Renee; UR: What you've all been waiting for!

MATH! ...Yay?

So who is ready for some statistics?

Results of pH T-test. In a nutshell this decimal means that there
is a 95% chance that both samples came from the same place.

Thanks to Dr. Woodall’s excitement my data got put into a lovely paired T-test ( a paired T-test compares two sets of possibly related data Such as before-and-after data, two different forms of measurement or two different treatments). Similar to finding the R value in a scatter plot the paired T-test was used to see if there was a correlation between the root zone and contrast samples pH values and redox potentials.

Unfortunately, if I understood the T-test correctly, both the pH and the redox T-tests showed that the two groups in question (the root zone and contrast samples) were not significantly different from one another.

Results of redox T-test. In a nutshell this decimal means that there
is a 88% chance that both samples came from the same place.

Hopefully there will be more significant differences in one of the tests UF will be performing. We have at least finally gotten the samples shipped off. Once again thanks to Dr. Woodall who is the best, most amazing professor ever!

Q: Michael Blevins, former geology student
 I'm surprised to see that according to your map, much of Florida has acidic soils. I know when in the geology class, we learned that much of Florida's soils were a sort of sandy soil with a lot of calcium carbonate in them--which you would think would be more alkaline. Can you explain these differences? Thanks!

A: The University of Florida IFAS Extension a great explanation in one of their documents concerning "soil pH and the home landscape":  "The median soil pH for Florida soils is 6.1, which is characterized as slightly acidic. However, Florida soils can vary widely in pH, depending on the parent material(Source from which the Soil came, ie. eroded granite, shell deposits, organic litter, ect...) from which the soil formed or on the management of the soil. For example, soils formed under pine flatwoods can be quiet acidic. In contrast, soils formed from calcium carbonate-bearing materials like limestone, marl, or seashells are alkaline. Alkaline conditions are common in coastal soils and the mineral soils of south Florida. It is also common to encounter alkaline soils in the home landscape as a result of calcium carbonate-rich building materials (i.e., concrete, stucco, etc.) that may be left in the soil following construction." 
The full document can be found HERE.

In the specific case of my Sarracenia minor(pitcher plants) they live in a bog full of sphagnum moss and other organic material right in the middle of pine flatwoods. It is this large amount of decaying organic matter that makes the soil more acidic for the pitchers who love the acid.