Ecology Trip

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Leaving Cert Ecology Trip 2018

Great day in the Phoneix Park carrying out mandatory experiments for Leaving Cert Biology

             

Equipment boxes all ready to go with plant and animal identification Keys, Pooters used to collect insects for identification (suck through the green straw ;-)), Quadrat for our qualitative/quantitative study of plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pitfall trap covered and uncovered. Any creepy crawlies hiding inside????

 

 

 

 

Ivy taking advantage of support from this large Oak Tree. It clings on with its Adventitious roots to the deep ridges of the bark of this Strong Stately tree. 
Making recordings of data collected along our Line Transect air and soil temperature, soil pH, plant identification every 50cm, light intensity going from shade to light.

Air and Soil Thermometers placed at the start and end of the line transect.
Lux (light) Meter used to measure changes in light intensity at 50 cm intervals along the length of the line transect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mapping the habitat under the Lime trees

Wire mesh is used to protect the Lime trees from the deer roaming through the park. 
Bark of the Sycamore tree showing mottling.
Caption time????!!!!
Light shining through the upper branches of the sycamore tree.

Mountain Ash (Caorthann), with its distinctive jagged edges;

produces scarlet berries to feed thrushes throughout the winter.

Catching insects in a beating tray as they fall from high branches.

 

Horsechestnut (Cnó Capaill), named after the horseshoe shaped scar on nodes of the twigs where the leaf attaches. They are recognisable by their leaflets which grow in sets of 5 or 7 and off course, their conkers.
Quantitative study of plants using the quadrat.
Lobed leaves of the Sessile Oak  tree (Dair ghaelach)
Grass, Buttercup, Daisy and nitrogen fixing red clover.