Experiment 1: Interdependence of Species
Post Lab Questions
1. Hypothesis: Removal of one species alters the status of the entire ecosystem. It was confirmed in the experiment. When each of the species was removed, all the other species had to be adversely affected.
2. All species were removed at different times beginning with lichen, then tree, flower, bees and eventually humans respectively.
3. Since each of the species depends on one another, the elimination of any of them had a great effect on the rest. For instance, the removal of lichens adversely affected the tree, flower, bees and humans. It is the chief source of nutrients and which is passed to all the other species in the ecosystem.
4. Humans overexploit these organisms. Overconsumption leads to overexploitation and eventual extinction of these components. Besides, humans contribute to environmental degradation (Levin, S., 2007).
5. The best thing to do is to adhere to environmental ethics. In this case, there will be no pollution and overexploitation of the natural resources which can in turn be harmful to the biodiversity.
Experiment 2: Diversity of Plants
- Hypothesis: Plants are diverse. It was confirmed. The experiment proved that there are different species of plants in the ecosystem.
- This sample had a total of five different plant species.
- While Ryegrass was the most numerous, Morning Glory was the least numerous species in this experiment.
- It is not possible to determine that the ecosystem is healthy using a group of wild flowers. The ecosystem should be made to be conducive for all the flower species. It can give them a similar condition to germinate and survive much better.
- Biodiversity contributes to the overall health of the ecosystem by promoting interdependence amongst different species. This contributes to continuity and survival of each species (Levin, S., 2007).
References
Levin, S. (2007) Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. San Diego: Elsevier Academic Press.
