At-Home Observational Field Study

Introduction to Topics:

EcologyCommunity, Habitat vs. Niche

Biodiversity

Species Richness vs. Species Evenness

Human ImpactHabitat Destruction & Fragmentation

Animal Behavior Adaptation vs. Acclimation

Introduction: Ecology Ecology = Branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to

their physical surroundings

Community = An ecological unit composed of a group of organisms or a population of different species occupying a particular area, usually interacting with each other and their environment

Habitat = Geographical area occupied by an ecosystem

Niche = Ecological role or position a species plays in a community

Introduction: Biodiversity

Biodiversity = The diversity and frequency of organisms in a given habitat in a given time

High level of biodiversity is desirable

Species Richness = Number of different species present in an ecological community

Species Evenness = How close in numbers each species in an ecological community is

Introduction: Human Impact

Habitat Destruction:

Major causes: increasing food production (expansion of agricultural land), urban development, harvesting of timber for fuel and construction, overgrazing and overfishing

Major impacts: ecological (loss of biodiversity, genetic variation, food, shelter, & breeding grounds), human health (loss of medicinal organisms, shoreline protection, and pollutant filtering organisms), & economic (loss of harvested species, and natural storm & flood protection)

Habitat Fragmentation = when habitat destruction results in the division of large habitats into smaller, isolated pieces

Results in declining population density and species richness, changes in community composition and species interactions

Introduction: Animal Behavior

Adaptation = A change or process of change by which a species becomes better suited to its environment (behavioral or physiological feature), change occurs over many generations

Example: American Crow – omnivore, uses opportunistic foraging to find food making them highly adaptable to urban habitats due to their wide range in diet and intelligence

Acclimation = Process by which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment, happens within an organism’s lifetime

Example: Black Capped Chickadee – acclimated to humans due to human providing food, results in the absence of fear of humans over the bird’s lifetime

American Crows Black Capped Chickadee

Materials:

Data tables and diagrams (provided)

Writing utensil

Binoculars (optional)

Transportation (if necessary)

Research Questions To Explore:

Will urban or rural habitats have greater species richness?

Will urban or rural habitats have greater species evenness?

Will urban or rural habitats have greater biodiversity?

How do animals behave in the presence of humans? Are there differences in behavior for animals in urban habitats vs rural habitats?

Forming a Hypothesis: Examples

1. If in an urban habitat, then less total animals will be present.

2. If in an urban habitat, then there will be less species richness.

3. If in an urban habitat, then there will be less species evenness.

4. If in an urban habitat, then there will be less biodiversity.

5. If in a rural habitat, then there will be more classes of animals present.

6. If in a rural habitat, then there will be more species of animals present.

7. If in a rural habitat, then animals will have a greater fear of humans.

8. If in an urban habitat, then animals will show more instances of acclimation to humans.

Choose 3 hypotheses from the previous examples, and create 3 hypotheses of your own. Refer back to the research questions for guidance.

Numbers of 3 chosen hypotheses: ______, ______, ______.

Create 3 hypotheses:

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Test Hypothesis – Observational Study

Choose two locations (one urban and one rural), and record all individual animals observed on the provided data tables and diagrams. Spend approximately 20 minutes observing at each location.

Urban Habitat = residential backyard, city park

Rural Habitat = nonresidential area the size of a backyard Examples: woods, meadows, wetlands

Data: UrbanClass Species Acclimation? Niche Proximity to others

Ex: Bird Robin Yes, didn’t fly away Digging for worms Other robin nearby (mate)

Habitat Type Total # Classes Total # Species Total # Individuals

Data: Rural

Class Species Acclimation? Niche Proximity to others

Ex: Mammal Chipmunk No, scurried away Climbing tree ~15ft away

Habitat Type Total # Classes Total # Species Total # Individuals

Data: Diagrams

Draw diagrams for both habitats (urban and rural) that map the approximate location of each animal you observed.

Example:

Urban Rural

Data: Diagrams

Urban Rural

Analysis and Conclusion:

Did your results support your hypotheses? Review each hypothesis and explain your reasoning

using evidence from your data tables and diagrams.

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Discussion Questions:

1. How does human disturbance affect biodiversity?

2. How does human disturbance affect animal behavior?

3. How does human disturbance affect an animal’s niche?

4. What specific factors do you think contribute to differences in the biodiversity of your two habitats?

5. Why do you think a high level of biodiversity is desirable?

6. How can we improve biodiversity?

References: http://www.oceanhealthindex.org/methodology/components/habi

tat-destruction-intertidal

http://www.els.net/WileyCDA/ElsArticle/refId-a0021904.html

https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_31