Scientific

Skills Exercise Page 1127

Group members (12A)
Nattanit Trakullapphan (Nam)
Thaksaporn Sirichanyaphong (May)
Narissara Pracharktam (Nik)

Average Biomass of
Spartina patens and Typha angustifolia

35

33

Average Biomass (g/100 cm2)

30

25

With
neighbors

20

20
18

15

10

Without
neighbors

10
8

5
3

Salt Marshes

Freshwater
Marshes

Salt Marshes

Freshwater
Marshes

Spartina patens Typha angustifolia

Spartina patens
Typha angustifolia

Plant Species

Graph 1 The graph shows the data from the field experiment that researchers measured
biomass of S. patens and T. angustifolia planted in both salt marshes and freshwater
marshes with and without neighboring plants.

Maximum Biomass Measured at Six Salinity

Levels

% Maximum Biomass

80
70
60
50

Spartina patens

40

Typha angustifolia

30
20
10
0
0

20

40

60

80

100

Salinity (parts per thousand)

Graph 2 The graph shows the data from the greenhouse experiment that researchers
measured the biomass of each species in each level of salinity after eight weeks.

Interpret Data

1. From the data from the field experiment, what do these data indicate about the salinity
tolerances of S. patens and T. angustifolia?
=> Both species seem to grow a lot better in freshwater marshes, especially T.
angustifolia that does not grow in salt water at all. However, with neighbors, S. patens
grows better in salt marshes. Overall, it indicates that salt marshes limit the growth of
these two species or make them more difficult to grow.
2. From the data from the field experiment, what do the data from the field experiment
indicate about the effect of competition on the growth of these two species? Which
species was limited more by competition?
=> Both species are affected by their neighbors, except the salt-grown T. angustifolia that
has the average biomass measured of zero for both with and without neighbors. The
average biomass of both species with neighbors falls so we can conclude that T.

angustifolia cannot be grown in salt marshes. Comparing both species, S. patens is

affected more by the competition since the average biomass from both habitats
reduces significantly. Even though the average biomass of T. angustifolia grown in
freshwater also decreases noticeably, its fatal ratio, which is 15 /33 = 0.45, is less than
that of S. patens in freshwater, which is 17/ 20 = 0.85.

3. (a) In the field, S. patens is typically absent from freshwater marshes. Based on the data,
does this appear to be due to salinity or competition? Explain your answer. (b) T.
angustifolia does not grow in salt marshes. Does this appear to be due to salinity or
competition? Explain your answer.
=> a. The absence of S. patens in freshwater appears to be due to competition since,
based on graph 1, comparing the average biomass of S. patens with and without
neighbors in salt marshes, the differences of average biomass are not as much as in
freshwater marshes. In the freshwater marshes, the average biomass of S. patens
grown with neighbors is only 3 while the average biomass of S. patens grown without
neighbors is as high as 20.

=> b. The absence of T. angustifolia in salt marshes appears to be due to salinity as the
result, in graph1, shows that, in salt marshes, no T. angustifolia survived in both
samplesboth with and without neighbors. This obviously reveals that the
competition plays no role in salt marshes. Furthermore, according to graph2, there is
no T. angustifolia survived in equal or higher level of salinity of 60 ppt. Therefore, the
more salinity appears to be the more absence of T. angustifolia.