Given the limited number of plants per population, I intend to use the same plants for different experiments. For example, following the reproductive phenology using sampled branches, would it be considered a pseudoreplication if I use the same branches to quantify the level of ant infestation?
Grateful if anyone could help and explain the implications of the above. Thank you.
As long as those two variables are either treated independently (as separate experiments) or you are looking to simple correlations among the variables, I think there should be no problem. If, however, they can become mutually confounding factors for each other (e.g. you group the plants by level of infestation to test for phenology, and group for phenology to test infestation), then yes, you'd possibly incur into pseudoreplication and should better fully separate the experiments.
No, if these are different experiments, this should not be a problem. Following the same branches will allow you to use a repeated measures design.
To prepare a popular article on the interest of lichens on trees " outside the forest " , I am looking for mentions of Lobariaceae on roadside trees, park trees. Ideally, I would like to know the location , type of planting concerned and the type of phorophyte. Thank you! David
I dont think it will create any problem as these are two different experiments. However, for determining the level of ant infestation it may be safer to use plants of the same or similar phenological stage to eliminate the effect of phenological stage of the plant on level of ant infestation (if any).
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