Botany 160 Plant Ecology Fall 1999

Lab assignment 1 Due: Thursday October 14th

Overview:

Analyze the percent cover data in the file named FernData.txt available from the Botany 160 home page. Write a short report in which you summarize your findings about the percent cover of the four fern species. Indicate whether the hypothesis that there is an edge effect on the relative distribution of fern species is supported by the data or not. You will find the class data by choosing Data Sets from the menu on the Botany 160 homepage (http://www.uvm.edu/~jphclass/bot160/), and then choosing Fern Data.

Specific Instructions:

- To begin your analysis you should bring the percent cover quadrat data into Microsoft Excel as we did in lab 3 (see your lab 3 handout and notes from that lab).

- Analyze the data graphically and with simple descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation or standard error). You should 'play' with the data in the spirit of EDA (Exploratory Data Analysis), as we discussed in lab 3. Try different ways to express the data that gives you insight into the information content of the data set. Two logical graphs that you should construct are (1) a bar graph of mean percent cover for each species. (2) a line graph of percent cover for each species as a function of distance from the edge of the study area.

- Print out selected graphs and tables to support your summary and conclusions. Be sure that graphs have fully labeled axis and a detailed figure legend at the bottom, and that tables have detailed table headings at the top (see some of the journal articles that you have referenced in your proposal for examples of acceptable format). On graphs that show mean values be sure to include error bars and indicate in the figure legend what they are (i.e. +/- 1 standard deviation or standard error or confidence level of the mean).

- Write two to three pages of text (double-spaced) that report your findings. In your report, refer to the appropriate graphs and tables to support your conclusions. Append to the report the raw data you based your analysis on.