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As part of my sampling strategy, I decided to use the simple random technique in which a random number generator drew numbers from 1-360 and 1-40. The numbers would then determine my compass coordinates. The technique was relatively straightforward and easy to use however, I would often find myself randomly selecting areas that were inaccessible to me. I overcame this barrier by simply redrawing numbers and sampling the ferns which were accessible. Although, instead of redrawing numbers, I could have saved some time by sampling ferns that were as close to the randomly selected coordinates as possible. I was not really surprised by the data I collected as it correlated with my initial hypothesis however, I did not expect there to be such a big difference in moisture levels between the larger growing ferns and the medium sized ferns. I had also expected there to be a slightly larger difference between the pH levels in each sample. This was not the case as each sample had a pH reading of about 8-7.5.
Moving forward, I will continue to use the random sampling technique with slight modifications. First, I will not redraw numbers when I encounter coordinates to areas which I cannot access. Instead, I will sample the closest fern and record how many paces it takes for me to get there. Another modification will be to wipe down the hydrometer after each use, which was something I had overlooked in my data collection. By wiping down the hydrometer I can ensure the hydrometer reading is accurate for the one specific fern. Lastly, I had received a comment on my last blog post to which someone had mentioned that there may be more nutrients in the middle of the forest than in the two other locations I had chosen for my field observations. This was something I had never taken into account and to address this issue, I will be limiting my samples to the middle of the forest instead of the entire forest so that I can limit the amount of confounding variables which may also be affecting fern growth.
