differences or are they mainly
shape different? Why? What do you think different sizes and shapes might mean
from the plant’s point of view? Some trees have bigger leaves in some regions
than in others. Can you be more specific?

6. Do you see any flowers or fruits on the trees, bushes, or grasses? Examine the
ground for leaves, fruits, flowers, and seeds. For each of these, consider and discuss
what presence or absence might mean?

7. Are there any logs or large branches on the ground? Examine them for signs of
decomposers. Can you find decomposers? What types of decomposers are visible?

8. List down the organisms you see that can be considered as Producers, Herbivores,
Carnivores, and Omnivores.

V. Conclusions
VI. DOCUMENTATION

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