Island Biogeography using Boards

Our purpose in this project is to look at the relationship among different sized boards placed in different environments and relate the data we collected to the island biogeographic theory. We will be analyzing the diversity and number of individuals we find and attempt to classify them.
We want to discover if island biogeography exists in a specific island region (Scott's backyard). By placing different size boards in dramatically different environments that contain high and low amounts of moisture, growth, sunlight, and living matter; we plan to reveal how diversity differs in just a small region with numerous islands (boards).

We have come up with this particular plan with influence from the discussion in David Quammen's The Song of the Dodo, about the Single Large or Several Small (SLOSS) argument. Our research design is broken up under the SLOSS argument in order to determine how the size of habitats affects the diversity of insect species present.
Our hypothesized conclusion is that the board size will determine the diversity of species we find and the larger boards will hold a greater amount of species types than the smaller boards. We also believe that board placement will play a large role in our findings, in that the boards placed in a more stable, easily accessible environment will hold a greater diversity.

The Galapagos Islands are very close to each other, but yet there is much diversity between them. Within the cluster of islands Santa Cruz has distinct differences compared to the larger island of Isabella. Diversity is greatest on islands compared to neighboring mainland South America. Out project is set up to mimic an island group such as the Galapagos Islands, and we are interested to see if we can easily recreate the diversity noted in the Galapagos.
The Galapagos Islands are merely an example we are using for our project. We are dealing with a much smaller sample size and on a much smaller scale than the biogeography of the Galapagos. We will still be able to draw similarities between the large and the small, but obviously the two are not similar enough to draw large-scale conclusions.

2. Relevance of Your Research Question
Literature Review
In our research we used the books The Song of the Dodo, and The Geography of Evolution, as well as the article we reviewed in class, "Choosing the Appropriate Scale of Reserves for Conservation." The most significant sources of information we have found are the past group research papers from prior classes. Drawing upon their conclusions, we have been able to make decisions about our own research. These research papers are relevant to us in that though they are dealing with different problems, they are on the same scale as our own research. As scientific researchers, we have found it necessary to study and review past experimental designs that are similar to ours.

How our research relates to a larger question(s)? What contribution will your project hopefully make to the broader base of human knowledge?

Our research relates to the real world in that the first approach to the study of biogeography is simple observation. "The basic data of the science are the facts of distribution and association and answers the question 'what lives where?'" (Simpson 1965). Looking at our research area, we hope we'll be able to come to the same conclusions that other biogeographers have made in the past. The main theory our research will relate to is found in The Song of the Dodo: SLOSS. Through our data collecting, we should be able to determine which board size and environment supported more diversity and individuals combined, and whether a single large or several small preserves would present a more diverse populations.

Our research will ultimately contribute a small piece of the huge puzzle of the study of island biogeography. This allows us to gain a broader sense of species-environment interrelationships through a hands-on experiment that allows us to have first-hand contact with the theories of island biogeography.

Board Sizes

We selected three board sizes for our experiment. The largest size board we cut was one foot by one and a half-feet with an area of 216 square inches. The next size down was one foot by one foot and the area of this board was 144 square inches. These two boards were the first ones that we placed down. They were more of a square shaped rather than the long rectangle shape used on the smaller boards. These two boards were both two feet by four inches (96 square inches) and one foot by four inches (48 square inches).

Environment #1
Our first location for our boards was in a compost pile located near Fairfield road. This area was shady and full of decaying material. Because this is a warm, moist environment, we believed that this area would be high in nutrients and therefore conducive to support many living organisms.

This situation made us recall the section of the "Dodo" dealing with the elephants smelling food from a far island at Madagascar and their traveling there to get it. Our thinking was that organisms that live close to this compost pile would migrate to it as elephants did to find a greater and abundant food supply to maintain their survival. Our data supports this to some degree in that it was the second most populated site.

Environment #2
Our second site was located near the downspout coming off of a house. The boards were placed under an evergreen bush, which gave them a low level of sunlight. This area was a transition between grass and dirt. This area was chosen due to the fact that it would have a constant supply of water. Comparing this area to a river delta, we thought that this would bring a diverse group of species.

