Category: Post 9: Field Research Reflections

Throughout this research project I found things I did and didn’t like about my experiment. This forced me to have to act as a real researcher and alter my strategies so I would get good and reliable data. For my final project, I wanted to determine whether or not the amount of shelter provided had any correlation to the amount of birds within that area. More specifically, I had predicted that I would find the greatest number of birds using an area that had the most shelter compared to areas with little shelter or areas with intermediate amounts of shelter. Initially this was not exactly what I had thought about hypothesizing, but the longer I carried on with my project the more I realized how important detail was and that a more specific hypothesis and prediction would give me better focused results. Once I focused on the certain variables I felt were important to me, my research was conducted better and I believe there was less room for uncertainty and error.

Since I was working with mobile organisms, I decided that the point count station was the best sampling strategy to use. Every day I went and visited a different station. I had chosen 5 different point count stations. This way I was able to keep it consistent. I did try and go at approximately the same time every day so that the temperature would be roughly the same and I did go only in the morning, since bird activity is usually higher early on in the day. I only record the amount of times I saw a bird using the area. This did not take into account bird calls or any birds that flew by. Only the birds that were actually using the area. I would watch the birds within the space for a total of 10 minutes and then observe the data I had collected. Some of the areas were not urbanized, slightly urbanized and completely urbanized. Some areas had lots of tress and some areas had no trees. The level of development between point count stations varied; all varying in the amount of shelter provided for the birds as well.

My final data was somewhat surprising to me. The largest amount of birds I observed were in the areas with intermediate shelter and intermediate urbanization where the birds could find bird feeders, water and shelter. I was expecting that the birds would have wanted to avoid human interaction and would have preferred areas that were fully covered in trees with lots of shelter. This suggest to me that the birds have learned to adapt to this new lifestyle and prefer to be in areas that are both urbanized and contain some forest. I think a large part of this adaptation is because of the bird feeders that attract the birds to these areas as well. This experiment kept me thinking the whole way through and the data I expected was not the data I received! For me, this added an element of further curiosity. Perhaps this will be something I revisit next summer and just continue to observe the birds within my back yard!

I feel as though this was a valuable learning experience for me. This project challenged me and forced me to pay attention to the fine detail. I learned a lot of new strategies and techniques that can be used within this field. I also believe I have a better appreciation for how quickly organism are able to respond to change and adapt to new environmental conditions.

It was definitely an interesting class, one that has taught me much about ecological theory and it’s development. I would say my biggest challenge was not so much the field experiment – as I found that part fairly straightforward – but more the scientific wording throughout the assignments. Throughout my post-secondary education, I developed interests in subjects other than Sciences which switched my brain and mindset from being categorically logical (black and white) to more philosophical. So, heading into higher level BIOL classes for my BSc, I started having trouble wrapping my brain around the more complex scientific logic. This could perhaps explain why I am now working permanently in a Human History museum 😛 Nevertheless, this paper was really fun to make! It was my first time venturing in the world of Botany, so it was especially challenging. Field-wise, I probably had the most trouble identifying the mosses in my study areas. I did the best I could! I did have to make changes along the way, tweaks here and there to make it all come together nicely. I do think that perhaps the scientific wording in the assignments lead me astray from time to time. I spent a LOT of time trying to figure out how to categorizing my predictions and variables, but also making it work for the final report. That part was most confusing. But in the end, I hope that my work is up to standards!

My field experiment was changed many times throughout my time enrolled in this course. I did not know much about ecology or plants prior to this course and my ideas were not easily conducted in a short time without outside assistance. I also struggled with time management; the weather was a large issue as every time I scheduled time to gather data, something in my personal life or the weather would interrupt. As I went back into my study site, I figured out how to gather data in a more efficient and accurate manner. Additionally, I read literature near the end of my research project – in the future I would suggest that others should do research or inquire about the best way to conduct their idea of research. Engaging in the practice of ecology has increased my appreciation for how scientists hypothesize ecological theories.

In reflection I would have done a few more plots and possibly taken one of my biologist friends with me to help in the identification of all the different vegetation species in the area.

I may have ally went out more than a few times and did the multiple sampling dates.  In the early spring when the thistle was first growing, mid summer and early fall to see the difference in the growth of everything in these plots for this area.

Throughout the final stages of this project, I have come to realize how valuable pilot studies could be. I have found that it wasn’t until well after the research project was underway that I really delved deeply into the existing literature. Doing so brought to light a lot of information that would have changed how I approached this project. I realized that my hypothesis included two “leaps” or assumptions that were being tested: Pollution reduces transpiration in Prunus leaves; If transpiration is reduced in Prunus leaves, the leaves will be prematurely abscised. If I could go back, I would have reduced the number of steps that my hypothesis was taking here and aimed for something simpler.

One of the more profound realizations to come from this project is the realization of complex processes occurring in plain sight, and most of the time going unappreciated. Since beginning my project, I have walked by the study site several times for unrelated reasons and reflected on all of the activity going on in this seemingly ordinary and plain street. I struggled at the beginning to find a topic because there were so few signs of those typical “ecological” environments. However, I realize that I am simply conditioned to look for ecological relationships in environments that meet my definition of “natural.” Seeing those relationships in an urban environment was a big challenge in this project but has been an enlightening experience.

My research project on bees and their preference towards different flower colours was both fun and difficult at times. I enjoyed taking notes of my observations and drawing in my field journal, as well as getting to know the names of different flower species.

I did not have any significant problems with implementing my research design. However, I did find it quite challenging to get through the research articles for the annotated bibliography section of the research project. This is due to the fact that I have never taken an ecology course before this one, and the last biology course I took was 3 years ago.  It was quite time consuming to get through the ecology jargon since my background is in health sciences, which revolves around literature on people and diseases.

This research project has helped me become more observant of my surroundings when I am walking outdoors. I notice the interactions between plants and society a little more. Lastly, I have a greater appreciation for ecology and the significant role bees play in the ecosystem.

The design of my field research was relatively simple, which led to some paranoia about missing a key concept because of the simplicity.  However, given the intended use of the data and the relatively small sample site, I am confident that the design was appropriate for the question.

One feature of the field research that turned out to be unnecessary was the detailed locational data that I collected.  For each sample collected, I noted the exact location where it was found along the transect and in the plot.  This information proved to be of little use later on.  Collecting this data was probably the most time consuming aspect of the data collection, so designing a similar study in the future that eliminates that component would be ideal.

I was also interested to see how much human error or bias can be introduced into study designs and I have read other studies with a critical eye to this point.  It is difficult to design a study which does not introduce some kind of bias, whether it is related to financial constraints, areas of interest, knowledge, or any number of other potential biases and errors that are lurking.  This illustrates the importance of having many studies of a topic showing an observed effect before we can say with much confidence that there is a genuine observation being made that reflects the hypothesis.  I can now appreciate just how difficult it is to design a study in a way that reduces error and bias.  And even when that is done well, it is still important to note that there are some biases and errors which cannot be completely eliminated in such complex systems with the various constraints to doing research with limited time and funding.