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Post 4: Sampling strategies

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Three types of sampling were used in this online experiment. Below are the statistics collected from the test.

 

Table 1. Sampling method data for common species.

Time needed to sample % error

Eastern Hemlock

 % error Sweet birch
Systematic Sampling 12 h 15 m 8.17 % 2.81 %
Random Sampling 12 h 38 m 0.68 % 0.68 %
Haphazard Sampling 12 h 45 m 14.38 % 17.02 %

 

It can be seen in table 1 that systematic sampling took the least amount of time, being 12 hours and 15 minutes, which is still a considerable amount of time. The most common species in this experiment were the eastern hemlock and the sweet birch trees, and the least common was striped maple and white pine trees. The calculated % error for each of the sampling methods is outlined in Table 1. The Random Sampling method can be deemed most accurate for common species based on its low % error of 0.68 for both the eastern hemlock and sweet birch, when compared to the others. The Random Sampling method is the best for rare species, as determined by its lower % error values (table 2). However, the % error for all sampling methods in terms of rare species was very high. The accuracy of all three sampling methods declines for rare species when compared to using it for common species. The most accurate sampling methods for common species can be concluded to be Systematic sampling and Random sampling, with random sampling being most optimal based on their low % error values. In the same manner, the random sampling method is the best option for rare species. 24 samples were found to be insufficient, and in order to produce more accurate estimate results, more samples should be taken.

 

Table 2. Sampling method data for rare species.

Time needed to sample % error

White Pine

 % error Striped Maple
Systematic Sampling 12 h 15 m 247.0 % 100.0 %
Random Sampling 12 h 38 m 48.81 % 90.28 %
Haphazard Sampling 12 h 45 m 100.00 % 100.00%

Post 3: Ongoing Field Observations

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I have continued to view the three locations for a few days. After observation of the park and the species that reside there throughout the day, I realized I could not make a decision on which species I wanted to study. I decided to look at all the species of insects in the sanctuary, and focus on the differences in the number and species composition of insects between the three locations, which have varying amounts of water sources. I have noticed the sanctuary in particular, which is situated around water, seems to have high amounts of insects constantly flying and crawling when compared to the two other areas, which do not have a large source of water. With this observation as a basis, I hypothesize that a large, open source of water either attracts increased amounts of insects or acts as an optimal breeding ground for increased amounts of insects, when in comparison to areas that do not have as prominent of a water source. With this in mind, I predict that the bird sanctuary, having lots of open water, will contain high amounts of insect species and abundance, and areas that do not have as much of a water source, being the meadow and even more so, the residential complex will have decreasing insect species abundance and number of individuals. A potential response variable is the species richness in the area, being based upon the predictor variable, the location of the area being tested and possibly, the amount of water being made available to the insects. In this case, the data will be considered continuous, and categorical, because the species abundance can be measured on a numerical scale, but the richness or types of species in the area cannot, so is a categorical data set.

Blog 9 Field Research Reflections

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My field study into the cone gathering potentials of an urban red squirrel were very interesting.  I had no idea there already were an immense amount of scholarly articles on this topic as well as many more articles on other variables concerning the Red squirrel.  What I discovered was that the more I uncovered, the more information and avenues there were to follow.  I think this is what makes Ecology such an interesting field of study, the potential for discovery is endless.

As far as my field study went, I found I really had to think about what my response and my predictor variables were and how to apply them to my study.  I think more practice and more use of ecological tools would help in discerning what avenues to take. But again, this just reiterates the amount of work that needs to be done before even doing the actual practical side of the field study.

This course has been an eye opener into the world of ecology.  There is so much more involved than initially observing something.  It takes keen observation to detail and unbiased thinking to report what is happening in the natural world.  I found myself revising and revising time and time again until the clarity of my objective could be seen.  And even when my objective was pinpointed, I still had a hard time focusing on just one goal when so many more fascinating aspects unveiled themselves.

I wish more of these type of courses become available to students.  Even a continuation of this course with more mathematical statistic methods would be appreciated.  I believe in this day and age of financial cutbacks, a time will come when citiᴢen scientists will be an important part of future ecology if not the beginning of stewardship programs in conservation of a species.

