Today we went outside to the woods behind Belle Epoque in order to look for some ant colonies. We flagged them and we mapped them to know their location, and using a gps, we wrote down their coordinates. We also determined whether they were active or not. The class spread out in order to find as many ant colonies as possible.
Day 2
| Today, we went to the woods in Beau Reveil, and although the weather was not the best, we still managed to find some of the information we needed. It is important because that way we may find about their environments, if there are patterns, and to better know the types of insects that surround our school. After looking for Ant Colony L for a while, we managed to find it in coordinates 7°0'35'E 46°20'32'N. The team decided to name it "The Antpire". We discovered that it was in fact, active, and in a scale from 1-10 we gave it a 4 for level of activity. As we recorded location we noticed the fact of whether they were active or not, their size, amount of ants that could be seen, any special thing about the area where the mound was found. We also happened to notice something very peculiar when observing the green ground cover percentage. Exactly half of the ground surrounding the ant mound looked green and very alive while the other half was nothing but dirt and and bits of green here and there. We estimated that 50% of the surroundings of the colony were covered in green. Afterwards we proceeded to stand near the mound and look up to the canopy. We observed that part of the sky was covered by trees within a 5 meter radius of the colony. Each member gave his/her estimate of coverage and we ended up with an average of 30%. It would be interesting to find out which types of ants exactly live in the mounds inside the school’s forest, as well as the reasons for which the ants must’ve chosen to locate their mounts in that specific place. |   |
Day 3
Once again we went to the woods of Beau Reveil to make some observations on our assigned ant mound. The morning was extremely foggy and we could not see more than some 10 meters in front of us. This time, it was even harder to find our assigned colony L, but after a couple of minutes we were able to find it in the hill. Due to the fact that it had rained the night before, the woods were muddy and slippery, making it harder to reach our ant mound.
Finally, after reaching our ant colony, we located the three nearest trees. Using a tape measure, we carefully measured the distance for each. We also measured the circumference of the trees at chest height.
Finally, after reaching our ant colony, we located the three nearest trees. Using a tape measure, we carefully measured the distance for each. We also measured the circumference of the trees at chest height.
 |
|
| Afterwards, we proceeded to identify the type of trees surrounding our Antpire. We noticed that the needles were attached individually. We noticed that they were round and we were able to roll them with our fingers, leading us to believe that the trees were spruces. Once again, we all gave our estimates about the percentage of the canopy cover, and the results were the same. Our estimates put together gave us an average of 30% canopy cover. We also got the same result that we did last time when we estimated the percentage of green surrounding the colony, which was about 50%. Again, we all contributed our opinion on the level of activity in our ant mound from 1-10, estimating a total of 4. With the help of the bamboo sticks and two of our team members we proceeded to measure the height of our colony. We placed a bamboo stick beside the colony and measured that. We then used another bamboo stick, by placing it on the opposite side of the ant mound and measured the diameter. |  |
Height of Ant Colony |
Diameter of Ant Colony |
82 cm |
96.3 cm |
If we were to study the effect of the trees in ant colonies our independent variable would be the surrounding trees, while the ant colony would be the dependent variable. During the winter months it is only natural that the snow will melt off the ant mounds quicker than anywhere else because of the heat provided by ant activity in general, their constant moving, building, reproducing, etc. Overall, it was a great experience because it was very interesting to record the size and species of the tree surrounding our ant mound to compare with other teams and see if the trees affect the ant mounds in activity or size. It was also nice to see other activity in the woods. As the fog dispersed we had the luck of noticing beautiful deer running in the distance. It was an amazing experience.
Mijal, Karla, Santiago, Jeronimo
Mijal, Karla, Santiago, Jeronimo
RSS Feed
