Ecology on Campus

by Kingsolver, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780805382143
• ISBN10: 0805382143
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Spiral Bound
• Copyright: 2005-12-29
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Key Benefit: This flexible laboratory manual contains nearly 60 exercises involving small-scale ecological systems that can be conducted within a weekly lab period right on campus, regardless of weather or resources available. Each chapter explains a fundamental concept, and then gives three separate hands-on exercises that can involve outdoor observation and measurements on campus, laboratory systems, library research, biological collections, or computer resources. Additionally, calculation pages accompanying each lab walk readers through standard mathematical modeling or statistical tools commonly used by ecologists to address the question at hand, building readers'quantitative and critical thinking skills. All calculations and statistical analyses can be completed by readers using simple calculators. Key Topics: PREFACE: TEACHING AND LEARNING ECOLOGY IN A CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT, DESCRIBING A POPULATION, ALLOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPS, ESTIMATING POPULATION SIZE, POPULATION GROWTH, DEMOGRAPHY, POPULATION GENETICS, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATIONS, THE NICHE, THE CONCEPT OF THE COMMUNITY, COMPETITION,PREDATION AND PARASITISM, MUTUALISM, BIODIVERSITY, ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION, PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES OF SOILS, AQUATIC SYSTEMS, ENERGY FLOW, ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY Market Description:For those interested in learning the basics of ecology on campus

Table of Contents

Preface Teaching and Learning Ecology in a Campus Environment	vii
Describing A Population	1	(22)
Method A Seed Weights in Legumes	10	(2)
Method B Needle Length in Conifers	12	(11)
Allometric Relationships	23	(28)
Method A Modeling Size and Shape Relations	28	(7)
Method B Heat Exchange in Beetles	35	(7)
Method C Size and Shape of Trees	42	(9)
Estimating Population Size	51	(14)
Method A Mark-Recapture Simulation	56	(2)
Method B Mark-Recapture Estimate of a Student Population	58	(2)
Method C Mark-Recapture Estimate of a Mealworm Population	60	(5)
Population Growth	65	(26)
Method A Calculating r from a Published Data Set	75	(5)
Method B Comparing Exponential and Logistic Growth	80	(3)
Method C Population Growth of Yeasts	83	(8)
Demography	91	(40)
Method A Demography Simulation	105	(6)
Method B Developing a Life Table from the Alumni Newsletter	111	(12)
Method C Demography of Campus Trees	123	(8)
Population Genetics	131	(28)
Method A Population Genetics Simulation	144	(9)
Method B Population Genetics in a Fruit Fly Culture	153	(6)
Spatial Distribution of Populations	159	(18)
Method A Dispersion of Plants in a Lawn Community	165	(3)
Method B Dispersion of Herbivores on Plant Resource Units	168	(2)
Method C Dispersion of Isopods in an Artificial Habitat	170	(7)
The Niche	177	(22)
Method A Feeding Niches in the Community Aquarium	184	(3)
Method B Niches of Birds at a Feeding Station	187	(2)
Method C Plant Niches on a Disturbance Gradient	189	(10)
The Community Concept	199	(20)
Method A Geographical Distributions of Tree Species	205	(3)
Method B Direction of Exposure and Plant Communities	208	(5)
Method C Microbial Communities on a Salt Concentration Gradient	213	(6)
Competition	219	(24)
Method A Allelopathy	236	(2)
Method B Competition within and between Species	238	(3)
Method C Competition Problems	241	(2)
Predation and Parasitism	243	(30)
Method A Predator-Prey Simulation	257	(5)
Method B Predation by Daphnia on Euglena	262	(5)
Method C Simulating Functional Response of a Predator	267	(6)
Mutualism	273	(26)
Method A Effects of Rhizobium on Legumes	281	(4)
Method B Microbial Symbionts in Termite Gut and Lichen Thallus	285	(5)
Method C Flower/Pollinator Mutualism	290	(9)
Biodiversity	299	(20)
Method A Measuring Biodiversity of Campus Birds	309	(1)
Method B Measuring Invertebrate Biodiversity	310	(2)
Method C Measuring Biodiversity in Sweep Net Samples	312	(7)
Succession	319	(18)
Method A Succession in Hay Infusions	328	(4)
Method B r-Selection and K-Selection in Trees	332	(5)
Soils	337	(24)
Method A Physical Properties of Soils	347	(6)
Method B Soil pH in Two Microhabitats	353	(4)
Method C Nutrient Capture by Soils	357	(4)
Aquatic Environments	361	(22)
Method A Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature	369	(4)
Method B Sediment Load and Water Clarity	373	(5)
Method C LD50 Determination for a Pesticide	378	(5)
Energy Flow	383	(26)
Method A Productivity of Plankton	393	(4)
Method B Pyramid of Biomass for Plankton	397	(7)
Method C Estimating Ecological Efficiency of Leaf Miners	404	(5)
Island Biogeography	409	(28)
Method A Biogeography Simulation Game	418	(11)
Method B Species--Area Relationship for Bird Communities	429	(2)
Method C Species--Area Relationship for Artificial islands	431	(6)
Appendix 1 Variance	437	(1)
Appendix 2 The t-Test	438	(3)
Appendix 3 Correlation and Regression	441	(2)
Appendix 4 Critical Values for the Mann-Whitney U-test	443	(1)
Appendix 5 Critical Values for the Chi-Square Test	444	(1)
Appendix 6 A Table of Random Numbers	445	(1)
Appendix 7 Writing a Laboratory Report	446	(3)
Glossary	449	(10)
Index	459	(8)
Credits	467