User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
The organisms which I plan on studying are Canadian Geese, B. Canadensis, and Ryegrass, L. perenne. I will be observing effects that the Canadian Gooses grazing habits have on the growth and success of the Ryegrass. I have chosen to study this at the location near McMaster University, as it is nearby my home and is easily accessible. I believe that the feeding habits of Canada Geese in the park area greatly damages the growth and success of the Ryegrass, as they feed specifically on the roots. I predict that the areas in which the geese feed will have much higher percentages of bare spots and damaged grass due to the grazing behaviour. The potential response variable in this study is the Ryegrass and the explanatory variable is the geese feeding behaviours. The response variable is continuous in nature as it will be measured in m2 and then converted to a percentage of the area of the different test sectors. The predictor/explanatory variable is categorical in nature as it depends on the presence or absence of the geese feeding in the control areas. Given this information the experiment will use a ANOVA design with a one-way layout that compares the health of the grass in grazing and non-grazing areas.
