Workshop in Plant Nutrient Analysis

Fall 2012

Class project

The purpose of this exercise is to give you practice in determining the nutrient content of relevant environmental samples. Since the resources for doing these analyses come out of my lab’s research budget, please limit the number of analyses that you do to around 20 determinations (negotiable).

You will pose an easily testable question that can be answered by analyzing about 20 samples for nutrient content in 2 different matrices (aqueous, biomass, soil, etc). You can use samples you have collected as part of your thesis research, or you can collect samples expressly for this assignment. You will complete all of the analyses, and then analyze your results with a simple experimental design (think regression, one way ANOVA or t-tests) to answer the testable question that you proposed. You will write this exercise up as a 2 page (maximum) report, with introduction, methods, results and discussion, all properly referenced (references, figures and tables don’t count to the 2 page limit).

This assignment is due 5pm December 5^th. Please submit your reports as a single PDF file, sent to me via email.

Examples of simple questions that would make good projects:

1) Does light availability influence nutrient partitioning in a grassland?

2) Does the presence of roosting seabirds enhance nutrient availability in mangrove forests?

3) Are alligator dens local nutrient hotspots in the oligotrophic Everglades?