YorkU.grassland.Sept20-2016.csv

The study explores the diversity of plant species in a grassland. Hypothesis: In a grassland, the distribution of specific plant species and grasses are random. Predictions: The number of plants species in across quadrats should vary. The number of individual plants should also vary across quadrats. We should also see that the areas occupied by grass and vegetation should vary across quadrats. Methods:- 25 quadrats were placed randomly at a grassland near Keele and Steeles at York University, Keele Campus from 3:00 to 4:30 on sunny and warm conditions. Each quadrat has an area of 1m² and hence, the total sum of the areas of all the quadrats is 25m².- In each quadrat, the number of individual plants was counted as well as the number of unique plant species. The total cover of vegetation and grass was also approximated for each quadrat.- The data was uploaded to figshare.Meta-data: Abundance of plants: defined as the number of individual plants counted per quadrat. The data is continuous and quantitative. Number of species: defined as the number of unique species seen per quadrat. The data is continuous and quantitative. Total cover of plants: proportion of the area of the quadrat that is covered by plants. The data is continuous and quantitative. Total cover of grass: proportion of the area of the quadrat that is covered by grass. The data is continuous and quantitative.