Going from set studies to do to a study that anything could be research was much more difficult that I expected it to be. I didn’t quite enjoy having almost no direction at the beginning, but it got easier and more clear the further along I went. There probably are changes that should have been made if I were to do this study again, but due to time constrictions, there wasn’t much movement I could do with it. But I did enjoy some parts, mostly going out to view nature, even if its a man made park, to simple watch it, as well as take my dogs out.
Category: Post 9: Field Research Reflections
Blog post 9
There were several difficulties during the field research, especially when designing the field experiment and carrying it out.
First, in the step of designing field experiment I had difficulties in deciding response variable that represents what it was meant from hypothesis. The hypothesis is that overall ecology are healthier and varies in species as more artificial land development induced in the region. Independent variable was 3 levels of landscape that differs in land development. While response variable was hard to decide because it needed to represent the vegetation was healthier. At first I thought of measuring the ratio of green grass and dry grass would represent the health of vegetation, ecology. However, I didn’t put in the consideration that three landscapes had way more species other than grass. So, I decided to count the number of species that can be counted within in the quadrat also, I decided to count the green area per quadrat to represent the health of ecology. I also didn’t want to measure merely vegetations so I decided to measure bird activities as well. All three experiments later wards represented the intention of the experiment well.
Also, in the step of implementing the experiment I had issues in choosing sampling techniques. As the landscape were very small quadrat was easily overlapped when I was using random sampling techniques. This might lead the data to be inaccurate. Therefore, I decided to change the sampling technique to systematic. This helped getting more accurate data and observations.
Although my research project was limited in small region and there was not enough samples to support the hypothesis. I realized that practicing an research study, especially on ecology, would be way much more harder than I expected. It was hard to design an appropriate experiment that supports the theme and whether it represents well. Also in the process of carrying out getting the data from the field required a lots of commitment. Due to this project, I had a good time to appreciate of how ecological theory had developed.
Blog Post 9: Field Research Reflections
For my research project, I measured the abundance of English ivy in high-light and low-light conditions. The high-light environment was uncovered by tree canopy and the low-light condition was covered. I found that the abundance of English ivy was significantly higher in low-light conditions. Throughout researching, I did not have to make any significant changes to my research design and data collection went relatively smoothly. After collecting the data and reading the current literature I found this to be a very interesting topic to research and learn more about. Although my study design was relatively simple, it fits nicely in the literature and addressed some gaps.
This was my first time taking an ecology course and I have a much deeper understanding and appreciation of how ecology theory is developed and tested. it was very interesting to gain first-hand experience developing a research question and creating an experiment to answer it.
Blog Post 9: Field Research Reflections
In summary of my field research, I sampled and took observations of the leaf health of 27 Arbutus Menziesii within Central Park on Denman Island, BC, Canada. I was assessing the health and size and local environments of these Arbutus trees because I noticed that a large proportion of the trees were suffering from ill health or disease with pitch black leaves and poor growth, despite living in a region that they’re theoretically well adapted to (mixture of dry and wet weather, close to the open, near elevated mineral soil, etc).
Once each tree was documented, sampled and data entered into spreadsheets I started to decide how I wanted to randomize the samples to produce replicates and remove bias.
I noticed that there were 5 clusters of Arbutus trees throughout the route that I surveyed the trees from: Groups 1 and 2 were in thick forest; Group 3 was in a medium thickness forest and an area with some open meadows; Group 4 had medium forest, mild cliffs and more open meadows while Group 5 had steep cliffs, thinner forest and more open areas. Each cluster had between 3-12 trees. To produce 5 replicates (2 similar samples each), I selected 2 trees at random using a random number generator from each clustered group, producing 10 samples or 5 replicates. This ensured randomization and removed any personal bias from the data analysis in advance.
This process wasn’t without issue. Due to overcast and bright weather, 5 of the 27 samples were not able to be analyzed for leaf health, as it was hard to tell if the leaves were black (unhealthy) or dark green (healthy). With only 22 samples to work with, the sampling still worked out as every site still had a minimum of 2 samples. If I had more time I would have revisited those 5 tree sites to redo them and improve the validity of the data I collected.
