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Ecology Project Ideas

Simple projects dealing with ecology can help anyone gain a better understanding of the environment. These projects can educate as well as inform both children and adults about prominent issues such as pollution. After completing a project, you can post the results in public service announcements both online and through methods such as posters.

Plants
- Many ecology projects deal with plants and their interaction with the environment. One project covers the effects of acid rain on plants. The plants should be both native and nonnative to the experimenter's area. A mixture of water and acid is put on certain plants while other plants have just water. Another project concerns overcrowding of plants and will take several weeks to complete. Half of the plants will follow planting instructions while the other half will have less room between their plantings. Water, light and temperature should be considerations during the study.
Animals
- Animals provide a way to study ecology in any area. Frogs are a good indicator of a select location's ecological health. Access two water sources, such as a stream and a lake, and humanely catch up to 100 frogs. Mark in a notebook which are healthy and which are malformed then release each frog back into its habitat. Keep in mind that this may lead to information not only about the water source but also about nearby pollutants. Lesser dawn bats also show the effects of the environment on animals. These bats live in Southeast Asia and pollinate the durian fruit. The tongues on the animal are long enough to remove the nectar. Changes in the fruit or the bats indicate there are problems occurring in the specific area.
Water
- Water is a link between all living things. One idea for an ecological project is to observe the amount of water usage by individuals or groups of people. The information from this kind of study shows whether water is being wasted and where conservation should occur. An average length for this project is a week. In addition to this study, water can be tested for chemicals and other pollutants. Test kits are available for several factors, such as algae.
Air
- Testing air quality is an important ecological project. Use poster board or cardboard with petroleum jelly in a very thin layer. Set the board in an area currently of interest for the study. After one week, use a microscope or magnifying glass to view any particles that have become attached to the surface. Try using instruments such as rain gauges and barometers in addition to the boards as a way of compiling the most comprehensive set of data.

Nature