Throughout this course I conducted a study on Barnacle abundance and density at three different sites along McNeill Bay in Victoria B.C with a focus on the effects of urbanization and sewage discharge. I think taking this course has made me appreciate the amount of work, dedication and attention to detail it takes researches to successfully design, and carry out a study. From elements of experimental design like choosing your sampling techniques, or how you will incorporate randomness, the question of if you have enough replicates sampling relevant sites to breaking down the results to determine their relevance highlight the complexity of practicing Ecology and other similar sciences. I did not think that this whole process would be easy but I was unaware of the amount of thought that has to go into the study design and actual execution of this design in order for the results to come together seemlessly.
I did not really have many issues implementing my study design the main issues were similar to those state in blog post 5 where I found it challenging to determine the best way to sample and collect data for my project. I feel like as one continues to practice ecology the elements of study design become more clear and obvious however for scientists practicing for the first time it can be somewhat overwhelming. Looking back I think it’s important to keep your study focused and try not to worry about all the different variables at play.
Having gone through this process myself, I definitely have an increased level of respect for how ecological theory is developed and a different viewpoint of the many ecosystems and such relationships that surround me in my day to day life.