Is there a significant difference between the abundance of potentilla erecta between an area where frequent grazing occurs and an area where infrequent grazing occurs?

Sampling

• Set up a grid with the 10m tape measures, by placing them perpendicularly to each other, thus creating two 10m axes
• Using a calculator generates two random numbers to obtain coordinates for a quadrat
• Place the bottom left corner of the quadrat on the coordinates
• Count how many Potentilla Erecta can be found in the quadrat
• Identify the tallest Potentilla Erecta in the quadrat, and record its height
• Using a shovel, gather a sample of soil in the sampling cups (repeat this only for the first 5 samples)
• Stick the soil pin in the middle of the quadrat, keep pushing it down until the pin can’t go down anymore - then remove the soil pin from the soil
• Using a ruler, measure how much of the pin has gone into the soil - thus measuring soil depth
•  Using a soil thermometer, measure and record the temperature of the soil
• Using a penetrometer in the middle of the quadrat gather measurements for the soil compaction
•  Repeat steps 1-7 20 times at each field site (frequently grazed and infrequently grazed)

Soil sample analysis

The soil samples are gathered to obtain data regarding the soil pH and moisture.

• Put 20g of soil into a measuring cylinder
• Add 20ml of distilled water
• Using a glass rod, stir until mixed evenly
• Using a pH meter, record the pH of the mixture
• Repeat steps 1-3 with the remaining 9 samples
• Weigh a crucible and record its mass
• Put 5g of soil into the crucible
• Record the mass of the crucible with soil
• Repeat steps 6-8 with the remaining 9 samples
• Place all crucibles onto a tray, and leave the tray in a 103 °C oven for 90 minutes 
• Record the mass of each crucible after 90 minutes
• Calculate the moisture mass and percentage using the difference in mass (before and after being placed in the oven)

Calculating the average of biotic and abiotic factors in frequently and infrequently grazed areas

Formula: x̄ = ( Σ xi ) / n,

where x̄ = the average

Σ = sum of

x_i = all of the x-values

n = number of items in the sample

Example: soil depth in the frequently grazed area (23+16+13+7.5+19.5+15.5+20.5+13.6+11.5+10+15.5+7+16+15+18.5+17+9.5+15+22.5+20.2)/20=15.315

Calculating standard deviation

Formula: √( Σ ( x - x̄ ) /n )

Where Σ = sum of

x̄ = the average

n = number of items in the sample

Independent Variable: Frequency of grazing (either 12 months per year or one month per year)

Dependent Variable: Abundance of Potentilla Erecta

The null hypothesis (H₀) states that there is no discernible difference in Potentilla Erecta abundance between sites that are frequently grazed and those that are not.

Alternative hypothesis (H₁): There is a significant difference between the abundance of Potentilla Erecta in frequently grazed areas and that of Potentilla Erecta in infrequently grazed areas.

The uniformity of the two locations selected makes it possible to sample randomly because the area is thought to be uniform. Bias is eliminated when utilizing the quadrat placement by employing random sampling.

Since they would produce the most precise results about the prevalence of Potentilla Erecta, open quadrats were preferred to cover quadrats. This is due to the fact that one would have to count flowers in open quadrats to compute floral density, whereas % covered is measured in closed quadrats. Given that determining density is objective and does not need one to make assumptions, the results would be more accurate.

Regarding the soil sample analysis, I decided to measure the abiotic factors that I thought would have been affected by the presence of grazing. Because of the trampling of livestock, I assumed there would be a difference in soil compaction - thus I decided to measure that factor. Also, due to the assumed smaller spaces between the soil particles in the two areas, I decided to also measure the soil moisture. Lastly, I decided to measure the soil temperature and soil pH as I thought that these factors would be affected by the presence of livestock manure.

The Yorkshire dales national park is well known for its substantial farming sector, which includes more than a thousand farms ("Farming and landscape in the Yorkshire Dales", n.d.). One of the most common agricultural practices in the Yorkshire Dales is grazing, which involves employing domestic cattle to convert grass and other feed into products like meat and milk ("Grazing", n.d.).

After reaching there, we did a pilot study of the Yorkshire Dales, contrasting two areas: one where grazing occurred all year long and one where it occurred only once a year. I discovered several plants to be more numerous in the ungrazed area than in the frequently grazed sections based on quantitative observations collected during the pilot study. The most blatant example was the apparent larger quantity of Potentilla Erecta in the infrequently grazed area as opposed to the regularly grazed sections. I discovered that this was because of their vibrantly colored yellow petals, which made them more conspicuous among the green grassland.

In order to evaluate the effects of grazing on the abundance of Potentilla Erecta and attempt to link these changes to the influence grazing has on the soil, I decided to conduct a study as part of my research.

Research question: Is there a significant difference between the abundance of Potentilla Erecta between an area where frequent grazing occurs and an area where infrequent grazing occurs?

Potentilla recta thrives regularly in various habitats in the British Isles, including highland grassland, heaths, moors, meadows, and hedge banks ("Tormentil", 2019). The pH range for the Potentilla Erecta is between 5 and 7, and it prefers moderately fertile soil. It tolerates clay, alkaline, rocky, dry, or poor soils as long as sufficient drainage (Loughrey, n.d.).

Potentilla Erecta, therefore, doesn't require anything exceptional to thrive; it can grow in fairly lax conditions. However, it is noted that the Potentilla Erecta requires good drainage in order to develop. Soil drainage is "a natural process through which water moves over, through, and out of the soil as a result of the force of gravity" (Fausey, 2005). The proximity of soil particles would affect soil drainage; in other words, close-knit soil particles would lead to poor soil drainage.

This relates to the impact of grazing on the characteristics of the soil. Due to animal trampling from grazing cattle, the soil becomes more compacted, resulting in closer-packed soil particles. Given the significance of soil drainage for Potentilla recta, this predicts that Potentilla Erecta abundance will be higher in the infrequently grazed area, which is consistent with the pilot study's data.

High soil compaction may also impact other variables like soil moisture and depth. Additionally, the temperature and alkalinity of the soil may be impacted by the excrement of the grazing animals. Soil compression, soil depth, soil alkalinity, soil moisture, and soil temperature were chosen as the abiotic parameters to be measured.

Plant height may also be impacted by grazing. Most plants rely on photosynthesis, which only occurs in green plant tissue like leaves. The end products of photosynthesis are essential for plant growth, root development, and dormancy survival (Lyons, n.d.). Plants that are grazed may lose their leaves due to trampling or animal feeding, which hinders their capacity to photosynthesize and slows down their growth, resulting in a reduction in plant height.

I also made the decision to research whether the quantity of grazing had an impact on Potentilla Erecta's height. Given the effects above of grazing on plant height and the fact that Potentilla Erecta does not have the proper growth form to withstand the effects of trampling ("FSC (Field Studies Council) - Urban ecosystems", 2019), it is likely that Potentilla Erecta would grow to a significantly lower height in frequently grazed areas compared to sparsely grazed areas.