Every year at the University of Cincinnati
Clermont campus, studies of habitats are performed by the spring Ecology
class. Data from previous Ecology classes was used to compare the
state of the present habitat and the state of the habitat in previous years.
With these data, changes in a habitat can be monitored and possibly explained.
The focus of the Ecology class for the spring
of 2001 was the new wetlands, or ponds area. Mapping, soil and water
analysis, random tree pair analysis, flora and fauna sampling, and environmental
factors were used to determine the state of the wetlands. The environmental
factors used in the study included light intensity, wind velocity, air
and soil temperatures, and relative humidity.
The data that was obtained from these tests
will hopefully be used to give future Ecology classes information to do
an update on the wetlands. Periodic testing could be performed to
make sure that the wetland’s organisms are flourishing, and the area remains
healthy.