Danby Grassland Aster Transect Dataset

<b>Site Description</b>Sampling taken outdoors in the Danby grassland on the York University Keele campus. The weather was a mix of sun and clouds, 28 degrees Celsius. The grassland was a clearing with no tree canopy, and surrounded by trees and a woodlot on all sides. Samples were taken from 2:30-5:00 in the afternoon. There was continuous ground cover at the site. <b>Metadata</b> Height: The first factor is height. The height of each plant was measured in centimeters using a measuring tape. The plant was measured from the base of the stem to the top of the stem. If the plant was bending over at all, the stem was pulled straight and taught alongside the vertical measuring tape. No broken-stemmed plants were included in the data. Level of Crowding: The second factor is level of crowding. Crowding was measured on a scale from 0-3, based on the following definitions: 0 = open, 1 = some plants nearby, 2 = quite a few plants nearby, and 3 = very crowded bunch of plants, all within 50cm of the plant of interest. Number of leaves: The number of leaves is the response. We counted all the leaves on every stem of the plant (including if the stem branched into 2 or more separate stems), including both dead and living leaves. Size was not relevant when counting. We included broken/partial leaves as well in our count.Distance on transect: Measured based on the location of the plant, perpendicular to the transect. Was an estimated measurement.Number of Flowers: A counted observation, and small, closed buds were included as flowers.<br> <b>Methods</b> A 30-metre transect was placed randomly in the Danby grassland, and was extended on a straight path to a length of 25 metres. I then walked along the transect, beginning at 0m. Each time an individual of the plant species I was sampling was spotted, I stopped and took measurements. 20 plants in total were measured using random sampling. The plant species was identified based on its purple flowers, as well as its leaf shape and characteristics, having one very defined midrib and pointed apex, for plants that had no flowers. Individual plants were determined by observing that each plant had one steam directed into the ground, so even if a plant had multiple stems branching off of the stem going into the ground, all of the branching stems were considered one plant. <b>Hypothesis</b> The height and level of crowding of a plant affect the number of leaves it has. This is because the leaves grow evenly from all parts of the stem, starting just above its base, so leaf number and plant height correlate, and because the level of crowding determines the amount of competition the plant has for nutrients, water and sunlight, which affects the number of leaves it is able to grow. <b>Predictions</b> The taller the plant, the more number of leaves it will have. The higher the level of crowding, the less number of leaves the plant will have.