CourseSource: Resources

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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

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2816

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703

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Teaching Biodiversity with Museum Specimens in an Inquiry-Based Lab

In response to the growth of biology datasets and broad efforts to digitize data, an increasingly important skill for science students is the management and analysis of large datasets. We designed an inquiry-based lab module to introduce students...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

data analysisnatural historyphylogenyBiodiversitymammalsAllen's RuleBergmann's Ruleecogeographymuseum research

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2723

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242

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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

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2849

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867

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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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1717

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352

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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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3206

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1108

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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

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3081

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453

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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

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2833

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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

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1721

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469

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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

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3390

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917

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Assessing Urban Biodiversity With the eBird Citizen Science Project: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Module

The eBird citizen science module takes advantage of technology tools and online resources developed by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (http://ebird.org) to achieve several learning objectives embedded in a semester-long upper-level biology...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Science Process Skills

datacitizen sciencecommunityBiodiversitySpecieshypothesishabitat

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1809

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317

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Authentic Ecological Inquiries Using BearCam Archives

Learning through authentic scientific inquiries is essential for understanding the nature and process of science and for developing critical thinking and communication skills. It is logistically challenging, however, to offer experiences of...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Science Process Skills

behaviorinterspecific interactionsPeer reviewauthentic inquiryintra-specific interactions

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2999

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944

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Coevolution or not? Crossbills, squirrels and pinecones

This case reinforces the concept of coevolution as a reciprocal change in genetic structure between or among two or more populations, by having students analyze and interpret data, build a descriptive model of the system, and use data to make...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology Science Process Skills