User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
My field research project on Sagebrush definitely increased my appreciation for the ecological importance of this ecosystem I’ve been taking for granted. Kamloops is full of dry, brownish hills in the summer that can be mistaken for drab. When you look closer, you see an amazing amount of diversity and persistence through incredibly difficult growing conditions. Late last summer we didn’t receive any precipitation for over a month. However, these huge bushes sustain themselves and then flower at the beginning of fall. It’s amazing.
I had to make changes when I was carrying out the study, including changing the sampling method from quadrats to linear transects. This made the data collection a lot simpler. In terms of the redoing the study, I would do it a lot differently next time. I would sample at a different time of year and include more transects at different places in the creek. I would also obtain a degree of incline along the hillsides to have more control over extraneous variables like flat spots. I think, ultimately, it would be nice to have had more measures to help control aspects of my study.
Ecological theory development is way more complex than I originally thought. There are so many variables that interact to create what we see around us. This semester I had the opportunity to do another project on the human microbiome and I found the ecology of this system to be fascinating. By designing my own study with the brush bushes and doing research on the topic, I gained a better understanding all of the variables impacting what had once seemed to be a simple question of depth to water.
this was a most interesting project!