(The hypotheses state that both the size of the tree and the direction of which

(The hypotheses state that both the size of the tree and the direction of which the sun faces should impact the growth/ the abundance of lichen on that tree/part of that tree. For the aspect, the southern side of the tree should have a more abundant lichen population than the north side of the tree. We can do assume that the lichen would grow better from the south side because the south side will receive more sunlight than the north side. Since lichen photosynthesizes, it will be larger because of the extra sunlight compared to the north side of the tree. As for the tree size, a tree that has a larger circumference should have a larger lichen abundance than a tree that has a smaller circumference. We can assume this because the tree would have a larger surface area which would allow for a larger area for the lichen to grow/reproduce. With a larger area to grow, it should allow for an easier time to grow as well as the potential for a larger growth.
The aspect of the tree was measured by using a compass to determine which side of the tree was facing North or South and recorded by taking 3 pictures of each side.
Tree size was measured using a rope that had an indication of 60 cm long or more.
The trees that were measured had to be at least 60 cm in diameter.
)
Introduction – Introduce your broad topic, put your study into the context of what is already known, outlines the importance of the study. Clearly state objective, hypothesis, prediction, and brief (1-2 sentences) method in last paragraph.
Paragraph 1 (2 marks): Introduce broad topic – what is the overall topic of your study?
Paragraphs 2-3 (2 marks): Elaborate on your topic/provide examples; if applicable, introduce study organism/system (with scientific name(s)).
Last paragraph (4 marks): State your objective, hypothesis, and prediction(s) here. Finish with 1-2 sentences of how you tested your prediction(s).
Methods – Describes what you did in enough detail that someone could repeat your methods. Do not put unnecessary detail related to lab activity (e.g., that you were divided into groups).
What variables you measured (1 mark):
How they were measured (1-2 sentences) (2 marks):
What you compared/examined (1 mark):
Data treatment (2 marks): State the statistical analyses you did and the program you used to do them
In what tense (e.g., past, future simple, present) do you write the methods section? (1 mark)
In what voice (active or passive) do you write the methods section (1 mark)
Active
Results – State what you found, but do not suggest that your results mean. Include your tables/figures in this section and be sure to describe them as your describe your findings. And refer to your figures/tables when you write about what they show.State the main finding from the traffic volume OR tree size figure (above). (1 mark). Clearly whether there was a relationship between lichen abundance and the other variable. (i.e., between lichen abundance and traffic volume, or lichen abundance and tree size). If there was no significant relationship, state that.
One further point to describe the figure or finding above (1 mark). E.g., if there was a significant relationship, how strong was it? If not, what describe the spread of the points on the plot.
Discussion – State whether your hypothesis was suppported. Interpret your results and what they might mean about lichen abundance on trees. Compare/contrast your findings with of other studies. Identify any next steps or other things to investigate.
First sentence (1 mark; write a full sentence): State whether each hypothesis was supported.
Paragraph 1 (2 marks) – Re-state your main findings
Paragraph 2 (2 marks): What might your findings mean about lichen on street trees? Compare/contrast your findings with published studies.
Paragraph 3 (2 marks): Were there any anomalies in your data that might have affected your results? How might they have affected your reults?
Final paragraph (2 marks): A concluding statement or point. For your paper, of course, you will need a full paragraph to lead up to this statement.
References – For this outline, find two peer-reviewed scientific journal articles that you could use in your scientific paper. Include the full reference for each article, properly formatted for this course. You do NOT need the hanging indent for the outline; you will need it in your full paper.
Source 1 (2 marks):
Source 2 (2 marks):
Title (2 marks)
You should have a descriiptive title for your paper. Your reader should have a general idea what your paper is about from your title.
Abstract (1 paragraph; 4 marks)
The abstract is a quick summary of your study. It should include your primary objective (1 sentence), how you addressed the objective (1-2 sentences), your main findings (1-2 sentences) and your broad conclusion (e.g., “I conclude that the results were consistent with the hypothesis that air quality affects lichen abundance”). Essentially, it has one or two main points from each section in your paper. The abstract is usually written once the rest of the paper is written.
Introduction (up to 1 page; 8 marks)
Provide some background information on the broad topic of your study (e.g., general lichen biology, some factors that might affect lichen abundance, how different factors might affect lichen abundance). Introduce the key aspects of your specific study (e.g., specific factors you looked at as possible affecting lichen abundance) and why it is important to study this. State the two hypotheses examined and the predictions you made for each. Then finish with a brief (1-2 sentences) statement about how you tested your predictions. Note that you should have citations in your introduction.
Methods (up to 1 page; 6 marks)
Describe how the study was done in enough detail that someone could replicate it. Describe data collection methods for determining lichen abundance and those relevant to your factors (and only those relevant to your specific factors!). Be sure to include the (approximate) location of the study and the time of year it was completed. Include units that you measured variables in. Don’t forget to state what statistical tests you did for your factors and what computer program you used for data analysis.
Results (up to 1-2 pages; 10 marks)
Include the two figures you made in Lab 2 with proper captions. State the main finding from each figure in the text of your Results section. Elaborate or expand on each main finding to give your reader more information (e.g., what was the average value? By how much did the means differ? Were there any apparent outliers?). Don’t forget to refer to each of your figures in the text of your Results. Remember, if you didn’t find a significant difference between two means you can’t say they were different in your Results section.
Discussion (up to 2-3 pages; 10 marks)
This is the critical thinking part of your scientific paper. Start with a statement about whether you supported your hypotheses. Interpret what your results show about what affects (or does not affect) lichen abundance on trees. If your factors didn’t seem to affect lichen abundance, think of some other factors that you didn’t measure that might affect it. (you can draw on what other groups in your lab found here!). Cite literature to back up your explanations/suggestions. You should also compare your findings to those of others. Are your findings similar or different to similar work done in, say, a different location, or in response similar factors?
Think about future work. Are there any biases in your data? Did you assume something that you didn’t think would affect your data that maybe did impact your results? What about the time of year data were collected? What else could you look at with a future study that would build on this one?
Finish with a few broad statements summarizing your findings and how they fits in the larger context of the topic.
References (minimum 3 references to the primary literature; i.e., journal articles; 5 marks)
You will find your textbook and other sources helpful for background information when writing your paper, but you should also try to find new references that support your ideas/conclusions or with which you compare and contrast your results. Try to find studies that have used a similar approach or that have used the same (or related) species to investigate a similar topic. References are graded on selection of sources AND on formatting of in-text citations and listed references.
Spelling, grammar, clarity (5 marks)
Reports should be well-written and free of spelling/grammatical mistakes. The writing should flow well in all sections and sections should be organized into paragraphs.