The null hypothesis being tested states that there is no difference in maple tree density in rural versus urban habitats. The experiment conducted observed maple tree density in both rural and urban habitats. The observed mean number of maple trees per quadrant in an urban habitat (Jackson Park) was 2 trees. The observed mean number of maple trees per quadrant in a rural habitat (Ojibway) was 6.25 trees. A student’s t-test was performed to test the null hypothesis. The tree density was measured in 16 quadrants in a total from the two habitats, thus the degrees of freedom of the experiment was 14. The critical t-value was 2.14 and the observed t-value was 3.12. Since the observed t-value is greater than the critical t-value, the results are …show more content…
statistically significant and there is a difference in Maple tree means between the two habitats. On the basis of these results, the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was supported. Various factors can contribute to and explain this difference in mean tree densities between the 2 tree densities.
The difference in means highlights the anthropogenic effects on maple tree density. According to Bubank (2014), maple trees are declining due to air pollution from sulfuric acid rain and climate change. A lower tree density at Jackson Park can be explained by these factors as it is found in an urban setting where more pollution is likely to occur and this adversely affects maple tree growth. Moreover, the urbanization of natural and agricultural land acts as an environmental stressor which adversely affects plant growth (Kolbe et al, 2016). Ojibway, on the other hand, is a conservation park where efforts are made to reduce anthropogenic stressors on plant development so that there are less chances of pollution occurring and this explains the higher maple tree density there. This experiment reflects the positive effect that conservation has on plant ecosystems and more conservation efforts should be done in the future to tackle climate change and preserve wildlife. Another factor that affects tree density, is nutrient richness in the soil. Natural soil develops as a result of aggregation of salt, clay and other substances which forms a soil structure that enables nutrient availability, which is vital to plant development. Urban soils lack this natural process of structure formation, compacting the soil since it is disturbed often by anthropogenic factors (Craule,
1985). The third factor that affects tree density is the urban population density and its effect on carbon emissions and temperature. The global temperature is rising in response to an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, thus can be said that atmospheric CO2 and temperature are highly correlated in climate change (Long, 1991). This increase of temperature causes photorespiratory loss and photosynthetic gain, however a rise in CO2 has an opposite effect (Long, 1991). In areas of vast pollution, most likely in urban locations, there is an increase of gas emission which increases the temperature of the area. In forest or rural environments, soil carbon and soil microbial activity helps to regulate the carbon in the ecosystem and its correlation of global change (Wan et al, 2004). Some maple trees, such as Red maple (Acer rubrum) and silver maple (Acer saccharum) have been studied for their fine root productivity and mortality by using minirhizotrons and root biomass determined from soil cores (Wan et al., 2004). It has been established that an increase of CO2, and therefore temperature, enhances the production and mortality of fine roots, but also decreases the biomass of fine roots (Wan et al., 2004). Thus, as rural ecosystems are less affected by pollution, CO2 levels are lower as well as temperature, hence trees are able to grow and reproduce more freely than in an urban environment. Although this experiment was studying maple tree densities, it could be modified in a number of ways for the future. To better test for this hypothesis, tree bark samples could be obtained to genetically confirm the identity of maple trees. Another improvement to the experiment could be the analysis of how abiotic factors affect tree density. This improvement could be made possible by collecting soil samples and analyzing them for the presence of water. Soil in urban locations tends to have less groundwater due to lesser runoff from rainfall (Tedoldi et al, 2016). This significantly affects plant growth as water enables the plants to obtain the necessary nutrients required to grow. Increasing the number of quadrants from each habitat would also result in a larger range of values. This would allow the mean to be obtained from a larger data set, which would increase the accuracy of the experiment. Lastly, repetition of the experiment would be beneficial as well, as it would positively influence the precision and the reliability of the experiment. To further test this hypothesis, additional research could study the specific species of maple present in each location. Rural parks have less stressors and human impact, thus allowing for the natural course of tree growth to take place. However, in urban parks, there is a focus on aesthetics and ornamental trees to create small-scale green spaces for people to enjoy recreationally (Chiesura, 2004). Urban parks are created to contribute to people’s quality of life as they help to satisfy immaterial and non-consumptive human needs (Chiesura, 2004). Therefore, supplementary research can be conducted based on which types of Maple trees are popular in urban parks and which naturally occur in rural environments. Moreover, there can also be a focus on whether or not certain maple tree species are placed in urban parks even though they might not be native to the land and what environmental impact they have on the ecosystem.
Williams, A. B. (1936). The composition and dynamics of a beech-maple climax community. Ecological monographs, 6(3), 317-408.
These are very difficult questions for me personally to answer because I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I have seen the beauty of the old growth forests first-hand.
A good view the Truax had was that for every tree cut down, 5 more are planted. It is a fact that newer trees give off more air than older trees, so cutting down the older trees
get more wrinkled and cracked as the years go by. The tree can be looked upon as something not that
The purpose of this lab was to discover how diverse the parking lot at Bunker Hill High School could be, by finding out the Shannon Wiener biodiversity index of the parking lot. The parking lot was used because it does not have much immigration and emigration of the cars. Using an actual ecosystem in the wild would be hard to control, what is immigrating and emigrating out of the experiment. The experiment shows how diverse the cars were, and this can show how diverse an actual ecosystem was during that time of the experiment. This then tells that diversity does matters because if everyone had the same kind of car, then no one would be different. However, if the students, faculty, and guests had a variety of cars in the parking lot, which made the experiment more diverse in the parking lot or the community of cars.
