Laura Macklin

Dr. Moore

ESS 130

February 25, 2019

Ecosystem Study 1

Part I: Observations & Hypotheses

Make two observations about patterns in your data that spark new ecological research questions.
Describe these observations in your assignment.
1. From the data, you can see that nitrogen concentration majorly affected tree fungal biomass
more than it affected the tree bacterial biomass.
2. Pinewood is significantly more affected by nitrogen concentrations than hardwood in the
Harvard Forest.
For each observation, come up with one hypothesis that could explain the observation you see in
your data and include these in your assignment. You should have two hypotheses total - one for
each observation.
1. Nitrogen in high concentrations has a large affect on tree fungal biomass than it does on
bacterial biomass.
2. Pinewood is more vulnerable to harsh effects from high nitrogen concentration than
hardwood in the Harvard Forest.

Part II: Experimental Design

• Define the research question that your study will address.
• Design a study to test your hypothesis.
◦ Your study can be an experiment, an observational study, a modeling framework,
etc. Define which type of study you are using in your assignment.
◦ Include the following components in your study design:
▪ Variables to be measured
▪ units that correspond with the variables you will measure
▪ procedure that describes how you will collect your data
▪ other elements of study design (this might include aspects of replication,
treatment levels, duration of study, etc)
Experimental Design 1:
Research Question - Does nitrogen have a larger affect on fungal biomass or bacterial biomass
on pinewood and hardwood trees in the Harvard Forest?
Type of Study - Observational Study
Variables - nitrogen concentration, fungal biomass of pinewood and hardwood trees, bacterial
biomass of pinewood and hardwood trees
Methods & Materials - In preparation for the experiment, a high nitrogen condition area in the
Harvard Forest is pinpointed as the area in which the pinewood and hardwood trees for this
experiment will be observed. There are ten pinewood trees and ten hardwood trees in this area
that will be observed for its fungal biomass and bacterial biomass. Soil samples from 10 cm
below the trees are collected and then analyzed to see how the fungal biomass and the bacterial
biomass are being affected by the high nitrogen condition soil. The averages of the fungal
biomass concentration in the soil and the bacterial biomass concentration in the soil are
calculated and then compared to each other to determine whether high nitrogen concentration
within the soil has a larger effect on fungal biomass or bacterial biomass.

Experimental Design 2:
Research Question - Does nitrogen have a larger affect on pinewood trees or hardwood trees in
the Harvard Forest?
Type of Study - Observational Study
Variables - nitrogen concentration, fungal biomass of pinewood and hardwood trees, bacterial
biomass of pinewood and hardwood trees
Methods & Materials - In preparation for the experiment, a high nitrogen condition area in the
Harvard Forest is pinpointed as the area in which the pinewood and hardwood trees for this
experiment will be observed. There are ten pinewood trees and ten hardwood trees in which the
fungal biomass and bacterial biomass of these trees will be documented. Soil samples at least 10
cm beneath each of these trees is collected and examined for their fungal and bacterial biomass.
The averages of the biomasses of each type of tree will then have its average taken. Then the
biomasses of the two trees are then compared to determine whether high nitrogen conditions in
the soil affect pinewood trees or hardwood trees more.