The Ecological Study on the Relative Plant and Animal Abundance at Different Habitats (Grassland and Disturbed Area)

Meta-Data 

Census:
Categorical- Corresponds to sampling week. Week 5=census 1,
week 6=census 2, week 7=census 8.

Calendar Date: Categorical- Corresponds to the day of sampling. 

Campus: Categorical- Corresponds to the campus in
which sample was collected at. 

Group_ID: Categorical- Corresponds to the unique code
for each lab group. Consists of the lab section and an
assigned group number (given by the TA).

Habitat: Categorical- The ecological environment home to
the plants and animals being studied. This data was collected at two locations
within the York University Keele Campus; Danby Woods grassland and a disturbed
area proximate to Danby Woods. 

Lat (Latitude) and Long (Longitude): Continuous- Geographical coordinates indicating
the north-south position(lat) and east-west(long) of a precise location. Latitude and Longitude varied for grassland
and disturbed area. Provided by the TA.
Elevation: Continuous- The altitude/and or height of land above
sea level. Measurements were in meters. Provided by the TA

Rep (Replicates): Discrete- The number
of replications that each task were assigned. 25 replicates for
herbaceous plants; 25 for woody plants; 2 for the invertebrate and vertebrates (one replicate for each respectively), and lastly
invertebrates observed by pan trap (6 replicate) and sweet net (10 replicate)
were recorded.

Abundance Native Plants: Discrete- The number native plants
observed in each habitat. Native plants were determined with the help of the
TA.

Abundance Exotic Plants: Discrete- The number exotic plants
observed in each habitat. Exotic plants were determined with the help of the
TA.

Total Number of Flowers (Quadrat): Discrete- The number of
flowers observed within each quadrant. Method used to determine flowers provided in the method section below.

Abundance of Woody Plants: Discrete- The number of trees
observed along the transect line. Particularly, trees that were at least 1.5 metres tall were considered. If
there was no tree, zero was recorded.

Canopy cover: Continuous- The percentage based on the amount of
coverage the branches of the trees provided. The data was estimated mentally using hands to
form a quadrat.

Ground Cover: Continuous- The percentage of vegetation coverage
on the ground. The data was estimated using hands to a form a quadrat. If it
had no vegetation zero was recorded, if completely covered it was represented
as 100.

Total Number of Flower (Transect): Discrete- The number of
flowers located either side of the transect within a 0.5m radius. Any plants
that expressed similar flower traits (petals and/or filaments) were considered
as flowers. Furthermore, dried flowers were not considered for the flower head
count.

Abundance of Vertebrates: Discrete- The number of vertebrates
observed with within a 50 metre radius from the beginning of the transect line.
Distinct morphological features (eg. vertebrae column) were used to identify
vertebrates. A 15-minute time period was used to observe the abundance of
vertebrates.

Vertebrate Species: Discrete- The number of vertebrates
belonging to different observed with within a 50 meter radius from the beginning
of the transect line. The examiner determined the different species. A
15-minute time period was used to observe the number of vertebrate species.

Abundance of Invertebrates: Discrete- The abundance of invertebrates were
measured along a 5 metre radius from the beginning of the transect line. Using
basic visual inspection, the amount of invertebrates (lacked vertebrae column)
was counted. This was observed during a separate 15-minute time period. 

Abundance Invertebrates Observed: Discrete- The number of
invertebrates were measured along a 5 meter radius from the beginning of the
transect line. Using basic visual inspection, the amount of invertebrates was
counted. This was observed during a separate 15-minute time period.

Abundance of Humans: Discrete- The number of humans that did not
belong in lab were once again observed with basic inspection along the 50 metre
radius from the beginning of the transect line. This was observed during the
same 15-minute time period as when the abundance of vertebrates were
observed. This data is numerical discrete data.

Abundance Invertebrates Pan Traps: Discrete- The number of
invertebrates caught along the transect line. 6 Pan traps while alternating colour
were spaced 3 metres apart along the 50m transect line each represent 1
replication. The total number of invertebrates within the pan trap was recorded
after 45 minutes.

Abundance Invertebrate Sweeps: Discrete- The number of
invertebrates caught along the transect line through the swaying of nets. Sweep
nets were performed in a swing manner along the transect 10 times. At the end
of each collection the examiner recorded the number of invertebrates present.

Study Site: On October
13th, 2016 a field study was conducted at Danby Woods grassland and
the disturbed area situated between Chimneystack Rd and Danby Woods at York
University Keele Campus 3:00-4:30 pm. The weather was slightly sunny and very
windy, temperature at about 12 degree celcius.

Methods:

 Two transect tapes were used to obtain a 50m
transect line that was placed at each habitat. This was used for all the survey
methods conducted.

Herbaceous Plants (Quadrats)

Every two metres along the transect line, quadrats (1m x 1m)
were placed on alternating sides of the line. The abundance of native and
exotic plants, as well as the total number of flowers was counted. The quadrat
was divided into 4 subunits. Only the observations from the bottom right
portion of the quadrat was considered in the data set. Furthermore, dried
flowers were not considered for the flower head count. Native and exotic plants
were identified with the help from the TA. The flower heads were counted as an
individual head and if the plant had bearings that were in clusters on a stem,
each cluster was counted as a multiple of 10 flower heads. 

Woody Plants (Transect)

Every two meters along the transect line, a tree that was within
0.5 metres radius along either side of the line were recorded. Only trees that
were 1.5 metres or taller in height were considered woody plants. If there was
no tree, zero was recorded. The canopy coverage was measured by looking up
while holding both hands in a quadrat form and estimating the percentage at
which the trees cover the quadrat. The ground cover was measured using the same
method as the canopy coverage. The total number of flowers within a 0.5m radius
on either side of the transect line was recorded. The idea as the herbaceous
was used to determine flower consideration.

Vertebrates and Invertebrates (Point Survey)

From
the beginning of the transect, a 50metre radius was observed for any vertebrate
species, specifically the abundance of vertebrates and the abundance of
species. The same transect lines used for the first two experiments were used
for this experiment too. This was done over a 15-minute time interval. During
the same time interval using basic visual inspection, within the same 50m
radius, abundance for humans that were not a part of this lab were also being
observed. All humans passing by automobile were also recorded. On a separate 15
minute time interval, invertebrates were observed by basic visual inspection
along a 5m radius from the beginning of the transect.

Invertebrates (Pan Traps & Sweep Nets)

This experiment had two parts for capturing invertebrates using
pan traps and a sweep net. For the first part, 6 pan traps were placed 3 meters
apart while alternating the pan trap colours yellow, blue and white along the
length of the transect. Each trap was filled half way with soapy water. After
45 minutes, the total number of invertebrates captured in each trap were individually
counted and recorded. For the second part, we had to walk along a 50 meter
transects and swinging the sweep net in a soft motion. 10 trials were done and
each trial took about 2 minutes. The total number of invertebrates captured
were individually counted and recorded. 

Hypothesis: It is well known that
human activity has the tendency to disturb the habitat of other species
resulting in habitat loss and reduction in species abundance. If there is human interference then there will be a decrease in the number of
vertebrates, invertebrates and plants in that habitat.

Predictions:

1.    
There
will be higher abundance of vertebrates (non-humans), invertebrates, and plants
in the grassland compared to the disturbed area.

2.    
Lower
number of plants and animals in disturbed area due to the presence of humans.

3.    
There
will be a lower abundance of native and exotic plants in the disturbed area
compared to the grasslands due to human interference.