Phylogenetic or evolutionary trees are diagrams that are used extensively in their traditional realms of systematics and taxonomy, but have also become more common throughout biology in research ranging from conservation to epidemiology. Phylogenetic trees contain a wealth of information about the patterns of evolutionary diversification and relationships within and among different kinds...
The Kids Into Discovering Science (KiDS) curriculum, designed for 5th grade students, includes 10 classroom lesson plans and one field trip lesson plan centered on a plant science experiment. Over 10 lessons and a field day, students practice observation, set up and monitor an experiment, analyze and present their data, and learn about plant ecology, soil ecology, habitats, and their local...
Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library PlantEd Digital Library
In this activity, students will play the role of a field biologist quantifying and explaining animal behavior using the scientific method (observation – hypothesis – prediction – test). Powerpoint slides contain a series of photos of scavengers at deer carcasses. Students will form hypotheses about the behavioral interactions in the photos, then make predictions that could be used to test their...
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...
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...