High school students discover fieldwork guided by WCMC-Q biologist
May,2008
Measuring up: the group divided the
ground into precise plots...
A recent trip outside Doha was a day of discovery for a group of high school students and teachers as they came down to earth investigating plant life in a coastal area under the guidance of WCMC-Q biologist, Dr. Renee Richer.
And for all but one of the 14 boys from Omar Bin Al Khattab School in Doha, it was the first time they had visited Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC), a 248 sq km energy-based development on Qatar's northeast coast.
The expedition was part of an introduction to scientific research that began with a presentation to the group at WCMC-Q in April, and led on to a day's work by the sea in mid-May.
RLIC's boundaries encompass a zone ranging from tidal flats to sandy desert, effectively cordoned off from encroachment by grazing animals and off-road vehicles, and monitored by the city's own environmental scientists. This makes the area a useful source of information about "intact plant communities rarely seen in Qatar," Dr. Richer explained.
The young scientists began by measuring out 10mx10m plots using GPS coordinates, marking out each plot using string and moving approximately 500m inland. Then they got down to work to identify the flora on the ground.
...and then got down to work identifying the
plants, observed by Dr. Richer (left)
"We recorded all the species that were present, and then the number of individual (plants) present," she said. "As the environmental conditions change coming in from the coast, you see a shift in species, and a shift in the abundance of species."
Among their finds were perennials with succulent leaves such as Halopeplis perfoliata; sedge; and sea lavender (Limonium axillare), glowing with pink flowers. The group also came across a rarity: the chlorophyll-lacking parasite Cynomorium coccineum,the lone species in the family Cynomoriaceae.
The visitors were able to identify their finds thanks to a booklet compiled by Dr. Richer, who is lecturer in biology and an expert in the ecology of arid regions.
A rare find: The parasite Cynomorium coccineum,
or red thumb, and its (possible) nearby host.
The next step will be to reconvene at the Medical College to plot their data on Google Earth. The information can be used as a baseline for continuing investigations of the same area - there is particular interest now in capturing the annuals that appear in the cooler season.
Dr. Richer said the fieldwork was a productive learning experience, and it would be ongoing. "I want to go back to the students and ask them what didn't work well, and what can we improve on our sampling technique…the task is to come up with improved techniques for the next time we go out."
The day at RLIC also opened the students' eyes to the wide range of career opportunities for biologists and medical specialists, notably through a presentation by QatarGas marine biologist, Dr. Iain MacDonald.
Report by Sylvia M. Ismail
Photographs courtesy of Renee Richer, Ph.D.
