User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Date of observations: January 18 2018
Time: 11:00am
Location: Dallas Road pathway and Beacon Hill Park
Weather: Partly cloudy with light rain. Medium wind coming from the SE (11km/h)
Temperature: 7C
I continued to make observations at Beacon Hill Park. Today, I opted to observe the environmental gradient between the exposed coastal bluff across from Beacon Hill, across Dallas Road and a sheltered Garry Oak ecosystem on the front face of Beacon Hill. The gradient changes slightly in elevation as the distance from the ocean increases.
Today, I noted the change in appearance of the Nootka rose bush. There were noticeably more dead, brown rose hips on the bushes closer to the ocean, then in a more protected area of Beacon Hill. This pattern prompted me to consider the Nootka rose bush for my research project.
Along the gradient, I choose 3 locations to observe the Nootka rose bush. At the first location, Coastal Bluff (CB), the rose bush contained almost all dead, brown rose hips. There were no other trees. It was the most exposed to wind. Some low-lying grasses were present.
The second location, Deciduous forest (DF), was between the Coastal bluff and Dallas Road. There were substantially more red rose hips, in comparison to CB. The rose bushes were more protected by large, deciduous trees and less wind was felt.
The third location, halfway up the front face of Beacon Hill (BH), was the most protected from the wind. The elevation increased, and then plateaued. I found another patch of Nootka rose bush growing alongside Garry Oaks within a small depression. Almost all the rose hip berries were red.
I am curious about the relationship between the distance from the ocean and the Nootka rose bush.
Hypothesis: The number of red, living rose hips on the Nootka rose bush is determined by the distance it is from the ocean.
Prediction: Rose bushes further from the ocean should increase in the number of red rose hips on the Nootka rose bush, in comparison to brown, dead rose hips.
Response variable: The ratio of living, red rose hips to dead, brown rose hips
Explanatory variable: distance from the ocean
