york.grassland.sept29-2016.csv

Meta Data Total Number of Insects Collected: Discreet Variable. These values were obtained by counting the total number of insects collected in the sweep net test. The sweep net test was performed along a 30 m transect line and 40 cm perpendicular to the transect line. Total Number of Recognizable Taxonomic Units (Rtus): Discreet Variable. These values were obtained by visually distinguishing morphological features of the insect. Plant Diversity (PD): Discreet Variable measure on a Ordinal Scale. This was measured by using a 0-3 scale. That values of 0= no plant diversity, 1= low plant diversity, 2= moderate plant diversity, and 3= high plant diversity. This was determined by the amount of different plant species along the transect line. Hypothesis: When Plant Diversity is high then total number of insects collected and the total number of Rtus collected will also be high. This is because having a high PD would promote a diverse sustainable environment thus attracting more insects and Rtus in that area. Predictions:1. The higher amount of total number of insects collected will have high amount of total Rtus collected. 2. Higher PD within the transect will have higher amounts of total number of insects collected and total number of Rtus collected. 3. Lower PD within the transect line will have low amounts of total number of insects collected and total number of Rtus collected. Methods: A 30 m transect line was made using a 30 m measuring tape in a linear fashion. The tape was placed as low as possible without disrupting any foliage. A sweep net test was conducted along the 30 m transect line using a 40 cm range perpendicular to the transect line. After the test the number of insects collected was counted. The insects were visually distinguished by morphological features to obtain total Rtus. Examples of Rtus are caterpillars, small flies, large flies, leaf hoppers, ants, and small spiders. Plant Diversity was measured along the transect line using the 0-3 scale(0= No PD,1= Low PD, 2= Moderate PD, 3= High PD). Transect line was moved 1 m across from the previous transect line. This process was repeated for a total of 10 times. Study Site: Experiment was conducted on Thursday September 29, 2016 between 2:30- 5:30pm at Danby Grasslands in York University Keele Campus. The weather was gloomy skies, cloudy and periods of light rain at about 16 degrees Celsius. Group Members: Matthew Chiang, Abesan Balakumar, Keethana Bala, Kobina Vijay.