East Midlands
Soils and Enzymes
Results from Results
One good thing about research is that new ideas can come from data collected earlier in the project. The heather experiments that I did right at the start of my project yielded some nice data about nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by the heather plants. So what was so interesting about this data? Well, it seemed that if nitrogen uptake by a plant increased with atmospheric nitrogen deposition, phosphorus uptake seemed to increase in exactly the same way across all heathlands studied. As phosphorus isn't deposited in the same way as nitrogen, these seemed like some unusual results.
There could be any number of reasons for these results. One possibility is that there is something in the soil that is upregulating phosphorus uptake by heather in relation to increased nitrogen deposition. There are a number of enzymes in the soil that could be doing just this, including a group of enzymes called phosphatases. These enzymes work in exactly the same way as enzymes in our own digestive system. They break down phosphorus in the soil to make it available to plants.
This sounded like an interesting hypothesis to investigate. But to do this I need fresh soil from all of my 26 heathland sites. Back into the field then! Five months of travelling from Scotland to Lundy Island, from Norfolk to Northumberland. Same story as before: get on my hands and knees, dig up soil with a trowel, sieve in the field, and bring back to the lab for analysis.
No hiccups so far, except of course for the major snow that we had late last year, which stopped things for a couple of weeks. I will have to wait until April to see if my results show anything interesting, weather permitting. Here's hoping!
In the meantime, here is another video of me collecting soil in Sherwood Forest.
- Day to day life of a scientist
- Login or register to post comments
The Dirt Collector Returns
More Ammonia
Here is the latest video in the Dirt Collector series. Here I am checking one of my ammonia posts to make sure that all is well. This particular one is on Clumber Park in Sherwood Forest.
- Day to day life of a scientist
- Login or register to post comments
More Nitrogen Deposition
Sampling and Sabotage
Nitrogen deposition comes in many forms. It can be diffuse, deposited in rain or from industry, or it can be more localised, from a single farm stocked with cattle or chickens for example. I have already investigated the former with bioassays and modelled nitrogen data. But the latter can be so localised, a matter of hundreds of meters, that it cannot be modelled. Therefore, it has to be measured in the field.
This localised nitrogen source usually comes in the form of ammonia and can be a significant input of nitrogen pollution to heathland, affecting vegetation composition and soil fertility. I can measure it relatively easily by placing a couple of ammonia samplers atop a 1.5 m wooden post. These samplers are capable of recording cumulative ammonia in the atmosphere for up to a month. So I can leave the samplers in the field, and replace them with new ones every month. To make sure that I include variation throughout the year, including manure spreading season for example, I record ammonia data for a 12 month period. Simple!
Or is it? Cows are curious things. They not only like to scratch up against conveniently placed posts (as do most livestock), but they also eat things readily, and quite happily munch on ammonia samplers!
Consequently, I had to make sure that my posts were out of the way of curious cattle. But there is another curious animal that is more difficult to avoid. People. Fingers stray into samplers, puncturing delicate membranes. Posts also go missing.
One post is even on a scout camp...not a safe place for anything! Little signs tell adults not to touch, but this doesn't work on kids. A sign saying "CHEMICALS! DO NOT TOUCH!!" however, seemed to do the trick.
The dataset will be complete by September 2011, sabotage notwithstanding. Let's hope there is a nice trend in there somewhere!
In the Laboratory
The lab work is nearly complete.
I have been extremely busy over the last few months. I am not a chemist, but this PhD required a good chunk of chemistry. It has been a huge learning curve for me.
All my experiments so far have told me how well the heather is growing in the soils that I collected from around the country, all with different nitrogen deposition values. These new experiments will tell me WHY the plants grew the way that they did by telling me how much nitrogen and phosphorus they took in during growth. Both these elements are essential in plant growth.
During December, I was in the lab virtually every day trying to learn the tecniques involved. Things didn't always go to plan. I would fill fifty tubes with all the chemicals, only to find out that the reactions didn't take place. I remade all the reagents, but it still didn't work. It took over a week, and a great deal of research, to find out that one of the dry chemicals isn't stable in solution. It could work for three weeks, and then suddenly stop working.
