Getting My Sampling Strategy Into Action:
I kicked things off by setting up five transects in my study area, around my sweet chestnut tree, attempting to note the response variable: wildlife presence in the area, and my predictor variables of temperature, vegetation density, and human activity. Each one represented a different way of sampling: random, haphazard, and systematic. Sounded easy enough, right? Well, turns out, reality had a few surprises in store for me, alongside just not being able to 100% replicate a “perfect” sampling.
The Challenges I Ran Into:
First off, keeping things consistent across all those transects was tough. I had to make sure each one truly reflected the sampling method I assigned it, and that took some serious planning and effort. Then, there was the terrain. Let me tell you, it was all over the place, and the mud/snow mixture that had started to develop made certain spots very mobile. Certain spots were easy to get to, while others… not so much. That meant my sampling efforts might’ve leaned a bit towards the easier-to-reach areas, which could’ve skewed my data and influenced bias to a considerably small target area in the grand scheme of data collection.
Despite the challenges, my data gave me some real eye-openers. One big surprise was how different species popped up depending on the sampling method I used. Some were everywhere, no matter what, but others showed up more in certain transects. It got me thinking about why that might be and how I could capture a fuller picture next time. For example, as it was in February, certain spots had more visible beetles in the dirt, where other areas didn’t, might this suggest an area where birds and other larger insects might frequent once it begins to warm?
What’s Next for My Data Collection:
Looking ahead, I know I’ve got some tweaks to make. While my initial methods gave me a good starting point, I’m thinking about shaking things up a bit to get an even better grasp on what’s going on out there. For starters, I’m thinking about adding some new sampling techniques. Maybe I’ll try out this thing called stratified sampling, which lets me focus on specific hotspot areas where I know there’s lots of biodiversity, instead of just creating reachable zones, creating that bias again. Plus, I’m planning to tighten up my process. That means making sure I’m on the same page with how I collect and record data, and maybe throwing in some extra checks to make sure everything’s accurate.