Story Map
Margam
Main sites at
Margam FSC
1. MDS
2. Fresh water ponds
3. Nant Cwm Phillip
4. Road side stream 14 2 7 8
6 5
5. Deciduous woodland 15 2
1 11
6. Coniferous woodland 4 9
3 2
13
7. Nettles 5 12
7
8. Grazed land
9. Non-grazed land
2
10. Wild Flower meadow
11. Log piles
10
12. Long grass
13. Ancient trees 16
14. Trampled paths
15. Rhododendron invasive
species
16. Lichen
Deciduous
woodland
• This deciduous woodland containing broad leaf trees such as
Sycamore, oak, horse chestnut as well as hawthorn provides an
interesting study site.
• Things to consider: safety of site (weather dependent), sampling
strategy, how to control other environmental variables,
seasonal and other temporal changes.
• Possible areas of interest:
• Canopy cover and therefore light intensity at ground level
affecting growth.
• Species of tree, girth, height etc or density of tree growth
and associated lichens, fungi, ground flora.
• Comparison of woodland areas, deciduous v coniferous for
example in terms of plant abundance, or invertebrate
communities (e.g. using pitfall traps).
Coniferous Woodland
• This coniferous woodland containing
mainly Scots Pine is an interesting study
site.
• Things to consider: safety of site (weather
dependent), sampling strategy, how to
control other environmental variables,
seasonal and other temporal changes.
• Possible areas of interest:
• Canopy cover and therefore light
intensity at ground level affecting
growth.
• Species of tree, girth, height etc or
density of tree growth and associated
lichens, fungi, ground flora.
• Comparison of woodland areas,
deciduous v coniferous for example in
terms of plant abundance, or
invertebrate communities (e.g. using
pitfall traps).
Nettles
• This area contains patches of undisturbed Stinging Nettles
growing in the open and under the shade of large established
trees.
• Nettles are shade tolerant species and as such can grow in
low light levels but may show adaptation through leaf shape,
size or plant morphology in order to thrive.
• Things to consider: Getting stung! Representative sampling,
how many leaves to measure to get a good sample size?
• Possible areas of interest:
• Light and shade comparison.
• Increasing distance from impact of a tree canopy.
• pH of soil, competition from other plant species, soil
moisture.
• These freshwater ponds are thriving with life and has many different micro-habitats to investigate.
There is open water, vegetated edges and muddy benthic areas with decomposing leaf litter.
• Things to consider: Water safety! Where to sample that you can access safely, sampling strategy,
Fresh Water •
methods (kick sampling or sweep netting). What control variable will you need to consider?
Possible areas of interest:
Ponds • Vegetated areas vs open water, micro-habitats, different depths etc.
• Dependent variables? Species richness, diversity, individual population sizes, indicator species
etc.
• Comparison of different pond environments, e.g. is one overhung by trees and one less shaded?
• Plant succession from edge of pond.
Grazed Areas
• Areas within the estate are grazed by deer and sheep, this
grazing action controls the growing capabilities of grass and
therefore allows diversity to increase in comparison to non-
grazed grassland.
• Things to consider: Safety – sheep and deer can carry ticks!
Sampling strategy, controlling environmental variables,
grazing regime?
• Possible areas of interest:
• Species richness or diversity between the two areas?
• Height, leaf length or other morphology measurements
of a named plant species?
• Abundance of different groups e.g. Chi-squared test for
association between number of grasses and number of
rosette plants in grazed and non grazed.
• Areas of different habitats, found
close together are great for comparing
invertebrate populations, whether
using pitfall traps, sweep nets or other
methods.
• Things to consider: controlling
variables between habitats you are
comparing, sampling strategies /
collection methods that work in each
habitat, seasonality.
• Possible areas of interest:
• Difference in woodlice
populations in different habitats,
could use a chi-squared test for
association.
• Species diversity in different
habitats, effect of weather,
pollinator surveys.
• Associations between types of
invertebrate and host plants.
Log piles and long grass
Trampled paths
• Around the estate there are a series of well and
less well trampled paths leading through
grassland, woodland and mown areas.
• Things to consider: the impact of management,
indicator species (which plants can survive
trampling), what abiotic factors are relevant?
• Possible areas of interest:
• On the path vs off the path looking at a
named species, abundance, leaf length, leaf
length to width ratio, rosette size?
• Species diversity with distance from path
centre, soil compaction?
• Competition - where is it easiest to survive?
How does this affect the amount of
competition for light? How do plants adapt?
• Rhododendron are invasive non native plant species which grow voraciously if left
unchecked. They make the surrounding ground quite acidic and shade a lot of other
Rhododendro plants out.
n bushes
• Things to consider: Sampling strategy, how to sample under rhododendron bushes in
an ethical manner.
• Possible areas of interest:
• Shading / out competing native ground flora.
• pH of soil with distance from centre of bushes and affect on species diversity.
• Association between rhododendrons and soil moisture.
• The tower of this church and walls of the Chapter
House are covered in lichens of different species and
colour.
• Things to consider: sampling strategy, method of
abundance assessment, what size, shape, type of
.
quadrat, what abiotic variables are relevant?
• Possible areas of interest:
• Associations between colour of lichen and aspect
(North vs South).
• Species diversity of lichens at different heights or
on different aspects.
• Indicator species or air pollution, nitrogen levels
etc
Lichens on the church tower
and Chapter House
Pollution effects
on Lichen Things to consider: sampling strategy, method
of abundance assessment, what size, shape, type
of quadrat, what abiotic variables are relevant?
• Complete a transect across the park
looking at the effect on lichen species Think about: Species identification, tree safety,
tree type (neutral bark – oak), aspect, height
abundance in relation to distance from above sea level, wind direction.
Tata Port Talbot Steel Works.
Nant Cwm Phillip
• This little stream is narrow, shallow and has
a stony substrate. Part of it runs through the
valley and then into the wooded area.
• Things to consider: Water safety! Sampling
strategy, how would you control
environmental variables?
• Possible areas of interest:
• Open vs shaded water, different areas of
velocity, substrate changes.
• Species richness, diversity, populations
of individual species, adaptations of
organisms to different conditions.
Ancient Trees, Beech
and Oak
• This large, well established Oak tree with a fully formed canopy
provides an opportunity to look at the affect of shading as well
as thinking about the invertebrates associated with oak trees.
• Things to consider: Tree safety, gradient, orientation from tree,
changing abiotic conditions through day, year. Sampling size -
repeats?
• Possible areas of interest:
• Ground flora affected by canopy cover and light
availability.
• Invertebrate life associated with oaks, e.g. Oak Galls.
• North vs South aspect of tree, in relation to leaf size, shape.
Road side stream
• Another small stream but this one has a large
established Riparian Zone (vegetated edge). Also there
is a pollution source on the stream in the form of a
small surface outflow pipe.
• Things to consider: Water safety. abiotic factors
relevant to organic pollution, sampling strategy,
control variables.
• Possible areas of interest:
• Effects of pollution on population size, indicator
species, species diversity etc.
• Vegetated vs non-vegetated areas, categorisation
of trophic level of organisms found
