This report explores how switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a native perennial cellulosic grass, may become the center of biofuel production in some parts of the Great Plains and Midwest. This report will address the sustainability of growing biofuels in the US grassland regions, the environmental and ecological changes that have occurred in these areas already, and how the cultivation of biofuel...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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In a general sense, biodiversity is an intuitively simple concept, referring to the variety of Earth’s organisms. Ecologists, however, conceptualize biodiversity in a more nuanced, multidimensional way to reflect the enormous diversity of species, niches, and interspecific interactions that generate spatiotemporal complexity in communities. Students may not fully comprehend o...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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In this lab experiment, students learn about ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal properties associated with two host tree species to better under understand symbioses in general and gain experience using soil sampling and mycorrhizal field methods. Students will learn in more depth about terms and concepts related to symbioses (e.g. mutualisms, coevolution, host specificity) and about specific...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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Fertilizers are commonly applied to plants in both agricultural and ornamental settings and these fertilizers can affect insect herbivores. Beet armyworms, Spodoptera exigua, are phytophagous insects that are easy to rear in the lab. In this exercise, students design an experiment that manipulates plant quality via fertilizer application and then measure the effect of fertilization on caterpillar...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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Species diversity generally increases in the tropics but testing theories that explain this phenomenon is challenging. Here we use body size to quantify niches in ecological communities and explore how species diversify towards the equator.

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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