On ending, the Western Painted Turtle is Red listed on the pacific coast and Blue listed in the intᴢerior of BC.  Red: jeopardy of losing the population Blue:  species of Concern      Urbaniᴢation and encroachment of populations on wetlands and pond habitats have fragmented the natural ecosystems of the turtle.  Barriers such as highways, agricultural fields, dams, have caused pockets of isolation and increased risk of inbreeding (weakening the gene pool), decimation of nesting grounds (sand) by hikers, atv’s, trails, livestock…..invasive species such as knapweed who’s roots can grow through a turtle egg as it incubates in the ground…climate warming and shrinking streams and habitat areas…long sexual maturity males 8 years, females 10-12 years…loss of eggs in the winter again through climate change (low snowfall and freeᴢing conditions that effectively freeᴢe and kill the egg)…and what I believe is happening on my Kootenay River: constant dropping of water levels in January (BC Hydro canals and dams that send electricity to the US ) and which, exposes the mud where the turtles are hibernating and effectively killing them with winter freeᴢing…The US and Canada have the Columbia Basin Trust Treaty whereby Canadians benefit from the dam control to the US (flooding control) by the profits of electricity sales to the US…Communities receive grant funds for improvement to their communities re: porch steps for their hall, a new oven or fridge, an outhouse…communities that have been here for under 100 years while the Western Painted Turtle, a native of these waterways in BC since the last Ice Age, receives nothing.

In closing, please support Western Painted Turtle Conservation.

Blog Post 2: Sources of Scientific Information

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I have chosen The Journal of Applied Ecology as my source of ecological information. Its home page can be found by following the link below:

 

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

 

I chose this journal because it covers a wide variety of subjects that I will be able to utilize when searching for literature for my final project. The Journal of Applied Ecology is an academic, peer-reviewed, review and research journal, so it will be an ideal place to gather trustworthy information. Below is a link to an article exploring habitat preferences, using Spizella breweri, the brewer’s sparrow, as an example;

 

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01352.x

 

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.

Post 1: Observations

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I have selected three areas of observation for my Field Research project. One large area consists of a bird sanctuary located at the edge of the Okanagan Lake. There is an abundance of various bushes, shrubs, and trees, as well as tall and short grasses. There are areas of the lake here that are protected by constructed rock barriers, forming areas of water that resemble ponds. There is a boardwalk path that leads around the sanctuary, through which pedestrians and cyclists can move. On one side of the sanctuary, there is a public beach, and on the other side, there is a field. Here, it can be seen that there are many species of birds and other small animals occupying the space. There are both predatory and passive bird species here. At the time I visited the bird sanctuary the temperature was hot, at about 25 ℃, there were very few clouds in the sky, and it was quiet except for a number of birds chirping in their differing ways.

 

The second location is a small meadow with large willow trees and grassy areas. It is beside a park, and is located inland. There are some soccer and baseball fields, leaving lots of green space. There is no open water source here, but the sprinklers from the irrigation system on the soccer field turn on frequently. The meadow and park are situated between a pedestrian path and a road, although it is quite quiet. There are birds and small animals, such as squirrels throughout the park.

 

The third location is across the street from the park, and is a condo complex with artificial turf and virtually no water sources aside from tap or hose water from the residences. It is louder here with the sound of moderate traffic  but is still fairly quiet. Not much wildlife is observable here, although some birds do land on and fly between the buildings from time to time.

 

After observing the locations, I came up with some questions I had about them;

 

  1. How many species of land birds are there in the sanctuary when compared to water birds?
  2. Does the human activity surrounding the location affect the activity of certain animals in that area?
  3. How does the species composition of insects differ between the two sites?

 

Below are some digital pictures of the area I have chosen to observe:

Above are pictures of the meadow and park located inland.

Pictured above are pictures of the bird sanctuary and pedestrian boardwalk.

 

My Journal observations are attached:

Journal Observations 1

 

Field Research Reflections (#9)

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This project was a real challenge for me. I had a very limited window of time between when the ice and snow melted in Whitehorse and when I moved down south, in which I had to make observations, come up with an idea, and gather data. After I had moved I discovered that my sample size was probably too small, but by that time it was too late to gather more samples and I had to make due with what I had recorded.

I made numerous changes to almost every component of my study as I was conducting it. I revised the organism I intended to study, my study site, my sampling methods, my graph layouts, etc. With each revision there was something to be learned, ranging from the need for specificity in order to frame an experiment, to how to convey information most effectively through tables and graphs. I particularly enjoyed my time learning to use Excel, which seems like an extremely powerful program with many applications. I also enjoyed making observations and collecting samples in a beautiful setting. Engaging with living systems as such is a joy.

In future studies, I will take more time to research the species and ecologies relevant to my organism. This will enable me to determine how to go about collecting samples and how many samples to collect. This would also help ensure that I’ve not built a hypothesis or experimental methods on falsehoods.

