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How to Design an Experiment to Test for Differences Between Any Two Zones in Ecology

An ecological zone is an area of the world that has a definable combination of weather patterns, soil quality, geographic features, flora and fauna. To design an experiment that tests the differences between ecological zones, you should pick two different zones you have access to, research their typical characteristics and define what contrasting aspect of the zones you want to study, such as temperature or wildlife density. Once you've selected a narrow topic, begin choosing the apparatus and setup you will need to measure that environmental factor in both zones.

Things You'll Need

Research materials
Transportation (optional)
List of available apparatus

Instructions

- 1
  Research the ecological zones that are in your area or that you are able to travel to. These zones could include nearby forests, deserts, grasslands, mountains or shorelines. Choose the two that you want to study.
- 2
  Study the distinguishing characteristics of the two zones you have chosen. You may want to travel to the zones to see them firsthand and let interesting study topics catch your eye.
- 3
  Choose an ecological factor you would like to contrast in the two zones, such as temperature, humidity, plant density or wind speed. Consult your list of available apparatus to make sure you have the tools to measure that factor. You may want to pick an obvious difference to clearly contrast the zones, such as plant density in a forest and in a desert. Another option is to study the subtle differences in a factor that is likely to be similar between the zones or to study a factor you couldn't find information about.
- 4
  Design an experimental setup that will measure your chosen factor in each of the two zones. Decide what you will measure and how frequently, which tools you will use, how you will set them up to take accurate readings or samples and how you will prevent irrelevant environmental factors to skew your data. For example, do not put a thermometer on a hot rock or a wind gauge under a tree.
- 5
  Write a hypothesis about what difference you expect to find and why. Describe your experimental design in enough detail that someone else could replicate the experiment based only on the description you have written.

Nature