Yorku.grassland.disturbed.October 4.2016.csv

Data Column Headers and Descriptions: 

census: refers to the
sampling week. This dataset was prepared during Week 5 of the Fall 2016 BIOL 2050 course, or the 1st
sampling week.

calendar.date: refers to the
date on which the data was collected (October 4th, 2016).

campus: the data was
collected at York University.

group _ID: refers to the
unique group identifier within each BIOL 2050 laboratory.

habitat: refers to the
habitat in which observations were recorded. The two habitats that were
assessed are grassland and disturbed open space (disturbed grassland). Grassland
is defined as an open area at least 250m by 250m in size with few trees. The
disturbed open space was defined as a region similar to grassland in size, but
containing more mixed vegetation and more trails for people.

lat: refers to the
latitude at which observations were recorded. Latitude was approximated using
Google Maps.

long: refers to the
longitude at which observations were recorded. Longitude was approximated using
Google Maps.

rep: refers to the
replicate; each replicate is a repetition of the experimental condition.

abundance.native.plants:
refers
to the number of native plants. Native plants are defined as those plants that
develop naturally or existed in the area for a long time. Continuous
(numerical) variable.

abundance.exotic.plants: refers to the
number of exotic plants. Exotic plants are defined as those plants that do not
originate from the location of the study. Continuous (numerical) variable.

total.number.flowers
(quadrat): refers to the total number of flowers counted in a quadrat. Continuous
(numerical) variable.

abundance.woody.plants:
refers
to the total number of woody plants counted. Woody plant is defined as a plant that is
greater than 1.5 meters in height. Continuous (numerical) variable.

canopy.cover: refers to the
coverage area of the projecting tree crown. Expressed as a percentage.
Continuous (numerical) variable.

ground.cover: refers to the
estimated proportion of vegetative ground cover. Expressed as a percentage.
Continuous (numerical) variable.

total.flower.number
(transect): refers to the number of flowers counted within 0.5 meters of the
transect. Continuous (numerical) variable.

abundance.vertebrates: the number of
vertebrates (animals) observed within a 50-meter radius in a 15-minute
interval. Continuous (numerical) variable.

vertebrate.species:
refers
to the species of vertebrate that were observed. Categorical variable. Species that were observed include sparrows, crows, and squirrels.

abundance.human: the number of
humans observed within a 50-meter radius in a 15-minute interval. These humans
were only recorded if they did not belong to the BIOL 2050 laboratory.
Continuous (numerical) variable.

abundance.invertebrates.pantraps:
refers to the
number of invertebrates counted in the soapy-water-filled bowls after 30
minutes.  Continuous (numerical) variable.

abundance.invertebrates.sweeps:
refers to the
number of invertebrates counted inside the sweep nets after swinging for 50m. Continuous
(numerical) variable.

abundance.invertebrates.observed:
the
number of invertebrates observed within a 5-meter radius in a
15-minute interval. Continuous (numerical) variable.

Additional Information:

 Hypothesis and Predictions: 

A. It is hypothesized that there will be a
negative relationship between the 2 variables, (abundance of native and exotic
plants) in the grasslands and disturbed open space, because the plant species
will compete with each other for resources (light, space, food.

It is predicted that as the abundance of
native plants increases, the fewer exotic plants you will see present in a
habitat.

B. It was hypothesized that there will be more
woody plants in the grassland habitat than in the disturbed open space. In the disturbed area the soil
is not favourable for the growth of the large woody plants and flowers, thus the
ground coverage will be higher and abundance of woody plants will be close to zero.
It
was predicted that woody plants will be more abundant in grassland compare to
the disturbed area.

C. It was hypothesized that in the grassland there are
more vertebrates and invertebrates than in the disturbed open space.

It is predicted that more vertebrates will be observed in the grassland
than in the disturbed open space after surveying a 50-meter radius for 15
minutes. It is also predicted that more invertebrates will be observed in the
grassland than in the disturbed open space after surveying a 5-meter radius for
15 minutes.

It is
predicted that there will be a lot
of invertebrates in the sweep nets in the grasslands and little in the sweep
nets in the disturbed open space. There will be a lot of invertebrates in the
pan traps in the grassland and little in the pan traps in the disturbed open
space.

Time Data Was Collected: Tuesday, October 4, 2016. 3:20-4:35 EST.

Location of Data: Grassland and adjacent disturbed at York University,
near York Boulevard. Latitude and longitude: 43.775, -79.505 (grassland) and
43.775 -79.5055 (disturbed grassland).

Weather Conditions: 19 degrees Celsius, clear, Sunny and dry conditions.

Survey Method:

A. The field experiment was conducted using the quadrat sampling
technique. A 50m transect was placed on the ground. An individual would walk
along this transect and place a quadrat every 2 meters, alternating left and
right along the transect. Each time the quadrats were placed, the total number
of exotic and native plants, as well as the total number of flowers within the
quadrats were counted and recorded. This sampling technique was repeated for a
total of 25 times. Similarly, in the disturbed open space, this method was
replicated. However, in order to get an estimation of the exotic plants, the quadrats
were visually divided into sections of 16. The abundance of exotic plants was
counted for 1 section, which was then used to estimate the abundance in the
entire quadrat.

B.
This experiment was completed using transect. 25 replicates were conducted in
the grassland and 25 replicates in the disturbed open area. Every two meters
along a transect of 50 meters, abundance of woody plants was measured on either
side of the transect within 0.5 meters. At these points canopy coverage was
observed and recorded by making a square with fingers and holding up and
estimating how much of sky you can see. Using the same method the ground
coverage was estimated. To measure the ground coverage, a visual area was
divided into quadrats, then sum the area covered. At end the total number of
flowers was also recorded.

C. A 50-meter transect was established perpendicular to the periphery of
the grassland. Standing at the beginning of the transect, a 50-meter radius was
surveyed. The number of vertebrates, the types of vertebrate species, and the
number of people (who were not members of the BIOL 2050 Ecology Lab) observed
in 15 minutes were recorded. Then, a 5-meter radius from the beginning of the
transect was surveyed for 15 minutes. The number of individual invertebrates observed
within this 5-meter radius in 15 minutes was recorded.

The above procedure was repeated in the adjacent disturbed open space.

D. 12
bowls with a 6cm diameter and 5cm depth were filled with soapy water and placed
in 3m intervals, with 6 bowls in the grassland and 6 in the disturbed open
space. The bowl colors were alternated between yellow, blue, and white. The
bowls were left for 30 minutes and then the number of invertebrates in the bowl
was counted. While waiting the 30 minutes for the pan trap bowls, 50 meters
were walked while swinging a sweep net with a 32 cm
and a depth of 73 cm from side to side. At the end of the 50 meters, the
number of invertebrates captured inside was counted and then the invertebrates
released. This method was repeated 10 times in the grassland and 10 times in
the disturbed open space.

Equipment Used:

- transects

- 12
plastic bowls with a 6cm diameter and 5cm depth. 4 bowls were blue, 4 bowls
were white, and 4 bowls were yellow.

- 1
sweep net with a diameter of 32 cm and a depth of
73 cm was used to conduct all the sweep net trials.

- quadrats measuring 1 meter by 1 meter