This research project has exposed me to ecological theory in many ways. As I worked through the modules I also continued to do my research sampling, which compiled more information for me to put into actual practice. I believe this class is well designed in this way and was very engaging because of it. The textbook was a great resource that I will definitely be keeping for myself to utilize in my work.
From my experience in this class, I think ecological theory is very much focused on the action of research and sampling data in a real world environment. It’s a very hands-on approach to theory development.
Overall I liked the design of my field research project – I needed to be innovative in my design to be able to sample such a different “plot” design, but I was happy with how it turned out. If I had to change anything, I may change the amount of transects into lesser sections, potentially into 6 sections. I was very impressed by the lengths that other students went to for their projects and it was great being able to see how their projects were coming along through the blog posts.