Experimental Design Lab - Golden Rod Field Data

To examine the effect of proximity to water and pollution on plant health, we have selected the Golden Rod as our test plant species. After researching metrics of Golden Rod health, we've concluded that the best controls include individual stem yield, base stem width and plant height to measure population health. To control for variability within each species, we have chosen two plots on York University's Keele Campus. The first plot of data was gathered in the wetlands at Stong Pond and represents our wet ecosystem dataset while the second plot was gathered in the in the York Boulevard Woodlot / York University Busway and represents our dry ecosystem dataset. In each plot, we set up 3 pollution measurement devices which use petroleum as an adhesive to capture particulates of air pollution. These measurement devices were left in the field for exactly 5 days and were analyzed for content in the laboratory thereafter. Our field data collection includes a total of 5 transects per plot with 15-20 individual measurments per transect. We've collected measurments of plant height, base stem width, colour, perceived health and stem abundance, all recorded along a transect with the use of a measuring tape and a tally sheet. <br><br>Plant Height represents the measurment from base to leading stem in meters. Base stem width represents the distance in centimeters at the base of the plant stem. Colour and perceived health are arbitrary values which follow a score of 0-2 and will be attributed to either life cycle or health. Lastly, stem abundance includes all branching stems or flowering stems from the base of the plant to the top. The large sample size has allowed us to control for changes in water content throughout the two plots. Once all 5-6 transects were taken in each plot, we input the data into an excel spreadsheet for further analysis. Due to inconsistencies in the pollution measurement data, we will discuss whether a particulate density score of low and moderate will be included in our final results. If used, we will correlate this with the health data in each plot and examine if our experimental controls had a significant impact on the population health of the Golden Rod.

为探究水体邻近性与大气污染对植物健康的影响，我们选取一枝黄花（Golden Rod）作为受试植物物种。在系统调研一枝黄花的健康相关指标后，我们确定以单茎产量、茎基宽度与株高作为衡量种群健康水平的核心指标。为控制物种内部的变异性，我们在约克大学（York University）基尔校区（Keele Campus）选取两块样地：第一块样地的采样工作开展于斯通池塘（Stong Pond）湿地，对应水生生态系统数据集；第二块样地的采样区域为约克大道林地带/约克大学公交专用道，对应陆生（干地）生态系统数据集。

每块样地均布设3台以石油作为黏合剂捕获大气污染颗粒物的监测装置，将其置于野外时长恰好为5天，随后在实验室对采集到的颗粒物样本进行成分分析。本次野外数据采集共设置5条样带（transect），每条样带完成15至20次单次测量。我们借助卷尺与计数单，沿样带记录了株高、茎基宽度、颜色、主观健康评分与茎秆丰度等指标。

株高指从植株基部至主茎顶端的垂直高度，单位为米；茎基宽度指植株茎秆基部的横向直径，单位为厘米；颜色与主观健康评分为0至2分的半定量评分值，用于表征植株的生命周期阶段或健康状态；茎秆丰度则指从植株基部至顶端的所有分枝茎与开花茎的总数量。较大的样本量帮助我们控制了两块样地内的水分含量波动。完成每块样地的5至6条样带采样后，我们将所有数据录入Excel电子表格，以开展后续分析工作。

鉴于污染监测数据存在不一致性，我们将讨论是否将低、中度颗粒物密度评分纳入最终研究结果。若纳入该指标，我们将结合各块样地的植物健康数据展开相关性分析，探究本次实验的控制变量是否对一枝黄花的种群健康产生了显著影响。