When I first approached my analysis of Northern Rice Root (Fritillaria camschatcensis), I encountered some challenges in how best to organize my data, particularly in terms of layout. My variables included the bulb size as the response variable, while proximity to a water source served as the predictor. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the amount of data I had collected and was unsure how to present it effectively. I included too many data points and repeated myself across multiple categories, which made the results difficult to interpret.
To solve this, I focused on summarizing the data using means and standard deviations for each category. This allowed me to condense the information into a more manageable format without losing the insights I had collected. Once I reframed my tables around the response variable (bulb size) and predictor variable (proximity to water), it became much easier to see patterns and relationships within the data.
Interestingly, the outcome of my analysis was the opposite of what I had predicted. Initially, I assumed that the closer the Northern Rice Root was to a water source, the larger its main bulb would be. However, my data indicated otherwise: the size of the bulbs was larger in areas further from the water. Looking back, it seems more intuitive to me now, but at the time, I made this assumption without fully considering other ecological factors.
While the outcome didn’t match my prediction, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Northern Rice Root may have evolved similar strategies to some species in the cactus family, which store water efficiently in low-moisture environments. This might suggest that the Northern Rice Root doesn’t rely as heavily on close proximity to water sources, and instead stores or manages water internally in areas with lower soil moisture. This unexpected result has sparked further questions about the plant’s adaptation strategies and how it responds to environmental conditions.