Collaborators :
Gabriella Muinde
Camille Carr
Maddie
Abstract:
Erosion and deforestation have both been ongoing topics in our class. These two things can have a greater effect on the environment than most people know. This is true because they can both cause serious problems and an example would be a decrease in the biodiversity. But with this lab we were finally going to test everything that we had learned to see if this lab would support us. This was done by creating different models of the environment and then using these to test the effects of hydrologic erosion on the different types of environments. Once the lab was completed we saw that deforestation increases erosion.
Problem:
How does grass effect the movement of water in an ecosystem?
Hypothesis:
I predict that deforestation will cause for the amount of erosion to increase.
Parts of the experiment:
-Control group: Bottle with soil only
- Experimental group: Bottle with groudcover
- Independent variable: Amount, Time, Clarity
- Dependent variable: Erosion
- Controlled variables: Presence of ground level
Materials:
-2 liter bottles, cut in half
-Potting soil
-Grass seed
-Water
-Pebbles, gravel or leaf litter
Procedure:
Sowing the seeds
1. Place soil in an empty 2L bottle that has been cut in half (see picture above). Spread grass seed evenly throughout the soil.
2. Water grass seed every 3-4 days and allow it to sit near a source of sunlight or under a plant grow lamp.
Testing the effects
1. When the grass has grown 2-4 inches in height, you are ready to test the effects.
2. Fill two more empty 2L bottles with soil. Cover one with a top cover of your choice (gravel, pebbles, or leaf litter) and leave the other one alone as a control.
3. Line the three bottles up on top of an elevated surface. Place an empty beaker underneath the mouth of each bottle.
4. Prepare 4 graduated cylinders with 100 mL of water in each.
5. Have a student start a timer and say “GO.” When the timer says go, all 3 graduated cylinders should be poured onto the soil bottles. Record the time, amount, and color of the water discharge in the table below. Then, answer the questions.
Data:
Gabriella Muinde
Camille Carr
Maddie
Abstract:
Erosion and deforestation have both been ongoing topics in our class. These two things can have a greater effect on the environment than most people know. This is true because they can both cause serious problems and an example would be a decrease in the biodiversity. But with this lab we were finally going to test everything that we had learned to see if this lab would support us. This was done by creating different models of the environment and then using these to test the effects of hydrologic erosion on the different types of environments. Once the lab was completed we saw that deforestation increases erosion.
Problem:
How does grass effect the movement of water in an ecosystem?
Hypothesis:
I predict that deforestation will cause for the amount of erosion to increase.
Parts of the experiment:
-Control group: Bottle with soil only
- Experimental group: Bottle with groudcover
- Independent variable: Amount, Time, Clarity
- Dependent variable: Erosion
- Controlled variables: Presence of ground level
Materials:
-2 liter bottles, cut in half
-Potting soil
-Grass seed
-Water
-Pebbles, gravel or leaf litter
Procedure:
Sowing the seeds
1. Place soil in an empty 2L bottle that has been cut in half (see picture above). Spread grass seed evenly throughout the soil.
2. Water grass seed every 3-4 days and allow it to sit near a source of sunlight or under a plant grow lamp.
Testing the effects
1. When the grass has grown 2-4 inches in height, you are ready to test the effects.
2. Fill two more empty 2L bottles with soil. Cover one with a top cover of your choice (gravel, pebbles, or leaf litter) and leave the other one alone as a control.
3. Line the three bottles up on top of an elevated surface. Place an empty beaker underneath the mouth of each bottle.
4. Prepare 4 graduated cylinders with 100 mL of water in each.
5. Have a student start a timer and say “GO.” When the timer says go, all 3 graduated cylinders should be poured onto the soil bottles. Record the time, amount, and color of the water discharge in the table below. Then, answer the questions.
