This mesocosm experiment shows that the change of humidity and temperature will affect the survival and health of the ecosystem, as the sustainability of an ecosystem is reliant on a balance of abiotic and biotic factors . This can be seen in the enhanced greenhouse effect, where rising CO2 levels raise the temperature of the atmosphere. This rise in global temperature can cause various ecosystems to become unstable, with changing environmental factors that affect the life of organisms in the ecosystem.
Independent Variables:
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Dependent Variables:
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Controlled Variables:
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Methodological issues - what you could have done differently
Qualitative error because of assigned numbers to qualitative data - humidity levels (a quantity representing the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere)
Equipment quality - thermometer only went to 19 degrees celsius
Observations were made in the afternoon, at approximately 5pm.
If I were to do anything different, I would:
- Multiple mesocosms for comparison and a control - mesocosms put in different locations for varied levels of temperature
- A controlled environment where there is artificial control over temperature - not reliant on natural light, seasons, indoor heating
Qualitative error because of assigned numbers to qualitative data - humidity levels (a quantity representing the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere)
Equipment quality - thermometer only went to 19 degrees celsius
Observations were made in the afternoon, at approximately 5pm.
If I were to do anything different, I would:
- Have a more exact measure for temperature
- Use fewer plants in the mesocosm and not add moss or have a larger container for the mesocosm
- Measure the growth of plants, not just making observations on health
- Create a control
- Create multiple mesocosms to increase the sample size