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Post 1: Observations

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Blog Post 1

 

Area:

This is Lac Du Bois grasslands, which is adjacent to Tranquille Rd. in Kamloops BC.

 

Physical:

This area is characterized by volcanic cliffs and serpentine soils that show up as red outcroppings, which has given rise to the name Cinnamon Ridge.

 

Size:

The area in question is a little over 1 hectare (10,000 m2)

 

Location:

Kamloops, BC

 

Vegetation:

Bunchgrass Ecosystem (BPPE)

 

Designation:

This area was designated in 1995 as Lac Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area as its formal name under the BC Parks Act.

 

When:

Sunday January 13, 2019 at approximately 12:30 pm

I hiked through muddy tracks to reach the test area and remained there until about 2:30

The weather was overcast & -1oC, with little snow left on the ground.

 

I was driving by Cinnamon Ridge composting area and noticed a patch of land that appeared to have a disturbance.  In 2009, from what I have been told, there was a spark from the CN railway in a very hot summer day that started a grass fire that spread up into the Lac Du Bois grasslands.  As the provincial fire control center by the Kamloops Airport was close by, they responded immediately and the fire did not spread too quickly.  Being a naturalist, I walked through the area, making observations about the differences in two areas.  What I observed was somewhat surprising, where there was a distinct edge where on one side there were many plant varieties growing, including sagebrush, and the other side where there were less vegetation and little to no sagebrush.  There was a distinct trail that people use for hiking and biking on one edge separating the two areas.  There were burnt out stumps of sagebrush scattered throughout the disturbed area.  Although it has been 10 years since this fire occurred, it is surprising to see how slowly this area has taken to recover from such a disturbance.  I observed cactus, sagebrush, a variety of different grasses that grew in different bunches like funnels, and patches of lichen & mosses scattered over the ground that formed a “crust”, as well as some early stages of weeds such as knapweed.  This crust that was covering the soil was curious, and after speaking to others about this area I learned this crust served to keep the moisture in the soil, and seemed to only grow where the sagebrush is growing. The smaller sage had foliage that smelled quite nice and fragrant.

 

Questions:

 

  1. Why are there no sagebrush growing in the burned area and why is the bunchgrass able to grow so well in the disturbed area?
  2. How different are the two areas in respect to other vegetation, without consideration for sagebrush?
  3. Are the differences seen in this site similar to other sites in the same region that have experienced such a disturbance?

 

 

 

Burn site near Cinnamon Ridge

 

Ecotone division; Burn site, North facing, Lac Du Bois
Burn site, facing West, Lac Du Bois
Sagebrush

 

Lichen/Moss Covering Ground

 

Post 9: Field Research Reflections

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This was my first experience collecting ecological data for a study, I found it to be enjoyable but difficult. I found it difficult to decide on a research topic because there were so many options to choose from at my location! I believe I followed by experimental design pretty well, however, I did make a few changes throughout the course of my field research:

  • During initial data collection I recorded which quadrant (NW, NE, SW, SE) each tree was present, I found that this was immensely time consuming and the exact quadrant location of each tree was not of importance to this study
  • Elimination of Alnus rubra – My reconnaissance of the study area I realized I only observed two juvenile Alnus rubra trees, and decided that I would choose sample points which lacked these two trees. I chose to do so because it would create empty data which had no significance to this study
  • After my data collection, I decided to rank the exposure levels of each area rather than referring to them as ‘protected’ or ‘direct’. I allocated a level number of 1 to the most protected areas and 6 to the most direct.

Implementing an experimental design in the context of ecology was extremely eye opening. I discovered that there are several steps to follow for accurately formulating a successful study.

Post 8: Tables and Graphs

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Here is my proposed graph from the data I collected:

I decided to show each tree species at each exposure level rather than creating three graphs of each species. I attempted several formats before concluding that this was the most representable option.

These results slightly follow the predicted pattern, Quercus garryana most abundant in low exposure regions, and Pseudotsuga menziesii present in the highest exposure level. The pattern varies off track slightly, showing that my results may require further interpretation. The Quercus garryana trend does show significantly low values at the highest exposure level. Pseudotsuga menziesii values vary with a parabola trend. The Arbutus menziesii data appear to demonstrate an unexpected trend – low values in extreme high and extreme low exposure levels. This result may indicate that Arbutus menziesii require very specific conditions for growth. Arbutus menziesii values are also relatively low, showing that in both extremes it is not the dominant species.

