User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
For my research project I counted the abundance of ferns in three different light gradients. The lighting zones were No Shade, Partially Shaded and Shaded all varying in canopy cover. My results did not agree with my original hypothesis that I would find more ferns in the shaded zone. From my research I learned that the fern was likely within its optimal growing conditions under the Partially Shaded Zone. I also researched into why I had almost no ferns in the no shade zone. Originally, I thought it may be the ferns dislike of sunlight; however, from my research I learnt that it was likely a combination of factors. The reasons I think the fern did not grow in the No Shade zone was 1) because the No Shade zones were the consequence of human disturbances; blechnum spicant (deer fern) is known to not respond well to disturbances, 2) the fern was not able to compete with the early pioneers in the disturbed zones. From my research I also found that I my conclusions were limited because I did not know the moisture content of the soil the ferns were growing under, relative humidity and the trees the ferns were often growing around. The project was still a very positive experience for me. Never the less it was a bumpy ride for me for the following reasons which one would do well to consider in their project:
- Originally I was studying a fungi that was very hard to find so I had to change to a more manageable organism to count and study.
- My study area is Barnaby mountain and I had originally chosen sites very high on the mountain which made the process of making observations not only time consuming but very difficult to conduct measurements on a steep incline.
- I had a really hard time finding relevant scientific articles to review for my paper. This could be avoided by an extra hour of or two of research at the beginning of the project to determine if the organism of interest has much written on it.
