YorkU.grassland-disturbed.Oct4-2016.csv

Quadrats performed by Arastou
Sayad 

Hypothesis:

·      There will be a
wider variety of herbaceous native plants in the grassland compared to
disturbed area.

Predictions:

·      There will be a
greater number of native plants found in the grassland than in the disturbed
open area.

·      There will be a
greater number of exotic plants found in the disturbed open area than in the
grassland.

·      There will be more
flowers found in grassland than in the disturbed open area

Methods:

1.   
The experiment was conducted from 3:05 to 3:55 pm at both
a grassland and disturbed open area near Keele and York Blvd. which is close to
York University. The conditions can be considered as bright and sunny.

2.   
25 quadrats were placed every two meters along a 50m
transect line at a grassland. They were placed in such a way that the quadrats
alternated between the left and right side of the transect line.  

3.   
The number of exotic plants, native plants and flowers
were approximated in the grassland and the disturbed open area. This was done
by dividing each quadrat into 100 parts. Only 1 part of each quadrat was
counted. This value was then multiplied by 100 to approximate the number of exotic
plants, native plants and flowers in each quadrat.

Meta-data:

Abundance.native.plants: refers to the total number of native plants
found in each quadrat. The data is continuous.

Abundance.exotic.plants: refers to the total number of exotic/invasive
that was found in each quadrat. The data is continuous.

Total.number.flowers: refers to the total number of flowers counted in
each quadrat. The data is continuous.
Transect performed by Andrew Laruffa
Hypothesis:
Habitat plays a role in the abundance of woody plants (trees taller than 1.5 meters) and other flower species.
Predictions:
-There will be a greater abundance and distribution of woody plants and other flower species in a grassland as opposed to a disturbed area.
-Unlike a disturbed area, grasslands will generally experience no human interference.  Whatever grows naturally in a grassland will continue to grow.
Methods:
The following experiment was performed in two different habitats – a grassland and a disturbed area.  The methods for both habitats are as follows:
- A transect measuring 50m was randomly placed.
-For every two meters along the transect:
·      The number of woody plants was counted on either side of the transect that were within 0.5 meters.
·      The canopy and ground coverage percentage were approximated by dividing the visual area into quadrats.
-For every five meters along the transect, the total number of flowers was counted on either side of the transect within 1 meter.
Meta-data:
abundance.woody.plants = The number of woody plants counted every two meters and were within 0.5 meters on either side of the transect.  The data is quantitative and continuous.
canopy.cover = The approximate percentage of sunlight cover when looking up.  The data is quantitative and continuous.
ground.cover = The approximate percentage of vegetation covering the ground when looking down.  The data is quantitative and continuous.
total.flower.numbers (transect) = The number of flowers with distinctive heads counted every five meters and were within 1 meter on either side of the transect.  The data is quantitative and continuous.
Point Surveys performed by
Anisa Omer

Hypothesis:

Due to human interaction, the amount of vertebrates, vertebrate species
and amount of invertebrates would be greater in the grassland and lower in the
disturbed area since humans can interfere with their habitat.

Prediction:

The abundance of vertebrates, its species and the amount of
invertebrates will be greater in the grassland and the abundance of humans will
be greater in the disturbed area because both the campus and a parking lot are
beside it.

Methods:

A transect measuring
fifty meters was placed in the grassland and the disturbed area at York
University and was observed for two fifteen-minute intervals in each area.
The conditions were sunny and warm.
While walking along the
transect, the first fifteen-minute interval was spent observing the
abundance of vertebrates, vertebrate species and abundance of humans. The
second fifteen-minute interval was spent counting the abundance of
invertebrates observed. The experiment was conducted in the grassland and
disturbed area.

Meta-data:

Abundance of Vertebrates: the amount of vertebrates observed in fifteen
minutes within fifty meters. Data is continuous.

Vertebrate Species: the types of species observed in fifteen minutes
within fifty meters. Data is continuous.

Abundance of Invertebrates Observed: the amount of invertebrates
observed in fifteen minutes within fifty meters. Data is continuous.

Abundance of Humans: the amount of humans observed in fifteen minutes
within fifty meters. Data is continuous.

Pan trap and Sweep Net
performed by Charles Brian Serapio

Hypothesis:

·      There will be a
higher abundance of insects in the grassland than in the disturbed open space
as the grassland contains different types of plants that can support a greater
quantity and variety of insects.

Predictions

·      There is a greater
number of insects found in the pan traps placed on the grassland compared to
the ones placed on the disturbed open area.

·      There is a greater
number of insects captured by sweep net on the grassland than the disturbed open area.

Methods:

1.   
The experiments were conducted at both a disturbed
open area and a grassland. Both the disturbed open area and the grassland were
located near Keele and York. Blvd which is also close to the York University,
Keele Campus. The conditions during that day can be considered as bright and
warm. 

2.   
For the first part of the experiment (pan trap), six bowls
(2 yellow, 2 blue and 2 white) were placed along the length of a 50m transect
line at both locations. The bowls were alternated by colour as well. Each bowl
had a diameter of 17.5 cm and a depth of 4.5cm.  The bowls were approximately 3m apart from each other. The bowls were left there for
an hour from 3:30 to 4:30. After the hour has elapsed, the number of insects in
each bowl were counted.

3.   
For the second part of the experiment (sweep nets), one
has to walk the length of the 50m transect while conducting the sweep net. This
was done for a total number of ten times.

Meta-data:

Abundance.invertebates.pantraps: the total number of insects captured by
pan traps. The data is continuous.

Abundance.invertebrates.sweeps: the number of insects captured by sweep
nets. The data is continuous.