Investigating an Ecosystem

By Evan Hughes Student number: 303222871 9th of November

Aim

: - To study the different species which make up a natural community, describe their distribution, and relate their activities to other members of the community and to the non-living surroundings. The scope of this investigation will include physical, chemical and biological factors within each three by three metre plot (one for each area, Sarah chose plot in area A and students the plot in area B), to a depth of 15cm below ground, height was not limited.

Background Information
: - Refer to excursion notes in Appendix 1.

Hypothesis
: - There will be a significant difference in the extent and the range of biodiversity in Areas A and B.

Method
: - Refer to notes in appendix 1. To enable as detailed a study of the density of biodiversity as possible in the time allowed, a plot (a small area representative of the wider environment), 3 metres by 3 metres was allocated for each area and demarcated using string tied to tent pegs secured at each corner of the 3 by 3 metre square. Alternative methods of sampling biodiversity density could include quadrats, which are square frames (made of wood, metal or plastic) usually measuring 1 square metre, or transects which are paths (usually narrow and straight) across the region of interest.

The undisturbed plot studied was dry sclerophyll forest, located about 75m south of the road providing access to Green Point (Angourie, NSW) and about 100m west of the ocean (Pacific), on the side of the walking track. There are no buildings and it is situated in undulating topography. It has been marked on the map provided as Area A.

Results: Area A
Environmental Component Light Intensity Moisture 2 metres above ground level 3 61% 5 cm above ground level 3 67% 15 cm above ground level 1 63% (only went 10 cm below soil level, hard clay soil.) 22 oC

Temperature

20 oC

21oC

Light intensity was measured by using a system of numbers from 1 to 5, with 1 being absolute dark and 5 being the brightest light a person can stand.

Flora

Trees

Number (or % cover)

Shrubs

Number

Herbs

Number (or % cover) 5 15%

Hakea (Geebung) She Oak

1 2

Bracken Fern Mondo Grass Egg and Bacon Bush

12 4

Unidentified weed Grasses (wallaby grass)

Paperbark Pine Tree Swamp Turp Baby Banksia

1 1 3 1

Baby Casuarina Unidentified Eucalypt

30% cover

Leaf Litter and Soil The leaf litter was chiefly composed of She-oak leaves about 2.5cm thick, with hard clay soil underneath it was easy to tell when the soil level was reached. The leaf litter had a pH level of 6.5 while the soil had a pH level of 5.5. Consumers Consumer Bull-ant Mosquito Where Located Near plot In plot Number 2 20 Possible food eaten Food scraps Blood from humans and animals Moths, flies, mosquitoes Food scraps, insects

Orb Spider Magpie

In plot Near plot

1 2

Indirect evidence of Consumers Evidence Heard noise Heard noise Heard noise Where located In and around plot In and around plot Canopy of forest Deduced consumer Cricket Birds Owl

Area B was the plot we studied which had been disturbed by humans. It had been cleared by RTA for use as a storage site for road base, mulch etc. As such it was more open and having no canopy of trees it was much hotter. There were the remains of a small campfire on the top of a small slope and although there was thick coverage of grass and weeds just beyond it, towards the bottom it had started to erode, so a retaining wall had been built and some native plants had also been planted, in amelioration and regeneration attempts by Clarence Valley Council.

Results Area B
Environmental component Light intensity Moisture Temperature oC 2 metres above ground 4.5 59% 24.8 5 cm above ground 4.5 15 cm below ground 1

Flora
There was considerably more grass coverage and more weeds (mainly farmers friends and dandelions) than Area A due to the total lack of any trees. Although there was no leaf litter council had replaced it with mulch and bark chips, which had a pH level of 7, while the soil pH was 6.5.

Consumers
Consumer Seagulls Wedge tail Eagle Where located Over plot Over plot Number 2 1 Possible food eaten

Indirect evidence of consumers

Evidence scat Where located In plot Deduced consumer Kangaroo

Risk Assessment and Safety Intiatives

Due to the time of year, the area to be investigated and Sarahs prior knowledge of the area from previous excursions a number of risks were able to be planned for. Sunburn cream and insect repellent were provided for protection from the sun (which was mainly a problem in area B, due to lack of shade) and the mosquitoes (only a problem in area A due to higher moisture content and significant shade from canopy coverage). Students were organised to bring sufficient drinks to avoid dehydration and appropriate clothing (long sleeved shirts, hat, fully enclosed shoes, etc) for protection from low-hanging branches, sharp sticks or stones, fallen trees and biting/stinging insects which repellent doesnt affect such as ants and spiders. Students were also advised to keep to the paths provided to avoid falls in eroded areas and to make sure there was as little disruption to the environment as possible, especially in area A, the undisturbed plot.

Interpretation of results
There was significantly greater bio-diversity within Area A, where the natural ecosystem had been protected. As with the erosion noticed in Area B, human activities have caused significant disturbance and reduction of bio-diversity compared to that found within a protected, natural ecosystem.

