User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Creating an ecological study, collecting data, and turning the data into a scientific paper is a daunting task. Luckily the course was designed in a way that helps guide you along all of the necessary steps. In order to keep my research project fully objective I wanted to find a study subject with predictor and response variables that were clear and easy to measure. I chose to observe the internode length in wild roses (Rosa acicularis).
During initial data collection measurements of internode length were easily obtained as the stems were vertical and non-branched and the buds were small, yet clearly visible. Unfortunately by the time it was time for the major data collection, the buds had sprouted and had developed into small branches and leaves. This made measurement of internode length much more difficult as it was hard to place the tape measure in a position in which it ran parallel to the main stem and it was hard to see the measurements as the branches would obstruct the view of the tape measure. Although data collection was harder than anticipated, it was still possible to obtain all of the measurements necessary for this study.
Engaging in this study has revealed to me the amount of work required to derive even the most basic of ecological conclusions. The results of my study suggest that Rosa acicularis plants at the Queen Elizabeth Disc Golf Course in Vancouver, BC have optimized internode length and that the internode length is not significantly related to the height of the plant. In order to use this information for further research time consuming data collection would be required. To observe the impact of various environmental pressures on internode length in R. acicularis, plants growing in many different environments with varying levels of environmental pressures would be required.
The choice of sampling unit and how to randomize sampling was a foreign subject to me before this course. I have learned that is of upmost importance to select samples in an appropriate manor so that extrapolations can accurately represent the population as a whole. The exercise of conducting a research project has given me insight into how scientists derive ecological conclusions and has made interpretation of journal articles much as easier.
