User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Since my project is fairly basic and I have no biology background, I will not be directly investigating underlying causes of the pattern I am studying. That seems above my skill level. However, I can look at the existing literature and discuss possible causes to investigate in a hypothetical future project. Some might include: moisture and soil drainage; competition with the other plants in the area; nutrient distribution in soil; and human disturbance (there has been quite a bit of construction in the area recently). From observation, I am drawn to soil drainage being the biggest factor, but I admit that I will need to do quite a bit more reading to be able to defend that position.
I have not definitively identified the plant I am studying, but I believe that it is one of two closely related species, either crested wheatgrass (gropyron cristatum) or desert wheatgrass (A. desertorum). I will hopefully be able to find literature investigating factors that affect those species ability to grow, and can make connections between them and my own data.
Keywords: crested wheatgrass, water stress, soil drainage