Conclusion
Human development does have a negative impact on biodiversity when environmental sustainability is not incorporated into the planning. As with the disturbed area compared to the undisturbed area observed during the excursion, some of the negative impacts include; hotter temperatures due to loss of a canopy of trees; this along with an absence of leaf litter caused lower moisture retention within soil; pH levels in the disturbed area were expected to be lower due to leaching of soils, but the sample obtained may not have been representative of the area because it is used as a RTA storage site.

Discussion
Area A is a dry sclerophyll forest, as is Area B the difference being that the latter has been significantly disturbed by humans while the former has been protected and so relatively undisturbed, apart from a walking track. Area A contains numerous layers of vegetation, including, the tallest trees which cover and shade it and are called the forest canopy, smaller individual trees, shrubs and leaf litter. Area B however, consisted of a handful of immature and widely spaced trees, a few shrubs, grass cover, and imported bark chips to substitute for leaf litter as a mulch agent. To calculate the approximate density of eucalypt and other plant species in Angourie, the size of the plot (9 square metres) was multiplied by the overall size of Angourie, as was the approximate density of fauna. The vegetation which provided the largest amount of coverage over the ground was she- oak needles. Measuring one small plot is a good way to estimate flora and fauna density, although there are limitations, including the continuing intensive development and infrastructure building, in and around Angourie. Our observations showed the greatest number of consumers to be located in the atmosphere above the forest, as possibly, this is the best area to catch prey. Unfortunately this also means there was no supporting evidence, either of predation or scavenging, animal decay or mutualism. However, the leaf litter present indicated vegetation decay Some plants within both areas, such as the eucalypts, clearly show the adaptations they have evolved for life in dry conditions, like their hard sclerotic

leaves. These long narrow leaves point downwards reducing the amount of surface area exposed to the sunlight and thus moisture loss through transpiration (this information is from a class video called ). Within Area A there was a significant increase in moisture, humidity and number of organisms and a similarly significant increase in temperature and light intensity at Area B. This is due to the approximately 9 different species of tree which make up the forest canopy at Area A, effectively providing shade and reducing light intensity and temperature, which in turn both reduces evaporation and moisture loss as well as encouraging shrubs and herbs to cover over 90% of the ground surface which helps provide shelter for the number of organisms found there. Area B however is lacking this canopy and its benefits and has significantly less biodiversity, almost exclusively consisting of grass coverage. Factors such as pH level (chemical), temperature, humidity and light intensity (physical) and the flora and fauna found, or evidence thereof (biological), were measured to enable the comparison and contrast of, the two areas studied, and suggests the detrimental impact humans can have on an ecosystem especially when environmental sensitivity is not taken into account when planning for development. Clarence Valley Council is responsible for management of Green Point, Angourie. In 2004 the Angourie Reserve Plan of Management was implemented and the Clarence Coast Reserves Trust charged with the care, control and management of Angourie reserve. They have carried out many projects of restorative and preventative work, which will enhance sustainability within the ecosystem. They have also erected information signs to indicate to the public fragile areas and those where work is/has been carried out, so they are able to avoid them and so that they are made aware of activities which are damaging to the environment. A weed control program has been implemented and in concert with members of Angourie Dunecare and Green Point Coastal Care Group has been relatively effective in keeping the reserve free of environmental and noxious weeds. www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cmst/cvc009/res.asp?id=108 Stakeholders include the Clarence Valley Council, who has responsibility for the area. One important reason for them to maintain it well is that Angourie is a tourist spot which relies on the tourist trade for much of the money the local community depend on (work, business, etc). They are therefore also stakeholders, as are people who enjoy the area recreationally, whether locals (for our purposes local will mean a person from any town within the Clarence Valley Catchment) or visitors from further afield. Management strategies associated with sustainability include; Retaining walls built to stabilise the gulley which had begun to erode The laying down of jute to stop further pollution and sediment being washed away

The use of larger rocks at the bottom of the gully to further stabilise it, this was then filled in with dirt The top of the slope was humped to stop the flow of water off the RTA site during downfalls Wood chip mulch was spread over the slope to aid moisture retention within soil About half a dozen species native to the area were planted to help stabilise the slope and encourage revegetation (Lenandra and Coastal Banksia were two of these)

This information was provided by Greg McDowell a CVC employee who works in the Open Spaces department, in a telephone conversation on 18th November, 2010.

LOG
14th of September: - Familiarised ourselves with prac experiments to prepare for the excursion to Green Point, Angourie. 11th of October: - Planned excursion, discussing the day and time we would leave, whod bring what and the experiments to be done. 28th of October: - Excursion to Green Point, Angourie. 18th November: - Spoke to Greg McDowell Clarence Valley Council.

References
Clarence Valley Council, 2004, Angourie Reserve Plan of Management, www.clarence .nsw.gov.au/cmst/cvc009/res.asp?id=108 , [retrieved 11 march 2011

Greg McDowell, Clarence Valley Council employee who participated with rehabilitation work at Area B, provided information on management strategies for sustainability, in telephone conversation on 18th November 2010.