Spring 2008
Dr. Wade B. Worthen
Section A: Lecture 1:00 pm Rinker 152
Laboratory: Mon, 2-5:00 pm
Text: The Economy of Nature, Ricklefs, 5th ed.
We are going to take an investigative approach to ecology in this course. Seven of our lab periods have an associated "project". This project will involve the collection of data that bears on an ecologically interesting question. After the data is collected, two students will analyze the data and write up a paper in scientific format that explains the purpose, methods, results, and implications of the experiment. I will asssit you with the statistical analyses for your project, but you will conduct a literature review and write your paper. One paper will be submitted for each project, co-authored by the two students who took responsibility for that project.
Here's how things will work:
1) When we meet for the first class period, you will pick lab partners.
2) We will then have a random draw for the order in which you will select projects.
3) We will select projects and then head out for the first lab.
4) If you pick a lab partner before class, you can read over the following descriptions early and decide on which projects you'd most like to do.
Project Descriptions:
Project 1: The Distribution of Salamanders and Crayfish at Oil Camp Creek: Megan and Jonathan
In this lab we will travel north to Oil camp Creek and examine whether salamanders and crayfish select different habitats based on various characteristics of the habitat type (water depth, rock size, salamander species, or the presence of other salamanders or crayfish). As the first lab, it will be a fun introduction to the study of ecology - which tries to determine why organisms live where they do. We will test the hypothesis that salamanders of different species, and crayfish, use different habitats.
Project 2: Stream Sampling at FU: Amanda and Shawn
In this lab, we will use an electroshocker to immobilize and sample fish and steam invertebrates (mostly larval dragonflies, mayflies, and stoneflies) in different habitats in the stream behind the chapel. We will test the hypothesis that different areas of the stream (pool, riffle, and run) are inhabited by different fish and aquatic insect communities.
Project 3: Island Biogeography at Bald Rock: Alison and Kaylee
On the way to Ceasar's Head State Park is a rocky outcrop called "Bald Rock". This outcrop has been colonized by a variety of plants that have made vegetated islands of different size. In this lab, we will investigate some predictions of the ecological theory of island biogeography. For example, one of the hypotheses that we will test is that biodiversity increases as habitat (island) size increases.
Project 4: Insect Diversity at FU Lake: Krista and Brent
The primary goal of the Lake Restoration Project is to reduce algae growth in the lake. One way we are doing that is to create a more
natural vegetated border around the lake. These plants will absorb nutrients that previously drained to the lake and fed growing algae.
Of course, this natural vegetation is much more diverse than the campus lawns. We are going to "sweep net" the vegetation along the lake and
the nearby lawns for insects. We will identify the insects in lab, and the diversity of these insect communities will be compared. We will test the hypothesis that more diverse plant commuities uspport more diverse insect communities.
Project 5: Pollination at Furman Lake: Montrelle and Tyler
Many of the new annual and perennial plants around the lake are insect pollinated. Because flight is such an energetically expensive behavior, insect pollinators
often forage in an energetically efficient manner to maximize energy return pr unit of energy spent on flight. We will test the hypothesis that dense patches of flowers are vistied more frequently than sparse patches of flowers.
Project 6: Succession at Bunched Arrowhead:
Jessica and Ryan
Succession refers to the change in commuities over time. At Bunched Arrowhead Preserve, we will sample old fields of different ages and test the hypothesis that species diversity increases with the age of the habitat.
Project 7: Dragonflies at Furman Lake: Adrienne and Candice
Male dragonflies are territorial, and they compete for territories along the margin of the lake where females will come to mate and lay eggs. In fact, males compete for perches of different heights. In this experiment, we will post
dead dragonfly decoys behind perches to test the hypothesis that interspecific competition causes dragonflies to alter their perch preference.