Further exploration could include analyzing the substrate type and soil cover in each area, to determine if the trends follow the same pattern.

Blog Post 1: Observations

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The area that I have chosen to study is a forested area located within the city of Ottawa’s Greenbelt. Specifically, the forested area is located on Stony Swamp Trail (hereafter referred to as the Trail) off of Old Richmond Road, Ottawa, Ontario Canada. As the study area is located on a trail, the total distance studied will be approximately 1.5km north east from the entrance of the Trail. The landscape is relatively flat with a maximum elevation of 140m in the area.

The vegetation in the area is quite coarse as it is located within the city’s greenbelt which facilitates older growth vegetation in the area.

The study site was visited on December 8, 2018 at 1500. The weather at the time was -8.2C (Environment Canada).

Questions:

  1. Do human activities influence the density and diversity of avian species on Stony Swamp Trail?
  2. Is the basal area of local tree species influenced by temperature in the winter months?
  3. Does sound pollution from the nearest two-lane highway influence the density and diversity of avian species at varying distances on Stony Swamp Trail?

Field Notes

Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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My hypothesis is based on the ecological process of small scale changes in habitat, therefore, relative tree abundance in a range of environments. I predicted that there would be more Douglas fir and less Garry oak trees in areas of direct ocean exposure.

My project focusses on the ecological processes of competition and adaptation. Through my project I am hoping to deduce an abundance pattern between tree species and direct ocean exposure. Douglas fir trees are described as competitors against garry oak trees, which changes the garry oak ecosystem drastically. Historicaly, garry oak ecosystems have experiences aboriginal induced burning practices to reset the environment. If my predictions are correct, the harsher environment Douglas firs can withstand contribute to the rate of competition. Another ecological process to consider is the range of environments in Piper’s lagoon, some may experience higher risk of being overtaken. The areas in which Douglas firs are more abundant appear densely packed forest, whereas Garry oak trees appear to thrive in rocky sunny substrate areas.

Three keywords to describe my research project:

  • Exposure
  • Tree habitat
  • Adaptation

Blog; 3

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Blog Post 3: Ongoing Field Observations

The organism I am going to study is the large Eastern Grey Squirrel in areas of the View Royal Park. The Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is an invasive species from Eastern Canada which out-competes our native squirrels. They are better suited to the city environment than our native red and brown squirrels according to the BC SPCA, so their invasive ecological impact is not as critical in urban settings. I’ve noticed the distribution of squirrels around the park is not equal and they tend to be found in different parts at different times of the day.

The environmental gradient I will use is three locations along the park. The first location in the middle of the off-leash park where no squirrels have yet to be observed at any time of day; the second location is the trees surrounding the off-leash park where squirrels have been observed at certain times of day, and finally the third gradient location which is outside the off-leash area near the childrens play area, where the most squirrels have been observed at most times of day. At busy times in the off-leash area of the dog park, no squirrels have been observed. Even if the park is unusually quiet at that time of day. these times include 0600-0800 and again at 1530-dusk. The area of the park where off-leash dogs are prohibited, squirrels are observed at constant numbers at all times of the day.

Hypothesis: The distribution of squirrels throughout the park is influenced by the occurrence of off-leash dogs. as squirrels are prey animals and dogs are predators. The squirrels avoid the off-leash area of the park at times of day when dogs are more likely to appear.

Response variable- The squirrel distribution behaviour Explanatory variable- The occurrence of off-leash predators (dogs)These variables are categorical as they have a finite category to fall into. Whether the squirrels are or are not there and whether the dogs are likely or unlikely to be there based on the time of day

Post 6: Data Collection

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Data was collected January 16th 2019 at 9:00am at Piper’s Lagoon, Nanaimo, BC

I separated my area into six areas (A through F) in which I implemented a closest distance quadrant method. Each sample point I recorded the nearest four tree species, and each area contained 5 sample points resulting in 120 tree species recorded. I chose to separate the points enough that any tree would not be sampled twice. I recorded the location of points on a separate map. I decided to remove Alnus rubra from the analysis because only a single tree was observed (but not recorded). I found it difficult to choose representative sites without being biased. I wanted to record data that represented each area, therefore, chose to consistently follow the footpath.

