Now that I am nearing the end of this course I have looked back on the first site visit to my selected study area and have thought of other patterns I could have incorporated into my sample design. I struggled initially to find a pattern in the area to focus on and spent many visits observing and documenting. What I missed was seeing could only have been realized through learning more about ecosystems and the community structures within. There were multiple features that I would incorporate into my research if I were to start again. I would collect more plant data to understand the area’s diversity and try to collect soil information to validate my findings. I would have also started my fieldwork earlier. Every field visit I did to my study area looked different from the previous visit. It was challenging with the change of season to fall. Most of the cover vegetation was dying, and the fallen leaves made it difficult to identify species and observe ground cover.
The knowledge that I have gained by taking this course has developed my understanding of habitat structure and how integral each piece of an ecosystem has a purpose. Even with a slight change, there can be a significant ripple effect. I have a much greater appreciation for nature and for protecting ecosystems. This was a challenging course but also an enjoyable one. The material provoked me to wonder why vegetation is located in places and search for clues to explain it. I will not be able to look at nature through the same lens 🙂