BEES2041 Data Analysis for Life and Earth Scientists Practical report 3 Field trip data analyses Background Our ability to answer questions in the environmental sciences is clearly dependent on being able to run a wide variety of analyses. Once we have run those analyses and made our conclusions, we then need to have the skills to communicate 1) how the analyses were done and 2) the results of the analyses. You should be familiar with the standard format of many scientific publications: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. It is in the Methods and Results where much of the detail about analyses is presented. Using the data collected on the Maroubra field trip, this report is aimed at giving you skills to confidently present analyses within the methods and results sections of a scientific report. This is done with a mixture of text, figures and output from statistical analyses. The Communicating Results practical exercise provides examples of how analyses are incorporated into results sections in scientific papers and further guidance on the best ways to present statistical tests. Your task Your task is to present the Methods and Results sections that addresses two of the hypotheses that we have explored with the Maroubra data in the practical exercises: 1). Gastropod abundance vs. species and height on the shore 2) Species composition in rockpool vs emergent habitats, and among sampling years. Data: • • • • The data sets from the Maroubra field trip are available within the Linear models and Multivariate analyses sections in Moodle Maroubra_zones.csv Maroubra_rock_pools.csv The analyses for (1) were done in the linear models practicals. The analyses for (2) were done in the multivariate analysis practicals Your report should include: Methods section • • • 1-2 paragraphs to briefly describe of the sampling methods (5 marks) The methods we originally planned are detailed in the field trip section on Moodle (link titles “Maroubra field trip (Week 2)” The modifications we made for this year (due to the large swell) were presented at the start of the Linear models 2b (Week 4, Monday) practical exercise. 1/2 • A description of how the data were analysed for each hypothesis. This should include any treatment of the data before analysis, what tests were run and how any assumptions of those tests were checked). (10 marks, 2-3 paragraphs) Results section • • • a written description of your findings (10 marks, 3-4 paragraphs) figures that visualise those results (with figure legend) (15 marks) the details of statistical tests that support the conclusions you made in the text (either incorporated into the text, or in a table with an appropriate table legend). (10 marks) Create one Methods and one Results section that would contain content for both hypotheses (not one Methods and Results for each). It is common in scientific publications that each of these sections would have several subheadings for different parts of the study. While I am sure you are all fascinated by snail biology, note that you are not expected to write an Introduction or Discussion. Those sections would have the ecological background for doing the study (i.e., why we would expect intertidal communities to vary across gradients of water availability) and the biological explanations of the results found. Assessment Submit your report via Moodle (Turnitin assignment within the Assessment section) Due date: Week 9, 11:59 pm, Friday 16th April 2021 This laboratory report is worth 30% of your course mark Given that you should all have the same numerical results, marks will relate to how effectively you explain the methods of analyses used, whether you indicate a thorough understanding of the hypotheses being tested, and effective use of figures to communicate the main results. Remember that you must hand in original work. Two or more students handing in the same text is a form of plagiarism (even if you worked on the problems together in the practical classes). 2/2
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