Blog Post 3: Ongoing Field Observations

Date: 30-07-2024
Time: 1345-1530 hours
Location: My area that I have selected to observe is the wetland zone on my private property in Quick, British Columbia.
Coordinates: 54.63341° N, 126.87755° W
Weather Conditions: 19˚C, cloudy, humidity 61%, pressure 1008 hPa, wind 5 km/h
Observations: Due to the current time of year, the Northern Rice Root (Fritillaria camschatcensis) plants are lacking flowers, but have either one or multiple fruits at the top of the stem. Most of the Northern Rice Root’s I had observed showed slight to moderate levels of yellowing leaves, although were still remaining upright. Often when I spotted a Northern Rice Root, there was a cluster of others around it.

Location #1: 0-5 meter radius from the water’s edge in the eastern field. This is the area with the lowest elevation, highest soil moisture, and flat slope. It is more difficult to find Northern Rice Root’s (Fritillaria camschatcensis) this close to the water edge, they seem to prefer to be a bit higher up on the slight slope at location #2, although there is still a visible population. The Northern Rice Root’s in this area had more yellowed leaves, but remained standing upright. Surrounding vegetation in this radius is quite low in height, allowing Northern Rice Root’s to stand out. There is overall less vegetation in this zone, potentially caused by the high moisture soil level. As you walk in this area, you can feel your feet sinking slightly as the soil moisture level is high.

Location #2: 5-10 meter radius from the water’s edge in the eastern field. This is the area with lower/mid-elevation, medium soil moisture, and a gentle to flat slope. It is quite easy to find Northern Rice Root’s (Fritillaria camschatcensis) in this location, they seem to grow higher and stronger in this area. The plants in this area had greener leaves compared to those in location #1. Surrounding vegetation in this radius is around 1 foot in height, making it more difficult to spot Northern Rice Root’s compared to location #1. There is a medium/high amount of vegetation in this area, potentially due to the medium soil moisture level. As you walk in this area, the ground feels slightly spongy as the soil moisture level is on the lower end of medium.

Location #3: 10-15 meter radius from the water’s edge in the eastern field. This is the area with the highest elevation, lowest soil moisture, and gentle slope. It is moderately difficult to find Northern Rice Root’s (Fritillaria camschatcensis) in this location, due to the high density and height of the surrounding vegetation, although they seem to grow quite tall in this area. The plants in this area had around the same level or more of green in their leaves as location #2. Surrounding vegetation is around 1.5-2 feet high in this radius, Northern Rice Root’s are engulfed by other plants and are very difficult to spot. There is a high amount of vegetation in this area, potentially due to the wide range of plant which can inhabit low/medium soil moisture levels. As you walk in this area, the ground feels quite firm as the soil moisture level here is low.

Hypothesis: The size of a Northern Rice Root’s (Fritillaria camschatcensis) main bulb is determined by the level of soil moisture.
Response Variable: Northern Rice Root (Continuous)
Explanatory Variable: Proximity to water source (Continuous)
Type of Study: Natural Experiment, Regression
Process: Based on the concept of root uptake, I think that the closer a Northern Rice Root (Fritillaria camschatcensis) is to the water; therefore residing in a high soil moisture level, the larger their main bulb will be.
Predictions: Northern Rice Root (Fritillaria camschatcensis) bulbs grow larger when they reside in areas with high soil moisture. The underlying pattern might be that Northern Rice Root bulbs can soak up more moisture when they are closer to a water source, allowing for a larger main bulb. This might explain why the Northern Rice Root plants in location #1 have more yellowed leaves, as most of their energy is going into root production and not leaf growth.