Distance from Water Affecting the Abundance and Height of White Aster and Yellow Solidago Plants at York University Freshwater Habitats

Data for this experiment was collected on three different days, October 1st 2015, October 8th 2015 and October 15th 2015, all between approximately 3:00 pm - 5:00pm. The sites of the experiment consisted of Stong Pond, Black Creek Pond and the Village Pond, all located at York University, Keele Campus. The site conditions were generally cool and dry for the duration of the three days, the temperature range was between 11°C - 19°C. The group collecting the data consisted of Cathy, April, Maya and Shahana. The purpose of this experiment was to observe the influence of the distribution of resources and competition on the abundance and height of plants by utilizing various sampling techniques with the aid of tools such as quadrats and transects. Variables that were tested in this experiment consisted of soil type, plant abundance and the height of two flowering plants, the White Aster and the Yellow Solidago. A total of 81 replicates were tested, each replicate consisted of using a transect to measure a series of three pre-determined distances that the plants were measured from the water source. These distances were 3.5, 12 and 15 metres. A quadrat was placed randomly by using a random number generator at one of the three pre-determined distances The plant abundance and height for each White Aster and Yellow Solidago plants was counted and measured. These two particular plants were used due to the fact that they persisted in cooler temperatures and they were easy to identify visually. The height of each plant was measured using a measuring tape from the base of the stem, to the tip of the highest flower, in centimetres. Soil type was identified visually, and put into one of three categories: wet, weathered and dry soil.