Ecology lab report

Construction of a Formal Introduction
Your introduction should provide the reader with all the context and background information
necessary to understand the study and research motivation. The content of good introductions
is often organized as an inverted triangle: begin by discussing the topic broadly and end with a
very specific outline of the research goals. Please use the following structure for your
introduction:

1. Begin with a broad overview of the topic. What are invasive
plant species? Why is it important to investigate the role of
belowground interactions in their growth/success? Define any
unfamiliar concepts, terminology, or ideas where necessary.
(1 paragraph)
2. Discuss what we already know about the topic and what remains
to be understood by ecologists. Provide specific examples from
the literature. The information provided in this section
should directly support the hypotheses you provide at the
end of the introduction. It should explain to the reader
the motivation behind your research and justify your selection
for most and least diverse habitats (2-3 paragraphs)
3. Introduce your research questions. What ecological question(s) is your study looking to
address? Clearly state your research hypotheses. (1 paragraph)

BLG567 Nunes, Krystal – Report Introduction Page 1 of 4
Ryerson University (X University) Department of Chemistry and Biology

BLG567 Ecology

CONSTRUCTING A LAB REPORT
PART 1: THE INTRODUCTION
Weight: 10% of final grade
Due Date: 18 February 2022 at 9:00 PM

Learning Objectives
1. Formulate testable hypotheses based on preliminary observations
2. Develop quantifiable predictions aligned with the hypotheses
3. Support hypotheses with evidence from the peer-reviewed scientific literature
4. Create a properly formatted reference list and in-text citations

Background
Please attend/watch the lecture recording from 25 January 2022 for a more detailed description
of the experiment.

You are an ecologist interested in the impact of soil microorganisms (bacteria, microarthropods
and fungi) on the growth of a (hypothetical) non-native herbaceous plant, Krystalus nunesi. This
plant is native to Portugal but has become invasive in southern and central Ontario. You collect
soil from four locations across Ontario:
1. Toronto, where K. nunesi was first introduced and has been established for >50 years
2. Sudbury, where K. nunesi has been established for 30-40 years
3. Timmins, where K. nunesi has been established for 10-20 years
4. Moosonee, where K. nunesi only appeared in the last year

You order K. nunesi seeds from an online European distributor and germinate them in lab under
sterile conditions. You will plant these seeds in the soils collected from each of the four
locations, as well as sterilized soil from each location (as control). You will grow them in a
growth chamber under consistent light and watering conditions ideal for growth, and after 4
months you will measure plant growth.

The data collected from this experiment will be provided to you. However, as with all scientific
experiments, before commencing data collection one must first familiarize themselves with
the existing literature, clearly define the research objectives, and create testable hypothese

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