User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Some initial findings of my data collection in which the mosses occurring on different slope positions on several rock outcrops were identified and their percent cover classified are shown in Figure 1 (included in Assignment 5). Specifically, Figure 1 illustrates the number of plots on which each species occurs within each slope position, summarized across the 4 replicate plots.
I did not have any difficulty organizing, aggregating or summarizing my data, although I did have to manually calculate the number of plots in which each species occured based on my field data. I also had to separate out the results in order to see the results per slope position instead of just as an overall total.
I found it interesting that the three most abundant species overall (PYLSP, PLESCH, DICSCO) occurred on all slope positions and that these were the only species to occur on the west-facing slopes. I also found it interesting that of all of the other species that occurred, each of these occurred only in one slope position. These include RACCAN, which only occurs on the crest, HYPSUB and HETPRO, which only occur on the eastern slopes, and KINORE and RHYLOR, which only occur in the depressions. This was only unexpected in that it does illustrate what I had predicted, which is a pleasant surprise. This confirms, at least initially, that I am on the right track in my investigation.
As a separate study, it could be interesting to specifically target the species of moss that were found only on one slope position elsewhere within the study area, and to collect data on the same environmental attributes (i.e. slope position, slope, aspect, substrate, overstorey and understorey cover) in these locations. Analysis of that data could reveal whether the occurrences of these species on a particular slope position are a trend or just isolated occurrences, and also to tease out which, if any, environmental attributes are correlated with the occurrences of these species.