We don’t often stop to consider the impact that simply living our human lives has on the other species that once called our neighbourhoods their home. The Fraser Valley, “one of the most important and complex ecosystems in the country” (Thom, p. 171), has been dramatically altered to make a more convenient landscape for housing and farming. In this process, critical habitat has been destroyed and many species that were once abundant have disappeared from our area (Cuthbert p. 24). Urbanization is ongoing and is thought to be the most significant threat to the incredible biodiversity found throughout British Columbia, and particularly the population-dense Lower Mainland (Harding, p. 355). Biodiversity, the “complex web that sustains life on this planet” (Austin, et al., p. 5), is vital for our survival as humans (Cuthbert p. 74). Any loss of biodiversity affects the entire ecosystem and all organisms within it (Fetene et al., p. 52). In the quest to house the ever-expanding human population, we must also consider habitat conservation and seek to preserve the rich biodiversity found in the Fraser Valley that supports and enriches our lives.
Dheeraj Patel Journey Around Canada 2. How do the natural characteristics of Canada influence human activity, and how might human activity influence Canada’s natural characteristics? (B1) In the Central part of Canada there are many different human activities that affect natural characteristics. In the Central part of Canada there are many interior plains landforms.
Many old-growth forests across the landscape of northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan contain a mixture of tree species rather than a monoculture. Many researchers have put forward ideas to explain the competition and co-existence of tree species in such communities. A theory explaining competition and co-existence between two species is gap regeneration. Gap regeneration is when a gap is created upon death of a plant individual and a new individual, sometimes of the same species as died and sometimes not dependent on environmental heterogeneity, takes its place (Kenneth Lertzman). Canopy gaps during gap regeneration can be explained by either reciprocal replacement or habitat preference . In a reciprocal replacement, seedlings of one species would be found predominately under large trees ...
Maple syrup is to people as honey is to bees. The production of syrup is as technical as almost any refined sugar, though like honey it is produced completely naturally, from the sap of maple trees. The process of creating maple syrup is as easy as extracting the sap from the tree and boiling off the excess water. After discussing the sap production, syrup production, and the process of creating maple sugar, we will all have a greater understanding of Maple syrup.
In the last decade, from the Rockies to New England and the Deep South, rural and suburban areas have been beset by white-tailed deer gnawing shrubbery and crops, spreading disease and causing hundreds of thousands of auto wrecks. But the deer problem has proved even more profound, biologists say. Fast-multiplying herds are altering the ecology of forests, stripping them of native vegetation and eliminating niches for other wildlife. ' 'I don 't want to paint deer as Eastern devils, ' ' said Dr. McShea, a wildlife biologist associated with the National Zoo in Washington, ' 'but this is indicative of what happens when an ecosystem is out of whack. ' ' The damage is worse than anyone expected, he and other scientists say. Higher deer densities have affected growth, survival, and reproduction of many plant species which have aesthetic, economic or ecological value. In some cases, many species of trees have also been shown to have reduced growth as a result of high deer density (Environmental Benefits of Hunting, 1). Deer prefer certain plant species over others and frequently feed on economically valuable tree species. For example, they prefer oak and sugar maple seedlings, as well as acorns, over less palatable species like American Beech and striped maple. Thus, less marketable species are more likely to survive to maturity,
Annual Review of Phytopathology, 24, pp. 113-117. 265-287. See the full list of vacancies. Rock, B.N., Vogelmann, J.E., Williams, D.L., Vogelmann, A.F., and Hoshizaki, T. 1986. Remote detection of forest damage.
There have been solid connections between tree distributions, and its abundance to the soil nutrient that it inhabits4. Other factors such as Accessible light, water supply and temperature also influences the success and growth of tree species1. One difference why Oldfield showed more percentage of species covering the ground is because Oldfield is abundant in grass fine leaved and flat leaved while that is not common in
“Healthy forests help absorb greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions that are caused by human civilization and contribute to global climate change. Without trees, more carbon and greenhouse gasses enter the...
As the world is growing in industrialization, more and more trees are being removed in a process called deforestation. This produces problems in climate because the deforestation contributes carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Deforestation contributes carbon emissions of 12-18 percent of the world’s total emissions.1 In attempt to reverse these emissions caused by deforestation, the idea of reforestation, or planting more trees and restocking forests, has been proposed as a solution for the climate problem because of the role trees play in sequestration of Carbon, which is the process of storing carbon so it is not emitted into the atmosphere.2
Trees are usually considered as bland, unusual objects that are usually taken for granted; however, I believe there is more to a tree that meets the eye. They supply oxygen and shade. During the holidays, trees are able to spread holiday cheer by wearing holiday decorations. Through providing, they are always beneficial to the needs of others. Rather than having striking beauty like a flower, trees have are grounded and possess a gentle beauty; they are adapted wildflowers to their environment. In fact, if I had to compare myself to an inanimate object, I would choose a tree. A tree has many characteristics in common with me. Characteristics like relying on our roots, strength and observation, and helping others and leaving behind a powerful legacy are a few of the traits we share. All of which I believe are admirable qualities to possess.