pH Analysis

We collected our pH values by taking small amounts of our soil samples, thoroughly crushing it up, then vortexed the mixture for about a 1 minute to make sure the soil was fully crush and mixed. We then let any solid dirt settle to the bottom of our tube and we used a pH probe to carefully measure the pH of the liquid. 

Figure 1 Evidence: From the data presented in the figure, we can conclude that there is no significant statistical difference between the pH level of soil samples from native and non-native plants. This is apparent as the p-value of .976, as determined through unpaired t-tests assuming unequal variance, is much higher than the threshold value of .05, indicating that there is no significant statistical difference (Bobbitt, 2020). It can also be seen through the average pH value, as they are incredibly similar, with the average pH of native soil samples at 7.711, and non-native soil samples being 7.708, showing a mere decrease of .039% in the pH value between the two species. Not only are the average pH values so close, but both plant samples have low standard deviation values with the native soil at a value of .246, and non-native at .239. Thus, proving that the soil’s average pH value between species is comparable, showing no significant difference (Biology for Life, n.d). 

Figure 1 Conclusion: In conclusion, because the p-value is greater than 0.05, the data is to be considered to have no significant difference between the soil samples of Non-native vs. Native plants. With the standard deviation being only .7 apart, it shows that the plants have relatively the same acidic or basic levels. Essentially, in terms of pH, the species are relatively the same. Because the values of the averages were similar, and the p-value calculated was greater than the 0.05, we can confidently say that based on this information there is no significant statistical difference between the two samples and their pH levels.  

Figure 1 Explanation: In figure 1, it is visually apparent that the averages and standard deviation values are nearly equal, because of their similarity in height. However, the standard deviation values for the native soil were 0.246 and non-native was 0.239, while their average pH value is only 0.003 apart, showing slight differences. If there was a greater difference in the pH, there would be a greater separation between the bars in the graph along with the lines in standard deviation. Similarly, from the graph we can see that there is n.d., or no difference between the data sets as the p-value is greater than the threshold of 0.05 (Biology for Life, n.d). We can infer that the two species behave the same because of their location in the garden. The tomatoes (non-native species) were in the central front rows, while the flowers (native species) were on the side of the garden. However, the soil pH for both species thrives in the conditions of a neutral pH range. The farmers can get the species soil that is rich in nutrients, which is why the values are so similar. In this case, it is noted in the figure that it is less than 0.05, notifying the person reading the figure that there is no significant difference in the average pH between the two different soils.