Yorku.pond.impermeable.October 18.2016.csv

Data Column Headers and Descriptions:

habitat: refers to the
habitat in which observations were recorded. The two habitats that were
assessed are a pond and an impermeable area. Pond is defined as a small body of
water at least 100 meters in diameter; data was recorded near the shore of the
pond. The impermeable area was defined as a paved or gravel area with mostly
impermeable materials.

lat: refers to the
latitude at which observations were recorded. Latitude was approximated using
Google Maps.

elevation: refers to the
elevation at which observations were recorded.

long: refers to the
longitude at which observations were recorded. Longitude was approximated using
Google Maps.

rep: refers to the
replicate; each replicate is a repetition of the experimental condition.

abundance.native.plants:
refers
to the number of native plants. Native plants are defined as those plants that
develop naturally or existed in the area for a long time. Continuous
(numerical) variable.

abundance.exotic.plants: refers to the
number of exotic plants. Exotic plants are defined as those plants that do not
originate from the location of the study. Continuous (numerical) variable.

total.number.flowers
(quadrat): refers to the total number of flowers counted in a quadrat. Continuous
(numerical) variable.

abundance.woody.plants:
refers
to the total number of woody plants counted. Woody plant is defined as a plant that is
greater than 1.5 meters in height. Continuous (numerical) variable.

canopy.cover: refers to the
coverage area of the projecting tree crown. Expressed as a percentage. Continuous
(numerical) variable.

ground.cover: refers to the
estimated proportion of vegetative ground cover. Expressed as a percentage.
Continuous (numerical) variable.

total.flower.number
(transect): refers to the number of flowers counted within 0.5 meters of the
transect. Continuous (numerical) variable.

abundance.vertebrates: the number of
vertebrates (animals) observed within a 50-meter radius in a 15-minute
interval. Continuous (numerical) variable.

vertebrate.richness:
refers
to the number of species of vertebrates that were observed. Continuous (numerical) variable.

abundance.human: the number of
humans observed within a 50-meter radius in a 15-minute interval. These humans
were only recorded if they did not belong to the BIOL 2050 laboratory.
Continuous (numerical) variable.

abundance.invertebrates.pantraps:
refers to the
number of invertebrates counted in the soapy-water-filled bowls after 30
minutes.  Continuous (numerical) variable.

abundance.invertebrates.sweeps:
refers to the
number of invertebrates counted inside the sweep nets after swinging for 50m. Continuous
(numerical) variable.

abundance.invertebrates.observed:
the
number of invertebrates (insects) observed within a 5-meter radius in a
15-minute interval. Continuous (numerical) variable.

Additional Information:

Hypothesis and Predictions: 

A. It is hypothesized that there will be a
negative relationship between the 2 variables, (abundance of native and exotic
plants) in the pond and impermeable area, because the plant species will
compete with each other for resources (light, space, food).

It is predicted that as the abundance of
native plants increases, the fewer exotic plants you will see present in a
habitat.

B. It was hypothesized that there will be more
woody plants in the pond than in the impermeable area. In the impermeable area the soil is not
favorable for the growth of the large woody plants and flowers, thus the ground
coverage will be higher and abundance of woody plants will be close to zero. It was predicted
that woody plants will be more abundant in the pond compare to the impermeable
area.

C. It was hypothesized that in the pond there are more vertebrates
and invertebrates than in the impermeable area.

It is predicted that more vertebrates will be observed in the pond than
in the impermeable area after surveying a 50-meter radius for 15 minutes. It is
also predicted that more invertebrates will be observed in the pond than in the
impermeable area after surveying a 5-meter radius for 15 minutes.

It is
predicted that there will be a lot
of invertebrates in the sweep nets in the pond and little in the sweep nets in
the impermeable area. There will be a lot of invertebrates in the pan traps in
the pond and little in the pan traps in the impermeable area.

Time Data Was Collected: Tuesday, October 18, 2016. 3:05-4:15 EST.

Location of Data: Pond and adjacent impermeable area at York
University, near the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence. Latitude and
longitude: 43.77061, -79.506627 (pond) and 43.768235, -79.50731 (impermeable
area).

Weather Conditions: 24 degrees Celsius, overcast, dry conditions punctuated by a brief period of drizzling rain.

Survey Method:

A. The field experiment was conducted using the quadrat sampling
technique. A 50m transect was placed on the ground. An individual would walk
along this transect and place a quadrat every 2 meters, alternating left and
right along the transect. Each time the quadrats were placed, the total number
of exotic and native plants, as well as the total number of flowers within the
quadrats were counted and recorded. This sampling technique was repeated for a
total of 25 times. Similarly, in the shore near the pond, this method was
replicated. However, in order to get an estimation of the exotic plants, the
quadrats were visually divided into sections of 16. The abundance of exotic
plants was counted for 1 section, which was then used to estimate the abundance
in the entire quadrat.

B.
This experiment was completed using transects. 25 replicates were conducted in
the shore near the pond and 25 replicates in the impermeable area. Every two
meters along a transect of 50 meters, abundance of woody plants was measured on
either side of the transect within 0.5 meters. At these points canopy coverage
was observed and recorded by making a square with fingers and holding up and
estimating how much of sky you can see. Using the same method the ground
coverage was estimated. To measure the ground coverage, a visual area was
divided into quadrats, then sum the area covered. At end the total number of
flowers was also recorded.

C. A 50-meter transect was established perpendicular to the periphery of
the pond. Standing at the beginning of the transect, a 50-meter radius was
surveyed. The number of vertebrates, the types of vertebrate species, and the
number of people (who were not members of the BIOL 2050 Ecology Lab) observed
in 15 minutes were recorded. Then, a 5-meter radius from the beginning of the
transect was surveyed for 15 minutes. The number of individual invertebrates
observed within this 5-meter radius in 15 minutes was recorded.

The above procedure was repeated in the adjacent impermeable area.

D. 12
bowls with a 6cm diameter and 5cm depth were filled with soapy water and placed
in 3m intervals, with 6 bowls on the shore near the pond and 6 in the impermeable
area. The bowl colors were alternated between yellow, blue, and white. The
bowls were left for 30 minutes and then the number of invertebrates in the bowl
was counted. While waiting the 30 minutes for the pan trap bowls, 50 meters
were walked while swinging a sweep net with a 32 cm
and a depth of 73 cm from side to side. At the end of the 50 meters, the
number of invertebrates captured inside was counted and then the invertebrates
released. This method was repeated 10 times on the shore near the pond and 10
times in the impermeable area.

Equipment Used:

- transects

- 12
plastic bowls with a 6cm diameter and 5cm depth. 4 bowls were blue, 4 bowls
were white, and 4 bowls were yellow.

- 1
sweep net with a diameter of 32 cm and a depth of
73 cm was used to conduct all the sweep net trials.

- quadrats measuring 1 meter by 1 meter