Category: Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

The main ecological process in which my hypothesis touches upon is Herbivory. Herbivory is the consumption of plant material by animals, and herbivores are animals that are adapted to eat plants. Herbivory is a type of predation-prey interaction, which in this the case the Canada Geese is the predator and the Kentucky Bluegrass is the prey. Many plants, specifically weeds, in the park area have evolved defenses like chemicals and thorns to protect themselves from the predators, so the Canada Geese must be careful to pick the less defensive plants, such as the Kentucky Bluegrass. Another process which the hypothesis relates to is the reproductive (and evolutionary) fitness of the Kentucky Bluegrass species in the park area. The hypothesis speaks to the level of damage inflicted by Canada Geese on Kentucky Bluegrass in the grazing area relative to the level of damage in a non-grazing area. This shows how the Canada Geese grazing habits are affecting the fitness of the Kentucky Bluegrass. I have predicted that the study will show that overall the grazing habits of Canada Geese will cause more damage to the grass species than if there was no grazing at all. This damage will decrease the amount of grass in the area and therefore reduce the reproductive fitness of the Kentucky Bluegrass species. Three keywords that I would use to describe my research project would be:

1.  Canada Goose Grazing Habits
2. Herbivory Interaction of Canada Goose and Kentucky Bluegrass
3. Managing Negative Impacts of Canada Geese

This research project on moss richness on the tree trunks with different levels of tree top exposer touches on understanding the affects sunlight, rainfall, to snowfall has on moss richness in Canada. Where if there is direct exposer to the weather conditions how would this effect the richness of moss found growing on the trunks of trees that were observed at the end of British Columbia winter and the beginning of spring were the temperatures ranged from 5-15 C and during the 2 weeks the experiment was conducted rainfall, snowfall, and clear skies had all occurred at the location.

key words: moss richness, weather conditions, canopy coverage

In my field study, I am investigating the species composition of mosses occurring on differing slope positions on rock outcrops.  My hypothesis is that there will be different species of mosses growing in the different slope positions of the rock outcrops.  The ecological theory is that abiotic environmental factors vary with slope position, such as the slope, aspect, and substrate, which may affect the suitability of the habitat for each species.  Additional abiotic factors that may influence which species of moss will grow are the micro-climatic conditions, which is further influenced by the distance to the recently cleared forest edge and the resulting edge effect.  In addition, biotic factors such as interspecific competition and the cover of overstorey and understorey vegetation may also influence which species of moss will grow.  Each species may require a particular set of growing conditions or occupy a particular ecological niche, which thus influence where it will grow.

3 keywords are: mosses, rock outcrops, species composition

The theoretical basis of my research project is to demonstrate how species richness and diversity differs along a spatial gradient. The Thompson Rivers University (TRU) campus has different spatial gradients – from grasslands to wooded areas – causing a distribution of bird species throughout the campus. Dominant species at each of the sites can be determined via species abundance at each of the sites. Further research can then be done as to why the dominant species prefers that type or landscape over another.

It is also important to note that human activity can affect the distribution of bird species as some of the study sites were more heavily influenced by human contact than others. Furthermore, weather patterns can also affect species abundance. If one study area is more exposed than another it will experience more wind which could further influence the bird species associated with that location.

Keywords: bird species, species abundance, spatial gradient

The theoretical basis of my research project examines how rocky shore exposure to wave action at Jetty beach and Castle beach, Pembrokeshire, affects the length to aperture ratio of dog whelks at 4 metres above chart datum. The factors affecting the desiccation of dog whelks are temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and light intensity. These abiotic factors may cause the dog whelks to migrate up or down the shore depending on the varying conditions. Predation and feeding are definitely biotic factors affecting dog whelks. Crabs and birds are common predators and thicker and longer shells provide protection against crabs on sheltered shores. The reason dog whelks stay on the lower shore relative to the upper shore may be for protection against birds so they may not be seen.

Apart from the environmental factors affecting the dog whelks’ shells, genetic factors may also affect the shape of their shells. Human activity may also disrupt the species habitat. Crothers explains that dog whelks spend hours on top of their feed in order to digest it, therefore I returned them to their original spot to minimize disruption to their feeding cycle when I was measuring their shells.

Keywords: Dog-whelks, shell size, exposure