The nose knows: How tri-trophic interactions and natural history shape bird foraging behavior. An introduction to statistical analysis in animal behavior research
Author(s): Julia Burrows
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- Blue_petrels instructor.xlsx(XLSX | 14 KB)
- Blue_petrels.csv(CSV | 237 B )
- Sleeping _chicks.csv(CSV | 174 B )
- Sleeping_adults instructor.xlsx(XLSX | 23 KB)
- Sleeping_adults.csv(CSV | 199 B )
- Sleeping_chicks instructor.xlsx(XLSX | 17 KB)
- The nose knows evaluation.pdf(PDF | 3 MB)
- The nose knows faculty notes.docx(DOCX | 95 KB)
- The nose knows reading quiz.pptx(PPTX | 45 KB)
- The nose knows student handout.docx(DOCX | 2 MB)
- The nose knows video.mpg(MPG | 21 MB)
- Link to TIEE publication and teaching materials for The nose knows: How tri-trophic interactions and natural history shape bird foraging behavior (Abstract) | TIEE
- License terms
Description
These activities were designed to develop students’ quantitative skills, and are applicable in both introductory biology and upper division ecology and animal behavior courses.
Activity 1 focuses on how King penguins locate their foraging grounds, hundreds of kilometers from their breeding areas using dimethyl sulphide (DMS) as a chemical cue. For this activity, students generate hypotheses from background information and analyze data collected using a scaled categorical score of how King penguin adults and chicks respond to the presentation of DMS odor. Students conduct descriptive statistics, a t-test using MS Excel Analysis Toolpak, and a Mann-Whitney U test using VassarStats: Website for Statistical Computation. Students also create a bar chart to visually present results and practice properly labeling figures, in addition to interpreting statistical analyses.
Activity 2 examines how DMS sensitives developed in the penguin’s closest living relative, the Procellariiformes, who have a different natural history than King penguins. For this activity, students generate hypotheses from background information and analyze data from a Y-maze experiment conducted on Blue petrel chicks with either DMS or a control odor in each arm of the maze. Students create a figure, conduct a binomial statistical test using MS Excel, and interpret resulting p-values. Finally, students are asked to draw conclusions about how the differences in the natural history between the two groups of birds might impact their sensitives toward DMS in chicks versus adults.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Burrows, J. (2018). The nose knows: How tri-trophic interactions and natural history shape bird foraging behavior. An introduction to statistical analysis in animal behavior research. DIG into Data FMN (2018), QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/Q43H9V