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Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives
From a theoretical perspective, my research touches on competition, the differences between vascular and non-vascular plants, and how the topography of an area affects species composition. Competition is when organisms interfere with each other while trying to access resources. This seems to be apparent in my field research because the ornamental hedges on the side of the field opposite to the slope have grown taller and left the plants at the base of the slope in the shade, therefore outcompeting them for access to sunlight. One of the major differences between vascular and non-vascular plants is the presence of vascular tissue (xylem, phloem, etc.) and therefore the ability to move water in a larger body. In my opinion, this presence of vascular tissue is what allowed the Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) and Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) found in my study area to grow tall enough to avoid the shade produced by the ornamental hedges and have sufficient access to sunlight. The topography of this area is important because as the elevation increases along the slope there is an apparent shift in the dominant and most plentiful species.
Three keywords that reference my research are elevation gradient, species coverage or percent coverage, and Athyrium filix-femina, one of the dominant species I am studying.
