Lab 4 - The Relationship between the Abundance of Mowed/Unmowed Goldenrod Species in the Danby Grasslands and the Distance from Human Disturbance

Sampling Period: The experiment took place on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 and Wednesday, October 21, 2015 from 2:30pm-5:30pm for three hours. Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to determine whether the population of goldenrod species were greater closer or further from the source of disturbance. The type of disturbance chosen for this lab was human disturbance. Materials: The materials used were two 30-meter belt transects, two 1m by 1m quadrats, a plant species guide to help us indicate the plant we were observing, paper, and pencil. Site Description: The data was collected at York University’s Danby Woods in the grassland area near the northeastern side of the campus. The climate was a little chilly due to the light wind, around 2-4 on the Beaufort scale, and the coming fall season. In the grasslands, there were many species of plants of different ages growing in the field, as well as a small number of trees dispersed in the area. The field was divided into a mowed section and a non-mowed section. The experiment took place in both sections. We noticed that there were more blue jays in the area compared to the previous lab. Method: In terms of preparations, we divided into two groups: one was responsible for the mowed areas and the other was responsible for the unmowed areas. Then, each group laid down the 30-m belt transect from the entrance of the Danby Woods (close to the human population) to the other side of the grassland, where the other human disturbance was. When all the preparations were finished, we went to the entrance of the Danby Woods and started from there. First, we laid down the 1m by 1m quadrat along the zero meter count of the 30-m transect. Then, we searched and counted the total abundance of goldenrod plant species there were within the quadrat. To make sure the plant counted was correct, we referred to the plant species guide provided to us. The golden rods had yellow buds and were tall when they matured. Furthermore, we indicated whether the goldenrods were mowed or unmowed, meaning if their population was disturbed or not. After recording everything down (transect number, sample number, total abundance, mowed/unmowed, and distance from the disturbance), we moved forward at a five meter interval and repeated the process. As we moved along the 30-m transect, we recorded the distance from the disturbance by looking at the number marking on the 30-m transect. We did this until we reached the end of the 30-m transect. When we ran out of transect, we moved the 30-m transect forward and continued the experiment until we reached the other side of the grassland, which was around 100m. To replicate the experiment to gather sufficient data, we moved to another location within the grassland and repeated the whole process. The sample size should be about 21 quadrats in 100 meters per transect. Group Members: Sajid Alvi, Anisa Amin, James Quach, Iiman Darman