User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
- Identify the organism or biological attribute that you plan to study. Canadian Geese
-
On the grass: every goose is more spread out from one another. Their distribution is more spread out and everyone is picking at the grass, looking for something to eat. There are a lot ~30 geese presentBy the trees: in the summer months the geese were either under the trees or some of them were in the sun (sunbathing). they were always in groups thoughOn the lake: only a few left the group to go to the lake but they always go in groups. Around 6-7 of them were present on the lake and they peck at the water at first and stood by the riverside and then eventually went in the lake with some of them swimming and some still on the edge.
- Think about underlying processes that may cause any patterns that you have observed. A: All of the geese stay in pairs, even though they may be spread out from another, they are always together. Postulate one hypothesis and make one formal prediction based on that hypothesis. Hypothesis: What is in the habitat of Canadian Geese that causes them to gather in large numbers? What food sources do Geese look for on the grass?
- Based on your hypothesis and prediction, list one potential response variable and one potential explanatory variable and whether they would be categorical or continuous. Use the experimental design tutorial to help you with this.
Response Variable: Which foods are rich in grasslands that cater to the diets of Canadian Geese.
Explanatory Variable: The types of food sources available. (Categorical)
I am still not clear how your study site is laid out and where each area is in relation to each other, how big each area is etc. How dense are the trees and what is the understory vegetation? How big is the lake and where is it relative to the other areas, what is the vegetation around the lake? I am not clear why the lake is one of the areas on your gradient when you’re questions are related to foraging. Have you observed them foraging on the lake?
I am not clear on the wording of your hypothesis, what is the pattern you expect in terms of geese and you need to have the process in there too – what is driving the pattern you are observing. I recommend you review the tutorial on developing hypotheses. These now should move from questions to statements on what you think is going to happen. You also need a prediction which is the more specific statement of what you will measure. Again, see the tutorial.
I’m not clear on how you plan to measure your response variable and I do not really understand what it is? What does ‘which foods are rich in grasslands’ mean? Neither of your variables have to do with measuring geese? You will need to put some time into how you will measure your variables and how you will achieve replication.
I enjoy that you chose Canadian Geese to be your subject of interest as they are often present, however, largely overlooked. The subjects you have chosen to investigate, especially the food sources geese would look for in the grass is compelling as I could see this changing in the different places they migrate to, as well as, if there are humans nearby or if they are building habitats in the wilderness. I would suggest that you readjust the form of your hypotheses to statements rather than questions. A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested and proved or disproved, whereas, you have posed two research questions. A suggestion for each could be, “The habitat of Canadian Geese causes them to gather in large numbers.” and “Canadian Geese choose specific areas that are rich in sources of food.”
A lack of a detailed definition of the response and explanatory variables could create potential problems in the ability to measure samples. However, the type of food sources is a strong dependent variable to measure. Confounding factors that could be present are human-induced changes to their traditional environments, food remnants left by humans, variation in geese habitats, and food source availability as a result.