The rise of biodiversity-related citizen science projects gives us the opportunity to inspire all students to become citizen scientists, no matter what their professional path. Here, I share an in-class exercise that introduces undergraduates to biodiversity and citizen science using the open-source platform iNaturalist. I developed the exercise as part of a semester-long module on bumblebee...
This activity is designed to show students how to perform an ANOVA using RStudio. To integrate the lesson plan with course content in an undergraduate ecology lecture course, students read an accessible scientific article (Chase & Knight 2003) that explores interaction between abiotic (climate and habitat permanence) and biotic (competition & predation) environmental conditions on the population...
This figure shows survivorship curves for spring cohorts of the summer annual plant Erucastrum gallicum (Brassicaceae) growing in the Jamesville Quarry, Syracuse, NY. It shows how survivorship varies markedly from year to year, due mainly to variability in rainfall. Survivorship approximated a Deevey Type I function in 1976, a year with abundant rain. Survivorship followed a Type III pattern in...
This lab exercise examines the effect of density on the survival and growth of plant populations. Students examine a variety of parameters in experimental populations of radish plants grown at different densities. They evaluate their findings against the Law of Final Constant Yield and the Reciprocal Yield Law. This exercise follows the Four Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) framework...
Water quality is a significant issue affecting our lakes. While the effects of nutrients on water quality has received much attention, light availability also has strong effects on water quality in lake ecosystems. Light availability has been changing in many lakes with changes in water clarity. Many lakes are undergoing “browning”, where waters become darker and less transparent due to increases...
Create a Login