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Homework answers / question archive / You are testing a hypothesis that population density of a particular plant species influences the rate at which a pathogenic fungus infects the plant
You are testing a hypothesis that population density of a particular plant species influences the rate at which a pathogenic fungus infects the plant. Because the fungus causes visible scars on the leaves, you can easily determine whether a plant is infected. Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Include your experimental treatments and control, the data you will collect, and the results expected if your hypothesis is correct.
To test the hypothesis that population density of this plant species influences rate of infection by the fungus, we need to establish a control. I would find a healthy population and measure spacing patterns in those plants. I would then set up 10 plots using that spacing for my control. I would then establish 30 other plots: 10 plots with plants spaced twice the distance as the control, 10 plots with plants spaced half the distance of the control, and 10 plots with plants spaced a quarter of the distance of the control. I would let the plants grow and observe the pathogen in each group by counting the number of plants with scars on them. I would run an analysis of variance test to determine if my control differed from my treatment group. I would expect fewer plants with scars for the plot with plants spaced further apart, and I would expect more plants with scars in the denser plots. I would also run a regression analysis to determine if there is a correlation between plant spacing and the number of plants with scars. I would expect the number of plants with scars to be positively related to density of the plants.
