Final Reflections

I was initially lost with this project. I really wanted to study the habitat value of a particular wetland, but I didn’t know how to form a genuine hypothesis. I knew that the wetland was dug in a natural depression by the previous owner of the property I live on. I was watching the riparian zone, full of native species, expand each year into a field that was otherwise full of non-native grasses and invasive species. I was hearing the pacific chorus frogs sing here each spring. As a student of ecological restoration, I was appreciating how much ecological benefit the simple act of digging further into a natural depression had accomplished here. No plantings were done, the native seed bank that was already present seemed to be waking up bit by bit due to ephemeral submergence in the riparian zone. So that became my hypothesis: Ephemeral submergence provides the best environment for native plant biodiversity and invasive species reduction (in such a context). I couldn’t study habitat value directly without a lot more time to observe native amphibians and other native species that may be using the wetland, so I focused on vegetation. With lots of guidance from Nancy, I figured out how to focus my study, and how to collect and analyze my data. I definitely have a new appreciation for how ecological research and theory come together. I feel more equipped to design and carry out research/experiments. This research project and the topics covered in this course have given me the ability to analyze other scientific studies as well. I am much more capable of analyzing their methods and gauging the reliability of their results.