Do Antbirds Help or Hinder Army Ants?
In this activity, students examine the nature of the interaction between army ants and ant-following birds. Ant-following birds benefit from the relationship by staying just ahead of the ants and capturing prey animals that are disturbed by the ants. While early studies suggested that the birds' foraging might in turn benefit the ants, it is possible that the birds remove prey that the ants would capture. Using figures from a research paper, students determine whether the species interaction is mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism. Students design a hypothetical experiment to measure the effect of birds on army ant foraging success, interpret figures from a real experiment, and consider the consequences of the interaction on the ant colony and the forest community.
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| Format | |
| Resource Group | TIEE |
| Resource Group Link | https://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=SearchResults&F46=TIEE |
| Primary or BEN resource type | |
| Discipline Specific Core Concepts | |
| Life science discipline (subject) | |
| Keywords | parasitism, competition, ant-following bird, army ant, antbird, data interpretation, experimental design, foraging, predation |
| Key taxa | army ant, Eciton burchellii |
| Audience | |
| Intended End User Role | |
| Language | |
| Educational Language | |
| Pedagogical Use Category | |
| Pedagogical Use Description | Teachers can use this activity to teach about the types of interactions between species and the behavior of army ants and ant-following birds. The activity provides instructions for students and also guides teachers through student-active teaching methods. Experimental design, data interpretation, and critical thinking are emphasized. The context of the activity highlights the importance of testing a hypothesized relationship with a controlled experiment when possible. |
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| Structure | |
| Url | http://tiee.esa.org/vol/v4/issues/figure_sets/army_ants/abstract.html |
| Full Name of Primary Author | Mark Kuhlmann |
| Primary Author Controlled Name | |
| Primary Author Affiliation | Biology Department, Harwick College |
| Primary Author email | kuhlmannm@hartwick.edu |
| Added By Id |
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| Rights | Author retains copyright |
| License | |
| Publisher | |
| Review type | |
| Drought and Water Ecosystem Services Collection | Off |
| Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection | Off |
| Big Data Collection | Off |
| Editors Choice | No |
| Resource Status | |
| Date Of Record Submission | 1999-11-30 |
| I Agree to EcoEdDL's Copyright Policy & Terms of Use | No |
| Date Of Record Release | 2010-02-16 01:47:18 |
| Last Modified By Id |
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| Date Last Modified | 2018-07-25 09:38:04 |
| Release Flag | Published |
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