The initial data collection for my field research project took place on June 23rd, 2024. It was a hot, sunny day and the wind was strong at the time of data collection. My field project aims to analyze the distribution of Cylindropuntia fulgida at three different sites in a native grass field in southern Alberta, specifically the creekside, hillside, and hilltop within the field. I used a stratified random sampling strategy to collect the data, which consisted of using a random number generator to determine the steps and direction of the next quadrat placement. This strategy was easily implemented as all required resources (quadrat and random number generator) were easily accessible. However, sometimes the random number generator led to a placement of the quadrat outside of the respective creekside, hillside, or hilltop site. In these instances, I discarded the random numbers and began again with new random numbers. Another inconvenience I experienced during the initial data collection was difficulty seeing the Cylindropuntia fulgida plants, as some of the quadrats were placed in areas with tall grass. I will have to ensure I analyze each quadrat closely as I continue data collection to ensure the presence/absence of plants is being accurately recorded. Despite these minor pitfalls, I believe this sampling technique will continue to work for the rest of the data collection.
The data I collected was a bit surprising to me. I observed no Cylindropuntia fulgida at the creekside as expected, but interestingly I observed more plants on the hillside than the hilltop. This contradicts my initial hypothesis and will require further thought to rationalize factors that may cause increased Cylindropuntia fulgida growth on the hillside compared to the hilltop.
