CourseSource: Resources

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Learning the Landscape: An Active and Applied Lesson on Landscape Ecology for General Ecology Courses

Landscape ecology is an important subtopic of ecology. As a field, it is inherently interdisciplinary and provides opportunities to teach not only content, but transferable ecological and geographical skills. Given the broad spectrum of topics in...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

landscape ecologyspatial scaleecosystem managementHabitat fragmentation

Lesson

2639

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304

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0

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Bacteria to Brains in Backyard Coyotes: An Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Case Study

Our interdisciplinary pedagogical case study explores the differences between rural and urban coyotes at the levels of organismal and community ecology. The focus is on how coyotes’ gut microbiomes could affect their behavior via...

Courses: Cell Biology Ecology Ecology Evolution Immunology Introductory Biology Microbiology

dietanimal behaviorimmune systemmicrobiomeNervous systemgut-brain axisImmunoReachdysbiosisCoyoteCytokines

LessonPlus

1934

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125

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0

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The Power of Place: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Studying Urban Ecology, Local Apple Trees and Disease Susceptibility

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) offered early in an undergraduate student’s career have the potential to include a greater number and diversity of students than one-on-one mentored research. CUREs that use a...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

Disease ecologyurban ecologyUrban food forestsUrban heat islandsGenetic resistance

Lesson

1596

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93

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0

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Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learn Invasive Species Ecology

Inquiry-based lessons allow learning that is hands-on and student-driven, fostering engagement and retention of knowledge in any discipline. Here, we use this learning framework to engage students in exploring the effects of biotic and abiotic...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

ecologyenvironmentInvasive SpeciesScience CommunicationScientific InquiryDispersal

Lesson

1893

views

267

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0

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Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes

Role-playing activities in the classroom promote students’ critical thinking, research, and communication skills. We present an activity where students debate a current controversy in conservation. In our case study, students debate the...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology

Restorationtrophic cascadeecosystem function

Lesson

5501

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696

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Animal Behaviour Case Study Lessons in Communication, Migration, and Parental Care Using the Jigsaw Approach

Animal behaviour courses integrate concepts across biological disciplines and are particularly well suited for collaborative, student-focused teaching strategies. Case Studies can positively impact students by...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Science Process Skills

case studycommunicationprimary literatureanimal behaviorjigsawParental CaremigrationAnimal BehaviourProximate mechanisms

Lesson

2565

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209

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0

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Integrating Community Ecology Into the Study of Parasites: Exploring the Effect of Host Behavior on Parasite Transmission Rates

Organismal life cycles are often presented as a set of facts to memorize in undergraduate biology courses. This approach is cognitively demanding for students and fails to convey how central life cycle diversity is in shaping ecological and...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Science Process Skills

statisticsspecies interactionsQuantitative reasoninggraphsCommunity EcologyParasitologyfood webs

Lesson

2339

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444

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A Modeling Exercise in Sexual Selection using a Student-Created Bird Species

Evolution-centered lessons at the undergraduate level can often be jargon-heavy, propagate misconceptions if taught ineffectively, and be uninteresting to students who may not see the relevancy of such concepts. This activity provides a fun and...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology

Evolutionfitnesssexual selectionNatural Selectionintersexual selectionmate choice

Lesson

2906

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429

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0

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Moths and Frogs and E. coli, Oh My!: Agent-based Modeling of Evolutionary Systems

In evolution classrooms, introducing and reinforcing the idea of genetic drift and random selection can be challenging, as can be reinforcing appropriate mental models of evolution. Agent-based models offer students the opportunity to conduct a...

Courses: Bioinformatics Ecology Ecology Evolution Science Process Skills

modelingEvolutionecologyagent-based modelingGenetic Driftenvironmental scienceNatural Selectioncompetitive coevolutionsimulation modelingevolutionary reasoning

Lesson

3344

views

470

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0

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How Many Squirrels Are in the Shrubs? A Lesson Plan for Comparing Methods for Population Estimation

Estimating the population sizes of animals is a key skill for any student interested in ecology, conservation, or management. However, counting animals in natural habitats is difficult, and the many techniques that exist each rely on assumptions...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Professional Development and Career Planning Science Process Skills

population ecologywildlife managementpopulation estimationsciuridaeSquirrel-Net

Lesson

2954

views

591

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0

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Sorry to Eat and Run: A Lesson Plan for Testing Trade-off in Squirrel Behavior Using Giving Up Densities (GUDs)

All animals need to find and compete for food, shelter, and mates in order to survive and reproduce. They also need to avoid being eaten by predators. Optimal foraging theory provides a framework to examine the trade-offs individuals make while...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Science Process Skills

ecologyanimal behaviorAnimal form and functionAnimal nutritionSquirrel-Net

Lesson

1550

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297

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0

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Squirrels in Space: Using Radio Telemetry to Explore the Space Use and Movement of Sciurid Rodents

Biotelemetry is used by researchers to track the interactions of animals with each other and the environment. While advancing technology has led to the development of numerous biotelemetry tools, radio telemetry remains the most common method for...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

