o What were we looking at? o The Pit Crew studied soil patterns throughout the landscape.

oWhy we studied the soils? o To see how they change across the landscape. o To see if there were any correlations between soil and elevation. o To observe patterns between the soil and vegetation.

I’mmmmm…. The map, I’m the map

o How did we do it? o Digging soil pits and collecting data from many horizons at different elevations: opH, color, texture, depth of horizon

o What we found! Depth of the horizons Average pH levels for pits 1-3 pH Indicator

B 2, E B E B B3B3 B4B4 C B2.B2.

The Next Steps… - Determine age of soil layers and mineral particles. - Controlled field tests to examine if relationship exists between soil texture/pH and plant diversity/abundance.

From left to right- John William, Hanna, Jenna, Tyler, Adina, Chris

Objecti ves  Identify factors that influence the diversity of plant species in different areas  See if the age of trees correspond to their diameter.  Understand how soil affects the diversity and distribution of plant species on a random transect line.

Map! Upland Vegetative Sample Sites

Procedure  Randomly select site near soil pit on a transect line, and mark off a 2 x2 m plot.  Identify species and quantity of herbaceous plants and seedlings inside plot.  Measure light intensity, canopy cover and ground coverage in plot.

 Identify species of trees, shrubs, and saplings falling within boundaries of a circular plot with a 5.6 m radius.  Find the age of identified trees around the plot by coring. Procedure

Results:  Different plant species thrive in different habitats and at different elevations.  Light intensity, canopy coverage, ground coverage, slope, and elevation, among other variables, may affect distribution of plant species in area.  Possible correlation between diversity and pH  Results of coring (taking core samples from the trees identified in the circular 0.01 hectare plots) show that diameter of the tree is not necessarily correlated with its age

Diameter

The Next Steps… - Isolate the variables in controlled experiments - Sample more plots for more accurate data -Relate the number of plants in plot to entire forest

The Stream Team investigated the health and condition of the Potash Brook.

Research Questions  What are BMIs and what do they tell us about stream health?  How do the physical characteristics of the stream affect the living things found there?  How does the water chemistry change down the watershed?

Stream Sample Sites

Methods: Habitat Characteristics BMI sampling Discharge Calculations = (A X V) Chemical Analyses

Results  Similar Discharge and Habitat as a downstream trend  Low Density of Population of Sensitive Organisms  Lower density and higher diversity upstream the opposite relationship downstream  Moderate Levels of PO 4 pollution

Thank You Thank You for a FUN filled Week… And to all the parents for supporting our efforts!!!!!

Dynamic Watershed Researchers “The Dynamos”

The End