Species-Habitat Interactions
Summary:
Dr. Smith’s burying beetle research has targeted three different sites in the East River Valley: Kettle Ponds, Maxfield Meadow, and Bellview. These sites occur along an altitudinal gradient; as the elevation increases, environmental variables are expected to change in a predictable manner. In this assignment, students will investigate how these changes affect organisms.
*This assignment was created by Dr. Kelsey Robson at Idaho State University. Please contact Dr. Robson at robskels@isu.edu for the answers to the assignment questions and the completed data sets.
ESA Learning Goal:
How do species interact with their habitat?
Assessments:
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Answer questions about the Smith et al. (2000) reading.
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Complete data tables and answer questions on the results of the respiration experiment.
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Complete a detailed diagram of the East River Valley elevation gradient, summarizing differences in environmental factors and biota across the three sampling sites.
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Answer questions based on the completed sampling sites diagram.
Activities:
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Read sections of Smith et al. (2000).
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Carry out a respiration experiment with burying beetles at different temperatures.
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Review the videos "Google Earth tour" and "The Story Behind the Data"
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Read a section of Smith and Merrick (2001)
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Analyze climate data in Excel.
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Summarize beetle census and rodent census data using the Tableau software.
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