YorkU.grassland.disturbed.Oct19-2016

Metadata:

Census: Represents the sampling week. This was our second
week of sampling for these specific data sets. There will be a total of 2
censuses.

Calender.date: Represents the date we conducted the sampling. This first part
of sampling was conducted on October 19th, 2016. There will be 1 other part of
sampling done on later days.

Campus: Represents which university campus we
sampled on. We were on the Keele Campus of York University. The other campus
participating in sampling is the University of Toronto.

Group_ID: Identifies what section of lab we are in
out of all the sections for York's BIOL2050 labs, as well as our specific 4
person group numbers. Our group ID was: Lab03Group03.

Habitat: Represents the habitat where we did the
sampling. This week, we conducted our sampling in the Danby Grassland as well
as Danby Disturbed area at York University, in a North-South direction.

Rep: The number of repetitions (sampled the same
thing) we did for each dataset. Dataset 1and 2 had 25 reps, dataset 3 had 2
reps, and dataset 4 had 6 and 10 reps. 

Abundance.native.plants: The total number of individual native
plants located in the 1 by 1m quadrats that were randomly placed along the
transect tape for 50m, alternating left and right. Native plants were
differentiated as plants that are native to Canada and weren't brought from
outside countries. Anything that wasn't an exotic plant was considered native.
Each quadrat had a 2m gap between them. Abundance was measured by physically
counting the total number of native plants.

Abundance.exotic.plants: The total number of individual exotic
plants located in the 1 by 1m quadrats that were randomly placed along the
transect tape for 50m, alternating left and right. Exotic plants were
differentiated as plants that originated from any other continent besides North
America and were brought to Canada. The specifics on what each plant looked
like were given in class. Each quadrat had a 2m gap between them. Abundance was
measured by physically counting the number of exotic plants.

Total.number.flowers
(quadrat): The total number of
observed flower heads located in the 1 by 1m quadrats that were randomly placed
along the transect tape for 50m, alternating left and right. Measured by
physically counting the number of plants located in the quadrat. 

Abundance.woody.plants: The total number of individual woody plants
located within 0.5 meters of the 50m transect tape. A woody plant was defined
as a tree that was over 1.5m in height. Abundance was measured by visually
looking for a tree that was located within 0.5m of either side of the transect.

Canopy.cover: The total amount of space the canopy took
up, measured by standing beside each woody plant (tree taller than 1.5m),
looking up, and visually observing how much of the canopy filled an 11cm by 6
cm rectangle made by our fingers. This was measured along the 50m transect line
and was measured in percentage.

Ground.cover: The total amount of space the vegetation on
the forest floor, next to each  woody plant (tree) took up. This was
measured by visually observing how much of the vegetation filled an 11 cm by 6
cm rectangle made by our fingers. This was measured along the 50m transect line
and was measured in percentage.

Total.flower.numbers
(transect): The total number of
flower heads located around each woody plant (tree). This was measured along
the 50 m transect line and was measured by physically counting the number of
plants. 

Abundance.vertebrates: The total number of individual vertebrates (species with backbone)
observed visually, in a 50-meter radius (measured through transect tape) for
two 15 minute intervals. This included humans, however excluded us and anyone
from our lab group (lab 3).

Abundance.human: The total number of individual humans
(excluding us and those from our lab section), observed visually in a 50-meter
radius (measured through transect tape) for two 15 minute intervals.

Abundance.invertebrates.observed: The total number of individual invertebrates (species without
backbones) observed visually, in a 50-meter radius (measured through transect
tape) for two 15 minute intervals.

Abundance.invertebrates.pantraps: The total number of invertebrates entrapped
in the soapy water of pan trap bowls. Six different pan trap bowls of
alternating colours: Yellow, Blue, and White, (to attract different
invertebrate species with the colours) were placed alternating along the
transect tape for approximately 60 minutes. Each bowl was placed 3 meters a
part along a 25m transect tape, and a quarter of each bowl was filled with
soapy water.

Abundance.invertebrates.sweeps: The total number of invertebrates caught in
a sweep net. The sweep net was swept in a figure-eight motion for 50 meters
along the transect tape. The net was held approximately one meter above the
ground, and was swept for 10 replicates.

Site Description: Danby grassland, York University Keele Campus, 2:30 - 4:00 pm,
October 19, 2016, 20°C, Sunny/no clouds, slight wind, and 51% humidity in North
York, Toronto, ON. There was vegetation and trees all around us. The lab was
conducted by Amrit, Jasleen, Mary and Nyiesha .

Method:

Dataset
1: Herbaceous plants: 25, 1 by 1 quadrats were randomly placed, alternating left
and right along a 50m transect tape, with a 2m gap between each. Each quadrat
was approximately 1m away from the transect tape and were visually observed for
the abundance of native plants (plants from Canada), exotic plants (plants from
Europe), and flower heads. The transect tape and quadrats were both facing North-South
of York University.

Dataset
2: Woody plants: A 50m transect line was randomly placed facing North-South
of York University. Along this 50m transect line, we visually observed the
number of woody plants located within 0.5m of the transect. Woody plants were
defined as trees taller than 1.5m in height. Also, with every woody plant
found, canopy coverage and ground coverage were also calculated. Canopy
coverage was estimated by observing the amount of tree canopy covering an 11 cm
by 6 cm rectangle with our hand. Ground canopy was measured the same but with
vegetation on the ground observed through an 11 cm by 6 cm rectangle with our
hand. Additionally, the number of flower heads around the woody-plant (tree)
were measured by physically counting any flowers observed. This data-set was
repeated 25 times.

Dataset
3: Vertebrates and Invertebrates: A 50 meter transect was placed facing
North-South on the forest ground. Whilst standing at the absolute tip of one
end of the transect tape, we visually observed for vertebrates, humans, and
invertebrates for 2 repetitions, each for 15 minutes along the 50m radius.
Vertebrates were defined as any organism with a backbone, including humans that
were not from our lab. Humans were defined as any person seen who was not from
our lab. Invertebrates were defined as any organism without a backbone (mainly
insects).

Dataset
4: Invertebrates: 6 pan traps of alternating colours (Yellow, Blue, and
White) were placed along a 25m  transect tape. Each pan was placed 3
meters apart and were a quarter filled with soapy water. Each pan was left
alone for approximately 38 minutes before observing the abundance of
invertebrates in each trap. Each pan trap represented 1 replicate for a total
of 6 trials. Following North-South along the 50 meter transect, a sweep net was
swept in a figure-eight motion in an attempt to catch any invertebrates. After
walking for 50m, the net was observed for any invertebrates that might've been
inside. The sweep set was held approximately 1m above the ground and was
replicated 10 times.

Hypothesis: (Dataset 3: Vertebrates and Invertebrates)

 The
lower the abundance of vertebrates and humans, the higher the abundance of
invertebrates observed. This is due to fewer disturbances and interference from
vertebrates (including humans), who have the ability to negatively harm the
niche of invertebrates. Negatively harm through either, being predators, or by
competing for resources, or by overall destroying their niche.

Predictions:

1)     
As the abundance of vertebrates (the total number of individuals found)
decreases, it increases the abundance of invertebrates. (negative correlation)

2)     
As the abundance of humans decreases, it increases the abundance of
invertebrates. (negative correlation)