Category: Nancy Elliot

Blog Post 1

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Blog Post 1: Observations

Initial Observations of the Study Area by Randy Nguyen

November 2, 2017

The area of study that I have chosen to investigate is Stanley Park in Vancouver, B.C.

Address: Vancouver, BC V6G 1Z4

Area: 4.049 km²

Coordinates: 49.3017° N, 123.1417° W

Weather: Clear Skies, 130C

Time and Date Visit Site: 1:25pm on November 2, 2017

Description of the study area:

This large public park borders the downtown of Vancouver in B.C and is entirely surrounded by waters of Vancouver Harbour and English Bay.  It also a very historical park which dates back during the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and after years of colonization by the British, the land was later turned into Vancouver’s first park in 1886. The name “Stanley Park”, came from the 16th Earl of Derby, a British Politician who later became a governor general.

In present time, the park draws thousands of resident and visitors everyday and to take part in recreational activities in the area.  To name a few popular attractions in Stanley, people take part in biking and walking along Vancouver seawall, forest trails, and go visit the Vancouver Aquarium.

Wild Life in Stanley Park

Stanley Park has a diverse habitat ranging from coniferous forests to boggy wetlands to sandy beaches and to rocky shores. At least 500 species are known to live in the park and to name a few: Bald eagles, bats, beavers, squirrels, coyotes, harbour seals and racoons. For plants, we have a few invasive species such as Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) and English holly (Ilex aquifolium). For native trees, we have conifers such as the western hemlock and western red cedar, and Douglas fir.

Deciduous

  • Bigleaf maple (natural regeneration)
  • Black cottonwood (natural regeneration)
  • Wild and choke cherry (natural regeneration)
  • Red alder (natural regen and planted)

Rare

  • Pacific yew
  • Cascara
  • Pacific dogwood
  • Arbutus (planted)

In recent news, the Vancouver park board is taking first steps to examine whether it would be feasible to one day reconnect Lost Lagoon with Coal Harbour to recreate a salt marsh.

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-fresh-idea-to-turn-stanley-parks-lost-lagoon-salty-again

 

With ideas from the media and my observations of the park, I can devise 3 questions to narrow down my topic for the field research project:

  • Because humans are using the park recreationally, are there any possible risks to the conservations areas and the species living there?
  • How bad has the invasive species (i.e. Himalayan Blackberry) have put other native species of plants at risk?
  • If the Vancouver park board decides for some reason to turn the Lost Lagoon to a salt marsh, what potential impact can that cause on the current wild life habiting the Lost Lagoon?

Blog Post 6: Data Collection

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Location:

Data collection took place at two locations within the same municipal park, Macaulay Park in Esquimalt, BC. I visit this site daily, as I walk my dogs here on a regular basis. I have observed some interesting nature repetitions here on my daily walks, so it seemed like the best place to do my field research study.

Replicates:

Using a systematic sampling strategy, I will compare & identify individual plant species of grasses, forbs & shrubs in two separate habitats within the same regional park. The study areas are in two separate locations, with each location sampled comprising of ten 1 meter squared quadrats along a straight transect, with each quadrat placed in an alternating pattern (left to right) along the transect line. Each quadrat was placed 5 meters apart.

In habitat 1 (exposed bluff), my transect line was placed along a well used walking path, following a straight line & using a compass to identify a start from north to south. Following the rule of ten, I sampled 10 replicate sets.

In habitat 2 (moist meadow), my transect line began at the centre of what seemed to be the most lush & plant dense area of the meadow, following a straight transect & using a compass to direct from north to south. Following the rule of ten, I sampled 10 replicate sets.

Pattern Issues:

Although I have had to change my original field project focus, & with that, have had to take a whole new set of samples for my project, I have not had any problems implementing my sample design thus far.

Hypothesis reflection:

I clearly needed to reflect on the focus of my hypothesis, which is why (after consultation from the pro, Nancy Elliot) I have simplified my project to a more palatable approach. With my newly reflected upon data results, it is clear that simplifying my research project focus has made it much easier for me to obtain clarity on my hypothesis, & my field research project as a whole. So far, some ancillary patterns reveal individual plant diversity & abundance is richest in habitat 2 (moist meadow), & plant cover is lowest in habitat 1, where plant species are much more exposed to anthropogenic activities, more extreme elements & decreased solar & moisture abundance.

 

Blog Post 4

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Blog post 4

 

For the virtual tree sampling experiment, three methods were used: systematic sampling along a topographic gradient, random sampling, and haphazard sampling. The fastest sampling technique was the systematic sampling along a topographic gradient which took 12 hours, and five minutes to complete. The tables present the two most common and rare species found during the different sampling techniques. It was also found that the systematic sampling technique along a topographic gradient had the highest accuracy for the sampling of common species. The random sampling of the tree species (Table 2.) had the highest accuracy and precision for the rare species in the tests. The haphazard sampling technique (Table 3.) had the lowest accuracy overall for both common and rare species. The overall accuracy was not affected by the species abundance in the studies. The results from the second field study (Table 2) had the highest accuracy overall for all three of the studies.

