7/24/2019 Bioldddddogy Ecology Write Up

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Biology Ecology Write up

Title:

The efect trampling has on the number and size o earthwormssituated in two diferent locations (Old Boys Football itch and the

grass in the !loisters"# $ predict there will be a larger number in thecloisters due to the ground being less disturbed by people% howe&er$ belie&e the mass o the worms should remain constant#

Rationale:The investigation was conducted on Hampton School Field, Hampton, Middlesex

(British National Grid Reerence T! "#$ $"%&' This is an area o closel mown

plaing ields, surrounded ) hedge and some rough grass with some relativel

mature trees' This investigation will contri)ute to the understanding o the ecolog o

this area'

The lo)worm,Lumbricus terrestris,is Britain*s largest earthworm, with the )iggest

individuals measuring at around %+ cm"' The live in deep vertical )urrows, however

unlie other worms the tend to )urrow up to the surace in order to retrieve ood

instead o )urrowing through the soil in order to"' The worms generall eed on

decaing plant matter, however commonl onl at night# ' -p to ./ o the species can

)e ound per s0uare meter in the tpical garden lawn'

The ecological principal 1 am studing is to see whether trampling has an eect on

worm population si2e and their mass' 1 am studing this matter as previousl 1 have

seen a report titled 3Earthworm populations in soils disturbed by

trampling3

, which suggests that increased human4 cattle trampling does have a negative eect on

worm population and thereore 1 thought it would )e useul to conduct m own

investigation to see whether this report was right or wrong as previousl 1 had

dierent conceptions'

For m sampling method 1 am using random sampling in order to remove )ias' 1 set

up two transects in each location and used a random num)er generator in order to

generate a grid reerence' 1 used a /'+m ) /'+m 0uadrat at each point as 1 elt this

would give me a clear representation o the num)er o worms within the transects'