biological project，due within 6 hours

This assignment is optional. If you decide not to complete this assignment, your overall course grade will be calculated based on your grades up to and including your grade for the Discussion assignment. If you submit this assignment, it automatically means that you want your mark for this assignment to be included in the calculation of your overall course mark. If you decide to submit this assignment, see instructions below.

Options: (1) To complete with original group members; or (2) to complete individually; marking criteria will be the same (see revised requirements and marking rubric below).

Weight: 15% of your final Biology 140 mark

Word count: 5 pages maximum (excluding reference list). No list of passages is needed. Assignment should be typed, size 12 font, double-spaced. (Note: template slides posted earlier are no longer useful as full sentences have to be used instead of bullet points.)

Due date: Two weeks from the date posted on Canvas (April 1, 2020, 9 pm). Email your file to your Instructor. In the subject line of your email, indicate your lab section, plant species and group members’ names that contributed to this assignment. Please include the attached rubric.

The goal of this activity is for your group to present the field study findings for your assigned plant species:

· clearly graph the results for your focal plant species (from a previous year), describe and interpret these results.

· provide a scientific explanation for differences (or lack thereof) in abundance of your focal plant species between the two forest sites.

SPECIFIC CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

· Include a figure that shows the mean abundance in % cover (± standard deviation) of your focal plant species in each forest site.

· Follow the Figure (Graph) Formatting Conventions in the Scientific Conventions pages of your workbook.

· Conduct a t-test to determine if there is a significant difference in the abundance of your focal plant species between sites, and report the p-values.

· Describe the results. Consider feedback that your Instructor shared with you on your Results Assignment.

· What abiotic factor could explain the differences (or lack thereof) in the abundance of your focal species between the two forest sites?

· Use the scientific explanation format (claim, evidence, reasoning) to answer this question.

· Incorporate at least two pieces of credible evidence to support your claim. This evidence could be data from the field study (see the next 2 bullet points) and evidence from the literature (e.g. government documents, field study guides, books, journal articles). Properly cite and reference the literature that you use using the Biol 140/CSE style.

· Remember that you have data on light intensity and temperature for both forest sites, which would count as a piece of evidence. You also have data on the dominant tree species, which can affect the properties of the soil (including pH).

· Note: if you use differences in light intensity or temperature as evidence, be sure that there is a significant different in the factor between sites (i.e. you should graph the data, perform a t-test and report the p-value).

Design an experiment to test your explanation (i.e. your scientific hypothesis).

· State your research question.

· Describe, in detail, a hypothesis-testing experiment you could perform to test your explanation of any differences (or lack thereof) in your plant’s abundance. You can design a lab study or a field study.

· Use the same abiotic factor that you used in your explanation.

· Specify the response that you will measure.

· Describe what your experimental protocol would be. Be very specific , taking into consideration the research design concepts that you have learned in the course.

· It is okay to use point form for this section.

· Predict what results you would expect if your explanation is correct.

Modified Field Study Marking Rubric

Lab Section: _________ Plant Species: __________________________

Name(s):________________________________________________________________________________