Experimental Design Lab - Golden Rod Field Data

To examine the effect of proximity to water and pollution on plant health, we have selected the Golden Rod as our test plant species. After researching metrics of Golden Rod health, we've concluded that the best controls include individual stem yield, base stem width and plant height to measure population health. To control for variability within each species, we have chosen two plots on York University's Keele Campus. The first plot of data was gathered in the wetlands at Stong Pond and represents our wet ecosystem dataset while the second plot was gathered in the in the York Boulevard Woodlot / York University Busway and represents our dry ecosystem dataset. In each plot, we set up 3 pollution measurement devices which use petroleum as an adhesive to capture particulates of air pollution. These measurement devices were left in the field for exactly 5 days and were analyzed for content in the laboratory thereafter. Our field data collection includes a total of 5 transects per plot with 15-20 individual measurments per transect. We've collected measurments of plant height, base stem width, colour, perceived health and stem abundance, all recorded along a transect with the use of a measuring tape and a tally sheet. <br><br>Plant Height represents the measurment from base to leading stem in meters. Base stem width represents the distance in centimeters at the base of the plant stem. Colour and perceived health are arbitrary values which follow a score of 0-2 and will be attributed to either life cycle or health. Lastly, stem abundance includes all branching stems or flowering stems from the base of the plant to the top. The large sample size has allowed us to control for changes in water content throughout the two plots. Once all 5-6 transects were taken in each plot, we input the data into an excel spreadsheet for further analysis. Due to inconsistencies in the pollution measurement data, we will discuss whether a particulate density score of low and moderate will be included in our final results. If used, we will correlate this with the health data in each plot and examine if our experimental controls had a significant impact on the population health of the Golden Rod.