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Assignments
• The emphasis is on broadening your experience as it relates to ecology
• The goal is to get you to think about our interrelated world of organisms and their environment on a daily basis not just as part of the course but as part of a life routine.
Assignment 1
• take a photograph of an organism (if this is not possible, you can use a photo from the web or some other source) • describe the organism and its environment in a paragraph of 150 to 250 words. You can include things like distribution of the species, status of the species (is it endangered or an invasive), life history, etc. • assignment 1 is due on July 17th at the beginning of the tutorial period. Please hand in a hard-copy, however, also email me the digital version so I can post to website.
Assignment 1The little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
The little brown bat is distributed all over North America, ranging from northern Mexico to Southern Alaska. They can live as long as 33 years with males typically living
longer. Their average lifespan is shorter as many young die. This is an insectivorus animal. Since most of the insects it eats complete a part of their life cycle in the
water, it prefers to live near water flying 3-6 meters above the water or trees catching insects. They often use the
same routes over and over again. I found a male brown bat one day at western, it was
badly wounded having many holes in his wings. I decided to help him get better and took him home. I named him
Peter because I felt it suited him. I kept him for four months, feeding him his favorite insects from the local pet store such as mealworms and waxworms. He could not
accept whole insects at first due to his weakened state and I therefore fed him insect juices through a small eye
dropper .He was a very clean bat. He cleaned his whole body every day before going to sleep. When asleep he would go into a torpor to conserve energy which would
make him very cold to the touch as his temperature was the same as the environment. He needed about fifteen
minutes to regain temperature and apetite for each day's feeding. He improved at an increasing rate. His flying and maneuvers got better and he became eager to leave. He was released very close to where he was found. Before leaving for good he came back and landed on me for a
moment which I interpreted as a good bye. I now have a greater respect for bats and am glad to have met one.
Assignment 1 The Emerald Ash Borer, or Agrilus Planipennis in its adult form is a metallic, bluish-green beetle. Its natural range is Northern China, Japan, Korea, and Eastern Russia. From May to July, adults lay eggs in the bark of ash trees. Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks into larvae. The larvae feed on the inner bark, or cambium of the ash tree. They overwinter in the outer bark, then pupate in the spring. In May and June, the borers emerge as adults and repeat the cycle. In the last five years, the Emerald Ash Borer has become an invasive species that is causing much destruction of various ash species in Canada and the United States. The species was most likely introduced to North America through infested shipping/packing crates coming from Asia. Infestation is spread mainly through the transport of infested ash firewood.
Assignment 2• find a recent (not more than a year old) news article (one that interests you) that describes either interactions between organisms or interactions between organisms and their environment • summarize it in a paragraph between 150 and 250 words. This can include a wide array of topics from effects of pollutions on humans to the importance of bees in pollination of plants. • with your summary, please include the original article with its URL (if internet based). Assignment 2 is due on July 31st. Please hand in a hard-copy, however, also email me the digital version so I can post to the website.
Assignment 2• Dead carp on shores of cottage country alarming: environmental commissioner• http://www.cbc.ca/cp/science/070711/g071115A.html
• Summary: “Carp are usually the “last fish standing” in polluted waters, however, thousands of dead carp have been washing up on the shores of Kawartha lakes this summer. The large bodied fish are causing quite a stink with the locals and cottagers and alarming scientists. Although a bacteria linked to other fish kills (columnaris) has been found in the dead carp, scientists think the massive die-off is due to some environmental stressor such as pollution, which weakens the fish and makes them more susceptible to pathogens, such as columnaris. Currently, scientist can only guess what the environmental stressors are; pollution, warmer water with less oxygen are high on the list. It is very possible that climate change is making these aquatic environments more favourable due to new diseases to which native species are not well adapted.”
• TORONTO (CP) - Thousands of dead carp washing ashore in Ontario cottage country is cause for alarm, given the hearty fish are usually resistant to pollution and drastic temperature changes, Ontario Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller said Wednesday. ……..
Assignment 3:
Submitting a Letter to the Editor• Instructions on how to submit letters can be
found on the Letters page of the newspaper• Letters can be written in response to editorials,
articles, or other letters– Should have ecological theme, e.g. climate change,
pesticide use, conservation, over-fishing, etc.• Do not send attachments• If written in response to another letter, please
hand in that letter AND the original article it was based on, as well as your own letter.
Writing a Letter to the Editor
• Letters are a literary exercise in argument• Letters should be
– 1. Short. Usual word limit = 200 (see instructions on Letters page of the newspaper).
– Edit your letter after writing it; remove all unnecessary words and phrases. Make it as concise as possible. The shorter you can make it, the better your chances of getting it published.
Letters should be…
2. Well written– Free of grammatical and spelling errors– Clear, easy to follow, and convincing– Avoid using scientific jargon as much as
possible– Write using active verbs, e.g.
• “Prime Minister Stephen Harper is claiming that…”
NOT
• “It is being claimed by the Prime Minister that…”
Letters should be…
3. Informative and make a point– Your letter should contain only one or two
key points– You do not necessarily have to disagree with
the original article, but you should make a new point that was not made in the article.
– Do not simply re-iterate what was in the original article
Letters should be…
4. Accurate and factual– If in doubt, verify the point you want to make
before writing– Web of Science or other library resources may
be helpful– Some articles report on scientific studies (e.g.
“A study published in this week’s issue of Nature claims that…”). If writing in response to such as article, you should read the scientific study (where possible) to verify the claims made in the article.
– If the article has misrepresented something, or left out something important, that in itself could be the subject of your letter!
Letters should be…
5. Submitted within one day of the publication of the article– Ideally, on the same day that the article was
published– If you read an article that inspires you, whip off
the first draft right away!– Don’t wait until the last week to start searching
for a good article…
Letters should be…
6. Humorous– If appropriate…– Try to entertain, as well as inform, the readers
And finally• If your letter is published, please let me
know! (by email or by handing in a copy of the published letter)
• BONUS: 2%.
•The National Post •The Globe and Mail •The Toronto Star •The London Free Press •Ontario Out of Doors Magazine •FON Magazine (publication of The Federation of Ontario Naturalists)
•DUE DATE: August 11th
Potential news sources
