BIOL 3250 Field study data

Terms and definitionsRepetition: The amount of times the study is repeated at a novel park Quadrat: The 0.5m by 0.5m tool used and number of times placed per siteLocation: The sites of the studyDate: The specific time frame of recordingPlant species: The taxonomic classification of the plant identified with in the quadrat Classification: Native or Non-native categorization assigned based on whether the plant originated in North America or not according to scientific literature Number of individuals: The number of individuals accounted for of one specific species within a quadratPopulation density: The total number of a specific plant species within a specific quadrat divided by the area of the quadrat, 0.25m2Population density of native and non-native plant species in Toronto were taken at four different parks that were indicative of a typical Toronto park, these were Figrove Park and Topcliff Park measured on October 16th 2020 and Oakdale Park and Yorkwoods Park measured on October 17th 2020, with all data recorded in a field journal by hand. The forecasts were a temperature of about 10 ºC, mild winds and clear skies on October 16th, 2020, and a temperature of about 11 ºC, mild winds and partial clouds on October 17th 2020. First an outline of the parks was taken from google maps and divided into even boxes and assigned a number. A random number generator was used to determine 10 sites within each park that the quadrat would be placed. At the site, population density was measured by first identifying the species using the common weed species of Ontario field guide or the Newcomb’s field guide within a 0.5m by 0.5m quadrat for all 10 quadrats at each study site. Accounting for the individual species was conducted where if the species had more than 50% of its body within the quadrat, it was recorded but if it had less than 50% within the quadrat then it was excluded from recording. The population density was calculated by totalling the number of individuals within the specific quadrat it was found and dividing it by the area of the quadrat, 0.25m2. Classification of the plant species was given a native or non-native classification based on scientific literature. Cirsium arvense is classified as a non-native species according to Hodgson (Hodgson, 1968). Taraxacum officinale is classified as a non-native species as its origins are traced back to Europe according to Wirngo (Wirngo et al, 2016). Plantago major is classified as a non-native species as it is naturally found in Eurasia according to Hawthorn (Hawthorn, 1973). Malva neglecta is a non-native as its origins stems from Eurasia according to Makowski (Makowski and Morrison, 1989). Ambrosia artemisiifolia is native to North America according to Bassett (Bassett and Crompton, 1975). Digitaria spp. is a non-native species originally found in Eurasia according to Lundholm (Lundholm and Marlin, 2006). Trifolium repens is classified as a non-native species as it was originally introduced to the Americas from Europe according to Fraser (Fraser, 1989). Finally, Solidago canadensis is found natively in North America according to Yuan (Yuan et al, 2013).