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I was able to collect measurements on 50 replicates at the Queen Elizabeth duck pond. 50 individual wild rose plants (Rosa acicularis) were observed. Ten replicates were recorded in each of the five height categories (1-50cm, 51-100cm, 101-150cm, 151-200cm, and 201-250cm). The heights of the plants were recorded as well as the distance from the apical bud to each of the first 15 vegetative buds.
Measurements were much more difficult to collect this time compared to the first data collection as the vegetative buds have all sprouted into small branches containing leaves and flowers. The new growth is all a vibrant green colour while the original stems are a rich red colour so it is still easy to tell the difference between the new growth and the stem. The new growth made seeing the measuring tape and the junctions of the new growth and the stem much harder. Although the measurements were harder to collect, with added time accurate measurements were still possible.
One issue with data collection is that for some of the shorter plants observed there were less than 15 buds. This is especially true for the 1-50cm category. This may lead to the exclusion of this category in some of the data analysis steps.
Initial data analysis appears to support the hypothesis. The spacing between the buds does not seem to be altered by plant height. An ANOVA will have to be conducted to confirm this observation.
