Ecosystem Questions based on Tucson Schoolyard Photo
1995 Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA)

Ecologists attending a session on the SYEFEST project were given the prompt: In teacher workshops at 15 sites with over 160 elementary teachers, few good ecosystem-level questions or investigations arose. Your challenge ... Write "Three Questions" on the index card that come to mind about this schoolyard from an ecosystem perspective. Be yourself as an ecologist/learner and think of questions you'd be interested in investigating. You have 2 minutes!

• How does the climate influence soil horizons?
• How are soil organisms affected by climate?
• What impact do students have on the area shown?



• Edge effects of concrete slab on plant and therefore animal communities?
• Temperature effect on edge ecosystem next to wall vs. open area of grass?
• Impact of high use and compaction on open areas?



• What is the difference in temperature between green and brown sites?
• How many insects per unit area are there in the green and brown areas?
• Are there any living organisms within the boundaries of the cement areas?



• What is the impact of the concrete on border grasses?
• Is the browning of the grass seasonal or from lack of nutrients?



• What is the composition of the greener patches?
• Why are greener patches where they are?
• Are insects equally distributed in the field?



• Compare green and yellow grass patches

     -species composition (plant & animal)
     -soil
     -texture, compaction, moisture

• Run transects to evaluate vegetational change from the edge of the cement to the low spots



• Why are some areas of grass greener than others (nutrient cycle/fungi)?
• What are the differences in biota among these sites? (Are there different organisms - more organisms at green sites?)



• How much biomass in 1m5 of plants above and below ground?
• What are the primary consumers ? Where do they live, etc?
• How can we characterize the water cycle ( inputs, outputs)?



• Does this ecosystem fix or respire non-photosynthetic energy?
• What is a daily energy budget?
• What is the annual net production?



• Why pattern of green and brown vegetation?
• Why organisms occupy these 2 habitats?
• Are biota responsible for brown-green pattern?
• Does topography or soil type account for pattern?



• Are there earthworms on this schoolyard, and where (green parts/yellow parts)?
• Which plant species can survive on this schoolyard?
• Where are beetles?
       -concentration
       -diversity
  
  
• What would be the effect of increased water on this environment?
• What amount of species diversity (plant or insect) is present on the site?



• Date of establishment of park?
• Supplemental watering?
• Type of grass species?



• What causes the patchiness of the green?
• How does the water runoff from the cement slabs effect the surrounding environment?



• How does annual/seasonal patterns in rainfall effect the biotic community?
• What are nutrient inputs/outputs to this system (natural, human-mediated)?



• Why is some of the grass green and some brown?
• What organisms live in the green and brown areas?
• Is the cement devoid of life?



• Nutrient cycling and availability in different patches?
• Trophic complexity?
• Hydrologic cycle and plant phenology?



• Why are there green patches?
• How has compaction affected the vegetation and soil?
• Why aren't there are trees?



• The vegetation pattern

     -identify
     -describe
     -quantify
• What is responsible for the vegetation pattern observed?



• What role do the blackbirds play on the lawn ecosystem?
• What impact have humans had on the schoolyard ecosystem (lawn area)?