(b) The following data was obtained from a study of an ecosystemin which 10 different species were randomly identified and theirheights measured. As a Research Assistant for Plant EcologyLaboratory, determine:
(i) Mean height of all species combined
(ii) Variance as a measure of variability in plant height
(iii) Standard deviation
SPECIES HEIGHT(cm)
1. Beech (Fagus spp.) 300 cm
2.Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) 90cm
3. Southern red oak (Quercus faclcata) 80 cm
4. Dogwood (Comus florid) 600 cm
5. Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) 2,450
6. Magnolia (Magnolia sp.) 1,250
7. Red Maple (Hacer rurua) 710
8. Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) 1,350
9. Sweetgum (Liquidamba styracilua) 1,210
10. Wax Myrtle 1,150
11. Cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) 60
12. Live oak (Quercus rubra) 2,055
13. Water oak (Q. nigra) 1,925
14. Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) 1,075
15. Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) 996
16. Black hickory (Carya sp.) 878
17. Black oak (Q. macrocarpa) 1,225
18. Wild Blackberry (Prunus serotina) 1,027
19. Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) 800
20. Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) 1,330
c) Given the data as indicated above,
(i) Is this a predominantly terrestrial or aquatic ecosystem?Why?
(ii) Would you consider this a mixed hardwood/pineecosysyetm?
(iii) Which plant species form the overstory of thisecosystem?
(iv) Is this a stable community?
