Alan Hoang, Devyn Farley

SNHU Bio
09/15/16
Micro-community Lab
Micro-Communities: Whole Strawberry vs. Freeze-Dried Strawberry

Introduction:

In this project we studied the micro-communities within a whole-strawberry and a

freeze-dried strawberry. We did this by setting the whole-strawberry and the freeze-dried pieces

of strawberry on the ground. After we placed them we dug four holes deep enough to put our

cups of alcohol in. We collected what ever died in the cups every day for four days. My

hypothesis was that different organisms will come to each one, but the organisms won’t be very

different. The communities where not much different only having a few different organisms in

each communities.

Question/Problem:​ Will different organisms come to a whole strawberry vs. a freeze-dried

strawberry?

Hypothesis:​ Different organisms will come to each one, but it won’t be much different because

the whole strawberry will decompose faster than the freeze dried strawberry.

Materials:

● A strawberry

● 4 pieces of a freeze-dried strawberry

● 3 beakers

● 8 small plastic cups

● A spade

● Rubbing alcohol

● A microscope

● 2 petri dishes

● A dropper

Procedure:
 Alan Hoang, Devyn Farley
SNHU Bio
09/15/16
Micro-community Lab
1. Gather materials

2. Dilute alcohol with water in 1 of the 3 beakers

3. Find an area in the woods that will not be disturbed

4. Place the whole strawberry on the ground

5. Using the spade, dig 4 holes, deep enough to put the small cups inside, in a square

shape around the strawberry

6. Place a cup in each of the holes, the tops flush with the ground

7. Pour diluted alcohol into each of the cups

8. Leave overnight

9. Repeat steps 3-8 for the freeze-dried strawberry pieces

10. Bring an empty beaker and 1 with diluted alcohol, go to collect your samples

11. Pour each of the of the 4 cups around the whole strawberry into an empty beaker

12. Again pour diluted alcohol into each of the cups

13. Pour collected sample into a petri dish

14. Use microscope to examine organisms

15. Record data and observations

16. Repeat steps 10-15 for freeze-dried strawberry pieces

Data/Observations:

Freeze Dried Strawberry:

Organisms Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Density Frequency

Spider 3 1 0 0 1 0.50

Collembola 2 2 18 0 5.5 0.75

 Alan Hoang, Devyn Farley
SNHU Bio
09/15/16
Micro-community Lab

Beetle 2 0 0 0 0.5 0.25

Ant 5 0 0 0 1.25 0.25

Cricket 1 0 0 0 0.25 0.25

Fly #1 0 1 0 0 0.25 0.25

Fly #2 0 1 0 2 0.75 0.50

Mite 0 1 3 0 1 0.50

Rove Beetle 0 1 0 0 0.25 0.25

Slug 0 0 1 0 0.25 0.25

Mosquito 0 0 4 0 1 0.25

Whole Strawberry:

Organisms Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Density Frequency

Cricket 1 0 0 0 0.25 0.25

Spider 2 0 2 2 1.50 0.75

Fly #1 2 3 0 2 1.75 0.75

Fly #2 0 0 2 0 0.50 0.25

Collembola 2 3 8 4 4.25 1
 Alan Hoang, Devyn Farley
SNHU Bio
09/15/16
Micro-community Lab

Ant 3 1 0 0 1 0.50

Wasp 1 0 0 0 0.25 0.25

Grasshoppe 0 2 0 0 0.50 0.25

Rove Beetle 0 2 0 0 0.50 0.25

Mite 0 0 2 0 0.50 0

Centipede 0 0 1 0 0.25 0.25

Sorenson’s quotient of Similarity

Q= 2(7)/11+11 x 100

Q= 14/22 x 100

Q= 0.63 x 100

Q= 63

Conclusion:

The conclusion of this experiment was that the two communities were not very different

only having a few different organisms in each community. My hypothesis was correct, after the

whole-strawberry decomposed in the chart it shows that not many organisms came. At the start

we had four pieces of freeze-dried strawberry, on the second day we collected two of the pieces

was missing and all that was left was a whole piece and a piece that was shaped like a C. The

whole-strawberry was decomposing very fast so at the fourth day there was basically nothing
 Alan Hoang, Devyn Farley
SNHU Bio
09/15/16
Micro-community Lab
else, we could barely find it. I think if we did this project in different seasons we would find

different organisms and it’d be very interesting.