Date: January 19, 2024
Weather: Sunny with clouds. Minimal precipitation over the last seven days with temperature during the site visit recorded at 4 celcius.
The organism I have chosen to study is the western sword fern.
Along the gradient the sword fern was primarily found in open areas or at the base of alder trees. The sword fern was not observed within areas comprised of denser thickets or shrubs.
My hypothesis is that abundance and density of sword ferns is greater in open areas or within areas void of dense thickets or bushes within Renfrew Ravine Park.
Response variable: the response variable is the presence western sword fern
Predictor variables: the presence or absence of shrubs / brush
Both of the above response and predictor variables are considered categorical.
You haven’t described your gradient very clearly. I always encourage students to measure a continuous response variable if at all possible as it is easier to summarize your data and interpret trends. Also, you should always measure more details if possible. It seems like you could measure either number of ferns in a plot and/or percent cover in a plot.