During January and February I have been putting my techniques into practice. Data collection begun on January 11th. All has gone to well so far, and I hope to be finished by next week. After these experiments are complete I will hopefully start writing my first paper, and start to write my final thesis.
In the meantime, these two videos explain what I have been doing for the last few months.
- Day to day life of a scientist
- Login or register to post comments
In the lab and field
My seedlings in the lab have been growing for nearly four months.
Still the tallest plant is only a few centimeters tall.
This video shows the seedlings in June, just after they had germinated.
Four months on the video below shows the seedlings in all their glory. It's nearly time to begin harvesting them for analysis, but before that I need to spend a few days finishing up some work that took an entire summer to do.
I revisited all my sites again to collect vegetation data. This involved allocating a 50x50m area of heathland, dropping twenty 50x50cm squares (quadrats) within that area, and then recording all the plants, lichens and mosses within each quadrat.
Not only was this great fun, mainly because I got to fly in a helicopter to Lundy Island, and drive all the way up to Scotland, but it also provided me with a great deal of information about my sites.
Next comes the harvesting phase...
- Day to day life of a scientist
- Login or register to post comments
Soil Collection Begins
To start my nitrogen pollution experiments, I have to collect soil samples from every site.
I only need a small amount, so it won’t be damaging to the habitats. Each site has different levels of nitrogen pollution, so I am hoping that each soil sample with be different. Once I have collected the soil I will bring it back to my laboratory and grow heather in it for a number of months.
If all goes well, analysis of the heather plants will tell me if the soil fertility is different, depending on the nitrogen deposition from the atmosphere. Does the fertility of the soil affect the disappearance of heathland? That's what I hope to find out!
Currently I am germinating 1,050 heather seeds in the lab. I only need 250, but it is always best to overestimate the number of seeds that you think will germinate. I expect around 60-70%... we will see.
I will next update the blog after I have collected all my soil samples from across the country.
East Midlands - local nature activities and heathland research
Help conserve our precious heathland
Join in activities throughout the East Midlands to discover more about heathland, and help protect one of the rarest habitats in the world.
Heathland in decline
Heathland is in severe decline in the UK, and this is thought to be largely due to pollution. We want to learn more about the impact of pollution and how the size of the heathland area affects its diversity and survival.
Ultimately we hope to find ways to conserve this important habitat, and you can help!
Get involved
From practical conservation tasks to reptile hunts and butterfly surveys, there are many ways that you can get involved in this project.
Come to one of our events or ask us along to your society, group or school. Get in touch to find out more.
What is heathland?
Heathland is open landscape dominated by plants such as heathers, gorse and grasses. It is home to some of Britain’s rarest and most exciting wildlife, including smooth snakes and nightjars.
OPAL East Midlands film their team exploring Oak Tree Heath in Mansfield
Follow Ed Tripp's heathland research
Scientist Ed Tripp is studying the health of heathland in the UK. Visit his project page to learn all about his work, watch videos of him in action and follow his blog.
Working with heathland wildlife
Declining heathland is a concern for many different species. We interviewed Chris Monk and Erika Hogan who are studying adder populations and lichens respectively. They talk about their work and also give tips on how to get involved in similar projects.
Contact us
opaleastmidlands@nottingham.ac.uk
Heathland resources for school field trips
The following resources can help you organise a field trip to explore the heathland. They include teachers notes, ID guides, presentations and workbooks.
Upcoming events
10 March 2012 - Science in the Park, 11.00-16.00
Location: Wollaton Hall, Nottingham
Science in the Park is a free science festival for all the family. There will be a wide range of displays and lots of hands-on science activities, including a chance to try some of the OPAL surveys. No booking is necessary, just turn up on the day!
OPAL East Midlands is led by the University of Nottingham.
East Midlands partners:
Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, The National Forest, Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group, The Sherwood Forest Trust