Experiment - The Macrobiome

Exercise 1

1. Would you consider the two environments you investigated to be different ecosystems? Support your answer with your observations.

2. Define abundance. What organism had the greatest abundance at study area 1? What organism had the greatest abundance at study area 2?

3. Define richness as it pertains to a community. Which of the two study areas were the least rich? What characteristics about this area might have led to decreased diversity?

4. Did study areas 1 and 2 have organisms in common? List the organisms found at both study areas. For each organism listed, describe the adaptations or life habits that might have allowed the organism to exist in two different environments. (For example, dragonflies are often observed near bodies of water but may also be observed in city parking lots because dragonflies are highly mobile and are good fliers.)

5. Do you feel that you were able to observe all of the animals that inhabit your study area? How might you improve your observations?

6. What town and state or country do you live in? What "macrobiome" do you live in? Which of the eight terrestrial biomes do you live in? What characteristics of your biome were you able to observe at both of your study areas? (Consult a textbook or reliable Internet source as needed.)

Exercise 2

1. Consider the number of bones in your owl pellet. How many prey items are you able to account for? (Hint: If your pellet contained 2 jaws, then your owl consumed at least 2 prey items. However, if your pellet also contained 4 pelvises, then you may draw the conclusion that 4 prey items were consumed.)

2. Assume that the barn owl produces an average of 2 pellets per day. Use the number of prey items you found in your pellet to estimate the total number of prey items your owl consumes daily, weekly, and annually.

3. Did your owl pellet contain more moles, shrews, or rodents?

4. Can owl pellets be used to confirm the presence of moles, shrews, and rodents in an area? Can owl pellets be used to confirm absence?

5. The number and type of prey items found in the owl pellet can be the result of the following factors: availability and abundance of prey, the ease or difficulty of catching the prey, and the taste preference of the owl. Create an experimental design that would describe the diets of barn owls while accounting for these factors.

6. Why might owl pellets contain seeds and other plant material?

7. The barn owl that produced the pellet you dissected is a wild animal located in the United States: Oregon, Washington, California, and/or Idaho. Use the results of your owl pellet dissection to make some assumption about the feeding habits of your owl. For instance, do you feel that your owl fed at night or during the day? Did you think your owl fed in a field, forest, wetland, etc.?

Attachment:- The Macrobiome Lab.rar