Hello! Here’s my response to Blog 3:
Study Organism
I will be studying the maple trees, Acer campestre, for the biological aspect of this ecological project. Acer campestre are commonly known as hedge maple. These type of maple trees are native to Europe and Asia, but they are used extensively in urban landscaping throughout North America. They are relatively small and grow only 25.00 to 40.00 feet in height (Kuser 2007).
Observations
Field journal excerpt: July 14, 2017 at 5:30PM (17:30); Clear; David Avenue at Noons Creek Drive to David Avenue at Forest Park Way (49°17’46.3″N 122°49’10.4″W to 49°17’49.4″N 122°49’30.8″W); Temperature: 23oC; Greenway; Moss on bark; No decomposed biomass near roots; dry soil; concrete curb; smooth bark.
The Acer campestre trees line the greenway on the sides of David Avenue. There are mosses growing on the bark of all the trees and no decomposed biomass near the roots of the tree. The trees are all situated on relatively dry soil and enclosed inside the concrete curb. The bark of the tree was smooth and had very few ridges and indentations.
Selected locations
I used a random integer function to select for 10 trees. The trees are numbered 1 beginning at David Avenue at Noons Creek Drive to David Avenue at Forest Park Way. The randomly selected trees are 1, 6, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 21, 23, and 24.
Hypothesis
Trees in cities and forests are vulnerable to wildfires; when there is ground fire, the first point of contact is the tree bark. What is the relationship between Acer campestre tree bark surface temperature and air temperature?
Prediction
Tree bark temperature will differ significantly from air temperature; measurements will be taken three times a day at 8:00, 12:00, and 20:00 (morning, midday, evening).
Predictor and Response Variables
The predictor variable is air temperature, and the response variable is the Acer campestre bark temperature. Both the predictor and response variables will be continuous. This will be a natural experiment.
Bibliography
Kuser, J. 2007. Urban and Community Forestry in the Northeast. Springer, New York, New York, USA.
You selected a very interesting topic to study, and your post is laid out in a straightforward and informative way. The prediction is much clearer than the hypothesis, but it would be easier to follow (as a reader) if the hypothesis was stated more directly. It is posed as a question, but would be falsifiable if it stated whether you think air temperature will or will not determine bark temperature. The question itself is really cool!