Category: Nancy Elliot

Blog post 8

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The table I created was relatively easy to compile.  The greatest challenge was in choosing what not to include.

I had collected location data on my sample subject of invertebrates, which I thought to include in a table or figure in some manner.  Including this data would have added unnecessary complexity to the table or figure and the reader would be unlikely to gain any meaningful insights from knowing that a species was recorded 3m down a transect and 6cm to the East.

In graphical form, the data makes a visual statement that species were most often found in a non-vegetated location.  I had expected species to be found most often in vegetation, so the visual representation is particularly stark to me. Also with the invertebrate abundance being more or less equal between sites, it is a visual representation which I find interesting.

Blog Post 6

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My field data collection was ultimately collected as a “snapshot” of the site on one day.  I had been planning to collect data on multiple days over a period of weeks, however, it should be unnecessary to collect repeat information in such a short time span.  Increased sampling could also introduce confounding factors, such as counting invertebrates more than once and skewing the data to show greater abundance and diversity when there is none.

I sampled two sites, with each site consisting of three transects.  Because the study area was small, it was possible to sample the entire site with 100% coverage.  Introducing randomization for the sake of randomization in this case would have introduced unnecessary rates of error into my study.  This type of sample design was relatively easy to implement.  My only concern was in counting mobile species more than once.  Luckily, when I did encounter highly mobile species, I was able to keep an eye on them to reduce the error of counting species twice.  In a larger site, it could be beneficial to introduce smaller plot sizes and randomization to avoid counting highly mobile species more than once.

I have noticed a greater diversity of invertebrates in the native plant garden setting, which I expected, but I did not notice a greater abundance of invertebrates, which is something I had expected to observe.  Finding a small colony of ants in the turf lawn setting could account for this discrepancy as their numbers could artificially skew the data.

Blog Post 7

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The theoretical basis of my research project is plant-insect interaction theory (Stamp, N. E. 1996). Because of the complexity of plant-insect interactions, this theoretical underpinning is still being revised. My research also touches on topics of community structure, trophic levels, and the empirical evidence that plant species diversity correlates with insect species diversity.

Keywords: species richness, plant diversity, invertebrate diversity

Stamp, N. E. 1996. Developing a theory of plant-insect herbivore interactions: Are we there yet? Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 77(1), 51-61. doi:10.2307/20168007

Blog Post 3: Ongoing Field Observations

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From observing plant species along the forested Alfred Howe Greenway trail, Port Moody, BC, there was an evident yet gradual shift in general species type and abundance from the south end of the trail to the north end of the trail. More specifically, the most noticeable change occurred in the abundance and characteristics of pine trees, with an evident decline in number and size from the south end of the trail (elevation: 118 m), to the middle of the trail (elevation: 85 m), and all the way down to the north end of the trail (elevation: 50 m).

My field notes consist of the observed distribution, abundance, and character of pine trees at three points along (primarily) an elevation gradient. An urbanisation gradient could also be noted, with the north end of the trail being near Barnet Highway, in addition to observed deforestation and construction near the north end of the trail.

Please Note: My field observations also included plant pathologies noted along the same three points of the trail. Although more plant pathology was notably observed at the end of the trail, pine tree abundance will most likely form the basis of my study, although the notes taken on observed plant pathologies can illustrate the diversity and variation of plants found along the trail.

A copy of the second field journal entry is shown below:

 

Potential underlying processes that may have caused this particular pine tree distribution along the trail could include:

  • Temperature difference (as a result of varying elevation).
  • Anthropogenic impact (potential direct, selective, interference that could have disrupted natural species distribution).
  • Invasive species/competition (leading to a fewer quantity and smaller size of pine trees at the north point of the trail).
  • Soil composition (with academic papers suggesting that pine trees prefer more acidic soils (Kruckeberg, 1969)).

 

Hypothesis: Relatively colder temperature increases pine tree abundance.

Prediction: The point of the trail with the coldest average temperature will support the greatest abundance of pine trees.

Response Variable: Pine tree abundance (categorical).

Explanatory Variable: Temperature (continuous).

 

Reference: Kruckeberg, A., R. 1969. Soil diversity and the distribution of plants, with examples from western North America. Madrono 20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41423658

Blog Post 1: Observations at Colony Farm Regional Park

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The study area I have chosen for my field research project is Colony Farm Regional Park, located in the Cities of Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam, BC. The Coquitlam River that flows through the park is the physical boundary between the two cities. Colony Farm, approximately 236 hectares in size, is bound by the Lougheed Highway to the west, the Mary Hill Bypass to the south, and Shaughnessy Street to the east. Once an operating farm owned by the Province, the park is now managed as a regional park by Metro Vancouver. Land use is associated with passive recreation, agriculture, and wildlife management. A link to the park map is provided below.

