Sometimes in ecosystems, the amount of organisms is so large that to even think about counting every dandelion on a golf course or counting every frog egg in a pond seems impossible. Sampling allows ecologists to get an idea of the bigger picture in a much easier way. When you take a bite of your dinner you have a pretty good idea of how the rest of your meal will taste. This is because you have taken a sample or portion that is representative of the entire meal. Random sampling can answer lots of questions within ecosystems. How fast are trees growing? How moist is the soil in a meadow? How many mice live within a certain area? Are there enough trees to prevent soil erosion? Often time, these samples can show inconsistencies in a theory or hypothesis. Generalized knowledge, or bits of general knowledge, can help ecologists make decisions about the organisms they are watching over. If samplings show that beetles are killing so many trees each year, then maybe spraying to get rid of the beetle might be a good idea before the whole forest is infected. Random sampling can help ecologists predict the growth of populations and the costs it makes to the population. For example, sampling the carp population in Utah Lake helps scientists learn when to take out carp from the lake and how many they should take. Now you can't get in trouble when sampling food before dinner...you can say its...scientific sampling, because you need to know if you'll be at the dinner table or heading out to the nearest McDonalds... It's all about science!!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |