Effects of Soil Temperature and Density on Goldenrod Growth in the Stong Pond Grasslands at York University

On Monday October 19th 2015, at approximately 3:30pm to 5:00 pm an experiment including 25 grassland plots around Stong Pond at York University were examined to collect data on soil temperature, density, goldenrod plant number and the number of branches. The weather that day was slightly windy, at a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. The goal of the team was to assess the effects of the soil temperature and the density on goldenrods at York University. A one by one-meter quadrat was placed around various grassland plots to determine what characteristics would favour plant growth. The measurement started off at the edge of the pond, and moved up toward the road. Each quadrat was placed approximately three large steps upwards, from the last. Density was measured by eye, and estimated to a percentage. The number of individual plants and braches were counted individually by experimenters. The thermometer was placed in the middle of each quadrat and the reading was taken after all the results were noted, leaving it more time to adjust to the correct temperature. The only tools used during the experiment was the quadrat and the soil thermometer. No goldenrods that touched the outside of the quadrat was included in the experiment, only the plants within the quadrat was used in the experiment. This experiment was replicated once more the following week on Monday October 26th 2015, when the weather was cooler at 10 degrees Celsius. The second experiment was an exact copy of the first experiment, where the experimenters measured density, soil temperature, individual plant and branch number, starting from the edge of Stong Pond and finishing off at the opposite edge of the grasslands, near the roads. This experiment was done with the assistance of lab members Danika Gordon, Karen Lin, Israt Hossain and Raman Singh.