Colony Farm Park Map

The park is navigable via the existing dike network and is generally flat. Cessation of farming activities has allowed for the establishment of expansive old-field habitat. Other habitat types include mixed deciduous/coniferous forest (predominantly along park edges), marsh, wetland, riverine, riparian, and hedgerow. Drainage ditches and small waterways are also prevalent along the existing trails.

I visited Colony Farm on July 2, 2018, at 1900 hours. Weather conditions at the time of the visit were clear, calm, and approximately 17 degrees Celsius. Based on my initial observations I have generated the following three questions:

  1. How does species richness vary amongst the different habitat types within the park? More specifically, which habitat type supports the greatest number of bird species and why?
  2. What factors contribute to the spatial arrangement of red elderberry bushes that occur within the old field habitat portions of the park?
  3. Do waterfowl selectively use waterways within the park that contain the greatest density of emergent vegetation? Does this vary between life stages? (fledgling, juvenile, adult)

Field Notes Blog 1 P1-3 EV

Typical view of emergent vegetation within drainage ditch south of the Pumphouse Trail
East view of a drainage ditch, located north of the Pumphouse Trail
Southeast view of a drainage ditch, located south of the Pumphouse Trail

Blog Post 3: Ongoing Field Observations

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I have frequently been observing my chosen field of study (my backyard in Parksville, BC) since the last time I wrote a blog post which was June 15th.  Today, July 4, 2018 at 1:45 PM, I have decided to once again return to the chosen site and this time journal my findings.

The temperature today is 22 degrees Celsius with a warm breeze and overcast sky. I first sat inside looking out the back window for 30 minutes prior to coming outside to see what forms of wildlife I would observe. I saw multiple birds fly by, and a couple of red squires scurry from tree to tree. I then went and sat outside on the patio closer to the forest and played music to cause a small and harmless disturbance; making my presence known.

I still saw the birds pass by but they no longer stopped on the grass, instead they would stop closer into the trees and forest. I no longer saw any more squirrels  for the remained of the time.

I then decided to step into the forest and go through a path that looped around the property. The deeper into the forest I got the more activity or indication of animal activity I noticed. There were multiple robins and other unidentified birds resting in the trees. I came across a tree deep in the forest that indicates there is probably a pileated woodpecker in the area as well. A couple of meters further I found what appeared to be an eagle feather, and lastly I  noticed an old birds nest that was abandoned in a taller cedar shrub. I didn’t see any rabbits on my walk around the property, however, I did come across some pellet feces, suggesting there was– at some point– rabbit in the area as well.

So, from the observations I’m making it seems to me that the further I venture into the forest the more wildlife there is. With all this being said I am leaning towards pursuing my initial question of: How does human activity close to the forest affect the activity of animals in the surrounding area? I have also made note that the wildlife activity is more frequent when the weather is warmer and either early in the day and later at night when human activity is minimal.

My hypothesis: Closer to human activity, the less animal activity will occur.

Prediction: The deeper I explore into the forest and the further away from the house I get, the more wildlife I will observe.

One potential response variable could be presence/absence of birds, squirrels, deer and rabbits present with each day. This would be considered a categorical variable.

A couple potential explanatory variable could be the human activity around the area, and/or the temperature of the day. This would be considered a continuous variable.

 

The suspected eagle feather.

 

The suspected woodpecker activity.

 

The old abandon birds nest.

Blog Post 4: Sampling Strategies

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The virtual forest tutorial allowed one to test three different sampling strategies: systematic sampling, random sampling and haphazard sampling. It was determined that the fastest estimated sampling time was the systematic sampling technique at 12 hours and 35 minutes. Following this was the random and haphazard techniques, with 12 hours and 43 minutes and 13 hours and 9 minutes, respectively.

The most common tree species were Eastern Hemlock and Red Maple. Systematic sampling was the most accurate of the three techniques when obtaining samples of Eastern Hemlock and Red Maple, with 17.4% and 14.4% error respectively. Random sampling of Eastern Hemlock resulted in a 20.6% error and haphazard resulted in 44.7% error. The sampling of Red Maple by the haphazard technique had 14.4% error, tying for the most accurate with systematic sampling. The least accurate technique was random sampling with 26.4% error.

The least common tree species were Striped Maple and White Pine. Of the three sampling techniques, random sampling was the most accurate. The percent error was 18.9% for Striped Maple and 50% for White Pine. Though random sampling was the most accurate overall, haphazard was more accurate when sampling striped maple with 14.3% error. Systematic was the least accurate with 128.6% error. White pine had the lowest density out of the tree species and the percent error was the greatest. The least accurate technique was haphazard with 185.7% error. Systematic sampling had 138.1% error.

Systematic sampling was the most accurate technique with the most common species. Alternatively, the most accurate technique with the least common species was random sampling. As the abundance of species decreased, the percent error increased; the exception to this was Red Maple.

