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Blog Post 8 – Tables and Graphs

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The data that was collected was separated into 4 different categories. The first three are the locations where the species observations were made (House of Learning, Science Building, House 9), and the fourth was a table of how many people were seen in each location over a span of an hour. For all four tables, the averages (means) were calculated and bar charts were used to summarize the data.

The tables generally supported the hypothesis however, further statistical analysis will help determine this.

Blog Post 7 – Theoretical Perspectives

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My research project focuses on how the presence of humans effects the number of different species found on the Thompson Rivers University campus. In theory in locations where there is a higher number of humans present, there will be more species which are known to thrive in urbanized environments (such as crows, magpies and pigeons). I will also be discussing how the vegetation and building type affects the species distribution of the three location on campus which were studied.

Three keywords which can be used to describe my research project are species distribution, anthropogenic influences, and population density.

Blog Post 6 – Data Collection

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For the data collected near the House of Learning, 10 replicates were taken. For the data collected near the science building and house 9, 6 replicates were taken. I also made observations for the number of people around the three buildings. For this data collection, 3 replicated were taken. This was collected to confirm the theory that there will be more human traffic around the larger buildings.

Another pattern that I have noticed through my observations is that different vegetation is around the different observation points. This may influence the different species of birds which are more abundant in said locations.

Blog Post 5 – Design Reflections

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Difficulties in executing the sampling strategy was mostly due to recognition. Since I’m not an ornithologist, I cannot say for certain that I did not count the same bird more than once.

The data that was collected was not overly surprising. I will continue collecting the data for the different birds using the same method however two locations were added, the science building and house 9. As well a couple of observations were made in each location to count the number of people to back up the predictions of which area has the most human traffic within a day.

Blog Post 3 – Ongoing Field Observations

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For the research project I will be looking at which species of birds are most common on the Thompson Rivers University campus.

When observing the different birds on campus I have noticed that there are quite a large number of larger scavenger type birds (ex magpies). These birds are not just seen in the central part of campus which I had discussed in previous forum posts but all over campus (from House 9 all the way to the Ken Leppin Building).

Since the TRU campus is not a natural environment (like marsh land or forest) there is a greater amount of human traffic. My hypothesis therefore is that, due to the increase in human presence, there will be more scavenger type birds, such as magpies, crows, pigeons, etc.

Blog Post 2 – Sources of Scientific Information

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The ecological source is an Academic Article from the Thompson Rivers University Online Library (https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=689d59b7-b546-4192-b075-17f64281cdfe%40pdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=edsjsr.10.1525.cond.2010.090045&db=edsjsr ).

The paper is written by experts in the field. Giancarlo Sadoti is an animal ecologist and physical geographer, Thomas J. Rodhouse is also an ecologist, and Kerri T. Vierling is a professor of wildlife recourses. The paper also has in-text citations and a full bibliography which means the paper is academic material.

The paper is published in the American Ornithological Societies Condor journal (http://www.americanornithology.org/content/auk-ornithological-advances ) which has an extensive peer review process before any paper is published, therefore suggesting this paper is academic peer reviewed material.

Finally, because the paper includes detailed methods, sampling and analysis sections the paper is considered academic, peer reviewed, research material.

Blog Post 1 – Observations

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The location that I have chosen to observe is the center of the Thompson Rivers University Campus. There are a number of ornamental plants, large trees and grasses. Depending on time of day the campus can go from little to no human traffic to lots of human traffic. The area that I am observing is approximately 400 to 500 m in circumference and is an oval/circular area with walkways and buildings on the perimeter and grass and a few trees in the center. I will be visiting this location in the afternoons during March and early April to make my observations. From my initial observations of this location the three questions that could possibly be turned into a research project are…

  • What time of day are there the largest number of birds present?
  • Does human traffic affect the number of birds on campus?
  • What species of birds are most common on campus?

The following image is a drawing of the location which I chose to observe. Please note this drawing was done from the fourth floor of the House of Learning.

Post 3: Ongoing Field Observations: Courtenay Estuary/ K’Omosks Estuary

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Posted on April 22, 2019, by caudia

Cathy Audia

April 16, 2019

 

Upon my first visit to the Courtenay Estuary I noticed the reed type plants in the tidal flats appeared to be dead.  Moving upwards toward the shoreline the percentage of the healthy reeds increased in number. As my first visit was early spring, I began to wonder if the reeds die off and grow back seasonally, or if there was another factor.  Perhaps too much moisture had caused the reeds to parish.   For this natural experiment the biological attribute I will study are the reed type plants. I went back to the estuary one week later and found no change to report.  The weather was overcast, the temperature was 12 degrees Celsius and the time was 14:20.

I divided the estuary into 3 zones.

Zone 1: Tidal flats consisting mostly of muddy sand, seagrass, seaweed, and reeds, would be completely covered in water with each high-tide.

Zone 2:  Marshy area between the tidal flats and the bank, this area consists of more of the same vegetation as the tidal flats as well as some other types of plants, rocks, and logs. This area would be covered by the water during some high-tides.

Zone 3: The sloped sandy bank consists of some the same types of plants found in zone 2 but the plants appear much healthier. This area would rarely be covered in water.

Hypothesis: The reeds will grow back as spring progresses with the greatest abundance of healthy reeds located in zone 2.

Prediction: The reeds will not thrive in zone 1 due to too much moisture, conversely, they will not thrive in zone 3 due to too little moisture. The slope of the gradient is the factor that reduces each zone’s contact with water.

The reed-like plants are the response variable and the amount of moisture in the sand is the predictor variable.  The response variable will be measured with a continuous scale as the sliding scale will allow me to be more specific conveying the health of the plants.

Blog Post 5: Design Reflections

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The only difficulty I encountered was when I originally when to my study site to collect data and the edges of the river hadn’t been completely unthawed. Considering I would be measuring the water depth that cattail was growing, I couldn’t exactly measure frozen water. To fix this problem I just waited another two weeks until the water was completely thawed. The data I collected was not at all surprising and I don’t think my approach needs any modification.

Post Five: Design Reflections: Cates Park

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My sampling strategy had a few difficulties, and therefore I decided to attempt another, hoping to redeem my first effort.

The first sampling strategy used a transect with alternating quadrats. Using my roommate’s measuring tape was the first challenge, since it only had imperial measurements, so I had to convert data into centimetres. I’m grateful I had a willing assistant who could help lay the measuring tape along the necessary gradients. The data collected was surprising as it revealed low numbers, and I realized that my next similar attempt should be on a more grand scale. I will need to be creative with data collection along points that are steep or heavily forested. One other difficulty was creating a data sheet template that would work for my purposes. I improvised and moved the data to a new spreadsheet that was more organized.

The second set of data collected was haphazard and distance based, and I believe, more successful. Five trees were selected haphazardly for ease of access in this forested region. These were the centre point where I measured neighbouring species. Again, the tape measure was not an ideal tool, and I benefited from having someone to assist. After the data collection, I realized I should have created a map, image or layout of where each tree was situated in relation to the midpoint. This data was predicted but I’m looking forward to more sampling.

I will likely continue to collect data with the second approach, and add another kind of sampling strategy to assist in the bigger picture of my hypothesis. By adding varied sampling techniques, replicates and variables, I will likely be able to prove or disprove my prediction and hypothesis. Modifications to data collection will also include appropriate measuring techniques and recruiting more volunteers!