User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
My favourite part of the research project so far has been organizing and graphing my data. I liked being able to summarize the data in order to find the patterns. I had no issues with organizing my data into an Excel spreadsheet, however I did have troubles choosing the best graph to represent the results. I had counted the number of red hips and black hips present at various Nootka Rose bushes around Dallas Road and Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, along a gradient that varied in the distance to the ocean and transferred the raw data into the spreadsheet. From there, I calculated the ratio of red to black hips at each bush and took the average for each discrete zone along the gradient. I had predicted the ratio of red hips to black hips would increase linearly as the distance from the ocean increased. Although the plants growing on the cliff’s edge did have the lowest ratio (a higher number of black hips), the intermediate site actually had the highest ratio.
This prompted me to consider reasons why an intermediate distance may have the highest ratio of red hips to black hips. Because I am using this ratio as a proxy for survival, the rose bushes that have a higher ratio may live in a micro-environment that promotes better survival. I thought the cliff plants would have the lowest red: black ratio because of the harsh conditions associated with living near a cliff. However, I thought conditions would improve at greater distances because I thought the exposure to wind may also decrease and soil conditions may improve. I will have to research reasons why the bushes on Beacon Hill would have a lower survival.
