Leafy Spurge Treatment Analysis

*Leafy spurge (Photo source: https://bcinvasives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Leafy_spurge001_BStewart.jpg)*

CLIENT: Paskwa Consultants Ltd.

AJM was approached by Paskwa Consultants Ltd. to perform a statistical analysis of vegetation survey data related to leafy spurge treatments on short notice. Data from eight sites, each with pre- and post-treatment surveys, were analyzed to assess the impact of different control methods on vegetation composition.

AJM conducted the following analyses:

Comparison of leafy spurge cover;
Comparison of functional group cover;
Bray–Curtis Dissimilarity Analysis; and
Shannon–Wiener Diversity Analysis.

Comparisons were made within sites (pre- vs. post-treatment), between pre-treatment sites, between post-treatment sites, and between pooled pre- and post-treatment data. Non-parametric methods, including Mann–Whitney U tests, Kruskall–Wallace tests, and Dunn’s test, were used for cover comparisons due to non-normal data distributions. The Holm–Bonferroni method adjusted for family-wise error rates, and a power analysis was performed.

By providing comprehensive statistical analyses, we helped the client determine the most applicable methods for their research and offered robust statistical results for management suggestions.

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