I found doing ecological field work like this helped me appreciate the ecological theory and understand it better. Theory is interesting and helps to internally solve problems, but its no substitute for going out into nature and applying that knowledge. I’m a more hands on person than theoretical so I found getting out and doing research to be rewarding.
Post 9: Field Research Reflections
Upon reflection of my study, there are many things that could have been changed in order to make the study more critical with less room for error. Most of these errors could have been avoided but the concept and repercussion of the error were not realized until it had been made. Implementing the design that was originally derived was simple enough but lead to problems when it became evident there were many possible predictor variables at play. This sample of the practice of ecology has led to a significantly greater understanding when it comes to the scientific process and ecological theory. The process of turning an idea into a testable hypothesis is now much clearer. It is also evident how important the scientific process is in regards to ecology. Without the scientific process ideas around ecology would remain ideas and never make it to scientifically proven fact.
Post 9: Field Research Reflections
I had no prior post-secondary background in ecology and this course has given me a good glimpse into this field. Conducting the experiment enabled me to see the work that ecologists have to undergo in order to form ecological theories. Performing the field work myself makes me more appreciative of what ecologists do.
The implementation of my research project was pretty straightforward but I did have to slightly modify my experimental design to work more cohesively with my particular research topic. Simply going out to count flowers in the park was not enough. I had to take into account different factors that I hadn’t considered before this project, including the fact that flowers can “migrate” by attaching to humans and animals and by being deposited in other areas (whether within the park or not). Lastly, because this is scientific research, I cannot assume anything is just the way it is based on what I have observed, but rather, I must investigate why things are the way they are.
Blog Post 9: Design Reflections
On reflection of my field research project, there were several changes I made along the way following feedback from my professor and fellow students. I found submitting small assignments and blog posts throughout the course helpful in guiding my experimental design, and helpful when writing my final report.
Firstly, I have realised the importance of creating a hypothesis and prediction that are specific and can be proven or disproven with field data results. If a hypothesis wasn’t specific it would be very difficult to confidently say in your report if your statistical analysis has proven or disproven your hypothesis.
During my initial field collection and graph assignment, I learnt that presence/absence data is not the strongest indicator of plant species distribution and density (stems/m2) and ground cover (%) is a more accurate way to quantify plant species distribution. Following my initial field collection, I changed the way I was collecting data on my response variable (i.e., from presence / absence to density and ground cover for snowberry).
During my final field collection, I have learnt to appreciate the time needed to prepare for an efficient field sampling program. When I collected my initial field collection, I realised some inefficiencies in the way I was collecting data which I then amended before undertaking my final field collection. I was manually calculating slope incline as a percentage in the field, which I changed to using a clinometer which was much more efficient in the field. I was originally measuring out my quadrat at each location with a measuring tape and tent pegs, which was time consuming, so I took the time to make a PVC quadrat which was much more efficient in the field. I also decided to increase the data I was collecting, and added soil moisture, light exposure and pH to my field collection, which has proven to be very useful when analysing relationships in my data set.
When I was analysing my data and writing my final report, I appreciated the complexity of the natural world, where more than one or two variables would be contributing any observed patterns ecology. I was focussing on slope incline, but also looked at soil moisture, slope aspect and light exposure. On review of my data I think there are opportunities for future research to look at how these variables interact with each other through an ANOVA. I also identified some gaps and limitations in my data set, where additional study sites and additional data on soil parameters would be valuable.
I have enjoyed the content of this course and undertaking a field experiment which has increased my appreciation for ecology and ecological theory. I appreciate the use of statistics in ecology and the importance of strong data sets. My research focussed on one plant species which would be considered a relatively small-scale experiment and through my literature review I realised how my experimental design could be applied at multiple scales to guide land use planning and decision making. My literature review has increased my appreciation of scale in ecology, made me realise how my research project can be scaled up and applied to mapping systems and used by local, provincial and federal governments to guide land use planning and decision making.
I look forward to applying the knowledge and practicable skills I’ve learnt into my career as an environmental consultant.
Blog Post 9: Whispering Woods Reflections
Reflecting on my field research, I have come to appreciate the importance of preparing before starting to implement research. Throughout my data collection I had to modify my predictions, hypotheses, and sampling methods multiple times. This is because the more knowledge I gained from my peers, professor, and supporting literature, the more I recognized ways of better carrying out my research project. Given the time limits in which I had to carry out the data collection, this was partly inevitable. However, for future research I will make sure I spend more time collecting as much background information as I can before implementing my data collection.
Still, by the end of my field experiment, I ended up where I initially wanted to be. For instance, while my original focus was on soil moisture and soil pH, I am now have the knowledge to know that my focus was actually dealing with autumn senescence differences. My study design and implementation was not altered much. Small changes were made to better encompass replication, randomization, and measurement accuracy, but the actual implementation went quite smoothly. The largest issues I faced were not knowing how to put my thoughts and purpose into words until I spent more time looking at supporting literature.
This research project has undoubtedly increased my appreciation for how ecological theory is developed. Through reading existing literature and carrying out an experiment myself, I have come to appreciate the value in what seems like insignificant findings. Without the existence of ecological data and results, regardless of how small, it would be impossible for researchers to draw conclusions and, eventually, create theories. I have also come to appreciate the intricate and difficult process of developing ecological theories. For my research topic specifically, there is vast research looking into what controls autumn senescence in trees. Many authors have produced similar findings and conclusions, but many have also contradicted each other. The one similarity among all of the literature I reviewed was that all have acknowledged the inability to form an theory on how autumn senescence is controlled. My research is no different. It has not solved this underlying problem. Still, my field research is one more piece of data in the ever-accumulating pool of data that will eventually help produce a theory.
Overall I really enjoyed the process of creating and carrying out field research. I enjoyed researching how my findings fit into the broader scope of existing literature, and how they are important from a big picture point of view.
That’s all!
Madeleine
Post 9: Field Research Reflections
I really struggled with this course overall. I had a difficult time creating a hypothesis. I had a hard time making sure that my hypothesis and study was even tangentially related to ecology as I have absolutely no background in ecology at all. I was challenged to trust my results as I felt that it would take a much longer study period to really and truly make valid conclusions. The main issue that came up with implementing my field study was being available during the same time period every day. There were a few days that were missed due to work schedule changes that had me travelling out of the city or my parents forcing me to attend Thanksgiving dinner. I was lucky in that I was able to recruit an assistant (my husband who is contractually obligated to help me out, as stated in our vows) to attend a few days for me while I was away at a conference for 5 days. Overall, were I to attempt this study again, I would like to set up a remote monitoring system that would allow for 24 hour tracking for a full year to really gather a full sense of the variables that affect the populations of the park. I have so much appreciation for anyone who practices ecology as their knowledge and commitment far exceeds my own.
Blog Post 9: Field Research Reflections
Blog Post 9: Field Research Reflections
November 11, 2019
Throughout the course I analyzed abundant plant species in my back yard in Christchurch NZ. I created and followed through with the hypothesis that Hydrocotyle heteromeria, an invasive water species, is in fact limited by the moisture content in the soil. The soil on the South side of the lawn where the Hydrocotlyle was found contained high levels of moisture in comparison to the Northern side. The idea that one side of the lawn had higher moisture levels than the other is what led me to construct my hypothesis. I did however change my field study design. I was planning to analyze one single plot over a gradient, but I needed a complex computer program to analyze a design that contained one categorical and one numerical variable. I decided to create two plots, one which had ‘wet’ soil and one which had ‘dry’ soil. This change allowed me to create two variables which were both categorical and could therefore be analyzed with a tabular method using a statistical Chi-test. Since I changed my design it allowed me to add the completed data to my research paper instead of writing in my results “what I could have done” to analyze the data. I was glad that I could completely follow through with the results to determine if the variables were independent of one another.
I did however find it difficult to get enough research articles for my annotation. There was not a lot of relevant literature on my specific Hydrocotyle species. I did find a book which said that all Hydrocotlye species can be grouped into the same category because their biology was all extremely similar.
This course has been very worthwhile. It has given me practical knowledge to create and design research papers and field studies. It has also taught me various aspects on reading research papers which pertains to all courses and how to scrutinize research paper results to determine if the findings are credible. This course has allowed me to appreciate the dedication it takes to create large scale research studies.
