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I did not have any difficulties summarizing my abundance data in a simple bar graph, categorized by the three kinds of soil upon which my hypothesis is based. I graphed the relationship between the soil texture at each site along my environmental gradient and the abundance of individual trees sampled. The outcome supported my hypothesis that western redcedar trees would dominate areas of loamy soil that have better moisture-retaining properties than the sandy sites. The bar graph neatly summarizes the presence and absence of the three main species of the area: western redcedar (Thuja plicata), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). The data did not reveal anything unexpected, but it inspired me to look into why western redcedar was completely absent from the sandy site (site 1) but was represented in the silty site (site 3). This prompted me to research competition between species in the interior cedar-hemlock biogeoclimatic zone, specifically between shade-tolerant and shade-intolerant species. It also inspired me to think critically about the overlapping niches of each species and how their evolutionary history has played a role in the spatial distribution of individuals within a mature stand.