DispersalHabitat selectionHome rangeSquirrel-Net

Lesson

2717

views

965

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0

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Squirreling Around for Science: Observing Sciurid Rodents to Investigate Animal Behavior

Hands-on research experiences are important opportunities for students to learn about the nature of inquiry and gain confidence in solving problems. Here, we present an inquiry-based lesson plan that investigates the foraging behavior of sciurid...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

foragingbehaviorbehavioral ecologySciuridSquirrelSquirrel-NetTrade-offVigilance

Lesson

2615

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495

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0

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Developing Data Literacy Skills and Connecting the Student Experience in the Classroom to the Community Through Biodiversity Projects

Undergraduate education and long-term science literacy are enhanced by integrating data projects with public datasets and creating analysis summaries. Underutilized public datasets are often generated by community-based or citizen science projects...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Plant Biology

species richnessBiodiversitydisturbanceHabitat rangePopulation abundance

Lesson

1586

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445

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0

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Ain't No Mountain Pine Enough: A Case Study of How Mountain Pine Beetles are Affecting Ecosystem Processes

This case study engages students in generating hypotheses and predictions, analyzing and interpreting data, critically evaluating contrasting results in science, and thinking about feedbacks between biota and abiotic ecosystem dynamics. To address...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

population biologycarbon cyclingSpecies-habitat interactions

Lesson

2696

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598

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0

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Biodiversity Show and Tell: An Accessible Activity to Encourage Students to Explore the Tree of Life

An appreciation of organismal diversity is a requirement for understanding evolution and ecology, and can serve as a source of amazement and wonder that inspires students to enjoy biology. However, biodiversity can be a challenging subject to...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology

EvolutionecologyBiodiversity

Lesson

2517

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813

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0

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Exploring Species Interactions with "Snapshot Serengeti"

Authentic learning experiences are a valuable way for students to gain an in-depth understanding of the scientific process. However, implementing such experiences in large enrollment courses can be challenging. Here, we present a community ecology...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

ecologyspecies interactionscitizen scienceCommunity Ecologyanimal behaviorScience Communicationmigrationanimal activityspecies distribution

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1323

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408

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0

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Using Images of Foraging Leaf-Cutter Ants to Teach Linear Regression

This lesson offers students a realistic, open-inquiry research experience, even when lab or field research is not possible. We first introduce students to leaf-cutter ants and how they forage. Then we provide images and videos of foraging...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

linear regressionexperimental designPlant-insect interactionsSymbiosisForaging behavior

Lesson

3305

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886

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0

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Life Is Just a Game: An Active Learning Activity to Teach Life History Evolution

A novel activity was designed to introduce students to the concepts of natural selection and life history using an active-learning, constructivist format. It consisted of two parts: 1) a brief introduction to the basic mechanism of natural...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution

Evolutionlife historytrade-offsdiversityNatural Selection

Lesson

1561

views

319

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0

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Chilling in the Cold: Using Thermal Acclimation to Demonstrate Phenotypic Plasticity in Animals

The lesson plan described here provides students hands-on, scientific experiences that relate to the globally important issue of climate change and its impacts on animals. Students use the scientific method and basic components of experimental...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Science Process Skills

scientific methodclimate changephenotypic plasticityfruit fliesaccclimationcold tolerancethink-pair-share

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Learning the Landscape: An Active and Applied Lesson on Landscape Ecology for General Ecology Courses

Bacteria to Brains in Backyard Coyotes: An Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Case Study

The Power of Place: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Studying Urban Ecology, Local Apple Trees and Disease Susceptibility

Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learn Invasive Species Ecology

Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes

Animal Behaviour Case Study Lessons in Communication, Migration, and Parental Care Using the Jigsaw Approach

Integrating Community Ecology Into the Study of Parasites: Exploring the Effect of Host Behavior on Parasite Transmission Rates

A Modeling Exercise in Sexual Selection using a Student-Created Bird Species

Moths and Frogs and E. coli, Oh My!: Agent-based Modeling of Evolutionary Systems

How Many Squirrels Are in the Shrubs? A Lesson Plan for Comparing Methods for Population Estimation

Sorry to Eat and Run: A Lesson Plan for Testing Trade-off in Squirrel Behavior Using Giving Up Densities (GUDs)

Squirrels in Space: Using Radio Telemetry to Explore the Space Use and Movement of Sciurid Rodents

Squirreling Around for Science: Observing Sciurid Rodents to Investigate Animal Behavior

Developing Data Literacy Skills and Connecting the Student Experience in the Classroom to the Community Through Biodiversity Projects

Ain't No Mountain Pine Enough: A Case Study of How Mountain Pine Beetles are Affecting Ecosystem Processes

Biodiversity Show and Tell: An Accessible Activity to Encourage Students to Explore the Tree of Life

Exploring Species Interactions with "Snapshot Serengeti"

Using Images of Foraging Leaf-Cutter Ants to Teach Linear Regression

Life Is Just a Game: An Active Learning Activity to Teach Life History Evolution

Chilling in the Cold: Using Thermal Acclimation to Demonstrate Phenotypic Plasticity in Animals

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