Biology Coursework
Pleurococcus Investigation
Aim: Investigating The Distribution Of Pleurococcus On Trees
Intro:
Pleurococcus is a single celled organism, and is also a type of algae. It can be found growing on outdoor surfaces such as trees, stones and fences. Pleurococcus utilizes photosynthesis to obtain the energy it needs and it reproduces asexually. This means a pleurococcus cell will grow bigger and bigger until finally it splits into two identical cells. This process is called mitosis.
Hypothesis:
I believe that the largest distribution of pleurococcus will be found on the south side of trees we study. I think this because more sunlight will come from the south, that can be used in photosynthesis by the algae.
Method
First of all a quadrat of around 100 cm2 (10 cm by 10 cm) was made by us. After that a tree directly in sunlight was chosen. One metre was marked up the tree and then, a compass bearing having been given to us, we marked out North, South, East and West. Then the distribution of pleurococcus was measured in each direction. Both a qualitative and quantative result would be taken for each direction if practical e.g. lack of time. We used our quadrats by marking every cm along the edge. We would then calculate approximately the percentage of area covered by the pleurococcus. Also we took a reading showing the density of pleurococcus in the area being looked at. There was a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the least dense and five the most.
