Rocky Shore Investigation

            Shortly after investigating the mangrove ecosystem, the bus took us to the rocky shore, where we were able to explore the beach. The rocky shore was surrounded by jagged rocks, with intense sunlight. We measured the wave frequency per minute using a timer, and the wind was blowing on the direction of north east. The temperature of the ecosystem was measured using a thermometer, and the result was 31 degrees Celsius. In addition to the abiotic factor, the biotic factor was also measured by determining the slope of the rocky shore, as the ecosystem of the rocky shore isn’t flat. Quadrats were then laid and the abundance of the organism was counted.

            We worked at a side where the waves crashed against the rock. The ocean near the shore had nothing much to offer. On the other hand, the organisms teemed the rocks that the waves crashed against. Barnacles, in all sizes and shapes were especially numerous and populated the rocks. Even when the waves crashed against the rocks, the barnacles held on, and was actually great in numbers near the waves compared to rocks that wasn’t anywhere near the ocean. In this ecosystem, human interaction has impacted it. There was a pathway towards the rocky shore, and several boats floating near the rocky shore. These may have affected the distribution of organisms in this ecosystem.

Figure 1: Kite Diagram of the Biotic Factors in Rocky Shore

            Figure 1 shows the kite diagram made using the abundance of the organisms in this ecosystem. 5 quadrat was laid after the slope of the rocky shore has been measured. Barnacles were heavily populating the rocks near the ocean waves, which is signified by the large kite on quadrat 1 and 2 for barnacles on the kite diagram. Periwinkles on the other hand, were greater in numbers on quadrat 4, where it was pretty high up compared to the quadrat where barnacles were numerous. There were a few to none limpets around, as the area was heavily populated by the barnacles. Barnacles are able to clamp themselves onto the rocks, even strong enough to resist the force of the waves crashing the rocks. These adaptation allowed them to flourish where other organisms can’t.  

On a semi-unrelated-note:

Biology HL students gathering for a photo :)

Mangrove Investigation

We went to two sites of mangroves and took measurements of the biotic and abiotic factor. The type of mangrove that we investigated was the red mangrove. By using a continuous belt transects, the population of each species sighted was accounted for. The abiotic factor of each site was also measured. Abiotic factors that were measured included the temperature, DO, pH, TDS, substrate, water quality, turbidity, depth of water, and light intensity. To further strengthen the accuracy of our data, we were divided into teams, and each team had their own data. I was in the Pink Dolphin’s team, and was therefore responsible for the data, and the data shown below will be of Pink Dolphin’s property.

Table 1: Abiotic Factor for Mangrove Site A

 Table 2: Abiotic Factor for Mangrove Site B

The mangrove ecosystem according to the abiotic factors collected, is a humid ecosystem with a pH of around 7. Total dissolved solid’s number was high, and so was the turbidity of the water, making the water’s appearance to become murky. There was a great deal of sediment inside the water, and as a result, the light intensity through the water wasn’t very high as the sediments blocked the sunlight. I learned that there were more than one type of mangroves. There were red mangroves, and mangroves that were colored in bright yellow, and ones that was smaller in size compared to the other mangroves. All of these different kind of mangrove ecosystem had their very own biotic and abiotic factors making them unique individually.

Figure 1: Biotic Factor for Mangrove Site A 

Table 3: Species’ names for Mangrove Site A

 As an example, a bar graph of the biotic factors for Mangrove Site A has been created. Mangrove Site A is the ecosystem belonging to the Red Mangroves. Even though the ecosystem belongs to the Red Mangroves, their population are equal or smaller than other organisms because of their size. One red mangroves has roots called prop roots, which covers a lot of space due to its size. In contrast, the number of lichen (both yellow, and green) is numerous in their population. Lichens are indicators, indicating that the area has a decent air quality, as they only flourish in such environment. Other organisms were also sighted, however due to the limitation of our mobility due to the preservation of mangroves, we were unable to dig further down to investigate and account for smaller organisms hiding out underground.

 Here is a picture of fellow pink dolphins investigating the mangroves.