Category: Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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The theoretical basis of my research project is to determine if Virginia creeper is negatively affected by the presence of anthropogenic activity. The central assumption is then examined in three areas; the first has largely been disturbed by anthropogenic activity as the natural area has been cleared and a road of sand has been built, the second area has moderately been disturbed by anthropogenic activity with some trees selectively removed, and the final area has not been disturbed anthropogenically.

The sanded area differs from the other two areas in that the Virginia creeper has more direct access to sunlight to promote growth and less competition with other plant species for nutrients. However, in this area, Virginia creeper growth can also be inhibited by sections of densely packed sand.

The second area presents the greatest opportunity for Virginia creeper to grow as selective logging clears the overhead canopy providing more sunlight and the removal of the trees presents more soil nutrients and less competition for the vine to flourish.

The final area that has not been disturbed by anthropogenic activity has provided Virginia creeper the greatest amount of time to naturally grow. I have observed that in areas of natural treefall, the Virginia creeper has opportunistically overtaken these areas and has used its adhesive tendrils to climb trees in other areas.

Three keywords: anthropogenic activity, woodland region, Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Post 7

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Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives
Create a blog post where you briefly discuss the theoretical basis of your research project. What ecological processes might your hypothesis touch on? For example, in the buttercup sampling videos, Dr. Baldwin’s research is concerned primarily with reproductive (and evolutionary) fitness, but also relates to pollination. What ideas underpin your research? When you submit a research article for publication, you need to provide several keywords that summarize what your research is about. For example, a paper published from the research described in the wetland sampling videos included depressional wetlands, disturbance gradient, functional groups, and livestock grazing as keywords. Please list three keywords that you could use to describe your research project.

Three keywords I would use are seed dispersal, berry and fruit feeders and light preferences. I would use these keywords because I am assessing the correlation between poison ivy and other fruit growth. The seed dispersal refers to how the poison ivy and fruit got where they are, the berry and fruit feeders functional group refers to who got the seeds there and the light preferences refers to other variables taken into account for poison ivy distribution.

Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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My project looks at Salvelinus Fontinalis  presence in a creek that is heavily intruded on by humans. The ecological processes I intend to explore are nutrient cycling, reproduction and anthropogenic disturbances.

Nutrient cycling will hopefully allow a deeper inspection into the impacts of pollution, habitat destruction and reduction and what the aesthetic cleaning of the creek is doing to the health of the water and its inhabitants. I also hope to look at how it has affected the creek bed and sides. Is it possible that frequent pruning of trees has resulted in shallow root systems and potentially less support for the sides of the creek to withstand seasonal flooding?

When exploring reproduction of Salvelinus Fontinalis I hope to explore their historic breeding space. What pH is optimal for reproduction? Is there a preferred sediment base? Do they need a certain amount of cover from surrounding shrubbery? Historically, has this been a highly sought after spot for spawning?

Anthropogenic disturbances  play a role in every area I hope to explore, but specifically I hope to look at what the overall impacts are of cleaning debris from the creek on water flow, shrubbery health and the organisms which reside in the waters and surrounding grasslands. Does the frequent disturbance of the creek bed and surrounding land reduce viable spawning grounds for the fish? Has the area become too urbanized with walking paths, bridges and maintenance for the habitat to maintain viability?

Key words: Anthropogenic disturbances, Spawning, Habitat destruction

Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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As I am compiling my data, I have gained more understanding of what may cause ants to be in higher concentrations in certain areas.  One theoretical perspective that fits with my project is how vegetation disturbance affects ant abundance. The disturbance in my study includes complete removal of the weeds and mowing. Another one that fits my project is how does the lack of vegetation, or patchiness affect ants. Given the lack of vegetation in part of my yard and the abundance in the other part of my yard it would be possible to compare the amount of ants in both. Furthermore, how vegetation type affects ants would also fit my project given that part of my yard is grass and the other part is weedy.

Key terms that summarize my research are: vegetative patchiness, arthropod abundance, and disturbance.

Blog Post 7 – Theoretical Perspectives

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After completing my replicates research from my study site, I have come to find a better understanding of what possible theories could parallel my project. The topic that seems to fit most aptly relates to anthropogenic disturbances. These are disturbances that are caused by human activity, which result in smaller-scale ecological changes. From what I can gather through my research so far, it is indicative that the Western Honeybee pollination activity is being affected by anthropogenic habitats (the adjacent road). The combination of noise pollution and higher human activity could be the cause of the decreased Honeybee activity closer to the road. Because the honeybee activity decreases as you get closer to the road, a disturbance gradient would best define this phenomenon. My initial hypothesis touches on this topic, and I hope to see more research to further solidify the answer to my project’s question.

Keywords to summarize my research includes the following: anthropogenic disturbances, honeybee pollination and disturbance gradient.

Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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Some of the theoretical perspectives that my research project may discuss could be how different species respond to flooding, whether seasonal or nuisance. At what amount of soil moisture does vegetation for certain species begin to degrade or deteriorate. Other ideas could be if contaminants are present in stormwater and if so, how do they affect vegetation. Another aspect could be how does human interference and traffic and unnatural barriers affect the growth rate of vegetation.
Key words to help describe my research project could be stormwater, flooding and vegetation response and moisture content.

Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives.

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The theoretical basis of my research project is to determine why the geese prefer a particular type of waterbody and grassland over another. The underlying factors that underpin my research of the geese density are- disturbance, weather and the vegetation. The geese prefer the vegetation around the ponds which had common groundsel and common plantain, the soil moisture seemed to support their growth more. There were a lot more trails along the river which had more human activity. And the vegetation was more of grasses and coniferous trees which support other wildlife. This might be the reason why the geese prefer to raise their young and stay around the ponds. It would be safer and more food resources for them. My research keywords will be- Geese Density, Grassland Vegetation and Waterbody.

Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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The theoretical basis or aim of my research project is to determine the likely cause of the observed variance in soil texture along a slope gradient in a grassland ecosystem. The theory that I am exploring and forms the parameters for my field data collection include, slope gradient and vegetation type and cover as possible explanatory factors for the observed variance in soil texture. Ideas that underpin my research include the understanding the gravity & water transport finer soil particles further away from steep slope positions then coarser soil particles. Another idea is the role that vegetation plays in determining soil texture in a given site.

Keywords: Soil texture, slope gradient, grassland ecosystem.

Post 7 Theoretical Perspectives

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The three keywords underlying the processes of my research project are conservation, ecosystem, and insects. Through observation of my study site, I found out that insects are important components of biodiversity. Therefore, it is important to understand and appreciate the several functions of the insects in the ecosystem. Biology teachers intending to conduct field research must first acquire a basic understanding of the ecology to implement the course

Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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The ecological process that underlies my research is reproduction. My hypothesis has changed somewhat throughout the process of gathering my data and literature review, but the main concept of seed pod production varying due to an environmental factor has remained the same. As factors like light availability and disturbance vary, the ability of a plant to thrive and reproduce should also vary. Too much disturbance and the plant fails to reach maturity as a result of being damaged, too little light and the seeds that do get produced may be infertile. A gradient should be identifiable between beneficial and detrimental conditions.

Keywords for my paper would be:  Dog strangling vine, follicle, disturbance.