To plan a fair investigation that will show how abiotic factors such as water content of soil and soil pH effects the distribution and abundance of Ranunculus Repens and Ranunculus Bulbosus.

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Apparatus and Materials

x quadrat

Ball of string

2 x pegs

x hammer

Key sheet to aid identification of species, e.g.

Ranunculus Repens looks like this: It has creeping runners and grows low to the ground

Ranunculus Bulbosus looks like this: It has sepals beneath the petals that are bent back and a ridged stalk with a bloated stem

0 x small pots and corresponding caps

0 x spoons

Paper

Pen

x sieve

x measuring cylinder

x weighing scales

0 x petri dishes

Oven gloves

0 x test tubes

Water

0 x pieces of litmus paper

Paper

Pen

Aim

To plan a fair investigation that will show how abiotic factors such as water content of soil and soil pH effects the distribution and abundance of Ranunculus Repens and Ranunculus Bulbosus.

Prediction

I predict that more Ranunculus Repens plants will be found nearer the river because it is wetter, and it is a water-loving plant (a hydrophyte). This will mean that the leaves of Ranunculus Repens will have a reduced or completely absent waxy cuticle and stomata as there is no need to conserve water, also they will have a greatly reduced root system as roots do not need to stretch deep into the ground to find water, and there will not be as much supportive tissue as the water provides enough buoyancy. If there are problems identifying Ranunculus Repens, a microscope could be taken to recognize these special features . Wet soil means less oxygen can fit between soil particles because it is filled with water (this is called anaerobic soil), so Ranunculus Repens plants must be adapted take oxygen in through their leaves and pass it to their roots.
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I predict that more Ranunculus Bulbosus plants will be found further away from the river because it is dryer, and it prefers dryer land (a xeropyte). Therefore this plant needs to conserve water by reducing the rate of transpiration which is why it may have reduced leaf size area, sunken stomata, and an increased waxy cuticle

Method

Fieldwork

. Set up a transect 20 metres long by pegging a string at either end with it starting at the edge of the river and extending from it at a right angle, e.g.

2. Place the ...

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