The process of developing ecological theory now strikes me as a painstaking and labor intensive effort. The sheer volume of data necessary to track certain ecological trends, especially over timescales relevant to long-lived organisms, is daunting. Reading through sections of Clement’s book, I was struck by the life-long dedication required to acquire enough theoretical knowledge and personal observations to bring certain ideas to fruition. In attempting to come up with a hypothesis, I found myself hampered by how little I knew about my local ecosystem. I now appreciate that a prerequisite to insightful questions is often having a relationship with the living systems you’re observing. Conducting this study has been a very informative experience in ways that go well beyond the content of the project itself.

Blog post 8

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Organizing my data into graphs was not too difficult and the data appeared to be presented most clearly in bar graph format. It may have been clearer to integrate all the data into one graph however due to the range of values and variations in units, the data was clearer to interpret when presented in two graphs.

The outcome was not as I expected, but in reflection I can understand the results. The number of ferns was greater in the shaded location compared to the sunny location which was what I predicted, however the frond size and number of fronds per crown was greater in the sunny location. I did not expect there to be a difference in frond size, or fronds per crown between sites.

One thing that I did notice that came up in my data, was that at the sunny site, the presence of ferns increased as the distance from the road increased. It was not clear if this is due to an increase in shade as the distance from the road increased, or due to the impact of the presence of the road. To further investigate this, it would be interesting to sample at locations close to the road, but with high canopy cover.

Tables and Graphs (#8)

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I made several graphs in an attempt to both learn Excel and to convey multiple analyses of the data. In total I made ten usable graphs and six test graphs as learning exercises. My first two graphs assess the height and abundance of rose bushes in disturbed and undisturbed areas across gradients of light (graph 1) and moisture (graph 2). Both size and abundance appear to correlate with light, which was not surprising, but they also seem to correlate with moisture, which I wasn’t certain about as I suspected moisture and light might have an inverse relationship. My next eight graphs plot the abundance of pioneer or climax species alongside the abundance and size of rose bushes across gradients of light (graphs 3-6) and moisture (graphs 7-10) in disturbed areas (graphs 3, 5, 7, and 9) and undisturbed areas (graphs 4, 6, 8, and 10). In the disturbed area graphs, I was surprised to see that the rose bush height and abundance both tended towards an inverse correlation with abundances of pioneer species as well as climax species. With the undisturbed area graphs, the data suggests a slight correlation between rose bush abundance and both pioneer and climax species abundances, which would also be somewhat surprising, but the data is fairly noisy and I’m not sure how useful it is to read too much into it at this point.

Deciding on a graph format took some thought, along with trial and error, to convey the information in the most efficient and accessible way. For the eight graphs illustrating species relationships, I opted for multiple line graphs so that comparisons could be easily demonstrated. For the two graphs measuring height and abundance of rose bushes in disturbed and undisturbed areas across an environmental gradient, I opted for combination bar and line graphs in order to keep the height and abundance visually distinct but easily comparable. I am satisfied with the result, but I may experiment with other forms of graphs later.

*Update: the first two graphs were incorrect because of how I organised out my data tables in Excel. After correcting the errors, the graphs reveal that rose growth seems to increase with light exposure in disturbed areas and decrease with light exposure in undisturbed areas; the former follows my predictions while the latter deviates from them. Rose growth seems to increase with moisture in disturbed areas, and not much difference is seen in undisturbed areas. Consistent with my predictions, roses were generally found to be more abundant in disturbed areas.

Blog post 7

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The main idea of my research is that the ecological environment will influence the growth and abundance of the sword fern growth. My hypothesis states a more shaded, sheltered environment would provide better growing conditions for this fern. This is based upon the understanding that ferns are semi-shade plants, and the research that shows that with increasing light intensity, fern survival is decreased. One of the sites chosen in my study is close to a walking path and a major road, so anthropogenic influences may also impact fern growth.

 

Key words: fern growth, canopy coverage, anthropogenic influence

 

Blog 8-Tables and Graphs

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I found making a bar graph worked well to show how conifer cone totals varied with distance from the red squirrel midden.  While I followed the scholarly article’s field study protocol, I immediately noticed a difference in the harvest distances of the cones by an urban red squirrel compared to a wild red squirrel.  The article focused on a 20 meter radius because it was shown that a wild red squirrel harvests 79% of the cones for the winter midden within a 20 meter radius of its midden, while the urban red squirrel used a distance of 38 meters for cone harvesting, almost double that in the wild.  The bar graph cone totals at 38 meters matched cone totals reported in Struebel’s Alaska study at 20 meters.  I found using a bar graph did well in illuminating the cone total’s similarity to the Alaska study cone totals.  The bar graph also placed emphasis on the unique spatial relationships of planted conifer trees found on urban property.  Urban properties are unique habitats for rodentia and offer unique city and park planning schemata for horticulturalists.  The graph was simple to create but what was difficult was staying focused on one aspect of the field study when so many more intriguing avenues availed themselves.