Anna Swenson

A.P. Environmental Science

Mrs. Norris
7 October 2014
NPP Lab of Fescue Plants
The purpose of this lab is to be able to determine primary productivity, which is a
measure of the amount of photosynthesis that an ecosystem undergoes and this contributes to
gross primary productivity. The gross primary productivity is the measure of the total amount of
chemical energy (glucose or sugar) created from the sunlight an area receive. Through cellular
respiration, the producers must also use some of the glucose made to create ATP. If you take the
GPP, and subtract the glucose used to create ATP, then, what is left if the net primary
productivity. The net primary productivity is the remaining chemical energy that is available to
the consumers in that ecosystem. This lab was performed by Caroline Corrigan and Jared David
as my partners. The hypothesis is that if fescue seeds are planted and trimmed to 2 cm after 7
days, then the NPP of the plant will be lower than the average of 58g/cm^2/year. There is only a
control variable in this experiment, cutting the height of the grass to 2 cm.
To perform this experiment, one will need fescue plants (grass seeds), metric ruler,
scissors, liter soda bottle, and heat lamp. The first day of the lab, one will need to plant the grass
seeds in soil and water them and continue to water them for a week. After a week, using the
metric ruler and scissors trim the grass down to 2 cm, and discard all of the clipping from the
plot. Allow the grass to continue growing for another ten days. After the ten days cut the grass
down to 2 cm again and, just like last time, discard all clipping from the plot. But this time, set
the clippings in an open petri dish to dry for 2 days. Weigh the petri dish separately without the
grass and calculate the area of the plot used in the experiment. After two days, weight the grass
clipping and record. Calculate the net primary productivity using the formula below. Then obtain
the NPP data from the other groups in the class and calculate the class average of NPP for fescue
grass. Then compare this average with the known NPP of fescue plants being 58g/cm^2/year.
Lastly calculate the percent error of the experiment.
NPP= Biomass/area/days

Data:
Group Biomass (g) Area of Plot
(cm^2)
# of Days of
Growth
NPP Regular
Form
1 .1 176.25 6 9.46 x 10^-
5
.0000946
2 .1 102 6 1.634 x
10^-4
.0001634
3 .1 195.5 6 8.52 x 10^-
5
.0000852
4 .1 163.88 6 1.017 x
10^-4
.0001017
5+6 .1 147 6 1.13 x 10^-
4
.000113
7 .1 270 6 6.17 x 10^-
5
.0000617
8 .1 240 6 6.94 x 10^-
5
.0000694

Average NPP: 1.0025 x 10^-4 or .00010025
Percent error: 99.94%


The class data showed an average NPP of 1.0025 x 10^-4 with a percent error of 99.94%.
While calculating the biomass of the fescue plants there was a skewed result in each groups
calculations. Therefore, each group assumed that the calculation of biomass would be .1. The
only varying factor after the biomass calculation was the area of the plot obtained. There were
many factors that could have skewed the results of the calculations and results such as, amount
of water, richness of soil and maintenance of the fescue while growing.
Because the percent error was so high, this method did not prove it would be an efficient
way to calculate net primary productivity of fescue plants. This method may work better on a
larger plot actually exposed to natural minerals in the soil and an even amount of rain throughout
the whole plot. The original hypothesis was correct in stating if fescue seeds are planted and
trimmed to 2 cm after 7 days, then the NPP of the plant will be lower than the average of
58g/cm^2/year. The NPP calculated was significantly lower than the average. The hypothesis
was wrong in the sense that it would be a little lower, in actuality, the NPP was in the decimal
range. To test an environmental effect on net primary productivity, you could set up many of the
same plot sizes, control the amount of water, and test acid rain on each of the plots testing the
effect of acid rain on fescue grass and its NPP. Understanding the NPP of an ecosystem is
important in being able to determine how healthy that ecosystem is, and how much biomass that
ecosystem is putting out.