I have decided for my final project I will be focusing on the blooming of various plant species in my front yard, and the relevant ecological implications. Our goal is to study the ecological changes brought about by these blooming species, particularly their influence on the populations of relevant insects and animals. Through meticulous field observations and environmental monitoring, I aim to uncover the intricate relationships between these plants and the local ecosystem.
Organisms or Biological Attributes of Interest:
In my field observations I will be focusing on several key species in my front yard. The first species that caught my attention is the Pembina Plum (Prunus Pembina) tree. Although there is no second compatible specie present for its pollination in my front yard, I’m interested in studying whether the blooming of this tree attracts pollinators to the surrounding biome. Furthermore, we aim to understand how ecological changes manifest as the seasons shift.
Additionally, I will monitor the blooming of various Paeonia Lactiflora plants scattered throughout the front yard. By studying their contribution and influence on the animal ecology as a function of seasonal change, we hope to gain insights into the broader ecological dynamics at play.
These Paeonia lactiflora plants are planted adjacent to Rose bushes. I could not identify the exact species of these roses as they have not produced flowers yet, for me to study in an effort to identify their exact species. However these roses may also play a role in our study as they may bloom any time from May to October so they will also be included in the study.
Other flowering species present in the front yard include Pelargonium zonale and common garden Petunia. These species are also expected to bloom during the observation period and will be taken into account in our investigation.
Finally, the white mulberry tree located in the middle of the yard is of particular importance to our study. With its expected blooming in early spring, this species is known to release a substantial quantity of pollen rapidly. Understanding its impact on the local ecosystem is a crucial aspect of our investigation.
Observations along the Environmental Gradient:
Using our field journal, we will meticulously document observations of these blooming species across various environmental conditions. By selecting different locations within the front yard, we aim to capture a range of microhabitats and their potential influence on the blooming species and animal ecology. We will observe and record any changes in the distribution, abundance, or behavior of relevant insects and animals throughout the blooming stages and beyond.
Below is a layout of the front yard, indicating the relative locations of the species.
As described in a previous blog post; the topography of the yard is relatively flat, without any segments that are significantly different in elevation from the rest of the yard. Furthermore, sunlight exposure is relatively the same between all studied species.
Hypotheses, Predictions, and Underlying Processes:
Based on our observations and knowledge of the ecological dynamics associated with blooming species, we postulate the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis: The blooming of the studied plant species in my front yard will attract a diverse array of pollinators, particularly honey bees, to the local biome. The blooming periods will have a significant influence on the population of pollinators, impacting their abundance and diversity.
To support our hypothesis, we make the following formal prediction:
Prediction: During the blooming stages of the studied plant species, there will be an increase in the presence and activity of pollinator honey bees within the front yard. This increase will be most pronounced during the peak blooming periods, demonstrating the significant role of blooming stages in shaping the population dynamics of pollinators in the niche.
Potential Response and Explanatory Variables:
To effectively study the ecological impact of the blooming species, we identify potential response and explanatory variables to measure and analyze. Drawing upon the knowledge gained from the Experimental Design tutorial, we select suitable variables for our investigation:
Response Variable: The abundance and diversity of pollinators in the front yard will serve as our primary response variable (continuous), reflecting the ecological changes brought about by the blooming species.
Explanatory Variable: The blooming stages of the studied plant species will act as our key explanatory variable. This categorical variable will help us understand the temporal dynamics and the specific influence of different blooming periods on the population of pollinators.
Conclusion:
In this blog post, we embarked on an exciting journey of ongoing field observations, aiming to uncover the ecological dynamics sparked by the blooming of various plant species in my front yard. By meticulously documenting observations, pondering underlying processes, formulating hypotheses, making predictions, and identifying response and explanatory variables, we set the stage for a comprehensive study of the impact of blooming species on animal ecology as a function of seasonal change.
So your hypothesis is that when flowers bloom there will be more pollinators? I am not clear of the ecological gradient here. You can choose this if you want though it is kind of obvious and you may find it difficult to write a paper that basically says pollinators come to flowers when they bloom.
If you have different types of flowers in different areas of your yard you could look at pollinator abundance in different areas. However, they would have to be blooming at the same time. You can technically do the study as described above, though you don’t really have a gradient.
I am not sure of your predictor variable and how you are using the three species. Do they all bloom at the same time? Your hypothesis is simply that blooming affects pollinators. So, I would expect you to study any flower that is in bloom and perhaps have quadrats that quantify the number of blooms and then also count pollinators.
Remember you hypothesis and prediction should be one sentence each. Have a look at the hypothesis tutorial again.
Your whole top section talks about ecological changes and blooming of certain species attracts pollinators to the surrounding biome but cause and effect is very difficult to show. You can’t prove that if a tree is blooming somewhere and there are more pollinators in the surrounding area that then the tree is responsible.
My hypothesis is that communities of flowering plants (in accordance with seasonal changes) directly influence the pollinator communities’ ecologies within any given community. This includes both pollinator abundance, as well as pollinator diversity.
The various different plant species I have chosen for observation will indeed bloom at different time periods.
In fact, some of them have already gone through the blooming and have shed their flowers already. For these species standardized observations have already been made. The variance in blooming times is actually a good thing for my study, because if only one species is blooming it is more reasonable to deduct that any pollinators present that may have been attracted to the area would have been only affected by said blooming species.
When there are multiple different species blooming at the same time there is an issue with this overlap of blooming times, as it is not feasible to deduct which species may be attracting the pollinators to the area.
With this being said, it is fortunate for my data that overlap of blooming periods is actually not much of a problem for the species in my yard. Most of these species have different blooming periods.
Moreover, in the instance where this overlaps does occur for my observations; the distance between the two different blooming species is very large;
-The palegonium zonale/petunia pots were in this overlap of flowering times, however these are well distanced from the other overlapping species; the paeonia lactiflora.
Due to this I think it is easier to justify that any pollinators present at either species would have been uninfluenced by the other species.
My plan is to compile a table for each of the 5 flowering plants I have laid out in the drawing provided in this blog; and report observed numbers and descriptions of any potential pollinators that I can observe at each species during each 10 minute observation period. (Note that I will be treating the mixed pots as one species)
I can then use all of these tables to produce one graph where any documented patterns can be visualized.
My goal is to uncover any ecological patterns that may be occurring in my front yard relevant to the studied topics.
Please advise if I need to change anything in my study.