BIOL 2050 - Lab 4: Experimental Design Training Using Plant Techniques

The objective of this experiment was to observe the white aster species to determine if there is a correlation between phenotypic plasticity (number of leaves, height) and stress of the environment (abundance). The dataset for this experiment was collected over the course of two weeks in the grasslands of York University's Keele Campus. This region is an open area, with minimal shading and low human activity. The study had a total of 140 replicates (n=140). On the first day of collection (Thursday, Oct 15, 2015) the weather was moderately cold with a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, slightly cloudy grey sky, with high winds and precipitation. On this day we recorded replicates 1-80 between 3 and 4:30 pm. All 80 replicates were observed in dim light, giving way to possible observation errors. A week later, on the second day of the collection (Thursday, Oct 22, 2015) the weather was 16 degrees Celsius with sunlight. On this day we recorded replicates 81-140 between 3 and 4:30 pm. All 60 replicates were observed in natural lighting provided by the sun. This allowed for clear visualization leaving little room for error and making data easy to collect. The materials included in this study were: pen and paper to record data, transect tape for height measurement and a quadrant (1 meter by 1 meter) to estimate the abundance. This study involved the active participation of all 4 group members, they include: Adilah Ismail, Amrutha Balamurugan, Harshvir Hehar and Olivia Kazmierczak. The methodology was meticulously planned prior to the execution of the experiment. All members of the group were assigned specific tasks to achieve the final dataset. This way all measurements and estimates were consistent over the two week data collection period. Amrutha was responsible for laying out the quadrant. All 140 placements were made very carefully to prevent observation of the same region. Adilah was responsible for measuring the height (in centimeters) of all replicates using transect tape. The plants were placed in an upright position prior to the measurement to ensure consistent recordings. Amrutha and Harshvir were responsible for counting the number of leaves. The number of leaves were counted by Amrutha and Harshvir using their fingers, given the criteria determined prior to data collection. This criteria allowed for the exclusion of all leaves below 3 cm as they were irrelevant to the experiment. The abundance was determined by all 4 group members. Olivia Kazmierczak recorded the data. Caution was taken to ensure that there was no recounting. All data was collected carefully to prevent disruption of the natural environment.