Data:
Analysis and Conclusions:
1. There were many difference between the three different waters that were collected. Just as we had predicted the bottle with just soil which was suppose to represent deforestation had the most soil in the water. This mean that when there's only soil there if more erosion. Then for the water that came from the groundcover bottle we saw that the water was still had a lot of soil but not as much as the bottle with just soil. Then lastly the bottle with grass had the least amount of soil and it was more clear. Look to the image above to see all of the different waters that were collected.
2. Based on the data that we received I would say that it would be better to plant grass seeds. This is true because in the data table we see that when there was grass and soil together there was a decrease in the amount of water collected. Then when looking at the water that was collected there was less soil and the water was more clear, this meant that there was less erosion. Not only that but when there is grass it take less time for the water to stop flowing.
3. When there is grass it allows for the best chances of water filtration This works by the plants taking all the water that s needed and also all the bad chemicals and then releasing the extra water that is not needed. But when there is no soil then all the water is going straight in the ground causes for there to be floods.
4. If we would have wanted to do this lab a better way then instead of creating the environments we could have used real areas with deforestation, real areas with grass, and real areas with soil and ground cover. This would have allowed us to get information that completely accurate. We could observe the areas and write down what happened to water in these areas and what the areas look like. Then use all of the data collected to see if we get the same information as this lab.
General Analysis and Conclusion:
This lab was very interesting, all the information that was gathered in this lab showed me that my hypothesis had been correct. When there is deforestation it causes for there to be a higher amount of erosion. But when there is grass and soil then there is a decreased amount of erosion because the grass is observing some of the water and the bad chemicals. With there just being soil then most of the water has no where to go so it causes for there to be increased erosion and even floods. In the article you can read how deforestation has been the main cause for many disasters in China. There was a rainstorm flood that was caused by the amount of cities and towns that are being built. These areas increase deforestation will also increasing the amount of erosion which causes floods like the one that happened in China. Therefore concluding that grass causes for there to be a decrease in the amount of water movement because the grass observes some of the water for itself and takes away some of the bad chemicals. This leaves for only a little bit of water to be left.
Citation:
Click on the Text Button.
1. There were many difference between the three different waters that were collected. Just as we had predicted the bottle with just soil which was suppose to represent deforestation had the most soil in the water. This mean that when there's only soil there if more erosion. Then for the water that came from the groundcover bottle we saw that the water was still had a lot of soil but not as much as the bottle with just soil. Then lastly the bottle with grass had the least amount of soil and it was more clear. Look to the image above to see all of the different waters that were collected.
2. Based on the data that we received I would say that it would be better to plant grass seeds. This is true because in the data table we see that when there was grass and soil together there was a decrease in the amount of water collected. Then when looking at the water that was collected there was less soil and the water was more clear, this meant that there was less erosion. Not only that but when there is grass it take less time for the water to stop flowing.
3. When there is grass it allows for the best chances of water filtration This works by the plants taking all the water that s needed and also all the bad chemicals and then releasing the extra water that is not needed. But when there is no soil then all the water is going straight in the ground causes for there to be floods.
4. If we would have wanted to do this lab a better way then instead of creating the environments we could have used real areas with deforestation, real areas with grass, and real areas with soil and ground cover. This would have allowed us to get information that completely accurate. We could observe the areas and write down what happened to water in these areas and what the areas look like. Then use all of the data collected to see if we get the same information as this lab.
General Analysis and Conclusion:
This lab was very interesting, all the information that was gathered in this lab showed me that my hypothesis had been correct. When there is deforestation it causes for there to be a higher amount of erosion. But when there is grass and soil then there is a decreased amount of erosion because the grass is observing some of the water and the bad chemicals. With there just being soil then most of the water has no where to go so it causes for there to be increased erosion and even floods. In the article you can read how deforestation has been the main cause for many disasters in China. There was a rainstorm flood that was caused by the amount of cities and towns that are being built. These areas increase deforestation will also increasing the amount of erosion which causes floods like the one that happened in China. Therefore concluding that grass causes for there to be a decrease in the amount of water movement because the grass observes some of the water for itself and takes away some of the bad chemicals. This leaves for only a little bit of water to be left.
Citation:
Click on the Text Button.