Summary of topic 2.2
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This document discusses measuring abiotic factors in different ecosystem types. It describes the main abiotic factors to measure in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, which include salinity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and others. It then provides detailed descriptions of methods to measure various abiotic factors like light, temperature, pH, soil particle size, slope, water flow velocity, and more. Measurement methods include using light meters, probes, sieves, clinometers, and additional specialized instruments.
Summary of topic 2.2
- 1. Topic 2.2 Measuring Abiotic Factors
- 2. Abiotic Factors – Temperature – Rainfall – Light Climatic Factors – pH – Salinity – Nutrients – Availability of water Edaphic Factors (soil)
- 3. Measuring Abiotic Components • There are 3 main types of ecosystem where you might need to measure abiotic components: 1. Marine (sea, estuary, salt marsh, mangrove 2. Freshwater (river, lake, wetland) 3. Terrestrial Bozeman Science – what are abiotic factors
- 7. Distribution of Earth’s Water
- 8. Examples of Abiotic Components • Marine Ecosystem – – – – Salinity pH Temperature Dissolved oxygen – Wave action • Freshwater Ecosystem – – – – – Turbidity pH Flow Temperature Dissolved oxygen • Terrestrial Ecosystem – – – – – – Temperature Light intensity Wind speed Soil particle size Slope Soil moisture content – Drainage – Soil mineral content
- 9. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Light – Use a light meter – Use a standard and fixed height – Avoid shade – Take readings at the same time of day – Standardise the direction it points
- 10. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Temperature – Use an electronic probe with a datalogger – Use a standard height above ground or a standard depth
- 11. Measuring Abiotic Factors • pH – Use an electronic probe with a datalogger – Use a standard depth – Make sure the probe is clean – Make sure it is calibrated properly
- 12. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Soil Particle Size – Large (stone-sized) particles can be measured individually – The volume of smaller particles can be measured using a series of successively finer sieves – Even smaller particles can be separated by sedimentation
- 13. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Windspeed – Use a digital anemometer if possible – A homemade propeller could be made – Indirect measurements can be made using the Beaufort scale
- 14. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Slope – Use a clinometer For a slope of x◦: Percentage slope = tan(x) x 100
- 15. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Soil moisture content – Weigh soil sample before and after heating and calculated the mass of water evaporated off – Repeated readings taken until there is no further change
- 16. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Water flow velocity – Time how long it takes a floating object to travel a fixed distance, i.e. Pooh Sticks – Alternatively a probe with a propeller attachment may be used
- 17. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Mineral Content – Minerals are non-volatile – If you have an oven which heats a sample safely to 500 – 1000oC for a number of hours, the remaining mass will be the mineral content
- 18. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Salinity – Salinity can be measured indirectly by measuring electrical conductivity (using a conductivity probe with a datalogger) – Conductivity is a measurement if the ion content of a sample of water (in parts per thousand, ppt, %o)
- 19. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Dissolved oxygen content – Use a dissolved oxygen probe connected to a datalogger
- 20. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Wave action – Use a dynamometer – an instrument which measures the force of waves
- 21. Measuring Abiotic Factors • Turbidity – This is a measure of the cloudiness of a water sample – It can be measured using a Secchi disc. The depth to which it must be lowered into the water in order to just become invisible is measured – Alternatively a turbidy meter can be used. This shines light through a sample and records its absorbance by the sample List whether each of these methods is suitable for marine, freshwater or terrestrial ecosystems