Finding if competition exists among the same or different species, and measuring it

Extract

[...] This allowed us to find each plant's dry biomass. Next, different calculations were found: Analysis Linear Regression Analysis was used to find if, and how much, intraspecific competition exists between the two plants. By putting our raw data into Microsoft Excel, we were left with Adjusted R Square values, ANOVA tables, and Coefficients. Adjusted R Square values tell how much variation in the y-variable is explained by variation in the x-variable. The ANOVA table tells whether the regression line is statistically significant. [...]

[...] His results were similar with ours, with competition being most intense among those in the same species. (Hector, 1999) I concluded my hypothesis was correct, after reviewing all supporting evidence. Some problems with this laboratory had to do to with physical planting by the students as well as harvesting techniques. While planting the seeds, many things could have gone wrong, drastically affecting the experiment. Amount of soil, spacing of seeds, and relative moisture of soil are all things could differ greatly from pot to pot. [...]

[...] I hypothesized that intraspecific competition would have been much more intense, as members of the same species have almost identical needs. This is similar to the findings of Stewart West. His journal article describes how, over time, some altruistic animal species become very competitive. (West, 2002) Secondly, the work of Regan Callaway describes the relationship between native and invasive plants. While it was previously believe that exotic plants only survived in new areas because they escaped the competition of native species, he explains how they actually out-compete native species. [...]