You both designed a field experiment and then carried it out. Did you have any issues with the implementation or have to make any changes to your design?
Yes I did have to make a change to my experiment design. I included three different treatments with 2 replicates each, however, I realized that it is more important to prioritize increasing replicate number than increasing treatment. Therefore, I changed it to 2 treatments with 4-5 replicates each.
Has engaging in the practice of ecology altered your appreciation for how ecological theory is developed?
I definitely have more appreciation for ecologists and the work that they do. It requires a lot of knowledge of the studied organism and the studied environment. It is very different to a lab experiment where everything can be manipulated on a bench. Ecology experiments require you to keep the big picture in mind all the time and I realized how hard it is to design ana expeirment that answers the question of interest. Overall, it was a great experience!