Soil Respiration

    

Advances in Biology Laboratory Education, 2020, Volume 41

Randi L. Mewhort, Christina G. Elliott, & Donna Wakeford

https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v41.art13

Abstract

This guided inquiry laboratory exercise is an excellent opportunity to introduce carbon cycling and some of the issues associated with climate change. Students in our major/minor programs generate a class hypothesis using summarized research on soil respiration and vote on a treatment option: soil type, litter type, water levels or temperature. Respiration chambers incubate for a week, and the amount of CO₂ produced over the seven days is determined the following week. This is an easy, low tech way to teach these concepts, but could be adapted to use probes to measure CO₂ directly. This activity is very adaptable to highlight different skills such as hypothesis testing, statistical analysis and experimental design. In institutions with more space resources this could be easily adapted for more inquiry-based approaches.

Keywords:  ecology, hypothesis testing, climate change, carbon cycle

University of Ottawa (2019)