OCELOTS

Online Content for Experiential Learning of Tropical Systems

Resources

Text Search:
Applied Filters
    What is a species? Using DNA barcodes to identify species and determine insect responses to global warming
    Combining ecology, molecular tools and physiology, students investigate insect adaptation to temperatures along tropical mountains. Students integrate species concepts, DNA barcoding and thermal...
    338

    views

    63

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Functional trait-based restoration. Can hybrid restoration enhance invasion resistance and ecosystem services?
    A hybrid restoration experiment in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, in an area of high biocultural conservation value, that address the ecological and philosophical issues involved in conducting restoration with a...
    2644

    views

    130

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Fish, forests, and phosphorus: How do tropical fish, rainforest canopies, and volcanic groundwater inputs affect stream phosphorus cycling?
    Rainforest stream nutrient concentrations vary with groundwater source, and different stream fish species feed on aquatic and/or terrestrial prey. Explore how phosphorus cycling changes with stream...
    406

    views

    56

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Healing the scars: A tropical rainforest carbon cycling module implemented in a Systematic Botany course focused on the Brazilian Caatinga flora
    This resource describes my experience in implementing this OCELOTS module on tropical rainforest carbon cycling in a Systematic Botany course for undergraduate majors in Biology at Pernambuco...
    318

    views

    173

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Healing the scars: Tropical rainforest carbon cycling. Does it matter which tree species you plant?
    This online module explores how differences in traits of tropical tree species translate into differential effects on the carbon cycle, integrating ecological information across scales and the...
    429

    views

    160

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Implementing an online module about plant functional traits in the context of restoration ecology for an undergraduate class in Brazil.
    This resource describes my experience in implementing this OCELOTS module in a Functional Trait-based Restoration class for undergraduate majors in the Forest Sciences Department / Escola Superior...
    791

    views

    90

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    SNAPSHOT SERENGETI: Analyzing Wildlife Ecological Relationships in an upper-level Ecology course
    Two assignments were created to develop skills in ecological hypothesis testing, data analysis and interpretation using the Snapshot Serengeti and Gorongosa camera trap data and graphical...
    322

    views

    229

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Sounds of the Tropics: Part 2. How are frogs responding to hurricanes, droughts, and climate change?
    This online module explores the response of a tropical frog community to hurricanes, drought, and climate change. We use acoustic monitoring and occupancy modeling to understand how frog...
    346

    views

    189

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Sounds of the Tropics: Part 1. How can audio recordings improve tropical biodiversity conservation?
    This online module explores the terminology of sound and concepts of acoustic monitoring, the diversity of sounds produced by animals, how to study soundscapes, how humans modify soundscapes, and...
    629

    views

    180

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Between a rock and a hard place. What can turning rocks tell us about land-use change impacts on animals living in a rock outcrop?
    Unique rock outcrops in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India provide a setting that challenges students to develop a study to assess the impact of land-use change on threatened animals...
    1784

    views

    306

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Sounds of the Tropics: Part 3. Can you hear me? How do dolphins in Bocas del Toro, Panama communicate in a noisy habitat?
    This online module provides background information on dolphin communication and explores how a dolphin population responds to dolphin-watching activities in Panama.
    355

    views

    127

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Implementing an online module about the implications of gold mining in the Amazonian rainforest for a community college ecology course
    This online module describes the implications of gold mining in the Amazon Rainforest, introduces students to ecological concepts, and explores human-environment connections. The implementation...
    263

    views

    91

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Implementing an online module about tropical seed dispersal and restoration in an undergraduate ecology course in the Pacific Northwest, USA
    This “Spreading Seeds” case study introduces students to ecology of seed dispersal mutualisms, and their importance for forest restoration. The implementation plan teaching notes, and associated...
    1068

    views

    135

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    A rainforest with a gold chain? The impacts of gold mining on the trophic web of an Amazonian rainforest of SE Peru
    The use of mercury in artisanal gold mining affects aquatic and terrestrial food webs in the Peruvian Amazon. Learn about bioaccumulation, explore data on mercury deposition in vegetation and how...
    4357

    views

    126

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Snapshot Serengeti Online Lab
    Snapshot Serengeti is a fully online inquiry-based lab that uses real camera-trap data from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to explore themes of tropical ecology and animal behavior.
    465

    views

    80

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Cold blood and wet skin in hot and dry secondary forests. How do amphibian traits determine persistence in secondary forests?
    Students will synthesize information from biological and physiological traits of amphibians and characteristics of secondary forests in the tropics to form hypotheses about persistence of...
    1497

    views

    105

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Colorful wings send messages: Why are butterfly wings colorful?
    Red postman butterflies live in tropical rainforests and have a mix of red, yellow, and black on their wings. These bright colors may warn predators or attract mates. Explore whether color alone or...
    368

    views

    98

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Causes and consequences of resisting herbivory: How long-lived plants avoid damage from diverse short-lived insect herbivores
    This module guides students through decades-long studies of tropical plant-insect interactions to elucidate the ecology and evolution of plant defenses while encouraging students to consider the...
    1333

    views

    91

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Wildlife Crossings in Costa Rica: Are wildlife crossing structures effective in mitigating roadkill mortality on tropical highways?
    Meet Jack Ewing, an ecotourism pioneer in Costa Rica who fought to safeguard wildlife from roadkill mortality caused by enlargement of a major highway. This module presents the topic of road...
    476

    views

    83

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    BIOME 2024 Workshop: “But we don’t teach ecology!”
    OCELOTS modules are open-access case studies in tropical ecology that promote active learning, quantitative skills, and systems thinking. This workshop is the prelude to a Fall FMN for adapting...
    326

    views

    139

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations