The+Goslings

Hello! Welcome to our Wiki! Our names are Ivelisse Santos, Vicky Rebal, Lisa Henderson and Jennifer Bremer and we are investigating the relationship between soil quality and the presence and activity of Canadian geese at Chandler's Pond in Brighton, MA.

media type="youtube" key="kxui_7ltFLU" width="425" height="350"

Researchable Question:
Does the concentration of goose droppings on the ground affect the quality of the soil as measured by the pH, and the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus?

Background Info:
The droppings of Canada geese are composed of approximately 76% carbon, 4%nitrogen, 1% phosphorus, and other compounds. As the geese feed, the consumed vegetation is quickly digested and excreted as droppings onto the ground. According to Jones & Stokes (2007), the droppings don't contribute to sources of nutrients, but rather partially digest and return nutrients to the environment. "The average Canada goose defecates 28 times per day. The dry weight of an individual goose dropping is 1.2 to 1.5 grams, equating to about 1 pound of waste per day" (Jones&Stokes, 2007).

Hypothesis:
If the nutrients in the goose droppings become part of the soil, then we expect that the quality of the soil will be affected negatively, causing increased levels of nitrogen and phosphates.

Experimental Design:
Our team selected 4 test sites for soil testing along Chandler's pond on the Lakeshore Road side. 2 sites were used as controls, with a concentration of geese droppings of 0 droppings per squared meter. The other two sites were the experimental sites and they contained geese dropping concentrations between 30 and 45 droppings per square meter. In addition to dropping concentration, each site was selected to maintain other conditions as controls. For example, the amount of grass on the test sites, the distance from a tree, time of day and temperature were kept approximately the same between test sites to avoid external variables. At each of the 4 sites, our team used a space to dig a hole approximately 4 inches deep and tested the samples of soil for the concentraions of nitrogen and phosphorus present, as well as pH.

**Link To Data **