Blog Post 1: Observations

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The two areas that I have selected to observe are situated on the Alfred Howe Greenway, a trail southwest of the Port Moody Arm of the Burrard Inlet, in Port Moody, BC. This forested trail is 1.1 km long and is part of a hill close to the Burnaby Mountain. This trail connects the Westhill residential area to the Barnet Highway. The area chosen for observation roughly spans 11.43 acres. This area was selected due to the steep elevation gradient between the two end points of the trail, in addition to the noticeably different vegetation in the south part of the trail in relation to the north part of the trail.

Alfred Howe Greenway and surrounding areas. (Google Maps, 2018)

My first set of observations for the trail were taken at the south point of the trail (location: 49.285 ºN, -122.8789ºW, elevation: 125 m) and the north point of the trail (location: 49.290ºN, -122.8788 ºW, elevation: 30 m) on Friday, June 29th, 2018 from 16:19 to 17:08. It was a relatively cold summer day (16 ºC). During the observation period it was cloudy with intermittent light drizzle.

The south point of the trail was densely forested with tall evergreens and smaller bushes, with some birds observed at a distance. Some unusual plant and fungi species were noted, as well as some commonly reoccurring species. A sign close to the trail warning of a high pressure underground crude oil pipeline was also noted.

Photo: South Point of Alfred Howe Greenway Trail (left). “Camouflaged” moth found resting on pathway (top right). Unusual light grey mushroom specie with an appearance of an “inverted” cap (bottom right).

The north point of the trail had vegetation more spread out with less evergreens and much more seasonal trees, in addition to a much greater amount of flowers. It was noted that many of the plant species observed had pale brown and/or pale white “discolouration”. This trail segment was mostly covered in fine gravel and included a steep sand/fine gravel slope, which had a crevasse that could potentially contain a cave opening. Bird sounds were noted, however no birds were observed.

Photo: North Point of Alfred Howe Greenway Trail (left). Berry bush with some leaves having white, chalky, spots (middle top). Foxgloves (digitalis sp.) showing signs of budding, bloom, and wilting (top right). Opening in the middle of a steep sand/fine gravel slope (bottom right).

 

Three interesting questions that could form the subject of a research project could be: 

  • What is the impact of elevation on species diversity?
  • What impact does the nearby oil and gas pipeline and activities have on the natural ecology of the surrounding area?
  • Why do many of the plants on the north point of the trail have a pathologic appearance?

 

A copy of the first field journal entry is shown below: 

Blog Post 2: Sources of Scientific Information

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For this blog post I decided to choose The Journal of Applied Ecology. This site is an excellent source of ecological information and is very reliable. I decided to pick this site because it has a variety of journals related to animals and their behavior which I believe will help me with regards to my final project. I am planning on studying “How does having human activity incorporated into the forest affect certain activity of animals in the surrounding area?” so I believe this will be a very helpful and reliable source of information.

This is the link for the homepage:

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652664

I will most likely be using journals from this part of the website, which is the journals of animal ecology:

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652656 

The Journal of Applied Ecology is an academic, peer-reviewed, review and research material.

I believe this to be the case since the site was written by experts, contained a bibliography and in-text citations, the journals had also been review by at least one referee before publication and there was a methods and results portions.

Reference:

Chalfoun, A. and Martin, T. 2007. Assessments of habitat preferences and quality depend on spatial scale and metrics of fitness. Journal of Applied Ecology 44(5): 983-992.

 

 

Blog Post 1: Observations

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The study site I have chosen is a forest that shapes its way down into a groomed lawn which is my backyard. The area is roughly half an acre of lawn and 2 acres of forest. The forest is mostly comprised of very tall pine trees, spruce and cedar trees and very few arbutus trees (mostly cedar trees however). There is also a lot of fern and cedar shrubs masking the grounds between the trees. The study area I have chosen is on the out skirts of town. It is an estate residence so the traffic passing through is minimal and all housing is about 2.5 acres apart. There is more frequent wildlife passing than human. The area is all relatively flat with a couple bumps and a slight incline from the house to the lawn up to the forest. I visited this site at 11:00 am, Friday morning on June the 15th 2018. The temperature was 16 degrees Celsius with blue skies and very minimal partial clouding. It was a beautiful day.

The first thing I couldn’t help but to notice was the obvious passing of  wildlife. I did choose this area not only because it is my backyard, but also because over the years I have seen multiple forms of wildlife step outside of the forest, out of their world, and into our world. I have seen multiple species of bird, squires, quails, mice, dear and even black bears since I have lived here. So, the obvious question I have would be: How does having human activity incorporated into the forest affect certain activity of animals in the surrounding area? Another question that interest my curiosity would be to why are the number of arbutus trees in the forest so limited and why are they found so deep into the forest? My last and final question would be: is the dominant type of bird species around my backyard (robins) due to the resources the forest provides?

 

 

The view of my yard into the forest.
A closer look into the forest.