For this assignment, I’m supposed to analyze the data collected (the data is in the excel sheet below) to determine whether there is a significant difference in the size of the oldest hardwood trees.
-A T-test must be conducted using the data in the excel sheet to see if there is a significant difference between the mean of two different distributions. In this case, there would be a comparison between the mean circumference of the top 10 largest trees from region 1 vs. region 2.
-Make a column chart comparing the top 10 tree circumferences from each forest patch using the data in the excel sheet
-Then determine whether the forests differ in the proportion of mature hardwoods relative to pines, by employing the Fisher’s Exact Test. In this test, a two-by-two contingency table is constructed with two categories: region 1 vs region 2, and pines vs. hardwoods (only mature pines and hardwoods; see below in the detailed instructions section). The p-value in this test tells the percent probability that shows the given distribution across the four categories in the table (region 1 pines, region 2 hardwoods, region 1 pines, region 2
hardwoods) by random chance. If the number of pines vs. hardwoods is contingent on whether you are in region 1 or region 2, there should be a low probability that the distribution is due to chance alone.
All results should be in tables or figures.
After getting the result a manuscript should be written with the following guidelines.
Title: 2 pts
Abstract: 3 pts- Brief summary of the study and conclusions
Introduction: 8 pts- Should at least a couple of paragraphs for this manuscript explaining the
background for the study and the questions asked by the study.
Materials and Methods: 5 pts- Reference the lab protocol, but also describe the methods
of the study enough that someone could precisely replicate the study only by reading
your manuscript.
Results: 13 pts –
1. Column chart showing the sizes of the 10 largest circumference hardwoods in
region 1 and region 2;
2. A table with the p-values for the t-test and the mean and standard deviation for this
analysis
3. A table with the Fisher’s exact test p-value and a contingency data for the Fisher’s
exact test.
Discussion: 14 pts- Interpretation of the t-test and Fisher’s exact test results and discussion of what the results mean relative to the questions posed in the introduction. Also, discuss how the hypotheses could be further tested and how the study could be
improved. You should conclude with a final paragraph relating the material to the broader topic (what did we find overall and why should we care?). Should be at least a few good paragraphs.
Literature Cited: 2 pts- Properly cite the lab protocol and the websites described below.
Composition: 3 pts- Ability to clearly communicate scientific results in writing.
The PDF below is the protocol of the assignment. On page number 5 the analysis is explained in more detail. Pages 7 to 9 explain in more detail the guidelines of how the manuscript suppose to be written down.
You can read the protocol to get a better idea about the assignment.