 

Table 1. Systematic sampling of tree species along a topographic gradient at Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area.

 

species # of individuals density (stems/ha) Percent error
Eastern Hemlock 141 96 25.80%
Yellow Birch 47 108.9 42.10%
Striped Maple 4 16 8.57%
White Pine 4 16 90.50%

 

Table 2. Random sampling of tree species at Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area

 

species # of individuals density (stems/ha) Percent error
Eastern Hemlock 152 633.3 34.70%
Yellow Birch 35 145.8 33.98%
Striped Maple 4 16.7 4.57%
White Pine 2 8.3 1.19%

 

Table 3. Haphazard sampling of tree species at Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area

 

species # of individuals density (stems/ha) Percent error
Eastern Hemlock 155 645.8 37.43%
Sweet Birch 48 200 70.21%
Striped Maple 2 8.3 52.57%
White Pine 1 4.2 50.00%

 

Post 9.

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Post 9. Field Research Reflections.

This project opened my eyes to a feature of the forest that I see all the time but didn’t know its importance. I always liked looking at the advanced nurse logs bearing huge trees on top of the dead wood. There are many examples in parks on Vancouver Island. I thought they were a mere curiosity; but they are an important part of the rainforest ecosystem. My study determined that dead wood hosts a wider variety of plants than the ground around them. They also have more individual plants packed on top of them than on the ground. Plants that grow on the nurse logs tend to be taller than equivalent plants growing nearby on the ground. These trees that died are literally supplying their own replacement.

Some areas for future study could include why some logs and stumps did not host any growth at all or if nurse logs are as important, or even exist, in other types of forests.

 

Post 8.

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Post 8. Tables and Graphs

My data was summarized in simple bar graphs. My separate graphs compared plant density, number of individuals and plant height between growth on the nurse logs and ground. Numbers from 21 samples were averaged out. The differences were quite noticeable; I didn’t realize how much until I graphed it. It certainly emphasizes the advantage of using a visual graphic over looking at charts of numbers.

Post 7.

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Post 7. Theoretical Perspectives.

I am comparing vegetation growth between dead wood (nurse logs) and the ground. I believe plants growth does better on the wood than on the ground. As for “why”, that probably varies from log to log. All the logs have the advantage of providing nutrients and holding moisture. In some places people walk on the ground but not on the log, so only plants on the ground are trampled. Animals such as deer may come along and forage on the plants at their level on the ground but are not able to reach plants on tall stumps. Some areas have plants that may shade out new plants attempting to germinate. Seeds that land on the stumps and logs are above the level of these competitors. In one spot there was a steep slope that nothing was growing on, except plants on a stump sticking out of the side of this hill.

Keywords: nurse logs, stumps, new plant growth

Post 6.

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Blog 6: Data Collection

I collected samples in Muir Creek, an old growth coastal rainforest west of Victoria. The terrain is very rough but there is a path through the site. I used the path as a transect line and sampled in four 30x30m quadrants space 100m apart along the line using a GPS. In each quadrant I located all stumps and logs hosting vascular growth and compared to the growth on the ground nearby. I quickly realized that just counting plants around stumps was not a fair comparison density wise. I measured the diameter of each stump and log, looked for the densest group of plants on the ground and superimposed the surface area of the stump on that spot. That way I could determine if plant growth on the ground was more or less dense than on the stump. I found a total of 21 samples. Only problems were minor. Every visit it was raining quite heavily in the rainforest, which made note taking difficult. I brought a camera to supplement the notes. I discovered previously that this very helpful as long as the picture file numbers are carefully recorded in the notes with each object. Otherwise I would have a couple hundred pictures of stumps that all look the same which would be completely useless.

Post 5.

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Blog 5: Design Reflections

My original idea was to sample deadwood (logs and stumps) and determine if a form of succession occurred on wood. I took samples from the forest but ran into several problems:

Location. The area is not too big. For this idea a larger area probably has to be sampled.

Human activity. I sampled a location that I knew had some human activity and areas that looked untouched. There seemed to be less wood on the ground than I expected. I since discovered that some people who living around the parameter of this property do go in on occasion and remove fallen trees for firewood. Since the forest isn’t that big and the area surrounding is over 40 years old too much of the wood may have been removed to capture samples of vegetation growing on logs.

