A study of the correlation between sunlight and soil moisture with the abundance of plants

This study of correlation between sunlight exposure and soil moisture with plant abundance was conducted in Danby woodlot and grassland of York University by myself and three other group members including Alexandra, Khaula and Houra from BIOL 2050 Ecology Lab 02 on Oct 13 and 20. Oct 13rd was a cloudy and windy day with little sunlight, while Oct 20th was a bit rainy in the morning and then cloudy throughout the day. We started the experiment around 2:45 pm and finished within 2 hours.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the system health of Danby Woodlot and Grassland through measuring the sunlight and soil moisture level towards the plants abundance, in order to optimize vegetation. Our group was divided into two pairs, with one conducted the experiment in the grassland and the other pair conducted in the woodlot. Two quadrats were used, one for each pair, to standardize the sample area. The total number of different plants within a quadrat was counted and recorded. The percentage of area in the quadrat covered by sunlight was measured in a scale of 0 (no sunlight) to 3 (full sunlight exposure). The soil moisture was measured by using popsicle stick to collect the soil samples below the ground and place them on paper towels and between fingers to test the relative water content which was recorded in the scale of 0 to 2 (dry, moderate, wet). A total of 160 replicates were recorded – 40 replicates for each pairs x 2 pairs x 2 days.