- Create a blog post to discuss the collection of the initial data in Module 3. Did you have any difficulties in implementing your sampling strategy? If yes, what were these difficulties?
I made a 12 inch by 12 inch quadrat (made of wood), lily of the valley plants usually grow in a cluster. It can be quite challenging to place the quadrat on the soil without damaging any plants. It was also very time consuming to rake up the needles and remove the other organic matter. It is also very difficult to measure spruce needles that may have fallen under the soil for that reason I chose to just measure the visible needles ( on top of the soil).
- Was the data that you collected surprising in any way? Do you plan to continue to collect data using the same technique, or do you need to modify your approach?
I was not surprised as usually as organic matter increases, so does plant health. There was a situation where plant count went up but the pine needle weight did not. This could be due to various variable factors ; sunlight, insects, etc.
- If you will modify your approach, explain briefly how you think your modification will improve your research.
Other than sampling more quadrats, I will not be changing my technique. I feel it is the most effective and accurate method for this experiment.