User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Blog Post 6: Data Collection
I have collected data on 10 additional replicates, five at Location 2 and five at Location 3 from my initial field observations. This brings the total number of replicates to 15. Replicate quadrat locations were still chosen using a simple random scheme. I modified quadrat size to 4m2 for quadrats near and around Location 2 (approx. 3 metres from the base of the slope) because the vegetation in that area included Saskatoon berry bushes (Amelanchier alnifolia) dominantly, a larger plant than the ferns sampled using 1m2 quadrats. In addition, at Location 3 (approx. 10 metres from the base of the slope) I modified quadrat size to 25m2 because I was beginning to sample fully grown trees. I would have liked to increase quadrat size to 100m2 but to accommodate 5 replicates within the physical constraints of the lot and slope size, I had to downsize. After quadrats were selected and sectioned off, I took measurements of area of species found within the quadrats, compared that to the total area of the quadrat, and converted this to a percentage of coverage. So far, my results and observations have not led me to reconsider my hypothesis. In fact, they support it. At higher elevations the species composition nearly entirely changes. Non-vascular common ferns (Athyrium filix-femina) were found to be dominant at location 1, whereas at location 3 the dominating species are highly vascularized and developed trees such as Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) and Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera). This supports my hypothesis that the complexity of species found increases at higher elevations along the slope. A possible explanation for this is that plants at lower elevations are shaded from the sun by ornamental cedar hedges, standing at approximately 8 metres high, on the opposite side of the field.
