New Perspective:
I designed and carried out my field experiment on moss growth in different light conditions and this has been highly rewarding experience. I had some theoretical knowledge about sampling methods and hypothesis development, but the practical nature of this project provided me with a deeper understanding of how ecological research is conducted in the real-world.
Challenges:
I had a few minor challenges during this experiment. Initially, I was not sure how to locate my quadrats, but I resolved this by using systematic sampling and marking the locations with wooden stakes. My original sampling design of 10 replicates for each light condition worked well, and I didn’t have to make major changes. However, the varying environmental conditions like soil moisture resulted in an addition unexpected observation to my observations. These small challenges gave me insight into the importance of flexibility in fieldwork.
Learning:
Engaging in this fieldwork has greatly altered my appreciation for how ecological theory is developed. Before this experience, I viewed ecological theory in the form of academic articles with abstract, introduction, etc., but this experience showed how ecological theory is developed. This project also showed me how difficult and time-consuming developing these theories can be. I spent time measuring, analyzing, and recording data and these steps gave me a new perspective on the effort behind every academic paper I have read.
I have also learned some technical skills, such as using the Daubenmire method for estimating plant cover and representing data in appropriate figures and tables when they include categorical or continuous variables.
Appreciation:
This project has deepened my understanding of how ecological systems work and how they are studied. I now realized how multifaceted a simple research question can be by observing the differences in moss growth in different light conditions which are impacted by moisture retention and temperature.