I organized my data into a table during my data collection, which included columns for the distance of my 1m² quadrats from the creek, and the corresponding number of Athyrium filix-femina individuals I counted. This allowed me to create a graph relatively easily since the data were already organized and separated into predictor vs. response variables.
I chose to use a scatterplot to visualize the relationship between distance from the creek and A. filix-femina abundance. As expected, I saw a pretty clear trend in which the highest abundance of A. filix-femina was present at areas closer to the creek compared to those further away. This was a trend that I noticed when I was first exploring my potential research questions, so I’m glad to see that the data I collected aligned with my initial observations.
Since the results didn’t really surprise me, a way to further explore this research topic would be to see if the same trend (higher A. filix-femina abundance closer to water sources compared to further away) exists in other creeks in North Vancouver.
Sounds like you are on track for your paper