Elevation Has No Effect on the Mass of Pinyon Pine Cones

Elevation has no Effect on the Mass of Pinyon Pine Cones

Amin Sharif Department of Biological Science Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA 92692

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between elevation and the mass of pinyon pine cones. Research of pinyon pine cones was conducted at Sierra Nevada’s Black Mountain Range. Utilizing a smart phone that contained an altimeter allowed the researcher to efficiently track and record the elevation of where the seven different sites pinyon pine cones were gathered and collected for further examination. The cones were precisely weighed using a scientific scale and inputted into Microsoft Excel for data analysis. Performing a one-way (single factor) ANOVA test, it determined there was no statistical difference. As a result, the null hypothesis which stated that elevation does not have an effect on the mass of pinyon pine cones, was accepted. Introduction

Pinyon pine trees are sometimes referred to as “icons of the southwest” and after examining them in person, I can see why such a strong label has been placed on these beautiful trees. Pinyon trees typically possess the traits of a wide branching trunk and a low, rounded foundation where they are wider than they are tall (DesertUSA Newsletter, 2006). Being such a fine-looking product of Earth, New Mexico adopted the pinyon pine as its state tree in 1949 (Natural Sciences Environment, 2013). In addition, pinyon trees are found throughout the Southwest in arid conditions, such as New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona, at elevations generally between 4,500 and 7,500 feet (DesertUSA, 2006). However, in regards to this research study, the pinyon pines that were encountered and examined are located in California’s Sierra Nevada.

Pinyon pine trees give rise to pinyon pine cones which are morphologically distinct and also supply a food source for a variety of birds, such as the Pinyon jays and Clark’s nutcrackers (Balda et al., 1991). In addition, Native Americans also collected pinyon nuts from the cones for hundreds of years for both food and medicinal purposes (Balda and Vander, 1977). Since pinyon pine cones grow in a limited number of regions and offer both therapeutic and nutritional value, determining any factors that may inhibit the growth of pinyon pine cones may serve as a key area of research for those that are dependent on the production of the pinyon pine cones, such as the vast number of bird species and the historical Native Americans. As a result, this research study illustrated that elevation, which was the tested variable, in fact does not have an effect on the mass of pinyon pine cones that were collected at seven different locations at Sierra Nevada’s Black Mountain range. Materials and Methods

A smart phone, more specifically an iPhone, was utilized to keep track of elevation changes when traveling up Black Mountain. A total of seven stops were made to collect pinyon pine cones, the first stop being at an elevation of 4,950 feet and the final stop occurring at an elevation of 7,290 feet. In order to stay consistent, stops were made every 500 feet in elevation; however, there were times when this was not probable due to road conditions, where pulling over the car was not an option due to safety concerns. In addition, there were also “private property” areas that did not permit collection of pinyon pine cones, which ultimately had an effect on where pinyon pine cones were collected. Overall, the main objective was still to collect pinyon pine cones each time there was an increase of 500 feet in elevation. At each stop, 20 pinyon pine cones were collected and placed in a designated container to separate them from the rest of the pinyon pine cones from other elevations. All pinyon pine cones were recorded to the nearest gram utilizing a scientific scale and entered into Microsoft Excel for further data analysis. A one-way (single factor) ANOVA was performed in order to test the hypothesis. Results

The specific sites where pinyon pine cones were gathered and collected at Black Mountain occurred at the following elevations: 4,950 feet, 5,450 feet, 6,220 feet, 6,590 feet, 6,770 feet, 7,070 feet, and 7,290 feet. The average mass of the pinyon pine cones corresponding to its appropriate site where they were collected are listed in chronological order to the nearest tenth of a gram: 11.3, 11.3, 11.7, 10.3, 11.6, 12.6, 11.4 (Table 1). A one-way (single factor) ANOVA yielded an “F-statistic” value of 0.901 and an “F-critical” value of 2.139 (Table 2). In addition, the one-way (single factor) ANOVA also determined the p-value to be 0.495 (Table 2). Since the F- statistic numerical value is less than the F-critical and the p-value is greater than 0.05, we can conclude there is no statistical difference in this research study. As a result, the null hypothesis, which suggests that elevation does not have an effect on the mass of pinyon pine cones, can be accepted.

Elevation (feet) # of Pinyon Pine Cones Average mass (g) 4950 20 11.3 5450 20 11.3 6220 20 11.7 6590 20 10.3 6770 20 11.6 7070 20 12.6 7290 20 11.4 Table 1. Table displaying the average mass of pinyon pine cones related to its origin of elevation.

Source of Variation F-statistic P-value F-critical Between Groups 0.9014 0.4946 2.1392 Table 2. A one-way (single factor) ANOVA determined that elevation does not have an effect on the overall mass of pinyon pine cones due to F-statistic < F-critical and the P-value > 0.05.

Figure 1. Bar graph displaying the means ±S.E.M values for all pinyon pine cones collected at the seven different elevation sites, illustrating the relationship between the mass of the pinyon pine cones and the corresponding elevation they were retrieved from.

Discussion

This specific research study focused on Sierra Nevada’s Black Mountain range in California. Pinyon pine cones were only collected from Black Mountain. Consequently, all data that has been gathered must only be considered in regards to Sierra Nevada’s Black Mountain range and should not be considered a general principle or trend, that elevation does not have an effect on the mass of pinyon pine cones. Nevertheless, future research possibilities regarding the production and morphology of pinyon pine cones can be conducted in different regions where they harvest. For example, pinyon pine cones from different mountain regions can be studied and put up against this specific research, which is of interest to Black Mountain, and determine whether or not elevation has an effect on the mass of pinyon pine cones.

As mentioned in the introduction, pinyon pine cones served as a staple crop for a vast number of bird species, as well as humans, and also provided medicinal opportunities which were exploited by the Native American Indians. If any detrimental factors, such as climate and elevation, have an effect on the harvest of pinyon pine cones, this would ultimately result in a deficiency in not only the pinyon pine trees themselves, but also the dependents, such as the birds who feed on them and the humans who utilize the pinyon pine cones for reasons mentioned earlier. However, this research study demonstrated that elevation does not have an effect on the overall mass of pinyon pine cones based on statistical analysis. As a result, I have the tools necessary to build a strong argument that for any bird species population, and even humans, migrating across a broad range of elevations, the overall quality of all pinyon pine cones should roughly be similar. Literature Cited

Balda, R.P., Christensen, K.M., and Whitham, T.G. (1991). Discrimination among pinyon pine trees by Clark’s Nutcrackers: effects of cone crop size and cone characters. Oecologia 86:402.

Balda, R.P. and Vander S.B. (1977). Coadaptations of the clark’s Nutcracker and the Pinyon Pine for Efficient Seed Harvest and Dispersal. Ecological Monographs 47:89-111.

Southwest regional warming likely cause of pinyon pine cone decline [Internet]. [Natural Sciences, Environment] News center University of Colorado Boulder; 2013 [cited February 12, 2013]. Available from: http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2013/02/12/southwest-regional-warming-likely-cause-pinyon-pine-cone- decline-says-cu

The Desert Environment [Internet]. [DesertUSA Newsletter] The North American Deserts; 1996-2015 [cited 2006]. Available from http://www.desertusa.com/flora/pinyon-pine.html