User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
My research project was to examine the presence of a green color on the trunk of aspen trees. My hypothesis was that the green color would be present only on the south side of the tree trunk in order to maximize sun exposure. The green indicates the presence of chlorophyll which trees use to perform photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is necessary for the trees to produce energy and is especially needed in the winter during the harsh conditions. The presence of the green color could be an indication that the trees are still able to photosynthesize in the winter without the presence of any leaves. This ability could give them a competitive advantage over other deciduous trees that do not have this ability. This ability would also likely improve the winter hardiness of the tree and give it a head start on leaf production in the spring which would allow the tree to make leaves ahead of others again giving it a competitive advantage and possibly blocking the access of other plants to the sun. This ability could also translate to increased reproductive fitness and overall increased survival rates. While I was collecting my data I also noticed that there was some variation noted in regards to tree circumference and the presence or absence of green color as well as related to the presence of surrounding competition and access to sunlight. I look forward to analyzing the data to see what I can learn from it. Three keywords I would use to describe my research project would be competitive advantage, winter survival, and resource sharing.
