Grassland Dataset 2

This lab was conducted by sampling a specific plant species called Cricus vulgare using a transect on York University grasslands near Strong pond which took place on September 22, 2015. S. Govinda recorded the data on notebook while S. Lam identified the plant, and took measurements. The study site was very dense with vegetation all around the pond. A transect tape was randomly placed which extended 30 metres towards the pond. The plant that we selected was the Field Thistle(Cricus vulgare). An individual would walk along the transect tape and everytime the target plant was visible, they would record down the distance from the transect, the height of the plant, number of leaves, number of flowers, and the crowdness level. In order to measure the distance from the transect the individual walked in a straight line from the plant towards the transect tape, making note of the distance on the tape in metres. We used a second transect to measure the height of the plant that we identified by in metres, placing the tape to the ground to a leveled surface, measuring to the highest point of the plant regardless of leaf or flower or stem. The method used to count the number of leaves and flowers involved a quick observational count of the visible flowers or leaves excluding dead flowers or leaves. Crowdness level of the identified plant was observed by the number of surrounding plants within a 50cm distance which used the scale from 0 to 3, 0 indicating that there are no plants within 50cm, and 3 indicating that there are other plants obstructing the identified plant. This process was done for a total of 50 individuals in one transect.