Order of plant growth. I thought of treating fresh cut or broken wood like bare rock. Lichen would grow, followed by moss and then vascular plants. I saw some fresh stumps in this forest that had rotten wood in its cross-section and tiny tree seedlings growing in that. I did not take into account this factor, that some wood might already provide a habitable location for tree seeds to take root immediately after death. I also saw one stump beside the access road that had soil piled onto it during road maintenance in the last couple of years that was host to a tree seedling. The wood under the soil was still rock hard.

Wood that does host growth. The wood that did have growth was all conifer (cedar, hemlock, Douglas fir). None of the deciduous alder deadwood in my survey areas had growth. Logs outside of the survey did have some moss but nothing else. It appears, in this forest anyways that only the conifer trees are hosting new vegetation. Since the coniferous area accounts for only one third of this forest then the study area shrinks even more. There didn’t seem to be any rule that determines which deadwood plays host to vegetation. Other than type of tree that becomes nurse logs, there doesn’t seem to be any other rule about which ones will host vegetation. Growth occurred on a mix of wood, both new and old. There are stumps bearing more advanced vegetation that are clearly more recent than some other stumps that are very old and only bearing moss. One stump that does host a couple of fairly tall cedars still bears a loggers notch (part of a method of logging by hand use up to the 1930’s), but other stumps nearby even more decayed didn’t have even moss.

Time. The report in my Blog 2 was about a study on decaying wood in an experiment that had been ongoing for 65 years at the time of publication. Perhaps succession on dead wood would be best studied from fresh logs and stumps and the growth documented over time, as opposed to finding specimens with no know history and trying to piece together a pattern of succession.

Modification of idea. I visited another location in my region that has the same type of coast rainforest. This area is larger and is a regional park. There is also some known historical background. In 1913 an above ground concrete water pipe was laid through to supply Victoria. A strip of forest on either side was cleared so that trees wouldn’t fall on the pipe. The pipe was decommission many years ago but was left in place and the forest on either side is closing in to reclaim the gap. I thought this might be a better place to find samples of deadwood with successive stages of vegetation growth. I found a photograph of the pipe installation crew at work in 1913 with a giant stump prominent. I went out to the exact location and after much difficulty found the very rotted remains covered under thick shrub. Most of the other original stumps were also gone. There was also a lack of logs laying around. I did notice a pair of newer stumps in a clearing that showed something interesting. The ground in this small clearing was covered with shallon shrub too thick to even walk through. The stumps, which rose above the height of the shrubs, stood out because they bore several varieties of plants. None of the plants were shallon and they were the only plants in the clearing not shallon. On the way out of the park I noticed that the few other stumps and logs along the trail bore a greater variety of plants than the ground surrounding them. I went back to my own study area and took another look at my original samples. The logs and stumps with plants had more growth on them than on the ground around them. I am going to concentrate on determining if fallen wood is more habitable to new growth than the ground. The study area does see some human activity and there is a heavy concentration of deer that does feed in here. The park I came from also sees lots of activity in the form of hiking and mountain biking. I will locate an area to pursue this idea further.

Post 3.

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Blog 3: Ongoing Field Observations.

I plan to study the “nurse logs” that provide a place for new plants to grow.

I observed two stumps and one log that hosted new vegetation. These pieces of dead wood was in a line from the high elevation to the low elevation. This line goes from alders through the large firs and hemlocks and back into another group of alders. I would get a cross section of samples from the different groves.

All samples collected were from the large trees. The alder deadwood hosted some moss but no vascular plants. The amount and growth of vegetation differed among the three samples observed. One stump had a thick layer of moss and berry canes. The log had less moss and small trees on it. The second stump had a pair of cedar trees about 20 meters tall.

Hypotheses: Deadwood undergoes a process similar to succession. Fresh cut or broken wood hosts basic plants, like moss, before shrubs take roots, which are in turn replaced by climax stage trees.

The response variable is the deadwood which would be categorical. The explanatory variable would be the vegetation that grows on the deadwood. This would be continuous as it varies from basic mosses to large vascular plants.

Post 2.

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Blog 2: Sources Of Scientific Information.

The publication is “Coarse woody debris decomposition documented over 65 years on southern Vancouver Island”. It can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249534654_Coarse_Woody_Debris_Decomposition_Documented_over_65_years_on_Southern_Vancouver_Island

This publication is academic, peer-reviewed research material.

The authors are experts in the field. Ken Lertzman has a PhD in Zoology and is a professor at Simon Fraser University. Jeff Stone, Andy MacKinnon and John Parminter are staff with the Research Branch of the BC Ministry of Forests. They include in text references to other studies and their paper has an extensive bibliography.

The paper was reviewed by four referees.

The authors completed a field study which they document in“Methods” and “Results” sections.

Bibliography:

Stone, J. N., Mackinnon, A., Parminter, J.V. and Lertzman, K.P. (1998). Coarse woody debris decompostion documented over 65 years on southern Vancouver Island. NRC Canada.