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Community ecology
QUESTION
Question 1 (40pts)
List the Importance Value for Each Species (round to the hundredth place).
Species McCarty Woods Bartram-Carr Woods
Acer rubrum
Carya glabra
Celtis laevigata
Cinnamomum camphora
Liquidambar styraciflua
Pinus taeda
Question 2 (10pts)
Why would we hypothesize that the stand structure in these two urban forests would be similar?
Question 3 (10pts)
What influences or factors could make the stand structure in these two urban forests different?
Question 4 (10pts)
Using the comparison of Importance Values that you calculated for these woods, in a qualitative manner, should we accept or reject our hypothesis? Please explain.
Question 5 (10pts)
Does the concept of the Importance Value accurately capture differences or similarities in stand structure between the two urban forests? What does it tell us?
Question 6 (10pts)
What do you consider the limitations to this study? Are these major or minor limitations?
Question 7 (10pts)
Considering the experimental design, how could you improve this study?
for question 1 we are listing the importance value for each specie on both areas McCarty Woods and Bartram-Carr Woods. The question kind of clung them together.
| Subject | Geography | Pages | 4 | Style | APA |
|---|
Answer
Community Ecology
- Importance Value (IV) in the two Forests (McCarty Woods and Bartram-Carr Woods)
|
|
McCarty Woods |
Bartram-Carr Woods |
|
Acer rubrum |
0.88 |
0.38 |
|
Carya glabra |
1.20 |
- |
|
Celtis laevigata |
0.52 |
0.30 |
|
Cinnamomum camphora |
- |
0.32 |
|
Liquidambar styraciflua |
0.41 |
0.51 |
|
Pinus taeda |
- |
1.49 |
|
Sum |
3.01 (~3) |
3 |
- Why we would hypothesize that the stand structure in the forests would be similar
It was hypothesized that McCarty Woods and Bartram-Carr Woods have similar stand structure because both forests are conserved natural forests in the same area (Florida), and thus it is more likely that they have identical tree species and tree density.
- Influences/factors that could make the stand structure in the two urban forests different
Despite the two forests being conserved areas in the same location, some of the factors that could make their stand structures different include human activities and disruption of tree growth by wild animals. As communities, the two forests act as natural areas where plants and animals interact, and the level and nature of interaction is a key determinant of their stand structures. For instance, McCarty Woods is bisected with several paths for pedestrians, which greatly influences its tree density. Similarly, Bartram-Carr Woods is used as a short cut by residents, and is also home to various mammals, such as the Opossum – factors that influence tree density and growth.
- Whether to accept or reject the hypothesis
We should accept the hypothesis that “Canopy stand structure is the same within McCarty Woods and Bartram-Carr Woods”. This is because the sum of the Importance Value for tree species in the two urban forests is the same; that is, 3.01 (~3) for McCarty Woods and 3.00 for Bartram-Carr Woods.
- Significance of the concept of the Importance Value in determining the differences between the two forests
The concept of the importance value does not accurately reflect the similarities in stand structure between the two woods. Notably, although the Importance Value (IV) of each tree species within the two forests is different, for example, 0.88 in McCarty Woods and 0.38 in Bartram-Carr Woods for Acer rubrum, the resulting sum of the IV of all species shows that the two forests have the same IV.
- Limitation to the study
The key limitation of the study lies in its small sample size. The study focused on two quadrats (200 m2) in each forest, which is a very small area compared to the total area of the forests – McCarty Woods’s 11,735.9 m2, and Bartram-Carr Woods’s 36421.7 m2. This means that the resulting Importance Value might not be the actual representation of tree species, density and size within the two forests.
- How to improve the study based on the experimental design
The study can be improved is by minimizing its limitations. One of the ways to achieve this is to increase the sample size or study area by using more quadrats.