Bio2050 Lab 4.xlsx

<b>Meta Data:</b> Site: Denotes the site the belt transect data was collected from. Specifies the location in which the transects were placed. The two sites for this experiment were Grassland and Danby woodlot next to York University. Species/RTU: An educated guess was made using the RTU (recognizable taxonomic unit) of each bird spotted along the transect to identify the specie. RTU was used as a way to deduce the species of the organism using quick observance of its morphological features or sound made. This is a method of identifying the birds, since they were often far away and flew quickly. Abundance: This describes the number of birds spotted while walking along the transect. Each transect were observed for 5 minutes to see how many birds would move into the area, so as to take into account the mobility and therefore inconsistency of bird population at a particular time. The birds were counted if they were within 10meters of the transect. Wind speed: Wind speed was determined each time a bird was spotted along the transect. For this particular experiment the wind scale ranged from a scale of 2-3. Estimated with the observer’ eyes and without any reference to any published scale. Distance: The distance could range from 0 to 10 metres. Each time a bird was spotted within the radius on either side of the transect, they were recorded and the distance from the transect to the bird was estimated. The distance estimates were made by the observer in other to be as accurate as possible. <b>Description: </b> The purpose of this experiment was to measure the abundance and species of birds in Danby woodlot relative to its nearby grassland The experiment took place on September 28th, 2016, from 3:00-4:30 pm. Data were collected at the woodlots and grassland nearby York University at an approximate coordinate of 43.77, -79.49 according to phone GPSs. The temperature was approximately 20˚C, windy and clear skies. <b> </b> <b> </b> <b> </b> <b> </b> <b>Methods:</b> The experiment was replicated a total of ten times, with five at the woodlot site and five at the grassland site. A transects measuring out 25 foot was placed randomly in each site five times. After laying down the transect, a designated observer was asked to walk along the transect. The observer simply walks along the transect, recording all birds detected along the way or nearby. In order to be consistent each observer covered each transect in the same amount of time of approximately five minutes. We recorded the birds seen or heard along and nearby the transect. To obtain the species name, an educated guess based on prior knowledge and an identification key was used. For example, we were able to identify a blue jay by the sound it makes. We made sure the transect location were as random as possible to maximize the chance of seeing more birds and to get a more diverse set of data. Hypothesis: I hypothesized that there would be fewer bird sightings in the grassland compared to the woodlot because woodlots provided a better nesting area and food source than the grassland. More trees to pollinate in the woodlot area and trees to grow their nest in. Prediction 1: There will be more birds in the woodlots as opposed to grassland Prediction 2: More species will be found in which ever site has the most abundance of birds.