Independent Field Study

by Amritha Somasekar
Child of Somasekar Srinivasan and Vidhyah Seval Viswam
STEM Biology 2*/3*
(415)892-3923
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this field study is to closely observe a certain piece of land by
observing biotic factors, abiotic factors, human interaction, overall environment,
and changes of the land over time.

Site Description:
1. The majority of my site is in shade in the morning hours, with only a
few small patches of sunlight. There is an abundance of animal activity in
my site. Though there were no apparent traces of mammals, I could see
and hear songbirds and doves in the trees framing my site. Because of the
horse farm right behind a horse ranch, there was a distinctive scent of hay
and horse manure, and, occasionally, the neighing of the horse and the
conversations of the ranch workers could be heard. The creek portion of
my site held most of the life I saw. The most apparent living beings on the
creeks were the little water skeeters balancing on the surface. Gnats and
mosquitos were also zipping through the creek area, probably due to the
fact that the creek was nearly stagnant. I could also see dragonflies near
the creek and traces of spiderwebs on the trees. As you may have guessed
by the mention of shade, my site is framed by trees and other plants.
Several different trees are located in my site, such as bay and oak. Another
prominent plant in my site is the blackberry bush, which, by definition,
actually frames my site. Little grasses and and flowering plants are
scattered here and there as well.
2. First of all, I believe the creek depth and width will fluctuate- most
likely going down- because summer is approaching, meaning that there
will be even less precipitation. The stagnant water also serves as a
mosquito breeding ground, so I predict the appearance of more mosquitos
as the weeks go on. Summer is coming, so I predict the average
temperature of the area of my sight will increase. Because blackberry
season is during the summer months, I suspect that I will see more traces
of mammals throughout the next few weeks as they ripen.

Measurement

Intro

Week 2

Number of
fish

many: 20+

less fish
(around 15)

Speed of
Creek

near stagnant

near stagnant

Height of

around 13

dead

Week 4

Week 6

Week 8

Dandelion
Plant

inches

humans
heard

occasional
voices

voices from
horse ranch

Height of
Foxtail

around 25
inches

26 inches

% of shade

95%

80%

Estimation
of flying
insects seen

around 20

around 20

Estimation
of visible
crawling
bugs

20+

not much: <15

# of
spiders/spiderwebs

3 spiderwebs

Width of
creek

8-13 feet

6-10 feet

Depth of
creek

mostly
around 5
inches, 1 ft. in
deepest part

3-6 inches

Average day
temperature

70 degrees

57 degrees

Average
Rainfall

0 inches

0 inches

Number of
waterskeeter
s

many, 15+

many, 15+

Signs of
Human
Disturbance

Average
length of day

13 hrs

14.02 hrs

percentage
of rock
coverage

20%

20%

percent of
grass/

7%

5%

flowering
plant
coverage
leafy plant 3
height

around 21
inches

26 inches

Doves
seen/heard

a couple

a couple

% bush
coverage

25% of site

25% of site