Pioneer Species Optimal Soil Conditions in Costa Rica's Central Pacific Tropical Rainforest
Introduction
Purpose
Methods
Data
Results
Discussion
Future
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The results were not conclusive because significant relationships could not be made between the variables. My hypothesis had been that the soil conditions that Cecropia and Pavilla grow better in would be higher in temperature and pH than areas where the pioneering species that I looked at were not growing. I could not use the data that I collected to support this hypothesis. The places where the same species of trees grew showed little similarity in soil conditions. Neither did the variables of pH and temperature correlate with each other. Had the points correlated in any specific pattern, they may not have been significant because not enough were collected.
The fact that my transect provided a random sampling meant that often times I saw trees that would not land within my plots. This is unfortunate because it would have provided more data points from which to draw conclusions.
Photo of a tree laying just outside the plot:
