The ground is too dry and too hard without any grass in our quadrant. We think that we should water it occasionally and sprinkle grass seeds to encourage insects and worms to live there. We should introduce natural shelter for spiders and other insects to live in.Diamond Jennes Group
Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC
Great that you are the first groups to think of ideas to enhance your quadrat ! You need to read a little about FAIR TESTS under monitoring/enhancing the quadrat/point 12. So you can change the water conditions – or add the grass seed – not both. And it is a good idea to leave part of the plot exactly the same for a ‘control’ area. If increasing insects is your big aim then perhaps just adding the natural shelter is enough, Good luck.
Doug Dye Group
My group has formulated a plan to enhance the area so life will live there. The plan is that we get huge sprinklers on the field, that will soften the soil and life will be able and happy to live there.
Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC
Doug Dye group – yes that is changing just one condition of your quadrat and so will be a fair test. Well done. What are you going to measure improvement by – more life forms? Try to leave part of your area exactly the same for a ‘control’.
Oliver's Group
We have thought of a plan to enhance the spot that we are focussing on.
The plan is to get bigger sprinklers that cover more than just the field so worms and other bugs can get food and be happy to live there.
Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC
Good thoughts. Remember you are changing only one thing about your quadrat to see if it will be enhanced. You will see if the it has been enhanced by counting the life forms again after a period of time. To change only one element with the sprinkler you would need to either water only the quadrat, or water only the ground around the quadrat.
Hooke Group
Our Metre square needs more water. Most of it is very dry and does not contain any species except for a few ants. There are some weeds growing inside the metre as well.The soil inside the quadrat is mostly dry and without water.
We did think about adding water but as winter is coming but it would be impossible to keep the other half of the quadrat dry. Another one of our ideas is to add fertilizer to see what changes in the quadrat and see if the lusher grass attracts more species.
Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC