Succession Lab Form

Succession Lab Form

1.  Place about ¼ inch of gravel in the bottom of the baking tray for drainage. Cover this with about ½ inch of soil. This will become the meadow.

2.  Place the Petri dish in the soil in the center of the baking tray so that the top edge of the dish is level with the soil surface. Sprinkle a thin layer of soil into the bottom of the Petri dish. This will become the pond.

3.  Slowly pour water into the Petri dish so that the Petri dish is full. Lightly spray the meadow with the plant sprayer until the soil is damp and moist throughout, but not dripping wet.

4.  Sprinkle a handful of grass seeds over the entire pan, including in the pond.

5.  Observe the meadow and pond every day.

6.  Continue sprinkling grass seeds over the meadow and pond every 3 to 4 days. This represents additional seeds that are blown into the meadow.

7.  Lightly water the meadow and pond with the plant sprayer once a week. Just a few squirts will do. Do not refill the pond! However, DO make sure that the soil remains moist all the time—don’t ever let it dry out. This represents rain that has fallen on the meadow and pond.

8.  After 1 week, sprinkle some flower seeds and birdseed on the soil along with the grass seeds. The larger plants that will grow represent the gradual invasion of shrubs and trees into the meadow habitat. Over time, the meadow will transform into a forest.

As you work through this activity, answer the following questions.

1.  In your own words, write the purpose of this activity (this can be a question).

2.  How long did it take for the seeds on land to begin to grow?

3.  What happened to the seeds that fell in the pond while the pond had water in it?

4.  What happened to the seeds that fell in the pond after the pond had dried up?

5.  How long did it take for the pond to dry up?

6.  What event or events might cause a real pond to become a forest?

7.  What sort of animals might live in the meadow habitat you created? Would you expect these same animals to live there once the forest plants (the taller flowers) started to grow?