Meanwhile, back at the pond... by Ashley and Tanica

                Nose Hill Park is one of the biggest municipal parks in all of North America. Even though the majority of the land in Nose Hill Park is grassland, there are other different ecosystems in the park such as the forest and pond. The pond ecosystem and the major effects of plant species on the animal species in the pond and the factors affecting the plant species will be discussed in this entry.

            Figure 1. Photo of the pond at Nose Hill Park. Note the No Dogs sign which is a significant affect to the duck population there. Photo taken by Ashley.

Plants are very important to the ecosystem of the pond. They are the source of almost all of the animals living in the pond and they control the healthiness of the pond itself. Because of the different plant species, there are many different animal species that live in the pond. From this direct correlation, all ponds are unique depending on the plant species that they contain. The pond being studied is the Nosehill pond located at approximately 51.1°N and -114.1°W. It is a manmade storm water pond, but still contains several different species of both plants and animals. Because of the plant species growing in the pond, the animal species have also adapted to fit the plant species.

                There are many plant species in and around the pond. Some of the species of plants include Mentha arvensis (Wild Mint), Schoenoplectus acutus var. Acutus (Hardstemmed Bulrush), Elodea Canadensis (Pondweed), Potamoeton pusillus (small pond weed), Typha latifolia (Cattails), algae, and phytoplankton. The wild mint actually acts as a repellent for all the animals that we deem as pests which slightly lowers the pest population where there are bundles of wild mint.

 

             Figure 2. Photo of wild mint (Mentha arvensis) collected by Mrs.Miller. Picture was taken by Ashley.

Aphids and other small insects feed on the Hardstemmed Bulrush. Because of the abundance of this plant, this will increase the aphid population and also bring in other animals or insects that feed on aphids and small insects closer to the pond as well.

            Figure 3. Picture of the abundance of the Hardstemmed Bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus var .acutus) that grows near and in the pond. Photo taken by Ashley.

The pond weed is food for many fresh water organisms as well as birds. This results in the increase of ducks and other birds in the pond which also eat many other organisms living in the pond. The cattail is also a source of food for many animals such as deer and ducks and provides habitats to a large number of the bird population.

            Figure 4. The cattails (Typha latifolia) found at the pond at Nose Hill Park. Picture taken by Ashley.

Algae can range from unicellular organisms to multicellular organisms, but are limited to eukaryotes. Alga found in the pond is a food source for many smaller animals such as Gammarus lacustris (Fresh water shrimp). Phytoplankton are also found in the pond and serve as a base for many pond ecosystems. They are autotrophs that contain chlorophyll but they are unable to be seen without some sort of magnifying device. They are the food source of many organisms, including Gammarus lacustris (Fresh water shrimp). The plants are responsible for pulling together the ecosystem and all of the different animals that are found in each specific ecosystem.

                The temperature based on the latitude of the pond ecosystem changes the plants that are present in the pond. The temperature of the air at Nose Hill Park at the time that it was studied was 20.0°C and the temperature of the pond at 20 cm ± 5 cm at the centre was 14.9°C. The location of the pond is approximately 51.1°N and -114.1°W. This affects the plant species because all those plants that are unable to live within the ranges of temperature will die quickly and create room for those that are able to grow in the temperature ranges to survive and prosper. Thus, one of the main abiotic factors affecting the ecosystem of the pond is temperature.

                Abiotic factors also affect the pond’s plant species. Because of the way this pond was created, almost everything left out during rainy weather can possibly end up in this pond. Through this method, high volumes of dissolved pollution can flow into the pond through run-off and leaching. If certain species of plants are very sensitive to pollution, and there is too much pollution, many of the sensitive plant species can perish, which leads to the death of several other animals that are vital to the pond’s ecosystem. This ends up tipping the balance of the ecosystem and can seriously harm it.

                Through these different plant species, different animal species are able to live in this ecosystem. There are several animals that were found in the pond such as Odonata corduliidae (Green eyed Skimmer), Gammarus lacustris (Fresh water shrimp), Phalangium opilio (Daddy Long Legs), Ephemerella aurivillii (mayfly larva), and ducks. Several of these animals feed on the plants found in or around the pond (as primary consumers) or on other animals that eat the plants in or around the pond (as secondary consumers). In order for the animals to survive better, they will all live in or close to the pond to get their food sources. If there were no plants in this that the primary consumers could eat, then they would all die of starvation and the secondary consumers would also die because of the same reason. Another situation is that if there was another species of plants introduced (most likely invasive to a certain extent), then there was an animal better adapted to consume the plant would survive much better than the previous animals that were originally living in that habitat. Through this, plant species are very important to the structure of the ecosystem.

            Figure 5. Fresh water shrimp (Gammarus lacustris) found in the pond. It is a decomposer but also eats algae found in the pond. Photo taken by Ashley.

            Figure 6. Phalangium opilio (Daddy Long Legs) found around the pond. It is a secondary consumer and feeds off of small insects. Photo taken by Ashley Choo.

               Figure 7. Duck found swimming in the pond during arrival at pond. Ducks are primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers depending on which needs it needs to meet and consumes the plants living in and around the pond as well as some of the insects and animals that live in the pond. Photo taken by Tanica.

                Because of the different plant species, there are different animal species in the pond ecosystem at Nose Hill Park. The plant species is the main reason that all of the animals that were found in or around the park. The plants found in the pond are specific to the animals found in the pond, as the primary consumers are adapted to specifically consume them and then the secondary consumers prey upon the primary consumers.

A Parasitism, Predation, and Other Forms of Interactions in a Peaceful Pond

By Paul and Alexis

Nosehill. A simple park, or a complex ecosystem? Careful study of the intricate ecosystem present at Nosehill reveals an elaborate and sophisticated environment where a plethora of organisms dwell, feeding trophic levels throughout Calgary. This seemingly simple park contains some of the largest mammals found in Calgary, along with a multitude of birds and bugs. Study of the ecosystem and structures show that a multitude of interactions between species transfer energy and establish an advance community. However, exactly which species can be found at Nosehill? Many citizens in Calgary are unaware of any organisms smaller than their hand, yet dozens upon dozens of organisms dwell at Nosehill. From the multitude of organisms it is only natural that a complex but sturdy web of interactions is formed.

One of the most interesting areas at Nosehill is the pond located near the the John Laurie Blvd and Shaganappi Trail entrance. The multitude of microscopic organisms found lead way to a community where organisms smaller than a finger thrive. Organisms such as the water boatman and water strider can be found just on the surface on this intricate aquatic ecosystem. Leeches and diving beetles can be found under the surface living off plants and sometimes other organisms that they encounter. These organisms interact in mingle in unique ways, ranging from mutualism to predation to mimicry. Through this blog we will discuss the various relationships that have been established between organisms along with succession that would occur at Nosehill.

One of the most integral interactions that can be found at Nosehill is that of the predation reaction, where an organism consumes prey for energy. This interaction builds the stable ecological community we experience when we go for a serene walk through Nosehill, feeding organisms such as the  ducks, spiders and many members of the dytiscidae species. Although these predation interactions are often changing, they build upon careful symbiotic relationships between organisms. One such example of symbiosis is parasitism. Parasitism is the relation between organism in which one organism benefits (the parastite) while the other organism is harmed (the host). At the Nosehill pond, a parasitic relationship would be between organisms and the leeches we find at the pond. The parasite - being the hungry leech - is able to feed on the human therefore gaining a food source, ducks and cat tails are the hosts they attach on to, and therefore are harmed because consumption and transferred diseases would instigate the decline of the population. Thus, the population of the leeches would increase. This process is cyclic, the population of leeches will plateau and decline once the population of cattails is not great enough to maintain the consumption of leeches. As the leech population declines, the cattail population will increase due to less predation, and so on.

However the interactions we find at Nosehill are not always damaging to one of the participants. We find examples of mutualism and types of mimicry (Batesian mimicry) that allows both organisms or species involved to benefit. A unique example of this would be the mullerian mimicry of bees and hornets found there. Since both these organisms are harmful predators will start to avoid them, and due to the shared coloring of their bodies will avoid the other organisms as well. This benefits both species, and is considered mutualism, because once a predator encounters one of the similar looking dangerous species, it will learn to avoid anything with similar qualities. This also benefits the predator, because it isn’t putting itself at risk by attacking other dangerous organisms. Both organisms  Another example of this mimicry found at Nosehill is that between a robber fly and a bee.  The robber fly imitates the patterns found on the bee, causing predators who see it to avoid eating it due to likely previous experiences in being stung. In this case, the robber fly is able to benefit off the fear caused by the model bees without really harming the bees. This type of mimicry is that of Batesian mimicry, where a non-threatening organism (the mimic) copies the behaviours and physical qualities of that of a threatening or dangerous organism (the model). Batesian mimicry is therefore a type of commensalism, where one organism benefits, and the other organism is not affected (in that it is neither harmed nor does is benefit). This is because the mimic benefits - predators will generally try to avoid them since they resemble dangerous organisms, therefore the likelihood of survival increases. The model neither benefits, nor is harmed.

Interspecific and intraspecific competition were also discovered throughout the pond ecosystem at Nosehill, mainly between the plethora of plant species and organisms found. Although sunlight does not seem like a scarce resource for us, for many plants only the highest one may get the most sunlight. This leads to competition within species, such as the number of grasses and cat tails discovered, as well as competition between species, such as algae, seaweed often cat tails.       

The plants that obtain the most sunlight will be able to survive the best, grow the most and be most likely to reproduce. This leads to the ecological community we see at the Nosehill pond. However, this community hasn’t been as it is today for very long: a wide range of events and processes formed and established the community we see today. An early community we would see would be that of mainly grasses in a pioneer community. This succession would sprout mainly from the dirt already present due to the fact that Nose Hill was prairie land previously, causing this process to be secondary succession. The only primary succession likely to occur would be that from any completely destroyed ecosystems - caused mainly be roads - that have been replaced by any expansion in the area of Nosehill that may have occured. This series of succession-based changes - known as a sere - in a community would eventually lead to an ideal climax community in which further stages of succession would most likely not continue to occur. Since this community is most likely the final stage in succession, it is probable that the pond ecosystem at Nosehill hasn’t reached a climax community. If the pond ecosystem did reach a climax community however, a large amount of aquatic fishes and larger aquatic organisms would most likely exist. Unfortunately the only organisms discovered at the pond that were larger than a hand were ducks - showing that the Nosehill pond is most likely at a middle stage in succession.

However with that said, there seems to be an optimistic future for the Nosehill pond ecology. Events such as the addition of dog prevention signs around the pond - increasing the population of ducks found substantially - allow optimum development in succession stages, hopefully leading one day to an ideal climax community. This in combination with the stable interactions and habits - such as mimicry, commensialism and protective coloration - carefully established in the ecosystem will lead way to more organisms, hopefully leading way to a plethora of organisms being able to strive. However the pond ecosystem isn’t the only seemingly successful microecosystem so far. Stable forest and grassland habitats were discovered across Nosehill, showing promise for a bright future for not only this ecosystem, but for the environment of Calgary as a whole.

 

Figure 1. An image of the pond in the corner of Nosehill Park, beside the entrance on John Laurie Blvd. and Shaganappi Trail.




Figure 2 Leeches discovered on the leaves of cattails in the water on the shore of the pond




Figure 3. A duck found in the Nosehill pond, there aren't many large organisms like ducks, meaning that the Nosehill pond may not have reached a climax community yet.



Figure 4. Dr. Ted Pike standing beside the "No Dog" sign at Nosehill Pond

Nose Hill Park pond; fall 2010, by Mariah and Brittany

Figure 1: Photo of Nose Hill pond.

Taken by Brittany M. on 09/2010

The human body is made up of approximately 50-65% water. Our brains are about 85%, and our bones are around 15%. Now imagine if all of that water in our body was polluted with gasoline, storm run-off, sewage and fertilizer. If this were true, it would make it near impossible to live healthy, happy lives. If we are unable to live in these predicaments, why should other organisms have to either?



Figure 2: Photo of Mariah L-R at

Nose Hill pond. Photo taken by

Brittany M. on 09/2010

 Nose Hill Park pond is a man made pond. It is the water source for many living, breathing, important organisms that allow the food web to cycle. Without the proper living conditions, these animals aren’t known to survive in Nose Hill Park for long. Animals such as deer, coyotes, and even porcupine reside in Nose Hill Park. These animals require water to live, therefore, taking advantage of the nearest water source…the pond.

Figure 3: Tiny flower found floating on the

surface of the water in Nose Hill pond.

Photo taken by Brittany M. on 09/2010.

My lab partner and I took a couple trips down to Nose Hill Park pond to research the organisms living in and around the pond, we did this to see if we could grasp a better understanding of the quality of the water and some things that could be the cause of the pollution or lack there of. We observed that there were many different species of insects living in and around Nose Hill Park pond. Some of these include; Cactus Fly Larvae, Water Boatman, Leeches, Amphipod, Damsel Fly Larvae, and May Flies. After further research, we concluded that these are all clean water indicators telling us it isn’t too late to change what will most likely be the outcome of this pond…death by pollution. While collecting specimens and samples from the pond, my partner and I observed a small patch of mud with what looked to be some sort of oil or gasoline, and after testing, we realized that it was in fact oil. The oil could have gotten onto the outskirts of the pond in a variety of ways, but what we all know for sure is that it is because of human interaction.

In order for change to occur, we must be aware of the problems within the pond. High levels of Phosphate (PO₄^3-) contribute to high algae growth and often results from over feeding or infrequent water changes. After further research, we established that the level of phosphate in a fresh water pond should be approximately 0mg/L; however, the phosphate levels from Nose Hill Park pond were noticeably higher at 2.5mg/L. High levels of nitrate in a fresh water pond indicate high levels of pollution. Nitrate levels in freshwater should be around 10mg/L in order to be safely consumed. Our test results showed that the pond in Nose Hill Park had nitrate levels at around 5 mg/L telling us that the water does in fact meet the federal health standards for fresh water. Concluding our experiments, we have established that the water is in fact clean, but at the same time, high amounts of algae are present which affects the amount of oxygen the other organisms in the pond can consume.

As one of the largest municipal parks in Canada, Nose Hill Park is often visited by our rapidly growing population and their pets. Although the pond may be satisfactory at the moment, it will not stay that way for long because of human interference and animal waste. It is up to us to change our harmful behaviours now before the pond is terminated. If Calgarians continue on the path that we are on leading to the destruction of the Nose Hill Park pond, it will not only affect the organisms living there now, it will also affect us. From the first stage of pollution running off into the pond from residential areas near by, the water in the pond is contaminated which is later consumed by producers in and around the pond through root uptake. Primary consumers such as deer and rabbits, innocently feed upon the contaminated producers and are thus affected by the polluted water as a result of human negligence. Next victim to the human ignorance are the secondary consumers such as coyotes. The secondary consumers feed off of the tainted primary consumers and therefore ingest the pollution. As the chemicals and human substances move up the food chain, the concentration of the pollution amplifies, this process is known as bioamplification.

As the population in Calgary grows, the amount of pollution in and around us grows along with it. Calgarians need to recognize the dramatic negative affects their lack of attention causes to the beautiful habitats that surround us; such as the Nose Hill Park pond, and change their actions immediately…before its too late. We should take note on how the level of contamination in and around the pond varies as time goes on and make sure we are taking drastic action to keep Nose Hill Park as pleasant of a park as it can be, starting with the pond.

The Pond, by Mariam

Within our vast world we have a multitude of ecosystems, each one wildly complex due to the relationships between its factors; from predation, to symbiosis, to simple coexistence. One of the greatest examples of this is the Nose Hill pond in Calgary. We have been so lucky enough to be able to do a group study of this phenomenal ecosystem with our Biology class and have chosen to explain the different symbiotic relationships within it. Within the nose hill pond both biotic (living) and abiotic ( non-living) factors exist; contributing to the cycle of life. For example- when at the park we tested the pond water and found a prevalence of phosphates and nitrates (abiotic factors), which led to increased plant life and the existence of flowering plants in the surrounding area. When sweeping through the bush we also found bees which may have come over from the nearby forest. The bees near the pond can therefore take nectar from the plants to produce honey for food and the plants can get pollinated and fulfill their purpose to propagate their genetic material. In this example the relationship between the bees and flowering plants is mutualistic, meaning they both benefit from their interaction. For our study it is important to differentiate between the separate biotic-biotic relationships of predation and parasitism.  In the nose hill pond ecosystem we examined the food pyramid- at the bottom we discovered autotrophic plants such as mint, as we move up a trophic level we can find secondary consumers such as hop fly beetles which consume mint, above them we found salamanders or tertiary consumers that eat beetles.

Figure 1.1 Black Salamander
(Robert Lewis, 2002: www.wildherps.com

Both the secondary and tertiary consumers are known as heterotrophs as they do not produce their own food. This food pyramid shows examples of predation as the respective organisms are killing and consuming the organisms in the trophic levels below them. In contrast parasitism does not kill either of the organisms, for example a mosquito (parasite) bites a passerby (host), the mosquito benefits from receiving blood for nourishment and the human suffers from pain and blood loss. In addition we found that the PH of the water was 6.5, indicating a slightly acidic but nearly neutral level – these conditions are hospitable to many life forms and therefore support a wide biodiversity within the pond  and with that a greater multitude of organisms. Oh the mysteries of ecology.

Thanks

human interference in abiotic factors of the grassland, by Victoria, David, and Fejiro

          
The Nose Hill Park of Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a significant example of the Rough Fescue grassland left on the Canadian prairies. Created to preserve a part of Alberta’s natural environment among the rapidly expanding City of Calgary, the park includes vast expanses of grassland. Although a grassland may seem simple enough (grass, dirt, grasshoppers, more grass), there are in fact many factors that make up a grassland. There are also many factors that can influence it. Of these factors, most of them have been caused or contributed to by human impact. From agricultural history to fossil fuel pollution, there are many topics that could easily become heated discussions. For today, we will discuss some of the abiotic factors of the Nose Hill grassland and how those factors are being affected by humans.

            As with many grasslands, Nose Hill Park was once used for ploughing, the planting of crops, and keeping of cattle. Although it has been decades since these actions were implemented on the park, the effects are still seen today. Early actions by humans have shaped the park since before its creation in the 1980s and even before then when the European settlers and Aboriginal people of Canada used the land. Nose Hill Park has restored itself fairly well since its days of abuse (ranching area has returned to native grassland and natural flora and fauna species have also returned), but now the park is facing other kinds of issues. First, there is the concern of global warming. Grassland areas all over the world are slowly being converted to deserts because of temperature increases in the global climate, which reduce the already low water supply of these areas (grassland biomes receive up to 150cm of precipitation less than boreal forest biomes) (Bourne, et al, 2004). If precipitation levels get too low, combined with increased evapotranspiration due to higher temperatures, there is the potential of grassland destruction. Since global warming includes all biomes, Nose Hill is definitely affected by this trend. Using a 45.75g sample of soil from the Nose Hill Grassland, we found that the soil was 19.3% water. This is a significantly lower value than the water content we measured for the Nose Hill forest, which was 40.7%. From this data we can infer that the grassland uses and requires less water than the forest. This is due to the fact that grasslands tend to be drier than forests through evapotranspiration (they most often cannot support trees, which require large amounts of water), and evaporation of water from the soil is most likely to occur in the grassland because the ground is not as sheltered from the sun, which triggers increased evaporation due to increases in temperature, as the forest (trees can block sunlight from reaching the forest floor, therefore preventing extensive water loss from the soil). The amount of water in the soil also helps to explain why Nose Hill is mostly grassland, with small forest communities. Due to the level of precipitation that Calgary receives, as displayed in Figure 2, our climate can more easily support grassland ecosystems as opposed to forests. As previously mentioned, forests require a much higher amount of water which is not always available due to low precipitation levels. Therefore, the majority of natural areas in southern Alberta are in fact grasslands. Now, how does this all relate to human impact? The effects of global warming tie in nicely with precipitation levels and water content. As the temperature of the atmosphere increases from trapped greenhouse gases that absorb heat from the sun, worldwide levels of evapotranspiration (the loss of water through evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants) will increase while precipitation will decrease (Biology-Online.org, 2005). A serious threat to the grassland due to these elements is that it may become even drier and eventually turn into a desert. Then, it would not be able to support even the limited biotic community that it does as a grassland.

            Nutrients are a very limiting factor to the types of organisms an ecosystem can support. A noticeable fact about the Nose Hill grassland soil is that it has a rather low phosphate level of 0.25ppm. Phosphate typically comes from two sources: the weathering of sediments and fertilizers. Therefore, from the evidence of a low phosphate level, we can infer that this is either due to a lack of sediments or rock in the Nose Hill grassland (any sediments present would be buried under the soil, and rocks/mountains do not have a direct impact on the grassland), or to a lack of industrial sources of phosphate (fertilizers in particular). This is good because it indicates that the grassland has not been largely impacted by fertilizers, despite run-off from domestic sources in the city such as people’s lawns. However, it is also important that the soil contains some phosphate, as it is essential to root growth in plants and is needed for the transfer and utilization of energy in the bodies of animals (Chase, et al, 1999). The small concentration in the grassland soil can be seen as something positive because the amount is not so high that it saturates the soil and supports the extensive growth of weeds and other pests which can result in interspecific competition (a simultaneous demand for resources within an ecosystem that occurs between individuals of different species) (Biology-Online.org, 2007).

The pH of the grassland is also an indicator of the soil content of the area. The grassland was found to have a pH of 6, which is slightly more basic than the forest pH of 5. The acidity or alkalinity of soil can be affected by the concentration of calcium in the soil; the more calcium there is, the more basic the soil will tend to be (Kansas, Collister, 2006). This information leads us to believe that the level of calcium in the grassland soil is higher than the level in the forest because it is more alkaline. Since the forest and grassland are adjacent to one another in the park, it is likely that they share the same or similar abiotic characteristics. However, since they are classified as being different biomes and therefore ecosystems, differences between them will always exist, no matter how close they are to one another.

            Of the abiotic factors composing climate, wind is a significant one in a grassland. Winds tend to be faster in grasslands because of the open space as opposed to in wooded areas where trees and larger plants can block wind and therefore slow it down. Since Nose Hill is a vast park that consists mainly of grassland, wind speeds can be much higher on the hills than in the rest of the city. Nonetheless, the wind tends to be impacted by the city of Calgary. Urban morphology (the form, function, and layout of a city and the study of these features) can significantly affect the intensity and patterns of wind flowing around and above cities (Hang, J., et al, 2008). Therefore, wind disruptions caused by the infrastructure within the city can impact the grassland community. Some plants are better adapted to windy areas than others, with deep, strong roots to anchor themselves and prevent stress caused by the inability to absorb water and nutrients from the soil if roots are tugged and pulled by the plant swaying in the wind. As the city of Calgary continues to grow and engage in more construction, this can indirectly impact the grasslands of Nose Hill Park. The grasslands may have problems adapting to changing wind patterns caused by the growth and expansion of the city that surrounds it.

            A factor that is probably the most obvious in the Nose Hill Park is the use of the park by the residents of Calgary and other areas. The park has undergone extensive studies to ensure minimal impact of the area by creating pathways, hiking trails, off-leash dog areas, and washroom facilities. However, the park is still widely used and enjoyed by humans. Trampling is one of the most common results of human interaction with the Nose Hill grassland; despite the paths, people do not always respect the park as a natural area and take advantage of it in their use. This includes having dogs off leashes in areas where leashes are required, as well as hiking or biking off the designated pathways. This disrupts not only the vegetation (grass can get squished if tread on too often, or even torn up by dogs and humans), but also the animals who inhabit the grasslands. Humans scare off the animals, and can severely impact the lives of animals that live at the park if they do not respect the wildlife. Too much human interaction can cause stress to the wildlife, which then impacts the rest of the ecosystem in a negative way. That is why it’s so important to appreciate the park and treat it as nicely as possible. This also includes littering. Littering is frowned upon in today’s “green” society, but this has yet to stop many people from doing it. Litter not only destroys the natural beauty of the park, but can harm various animal species (discarded containers can trap small animals, choke/suffocate birds, and poison larger animals that may ingest it). Again, these effects have ways of cycling through the ecosystem along with the biota of an area and can impact many different aspects of the environment. Toxins in the food web from one animal eating something contaminated that someone carelessly left in the park or its decomposition into the soil is a major example; this can result in toxic bioaccumulation in the ecosystem (the increase in concentration of a toxin as it travels up the food chain). Substances that bio accumulate are often fat-soluble, which means that they cannot be broken down by the organism and tend to stay in the organism’s body. If another organism eats a contaminated one, the toxins intensify further, and continue to intensify along the food chain. This can be detrimental to the health of an ecosystem, and can result in decreases in plant and animal populations and biodiversity. At Nose Hill, litter from users of the park can contribute to the build-up of poisons in the environment, depending on what the litter is. As the toxins undergo bioaccumulation, it can not only impact the exclusive ecosystem of the grassland but transfer to other areas in the park, such as the forest, or even other areas in Alberta due to the migration of birds and other animals.

            The health and vitality of the grassland at Nose Hill Park is a delicate balance, mostly due to the fact that the natural area is in the middle of a large city. Its location contributes to its vulnerability as a sustainable environmental community, and the struggle to keep Nose Hill natural will continue on into the future. Some of the impacts on the grassland are ones that we in Calgary can help prevent, such as littering, while others are bigger than us, such as climate change. For the benefit of all natural grasslands (as well as other ecosystems), a global effort is required to keep the environment as in-tact as possible. There will always be pollutants and changes in the environment, but that doesn’t mean that we humans can’t do everything in our power to help these ecosystems that are incapable of helping themselves. By analyzing the factors that influence the biotic and abiotic aspects of the Nose Hill grassland, we can determine what there is to be done about keeping the grassland at an optimal state and work on plans of action in terms of this natural maintenance.

Pond,by William and Brad

Figure 1. A sign in front of the pond

in Nose Hill. It shows a map of the

park and describes the rules of the park

            Nose Hill Natural Environment Park is a park located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 51°, 7 minutes north and 114°, 7 minutes west. The park has an area of 11.27 km² and is a natural environment park which is commonly regarded as a retreat from city life and a place to enjoy nature by the citizens of Calgary. The park is home to many species of mammals and birds, as well as reptiles and insects.The park is almost 30 years old and is a host to many kinds of ecological biomes including ponds, forests and grasslands.

The focus of this blog will be onthe aspects of the pond located at an altitude of 1152 meters above sea level, at latitude of 51.6°, 6.59 minutes north and a longitude of 114°, 8.31 minutes west. The pond is a stormwater wet pond and is home to many insects; however a flock of ducks also calls the pond home. Organisms that were confirmed to be present due to being collected as samples include, freshwater shrimp, mayfly larvae, damselfly larvae, leeches, caddisfly larvae, snails, phantom midges, predacious water beetle larvae and water boatmen (which are a type of diving beetle).

            These organisms were observed under a few conditions, the first one being at 9:50 AM at nosehill pond, when we had just collected the first sample. They were not very active and interacted very little with their surroundings (we placed aquatic plants with them, which were later used as more samples). The second time the organisms were observed was when we collected another sample of different organisms from the same section of the pond. The only difference between these two samples was a temperature change of about 2.5°C. However, in the second sample, the organisms were observed to be much more active. They interacted with each other, as well as with their environment much more than the first sample. The final time the organisms were observed was in the lab. The lab was about 21°C, which is about 13 degrees warmer than the warmest temperature recorded at nosehill. Both of the organisms from our first sample and our second sample were observed at this time. These organisms exhibited hyperactivity, despite being a in a plastic bag for over 4 days. They interacted with their surroundings very actively, as well as with each other.

Clearly the data collected in the observation above says something significant about the effects of temperature on organisms. The temperature is directly linked to the amount of activity from collected organisms. Since the lighting was about the same for the entire session at nosehill, and the lighting at the lab is about as bright as the lighting at nosehill on the day we performed our research, temperature remains to be the only strong factor for these observations. The tables below show data collected about the temperature of the pond during the early morning of September 22, 2010.

Time	Water Temperature (°C)	Ground Temperature (°C)	Air Temperature (°C)
9:50 AM	6.0	6.3	4.0
10:25 AM	8.5	7.2	8.0

Table 1. Average temperatures taken at different times in the morning

Time	Ground Temperature 30 cm from water (°C)	Ground Temperature at edge of water (°C)	Ground Temperature 15 cm into water (°C)
9:50 AM	6.5	6.0	6.5
10:25 AM	7.5	6.5	8.0

Figure 3. A photo of ducks at Nose Hill pond.

Table 2. The ground temperatures at different areas by the pond in the morning, as well as the time they were taken at.

Figure 2. A photo of a group of deer sighted
as the temperature increased.

            As shown on the tables, the temperature change from 9:50 AM to 10:25 AM was about an average of 2.5°C.  All of the organisms reacted to this temperature change, which is proved by the more frequent sightings of birds as the temperature increased, as well as much more frequent sightings of mammals and amphibians. A group of deer are shown in Figure 2. They were observed at around 10:35 AM as they moved from the pond to another area of the park. Other animals    Figure 2. A photo of a group of deer sighted such as the ducks in Figure 3 were also        as the temperature increased.

observed becoming more and more active as the temperature became warmer. Mice were also observed moving around as the temperature increased. They appeared as extremely fast black dots in the grass. They were so fast that we could not take our cameras out to take photos of them before they whizzed away. All of these organisms were affected similarly by temperature. There were differences, however they were not major. The general theme that was observed repeating for all the organisms we studied was that the temperature affected their activity levels.     Figure 3. A photo of ducks at nosehill pond.

The higher the temperature, the more active all of the animals were. This did not change for any of the species observed. Keep in mind that the organisms did not have a sudden spike of activity the moment the temperature hit a certain level. They became more active over time, eventually shifting from passively hiding in the grass to actively interacting with their surroundings. They did not have equal reactions with the surroundings either. Some organisms did not have large reactions when the temperature changed,

Figure 4. A photo of a salamander that was

found at Nose Hill park.

others did. The organism with the biggest reaction to temperature was the salamander that we collected, which can be seen in Figure 4. At 8°C the salamander was moving at a very slow rate, probably at about half a meter every minute. However, once the temperature increased the salamanders pace picked up

considerably. This occurred when it was brought into the lab and was warmed up.   It moved at over 3 times the speed that it  was moving at when it was found at nosehill park. Other species, such as the damselfly larvae, did not have such a large reaction to temperature. Although it did become more active, it did not begin moving at 3 times its pace while cold.

            Another observation that was noted was that the population of the organisms in the first sample we collected, compared to the second sample that was collected was that there were about 3 times the amount of organisms in the second sample (the one collected at a warmer temperature), than in the first sample (the one collected at a colder temperature). This is probably related to the activity of the organisms and is definitely an important factor in our study.

            As the observations suggest, temperature has a large effect on the way organisms behave. Higher temperatures increase both the amount of activity from the organisms and the population of them, while lower temperatures decrease these values. The amount of species that can also be seen also increases as the temperature increases. Temperature changes have the ability to change the way an ecosystem behaves by altering the behaviour of predators or prey, as well as changing the population of the ecosystem. This is a very important factor in the reason why an ecosystem behaves in a certain way and should definitely be studied to a degree that is much higher than the one that this study has performed.

Difference between the Forest and the Grassland, by Muyu

What differences between the forest and grassland areas in Nosehill allow the forest to exist?

Due to the large area covered by Nosehill, the terrain from one section can differ greatly from that of another.  This allows many different ecosystems to exist.  Our focus would be on the forest area within Nosehill.  Though the forest area appears to be very similar to the rest of Nosehill at first glance, many differences exist to allow the forest to strive.  The differences that will be compared will be mainly focused on soil contents and pH levels.  Soil samples were collected at the edge of the forest, 10 metres into the forest, and in the grasslands.  1.00 gram of soil was then taken and mixed with 100mL of diluted water.

The soil content is very useful in the identification of possible reasons to why the forest only exists in one area.  Ammonia in soil can cause the soil to acidify.  A test showed that the Ammonia contents were the lowest at the edge of the forest with a 0.3mg/L.  However, results show that it was the most acidic with a pH of 5.5.  The Ammonia contents was much higher in the grassland and 10 metres into the forest with 0.9mg/L and 0.6mg/L respectively, but the pH at both of these two locations were only 6.

Phosphate is essential in the growth of plants.  The Phosphate contents both inside the forest and at the edge were 1.00mg/L.  The Phosphate content in the grassland area was close to doubling that amount with 1.75mg/L.  This is to be expected because trees require much more phosphate than the low shrubs and grasses that grows in the grassland.  If the consumption of the Phosphate was taken into consideration, the Phosphate reserve in the forest should much higher than that of the grassland. 

Calcium exists in adequate amounts in most soils.  It is also essential to plants as it is the substance which is responsible for Nitrate uptake and metabolism, enzyme activity, as well as various other functions within the plant.  Inside and at the edge of the forest, Calcium contents exist at the level of 300mg/L and 400mg/L respectively.  The Calcium contents in the grassland showed similar relative ratio as Phosphate, with a level of 1080mg/L.  Once again, this did not come as a surprise because of the same reason as Phosphate.

Nitrate is another substance which is essential for plant growth because it is a basic component in proteins.  Nitrate, nitrite, amides, free amino acids and small peptides make up the most of the part of the Nitrate in the plants which does not form into proteins.  The Nitrate contents at both inside and edge of the forest were surprisingly low with 0.0mg/L in both areas.  The content level was slightly higher in the grassland with 10mg/L.

Iron is a micro nutrient for plant, this means that although it is required by the plants, it is only in small amounts.  The iron contents were quite low in all three areas.  It is only 0.1mg/L inside the forest and at the grassland.  It is 0.0mg/L at the edge of the forest.

Some other observations made inside the forest area include, species of snowberry shrubs can be found at about a 28/m² density.  Grasses can be found at about a 320/m² density.  Aspen trees can be found at about a 1/m² density. Saplings of Aspen trees can found at about a 0.8/m² density.  From that information, it can be concluded that the forest area is currently at the stage between Shrubland and Young forest in the Succession progress.  The area was also in a sheltered dip between two hills.  Little to no wind is found within and around the area.  Because of these factors, it can be concluded that almost no erosion occurred to the soil in that area.  High levels of moisture are also found within the forest area.  However, this may be caused by weather conditions.