The six areas studied had previously been divided into ocean exposure levels from 1-6, 1 being the most protected. Most protected E > F > A >B> D > C

The observed patterns during data collection were:

  • Quercus garryana and Arbutus menziesii occur in similar environments on rocky substrates with little soil
  • Pseudotsuga menziesii grow concentrated together forming forested environment
  • Quercus garryana was observed in every area in different abundances

These made me reflect on my hypothesis that ocean exposure affects angiosperm occurrence. Perhaps other factors such as substrate type are contributing to the pattern.

Post 9: Field Research

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Overall, my experience in designing and carrying out a field experiment was very eye opening. This was my first time completing research of this length. I had a few challenges along the way and learned a lot about what it takes to be successful in a study like this. Firstly, I struggled with time management. This being my first online course, it was hard to stay on top of things when there were no weekly deadlines. Additionally, I realize now that I did not put enough time into the initial planning of my field study. I had the general idea of what I wanted to do, however, there were details like where to sample, putting enough information in my field journal and even my initial hypothesis that I did not plan enough. It would have saved me time overall if I spent a bit of extra time planning in the beginning before actually going out and collecting samples. Considering the amount of planning, testing and time that went into my relatively small field assignment, my appreciation for the ecological theory and the ecologists who do research has definitely increased.

Post 8: Tables and graphs

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Overall, I did not have any difficulties aggregating and summarizing my data. I created a table showing the percent soil moisture content for each replicate, and also a mean percent soil moisture content for each location (Douglas fir, sagebrush and cattail). I ran an ANOVA test and t-tests on the data in this table and found that there was a significance between the values, (p < 0.05). The results from the tests did not surprise me, that is because when looking at the data, each location had percent soil moisture values that very rarely overlapped with the other locations.

Additionally, I graphed the mean percent soil moisture for each location in a bar graph. In this graph I used standard deviation error bars which did not overlap, also suggesting that there is a significant difference between the percent soil moisture content at each location.

Given my findings, it would be interesting to look at more locations (with the same Douglas fir, sagebrush, and cattail species),in different cities or even just different areas of Kamloops to see if the soil moisture varies much from what I found in my chosen locations.

1: Observations

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Blog Post 1: Observations of my chosen area.

The area I chose for my research project is my local dog park in Victoria’s View Royal area. The city park is approximately the size of two football fields or ~2-3 acres. The dog park makes up about 2/3 of the total park. It is a flat field with few leafless, planted, deciduous trees in the center and various wild shrubbery surrounding it. On one side there is a man-made ditch to collect rainwater and on the other side, separating the dog park field and the rest of the city park, there is a slow-moving stream which is approximately 50 feet wide at its widest and 3 feet at its narrowest. The field itself is flat and contains only green grass and clover weeds but the edges are home to various large coniferous trees and various shrubbery. Around the park, there is the stream with high, steep embankments which drastically slope down into the water. The water itself is brown in colour as it picks up mud from the banks moving through the park. Around the banks are large trees and thick shrubs which hide the view of the stream.

 

 

When you leave the dog area of the park, there is a slightly hilly field containing a child’s play area and old, large trees, like the ones surrounding the off-leash field, scattered around approximately 10 feet or more from each other. Surrounding the park on the opposite side from where the dog park is there are row townhouse homes. Many young families live here and are often outside in their yards even in the winter. In the northeast part of the park, there is an island of vegetation in the open field. It contains a douglas-fir and another type of western coniferous

I visited this park today at 14:00, it was a sunny, moderate winter afternoon at approximately 10°C. This weather is warmer than a usual Victoria winter day. There were a few humans accompanied by large dogs. There were two children on the playground. The wildlife observed were small birds, a rabbit and at least two squirrels. The birds were found in one group and were small and mostly brown. There were approximately 20-30 of them flying between a bush and a group of deciduous trees in the west corner of the park. The rabbit was seen near the road at the entrance of the park it was also brown. The squirrel was seen on a large coniferous tree near the children’s playground.

Observations

In my observations, I noticed that there are no observable prey animals (squirrels and rabbits) near the off-leash dog area compared to the many squirrels which inhabit the trees surrounding the area of the park where dogs must be leashed.

The plants surrounding the off-leash area seem to be native plants whose growth is not disturbed by landscaping efforts by the city unlike within the field which is mowed grass and hand-planted young trees.

 

The ditch on the north side of the park is man-made and contains stagnant, rainwater; which, if full enough, empties into the natural stream.

My Field Notebook Drawing