User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
My field research was done at a local park every day for approximately a month. This was a large time commitment but made easier as I have to enter the park multiple times a day on my route to school or work. This part of the project was well planned out as it was convenient for me to frequent my sampling area as often as needed.
This project has shown me how time-consuming and how many more variables there seems to be in ecology research compared to the laboratory experiments that I am used to. Out in the field, it is very difficult to make controls like you can in the lab, therefore, it seems that many many more replicates need to be done to ensure accurate data.
I feel that my experiment worked well for the resources and time commitment I had available but if I was to have access to more I would design one in a rural setting where the results could have larger implications to ecological topics. This would have been a far too large and engaging experiment for a few short weeks though.
