Investigating the effect of sunlight exposure on dandelion height, growth of flowers, leaves and nearby plants

Variables: 1) Distance of plant (cm): Using a transect, the distance of each dandelion was measured from the 0 cm mark. The experiment was conducted from one end of the grassland to the other. In order to ensure the correct distance, a small measuring tape was placed perpendicular to the transect in order to line the position of the plant with gradient on the transect. Data from 50 different dandelions were collected. The data was entered into the lab Manuel and later transferred onto an excel workbook. This is a continuous variable. 2) Height of plant ( cm): The vertical height of each dandelion was measured using a small measuring tape. The distance from the tip of the plant to its base at soil level was measured. The data was entered into my lab notebook and later transferred onto an excel workbook. This is a continuous variable. 3) # Leaves and Flowers : Once each dandelion was isolated, the number of leaves and flowers present on the plant was visually determined and entered into the lab book. This is a categorical variable 4) Environment around Plant: Once each dandelion was isolated, the physical environment around the plant was investigated. Visually, it was determined whether the dandelion was present among no plants nearby (group 0), some plants nearby (group 1), quite a few plants nearby (group 2) or many plants nearby (group 3). The plants were put into these categorical groups based on their respective environments. This is a ordinal variable. Hypothesis/Prediction:Due to the fact that dandelions near the center of the grassland were exposed to higher levels of sunlight , it was predicted that the height, number of leaves, flowers, and the number of neighboring plants of these dandelions would be higher than dandelions present on both ends of the grassland. This is due to the fact that the exposure of sunlight on dandelions present on both ends of the grassland were hindered due to a large number of surrounding trees. Sunlight is a major component which influences plant growth, therefore reduced amounts of sunlight can be harmful. MethodsThe experiment was conducted at York University's grassland lot at 2:40 pm ET, and lasted for 30 minutes. Temperature outside in the grassland was 22 degrees Celsius with a clear sunny sky and no wind . 3 group members took part in this investigation. 50 separate dandelions were investigated . First, a transect tape was randomly placed within the grassland. Due to the high density of dandelions present within the grassland, they were chosen as the species to investigate. Group members then walked along the tape and recorded the distance of each dandelion from the tape. The height of each dandelion was then measured using small tape measure. The number of leaves and flowers present on each respective dandelion was visually observed and recorded in the lab notebook. The dandelions were then visually investigated based upon the presence of neighboring plants. Dandelions were categorized into 3 separate groups. Group 0 contained no neighboring plants. Group 1 contained some plants nearby. Group 2 contained quite a few plants nearby. Group 3 contained many plants nearby. This experiment was subjected to experimental error. In order to increase reliability of results and to avoid further error, it is important to increase the number of dandelions investigated. Secondly due to time constraints, the transect tape was placed randomly along only one length of the entire grassland. In order to increase the accuracy of the results, further experimentation must also test dandelions present along the entire length of the grassland at various points.Thirdly, several different species other than dandelions should be tested to investigate the effects of sunlight on plant growth.