My field study was focused on exploring the effect of elevation on plant species richness and density in the temperate mixed forest of Mayo, Quebec. Overall, designing the study did not seem that difficult. I did learn that the design you first have on paper changes as you implement it out in the field. I had to troubleshoot my transects, sample sizes and also how to determine where each elevation would be. I wish I would have separated the three elevations more (low, mid and high) because looking back, I feel like maybe the lack of appropriate distance between the three elevations could have skewed the results of my study. I also feel like if I had the appropriate time and resources to look at environmental factors like resource availability, this would have elevated study.
Ultimately, after reading all of the background literature on the topic, looking at the effect of elevation on the diversity and density of plants is just one piece of the puzzle: there are multiple converging environmental factors, working alongside elevation, to form the patterns observed and it would be cool to further explore that. Overall, I have gained an immense appreciation for how ecological theory is developed. There are really so many moving parts to ecology, and learning about the complexities of ecology makes you realize the time, effort and brainpower that is needed to develop these theories. This research has really made me realize and appreciate the complexities of nature.