Intr Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Intr - Lab Report Example In plants, an isolated seedling in fertile soil may have a very high chance of surviving to reproductive maturity. it will probably exhibit an extensive amount of module growth and will eventually produce a large number of seeds (Pujol 2006). However, a seedling that is closely surrounded by neighbours ,shading it with their leaves and depleting the water and nutrients of its soil with their roots, will be very unlikely to survive, and if it does, it will almost certainly form few modules and set few seeds (Wang 2005). Thus, it’s evident that the ultimate effect of competition on an individual is a decreased contribution to the next generation compared with what would have happened had there been no competitors. Thus the main aim of this report will be to test the null hypothesis that there is no statistically significant evidence in the data to show that the data provided is normally distributed. Group plants were collected and put into six pots per group while being planted at densities of 1,2,4,8,16,32 plants for every pot. Then a tray was used for storing tap water. The roots were keenly and carefully washed out in water while ensuring that the whole plant is kept intact. For each pot, the total root weight was taken, total shoot weight as well as total hypocotyls weight and the data recorded in an Excel table. The next step entailed calculating the mean weight (of shoots or roots or hypocotyls) per plant. Calculation of mean weight per plant was done by dividing the weights by the number of plants under study (Bossdorf 2005). Finally, all the contents of each pot were put into one bag and send to the oven – labelling the bag with the group name and plant density. There were a total of 6 bags. All the six bags were put inside another bag to keep them together. One group measured the dried plant parts and the data recorded to be used for analysis. Then graphs of the data were drawn to facilitate evaluation of the relationship between

Biogeochemical Cycles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biogeochemical Cycles - Assignment Example The present research has identified that a nitrogen cycle consists of a gas phase and a mineral phase. Since plants require nitrogen as a mineral rather than a gas, they receive their requisite via biological nitrogen fixation, aided by bacteria. Legumes play an important role by giving them a home and transferring the fixed organic nitrogen, thus produced, in the ecosystem through food chains. Animals, for the purposes of energy, break down proteins and organic compounds and excretes the ammonium ion form of nitrogen. Either the plants reabsorb it or bacteria convert it into nitrate, hence creating an organic cycle. â€Å"The key processes in a carbon cycle are of respiration and photosynthesis. During the process of respiration, carbohydrates and oxygen in a combination, produces carbon dioxide, water, and energy†. Whereas, during the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide produces the carbohydrates and oxygen, back again. Besides being liberated by a plant, either the ca rbon remains in them when they die or animals eat plant and respire them back into the atmosphere through respiration. Moreover, either decomposer decompose actively cycled carbon in a dead organic matter to release it back into an atmosphere or the dead matter stays intact to form coal, oil or natural gas (fossil fuels). As per hydrogen cycle, since, the largest reservoir for hydrogen is water; electrons from H2O, H2S, and low-molecular-weight organic compounds reduce CO2 whereas the electrons from reduced organic compounds travel through the respiratory chain to ultimately form water from dioxygen reduction. Moreover, anaerobic fermentation, photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation produces and releases free gaseous H2. The life-supporting oxygen has three sources, atmosphere, water and carbon dioxide.