Geography internal 2.5 The relief compared to the number of species in each 30 metre transect

X) Number of species
X) Vertical incline (meters)

Y) Area where data was taken

The relief compared to the number of species in each 30 metre
In transect one we saw a relatively smaller number of species of plant than in transects two and three, whereas the vertical incline only varied point one of a meter. While in transect two we saw a relatively large number of species (eight) that occurred across a much steeper gradient of eighteen vertical meters. In transect three we traversed a vertical incline of seven meters in height and saw seven different species of plant. The aim of our study is to research the relationship between the gradient and vegetation. This graph comparing the relief to the number of species in each transect is important to the aim of research because the number of plant species is usually affected by the gradient. Different gradients affect the temperature, perspiration and soil thickness. These different factors all affected the number of species that occurred in each transect. In transect three we see seven different types of vegetation within thirty meters. This is relatively low compared to other rainforests in New Zealand. This may be due to the steep relief. Steep relief creates a runoff of the minerals that are found in the humus layer on the forest floor. Without this humus layer only species that have adapted to these low nutrient content soils would survive. My results were quite contradicting. I would have thought that transect one would have had the densest vegetation while transect three would have had the most spacious vegetation. This opposition may be due to the fact that the Waitakere rainforest was affected heavily by deforestation and this may explain why transect one had such a low level of species. Transect two, with its steep relief, would have been harder for people to get to which may be the reason why it has so many species. While transect three, even though it is situated on steep relief, could be accessed relatively easily for people as it was only a half an hour walk from the ground floor of the forest. The relief compared to vegetation density (the number of trees in each 30 metres) sstransect

X) Number of trees per transect
X) Vertical incline (m)

Y) Area where data was taken

The relief compared to vegetation density (the number of trees in each 30 metres)
In transect one we saw a relatively smaller number of trees per transect than in transects two and three, whereas the vertical incline only varied point one of a meter. While in transect two we saw a relatively large number of Trees per transect (twenty-two) that occurred across a much steeper gradient of eighteen vertical meters. In transect three we traversed a vertical incline of seven meters in height and saw twenty-seven different plants. The aim of our study is to research the relationship between the gradient and vegetation. This graph comparing the relief to the vegetation density in each transect is important to the aim of research because the density of the forest is usually affected by the gradient. Different gradients affect the temperature, perspiration and soil thickness. These different factors all affected the density of the vegetation that occurs in each transect. Within transect one we saw many (too much to count) tiny Nikau trees that lined the forest floor. This may be due to the large amount of leaf litter we found on the ground also because of the large humus layer that had formed on the forest floor. This humus layer promotes the growth of these baby Nikau trees by giving them nutrients. This shows that even though transect one had the most spacious vegetation, this may be changed in time. My results were quite contradicting. I would have