Environment #3
The third location was near Fairfield road along side a creek in the depositional area of a small flood plain. The boards were placed on the point bar of the creek. The point bar was mostly composed of sand and small pebbles. Due to the fact that point bars tend to migrate, we thought that this would cause there to be fewer organisms present. Another thought for the lack of organisms could be the presence of pollution or chemicals seeping into the creek water. We did find this region had the fewest organisms. We can relate the migration of the stream to be similar to deforestation or loss of habitat. The organisms can’t adapt to the changing environment to survive.

Environment #4
This environment was located on the west side of Scott's house under a stand of pine trees and under a laurel ivy bed. This area was a sun deficient area. Many pine needles and ivy were present which creates a somewhat different habitat for the organisms. We thought this environment would be similar to being under a rainforest canopy with limited sunlight.

Environment #5
This environment was next to the woodpile, east of environment 3 and adjacent to the stream. We placed the boards next to a large woodpile thinking that the woodpile would yield more organisms. There was an opening in the tree canopy here letting in more sunlight to our area. Many organisms were present in the nutrient rich area.

We placed the boards in different areas to expose them to different geographic conditions. Within each location we placed the boards fairly close to each other to simulate a group of islands that are close together.

Statistics

We posted our progress on the web to obtain class feedback. In our presentation we will involve the class to get their feedback to see which environment they felt would have the most organisms.

Results
According to our data/observations we have concluded that board size and habitat placement were the two variables that effected diversity and organism numbers. Out of the five habitats that we selected the woodpile and compost area were greatest in these areas (see graphs 1-4). After calculating the species richness value (graph 8) it was determined that the woodpile and compost area exhibited the greatest diversity of all habitats studied.

Out of the five habitats, the compost area and the woodpile had the greatest species richness value at 1.635 and 1.439 respectively. The creek and flood habitats exhibited the lowest species richness value at 0.259 and 0.481 respectively. The reason for the species richness was due to the habitats proximity to an abundant source. In the compost area the location was cleared around a compost area, which already had a large population of organisms. In retrospect the creek and flood habitats were in a constant state of flux due to the proximity of a water source.

This richness in these habitats relates to the situation Quammen presented in the chapters detailing Tasmania in the Song of the Dodo. Because Tasmania is cut off from the mainland due to the flooding of the continental shelf it therefore contains a greater diversity count than an island found off the oceanic crust. In selecting these habitats (i.e. compost area/woodpile), we cut them away from mainland like Tasmania. To help support this hypothesis we studied the species present under the woodpile and in the compost area. It was concluded that there was a direct correlation between the species found in the habitats, and the types of species found under the board.

Through observation/analysis, it was found that the larger boards exhibited the greatest diversity and organism numbers (Graph 5). This confirmed our original hypothesizes, which supported Quammen's beliefs on island biogeography.

Through our research and experimentation with our own ideas dealing with the biogeographic theory we have been able to learn a great deal through our own trial and error. Working in a group and sharing ideas with others and using a hands on approach to this research experience.

In conclusion the board group learned a lot about the research process and its execution. We have admitted that we are not the best at statistics, nor are we the most research driven group, but we did learn a lot. Looking back on the experience we should have taken more readings and been more detailed orientated. We have a newfound respect for individuals who create hypotheses and prove them right or wrong. None of us are hard-core scientists, but we gained a real-life experience of this project. Through this project we were able to put the theories discussed into action and observe and experience them in a real environment.

Literature Cited
David Quammen. The Song of the Dodo. Simon & Schuster, New York.
1997.
Simpson, George Gaylord. The Geography of Evolution. Chilton Books,
New York. 1965.
Bruce, Kim, Greenburg, Josh, Hammerely, Eric & McWilliams, Jesse.
SLOSS in Bachelor Reserve. 1999.
Schwartz, Mark W. Choosing the Appropriate Scale of Reserves for
Conservation. Annual Review of Ecological Systems, 1999,30,83-
108.
Boecklen, William J. Nested, Biogeographic theory, and the design of
nature reserves. Oecologia, 1997, 112, 123-142.

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