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I visited the study site which was the area located near my house. Due to high industrial activity and its proximity to my house, I decided to evaluate the type and abundance of plant species in this area. One of the most notable species which I identified was the nodding onion (Allium cernuum). My field study was to evaluate the growth pattern of this plant. I will be determining the abundance of the plant at different locations, plant integrity and the proportion of land that is covered with this plant relative to its proximity to the industrial site. I have observed that the distribution of the plant differs with regards to the proximity of the area to the industrial sites. Upon inspection, the nodding onion plant was most abundantly located at locations distal to the industrial sites. One possible explanation was an increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the surrounding soil located at proximity to the industrial site. Heavy metal concentration in the soil can be facilitated by the transport of heavy metal particles by the rain and the wind. Increased heavy metals can impact soil integrity by affecting key microbial processes leading to a decrease in soil microorganisms. Heavy metals can also inhibit plant metabolism leading to stunted plant growth. Given the fact that this plant is found most abundantly in areas distal to the industrial sites, I hypothesize that heavy metal concentration in the soil will be higher in areas at close proximity to the industrial site which will, in turn, lead to less abundance of the nodding onion plant in this site. The response variable in this study will be the abundance of nodding onions relative to the proximity of the site to the areas of high industrial activity. This variable can thus be classed as categorical. One potential explanatory variable will be the rain while the wind can be classified as another explanatory variable. These two variables are thus classified as continuous variables.
Hi there,
The idea of your study seems super cool, who would have thought that industrial activity could hav such a positive impact on certain species. Your hypothesis of an increase in nodding onion around the industrial sites due to increase heavy metals is an interesting one! I think you should consider how you plan on collecting your data as the increase in onion relative to the site could possibly be effected by more than just heavy concentration. Maybe the industrial activity has lead to increased sunlight or poor site drainage that lead to a better growing environment for this species. I would consider making your hypothesis a bit more specific in order to guarantee that these heavy metals are the cause of the increased plant growth
Cheers Colin