King’s Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
November 30, 2023 12:00 pm. Season Fall. The weather was cloudy, with sparse snow patches. -3°C, wind was 14 km/h and relative humidity 67%.
For my study I plan to focus on the species of squirrel commonly found in Manitoba during the winter months, the Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Since this species does not hibernate, they are active all year round. This would make this species a good species to study during this time.
During my time spent at King’s Park, I have observed and heard many squirrels in the area. On November 30, 2023, I observed two individuals chasing each other on the ground underneath maple trees.
December 29, 2023 11:45 am. Season Winter. Light ground cover of snow. Weather was sunny, clear skies, -2°C, wind was 11km/h and relative humidity 84%. On this day I strictly focused on observing red squirrels in the area.
Three locations along the environmental gradient:
Area 1: sparse tree patch on the east side of the pond, trees and shrub area surrounding red building, near off-leash dog park
- 2 individuals were observed in scots pine trees
- Individuals observed foraging on pinecone
- Communication was heard between squirrels in different trees
Area 2: densely forested area, west side of the pond and walking path
- 7 individuals were seen both on the ground and in trees
- Individuals were seen foraging in trees and on the ground
- More communication between individuals was heard in this area and more activity and movement in the trees
Area 3: tree patch near the parking lot, north side of the pond near open sitting area
- 3 individuals seen
- Observed individuals perched in maple trees
- Individuals eating dried seeds on maple trees
- Other individuals foraging on the ground at the base of a tree
Overall, I have noticed increased communication between individuals and increased foraging behaviour in quieter/ less disturbed areas like the dense forested area. This could also be due to the heavier forested area (area 2) having less open area and therefore a decreased chance of being seen by predators or being disturbed by humans. In Area 1 there is a dog park adjacent to the area and lots of dogs could be heard barking which could contribute to the decreased communication among individuals and foraging activity.
I hypothesize that communication between red squirrel individuals is determined by the distance from human activity. I predict that communication between individuals will be greater in areas with decreased human activity and less frequent in areas where human activity is high.
The response variable is the amount of communication/noises heard between red squirrel individuals in each location. The explanatory variable is the amount of disturbance in the area (number of people/animals in the area creating disturbance). The amount of disturbance and if communication is heard between individuals are both categorical. With communication either being present or absent and disturbance being categorized as low, medium, or high. I plan to use all three areas described above in my study.
Your hypothesis and gradient sound great. I highly recommend a quantitative response variable if possible, which should always be used if possible and presence/absence only when it is not possible to collect quantitative data. In your case, you can do point counts and record the amount of communication heard during the point count interval (usually 10-15 minutes). Replication in space is ideal but if not then replication in time is ok too.