My
results show several different things. First, I can conclude
from
my data that a brackish pond not only varies in abundance, but it was
found to be more diverse. This seems counterintuitive as it
does
not make sense for a substancially smaller body of water to have more
diversity. However, looking at the data one can see that much
of
the diversity came from insects. It would make more sense for
insects to lay their larvae in a pond, rather than the open ocean where
it is exposed to much more predators.
My data also shows
that Whalebone Bay is much more diverse than John Smith's Bay.
While this could be due to many factors, it is possible it is
because Whalebone Bay is on the west side of the island. This
may
cause it to be more protected because of the reefs rather than being
exposed to the open ocean. However, in order to prove this
with
more certainty, many more test would need to be run. I was
also
limited in my ability to collect the plankton. For example, I
was
able to go in the water to collect the plankton during the day, but
unfortunately this is not when plankton is most present. When
I
collected either in the morning or evening, I was restricted to
standing in one spot and throwing the tow out, as it was too dark to go
into the water. This would also skew my results and make my
data
inconsistent. In order to combat this, I chose to give my
data in
proportions, rather than straight numbers, however, even still it does
not remove all error.
