Grassland Dataset 2: Belt Transect

Methods: 20m of transect tape was run in a straight line in a random section of grassland. As one walked along the transect tape, any thistle species found within arm's length of either side of the tape was spotted and assigned a number. The longitudinal distance along the tape at which the plant's base was found, was recorded in metres. Then the plant's height from the base, along the stem, to the top of the heighest leaf was recorded in metres. Next the number of leaves on the whole plant was counted carefully (as to not prick oneself too much) and recorded. The number of flowers growing anywhere on the plant were also counted and recorded. Lastly, the area immediately surrounding the plant was rated from 0-3 on approximately how crowded with vegetation it was, and was recorded as well. Once the data was obtained, the experimenter walked along the tape to find the next thistle within arm's length, to repeat the same measurement process.