Malaise Trap Project: Involving Undergraduate Students in Network Science
Author(s): Kim Komatsu
129 total view(s), 152 download(s)
week3a_insectOrders.pptx(PPTX | 17 MB)- week3b_globalTrends.pptx(PPTX | 9 MB)
BIO444_Malaise_Protocol_2024.docx(DOCX | 17 KB)- BIO444_MalaiseProjectOverview_2024.docx(DOCX | 6 MB)
BIO444_Malaise_datasheet_2024.xlsx(XLSX | 11 KB)- BIO444_malaiseNetwork_finalData_2024.xlsx(XLSX | 10 KB)
malaise_data_visualization.R(R | 5 KB)- BIO444_Malaise_GroupAssessment.docx(DOCX | 20 KB)
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Description
This project describes a multi-week activity for upper division undergraduate students to contribute to a long-term insect monitoring network. Through lecture-based material, students will learn about global insect declines, field monitoring and sampling techniques, and key characteristics to identify common insect orders. Students will then use the knowledge gained to sort and identify insects within Malaise trap samples collected during the growing season from at least two locations, one that is highly human-disturbed (e.g., agricultural field, lawn, urban park) and one that has a low human-footprint (“natural”). Students will work in teams over the course of three weeks to weigh, identify, and count the insects within the samples. Then students will enter their data into the class spreadsheet, visualize the data in at least one graph, and identify trends across all samples sorted by the class. This project is scalable across space and time, with the option to include more sampling locations within a year, as well as document trends across years (i.e., across classes).
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand current trends in insect abundances globally.
2. Learn the key characteristics to identify common insect orders.
3. Data entry and compute basic summary statistics related to data.
4. Identify overarching patterns in the data and share results with the class.
5. Participate in ongoing research and work as part of a collaborative team.
4DEE Framework Concepts Covered:
Core Ecology Concepts: Habitats and Niches, Patches and Corridors, Population Dispersion, Life History, Species Diversity, Community and Ecosystem Stability, Trophic Levels, Global Biogeography
Ecology Practices: Natural History Observations, Field Sample Collection, Species Identification/Preservation, Data Entry, Data Visualization, Study Design
Human-Environment Interactions: Anthropogenic Impacts, Urban Ecosystems, Urban-Rural Comparison, Natural Resource Management, Conservation Biology, Ecological Stewardship
Cross-Cutting Themes: Scales, Stability and Change, Biogeography, Species Ranges, Invasions
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Komatsu, K. (2024). Malaise Trap Project: Involving Undergraduate Students in Network Science. QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/7295-CR11