The biological attribute I plan to study is the difference in plant species diversity at three different riverbank locations based on distance from the river bank in an oak forest. Then, the plants will be categorized into overstory, understory or ground cover using a multi-factor design in 10 different gradients. On each gradient of three factors (distance from the river), 10 samples will be taken. The size is to be determined for ease of creating a border for the sections and my available materials. The three locations along the gradient are the raised area close to the river bank, the low-lying area, and the upwards-sloped area. The natural processes that cause patterns of different plant diversification and establishment in these areas can be attributed to the flooding in the lowest area being most frequent and lasting. The fertility difference and access to sunlight can also contribute to the patterns.
Hypothesis: The lowest studied area of elevation will have the highest plant diversity.
Prediction: If the hypothesis is true and I were to do this test section 3 with the highest elevation will have the highest biodiversity in terms of different levels of the forest (overstory, understory and ground cover), but the lowest in elevation section 2 will have the highest overall biodiversity due to flood water introduction of different plant species.
Response Variable: Number of plant species. This will also be categorical due to being grouped into either the understory, overstory or ground cover.
Explanatory Variable: Geographical location (3 sections of distance from the river). This is categorical as the different areas are categorized into three distinct regions on a gradient.
Hi Jessica! Great job so far on your project! It sounds very interesting! One suggestion I would give you would be to consider confounding factors like sunlight exposure and soil fertility as these might impact the plant diversity differently across the elevation levels. Using these factors could help clarify if the differences in diversity is because of distance from the river or other environmental conditions. Good Luck!