Field Training with Plants: A Study on Sampling Populations and Communities of a Plant Species in Grasslands

Methods: By randomly placing transect tape within the grasslands of Danby Woods, 50 individuals of a targeted plant species were sampled at specific distances on the transect for number of flowers, number of leaves, height, and whether it was located in a crowded patch of other plant species. Study Site: Danby Woods, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada. 43.7735° N, 79.5019° W. Study taken outdoors with a bit of rainfall and complete cloud cover. Hypothesis: There will be a correlation between plant height and surrounding density of other plant species because competition of nutrients between multiple plant species affects the ability of a single plant to grow and flourish. Predictions:1. The more crowded the target plant is by other plant species, the shorter it will be because as the nutrients are shared among many plants, the targeted plant species can only uptake a certain amount to sustain the plants life.2. The more crowded the target plant, the less number of leaves and flowers because it will be competing with other plants for nutrients which help produce more flowers and leaves.3. The targeted plant species will be taller, and produce more leaves and flowers in a less crowded area because they will not be competing for nutrients with many other plant species. Meta-data:1. distance (transect): Numerical and Discrete – Recorded distance traveled on a transect in meters to 50 targeted plant species which were sampled within a radius of 50 centimeters on each side of the transect to a maximum distance of 30 meters on the transect.2. height.of.plant.of.interest: Numerical and Continuous – Recorded plant height from ground level to tip of the tallest flower in centimeters using a measuring tape.3. total.number.of.leaves: Numerical and Continuous – On each plant, an average length stem was counted for number of leaves, and then that number was multiplied by the total number of stems on the whole plant itself to get the total number of leaves for each plant.4. total.number.of.flowers: Numerical and Continuous – Only counted purple flowers which were already bloomed and disregarded flower buds on targeted plant. 5. crowdness.around.plant.of.interest: Categorical and Ordinal – Assigned a ranking system of 0 (open), 1 (some plants nearby), 2 (quite a few plants), and 3 (very crowded bunch of plants) to signify the estimated density of the targeted plant’s environment within a 50 centimeter radius. Group Members: Matthew Fernandez, Rija Ghani, Niyousha Taati, Sarah Pecile

研究方法：通过在丹比森林（Danby Woods）的草地内随机布设样带（transect）卷尺，在样带上的特定距离处对目标植物物种的50个个体进行采样，记录其花朵数量、叶片数量、株高，以及是否生长在其他植物物种密集的斑块中。
研究地点：加拿大约克大学丹比森林，位于安大略省多伦多市，坐标为北纬43.7735°，西经79.5019°。本研究在户外开展，期间伴有少量降雨且天空完全多云。
研究假说：植物株高与周边其他植物物种的密度存在相关性，因为多种植物间的养分竞争会影响单株植物的生长与繁茂能力。
研究预测：
1. 目标植物周边其他植物越密集，其株高越矮——由于养分被众多植物共享，目标植物仅能摄取有限的养分以维持自身生命活动。
2. 目标植物周边越密集，其叶片与花朵数量越少——因为植物需要竞争养分，而养分是产生更多叶片和花朵的基础。
3. 在植被较稀疏的区域，目标植物株高更高，且能产生更多叶片与花朵——因为其无需与大量其他植物竞争养分。
元数据：
1. 样带距离（distance (transect)）：数值型离散变量——记录沿样带行进至采样点的距离（单位：米），共采样50株目标植物，采样点位于样带两侧各50厘米半径范围内，样带上最大采样距离为30米。
2. 目标植物株高（height.of.plant.of.interest）：数值型连续变量——使用卷尺测量从地面至最高花朵顶端的株高，单位为厘米。
3. 总叶片数（total.number.of.leaves）：数值型连续变量——对每株植物，先统计平均长度的茎上的叶片数量，再乘以整株植物的总茎数，得到单株总叶片数。
4. 总花朵数（total.number.of.flowers）：数值型连续变量——仅统计已绽放的紫色花朵，忽略花蕾。
5. 目标植物周边植被密度（crowdness.around.plant.of.interest）：分类有序变量——采用分级赋值法：0（开阔无遮挡）、1（周边有少量植物）、2（周边有相当数量的植物）、3（周边植物非常密集），用以表征目标植物周边50厘米半径范围内的环境密度估计值。
小组成员：Matthew Fernandez、Rija Ghani、Niyousha Taati、Sarah Pecile