Materials
soil samples from a meadow, hemlock forest, deciduous forest
test tube with rubber stopper
hand lens
pH paper
watch glass
forceps
dilute HCl in dropper bottle
distilled water
Procedure
1.
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The soil from each site will be tested and examined separately following the steps below.
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2.
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Place a small amount of soil on the watch glass and examine it carefully with the hand lens. Note the color of the grains, the size of the grains, the presence of decayed organic matter, etc. Record this information on the chart below.
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3.
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Using the dropper from the acid bottle carefully place a drop of acid on the soil sample. Do this on several areas of your soil sample. Watch for bubbles which would indicate the presence of calcium carbonate. Record your findings.
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4.
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Mix a small spoonful of fresh soil with about 10 ml. of distilled water in the test tube. Stopper the tube and shake well. Use the forceps to lower a piece of the pH paper into the water. Match the color forceps to lower a piece of the pH paper into the water. Match the color of the pH paper to the chart on the side of the paper tape roll to determine the pH of the soil sample. Record your results.
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meadow soil
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hemlock forest soil
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deciduous forest soil
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color of soil
size of grains
organic matter?
calcium carbonate?
pH of sample
other features
Evaluation question All the samples came from East Rock Park, why are there differences in the kinds of plant-life in such a small area?