Field And Laboratory Techniques In Ecology And Natural History

What Are Field and Laboratory Technique Manuals?This field and laboratory techniques manual will provide you, as a teacher, with the opportunity to engage your students in doing a research project.In the last ten years, science education has been changing from asking students to memorize texts and facts to empowering students to do hands-on research. It is clear that students should not only memorize facts, but also should be able to process these facts and build on them. Experimentation based on known facts with the objective of learning new things by trial and error is what science is all about.Over time, we have learned that the scientific method is not covered properly in all schools. Many students do not know what the scientific method is. And if they do know, they are unable to apply it to real-life scientific projects. We have also learned that in many cases, teachers are not able to come up with good experiments, and when they do, the methods used in the experiments to complete the research may not be sound and may lack scientific validity.I have developed a number of field and laboratory techniques throughout my career to provide teachers with the necessary tools to get their students involved in projects that require a hands-on approach and application of the scientific method.I have listed a number of field and laboratory technique applications here ranging from themes in mathematics all the way to techniques in forestry. All the activities are related to ecology and the environmental sciences. Each booklet found on the CD provides you with one application. In each booklet, all found in my website. I give you the information you will need to engage your students in a research project. I have always said that "the questions are more important than the answers". This field and laboratory techniques manual will provide you with a great opportunity to ask good questions and have the students come up with answers without looking them up in a single textbook. The manual will provide you with an introduction, the methods and materials you will need to obtain the results, blank forms to collect the data, and suggestions on how to analyze the data and come up with the results. But, let your students analyze the methods and contribute their own grain of sand to the project by finding constructive approaches to improve the methodologies.Most of these field and laboratory techniques will get the students very involved and should be implemented with plenty of time to let the students think and dissect each project. The results are not as important as the methods used to design the experiments, and the ability of the students to improve the methods. These projects should be done by groups of individuals, and not by one student. Students should be able to discuss the techniques, design their own forms, redesign methods, and have one hundred percent input on the scientific process used to study each case. Let the students organize and direct the outcome of the project. We need to nurture their creativity and allow them to make mistakes. Step back, and let them do the work!

This book introduces experimental design and data analysis / interpretation as well as field monitoring skills for both plants and animals. Clearly structured throughout and written in a student-friendly manner, the main emphasis of the book concentrates on the techniques required to design a field based ecological survey and shows how to execute an appropriate sampling regime. The book evaluates appropriate methods, including the problems associated with various techniques and their inherent flaws (e.g. low sample sizes, large amount of field or laboratory work, high cost etc). This provides a resource base outlining details from the planning stage, into the field, guiding through sampling and finally through organism identification in the laboratory and computer based data analysis and interpretation. The text is divided into six distinct chapters. The first chapter covers planning, including health and safety together with information on a variety of statistical techniques for examining and analysing data. Following a chapter dealing with site characterisation and general aspects of species identification, subsequent chapters describe the techniques used to survey and census particular groups of organisms. The final chapter covers interpreting and presenting data and writing up the research. The emphasis here is on appropriate wording of interpretation and structure and content of the report.

An innovative introduction to ecology and evolution This unique textbook introduces undergraduate students to quantitative models and methods in ecology, behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, and conservation. It explores the core concepts shared by these related fields using tools and practical skills such as experimental design, generating phylogenies, basic statistical inference, and persuasive grant writing. And contributors use examples from their own cutting-edge research, providing diverse views to engage students and broaden their understanding. This is the only textbook on the subject featuring a collaborative "active learning" approach that emphasizes hands-on learning. Every chapter has exercises that enable students to work directly with the material at their own pace and in small groups. Each problem includes data presented in a rich array of formats, which students use to answer questions that illustrate patterns, principles, and methods. Topics range from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and population effective size to optimal foraging and indices of biodiversity. The book also includes a comprehensive glossary. In addition to the editors, the contributors are James Beck, Cawas Behram Engineer, John Gaskin, Luke Harmon, Jon Hess, Jason Kolbe, Kenneth H. Kozak, Robert J. Robertson, Emily Silverman, Beth Sparks-Jackson, and Anton Weisstein. Provides experience with hypothesis testing, experimental design, and scientific reasoning Covers core quantitative models and methods in ecology, behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, and conservation Turns "discussion sections" into "thinking labs" Professors: A supplementary Instructor's Manual is available for this book. It is restricted to teachers using the text in courses. For information on how to obtain a copy, refer to: http://press.princeton.edu/class_use/solutions.html

This introductory ecology lab manual focuses on the process of collecting, recording and analyzing data, and equips students with the tools they need to function in more advanced science courses. It reflects the most current techniques for data gathering so that students can obtain the most accurate samples. Balanced coverage of plant, animal and physical elements offers a diverse range of exercises. Includes exercise on writing research reports.

The need to understand and address large-scale environmental problems that are difficult to study in controlled environments—issues ranging from climate change to overfishing to invasive species—is driving the field of ecology in new and important directions. Observation and Ecology documents that transformation, exploring how scientists and researchers are expanding their methodological toolbox to incorporate an array of new and reexamined observational approaches—from traditional ecological knowledge to animal-borne sensors to genomic and remote-sensing technologies—to track, study, and understand current environmental problems and their implications. The authors paint a clear picture of what observational approaches to ecology are and where they fit in the context of ecological science. They consider the full range of observational abilities we have available to us and explore the challenges and practical difficulties of using a primarily observational approach to achieve scientific understanding. They also show how observations can be a bridge from ecological science to education, environmental policy, and resource management. Observations in ecology can play a key role in understanding our changing planet and the consequences of human activities on ecological processes. This book will serve as an important resource for future scientists and conservation leaders who are seeking a more holistic and applicable approach to ecological science.