Grassland Data Set 1

This experiement was conducted to discover the different species of vegetation covering the grasslands portion of the Danby woods at York University. The experiement was conducted on Monday September 21st, from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The climate was favorable for the experiment; sunny with periods of wind. Working alongside Abera Chelva, the lead experimenter, Phaeba Wilson Mathews travelled through the west end of the Danby Woods, in close proximity to the York Blvd Lot to collect 25 randomly placed quadrat samples. Beginning at the starting point, arbitrarily marked as X, the experimenters used the randomly generated numbers from the website, www.random.org to place the quadrats and collect the required samples. The experimenters travelled in directions associated with the YorkU campus map compass (http://maps.info.yorku.ca/files/2013/02/KEELE_Map_Colour.pdf). For each quadrat sample, the total abundance of plants, total number of different species, total cover of all vegetation, and total cover of grasses was recorded. The total abundance of plants is recorded as an integer value and was recorded through a quick scanning of the specified quadrat area. The total number of different species, also recorded as an integer, was collected through careful examination of the area. The different species recorded are as follows: Buroak (Bu) Beb Willow (Be) Chokecherry (Ch) Staghorn (St) Big Tooth Asper (BT) White Oak (W) Beech (Bc) Blackcherry (BCh)and Acorns (A). Consistency was maintained through the sample collection, so as to ensure all incorrectly identified species was still accounted for. The total cover of all vegetation was recorded as a percentage and was determined by observing the visual layout of the quadrat area. The determined percentage for total cover was recorded at the discretion of the lead experimenter, and not based on any specific calculations, only observation. The total cover of all grasses was also recorded as a percentage and followed the same procedure as the total cover of all vegetation.