Jewelweed growth patterns

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

Fall 2016

Abstract

Introduction
Impatiens pallida, yellow jewelweed or pale touch-me-not, is an annual plant that grows in patches along the Creekside Trail in the DePauw Nature Park. We investigated the effects of sunlight and soil water content on growth of jewelweed plants in patches along the trail.

Hypothesis
We hypothesized that yellow jewelweed plants would be larger in areas with more sunlight and more water.

Methods
We sampled a total of 100 plants in 10 patches along the Creekside Trail. We measured soil water content, number of leaves per plant, and canopy cover.

Results
We found no differences in soil water content among the patches. The median number of leaves and flowers was significantly different among patches. Plants in patches 1 and 2 had significantly more leaves than plants in the other patches. We found a significant correlation between the number of flowers and the number of leaves. There were no significant correlations between canopy cover, soil water content, number of flowers, or number of leaves.

Comments

Completed as part of Dana Dudle's Ecology class, BIO 342, Biology Department, DePauw University.

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