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ST. GABRIEL'S Roman Catholic Church in Toronto is the first sacred building in Canada to be LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. People from outside its community [...]

Predator-prey dynamics are an important concept in ecology, often serving as an introduction to the field of community ecology. However, these dynamics are difficult for students to observe directly. We describe a methodology that employs model caterpillars made of clay to estimate rates of predator attack on a prey species. This approach can be implemented as a field laboratory in almost any natural or seminatural setting, and is designed to allow educators to pursue any number of student-generated hypotheses representing varying degrees of scientific sophistication ranging from middle school to college level. Key Words: Ecology; predation; caterpillar; camouflage; field experiment; hypothesis testing., High school classes can benefit tremendously from the inclusion of experiments that allow students to build a solid understanding of the scientific process. Hands-on experiments reinforce topics learned in the [...]

Does working with first- and second-hand ecological data improve students' knowledge of ecological ideas, motivation and engagement in science, data exploration, and citizenship skills (students' ability to make informed decisions)? We have been exploring this question with high school science teachers in New York State for the past year using a framework that targets key concepts and skills in data exploration. Here, we share one curriculum unit as a model for integrating quantitative reasoning skills into the ecology classroom. Key Words: Pollution; data exploration; salt; investigation., We all know that students enjoy doing hands-on experiments, going outside to collect data, and working in small groups to answer a scientific question. There is also a lot of [...]

I present a framework for ecology and evolution laboratory exercises using artificial caterpillars made from modeling clay. Students generate and test hypotheses about predation rates on caterpillars that differ in appearance or 'behavior' to understand how natural selection by predators shapes distribution and physical characteristics of organisms. Key Words: Behavior; foraging; herbivore; inquiry; predation., Ecological and evolutionary processes determine the patterns and organization of communities of organisms around us. Yet these processes can be challenging to explore in a classroom setting because they often [...]

We developed an exercise for a university-level ecology class that teaches hypothesis testing by examining acorn preferences and caching behavior of tree squirrels (Sciurus spp.). This exercise is easily modified to teach concepts of behavioral ecology for earlier grades, particularly high school, and provides students with a theoretical basis for examining commonly observed squirrel behavior. Students gain experience in testing hypotheses and revising predictions. They evaluate how well predictions of competing hypotheses are supported by statistically analyzing and interpreting class data using t-tests and chi-square tests. Key Words: Behavioral ecology; ecology lab exercise; plant-animal interactions., Developing effective exercises for ecology courses is challenging, given time and fiscal constraints and scarcity of nearby habitats. Ideally, exercises would develop critical-thinking skills by introducing students to a scientific [...]

Few laboratory exercises are designed to teach biology students about barriers that may constrain the movement of organisms. We describe a unique inquiry-based exercise involving Lego mazes (the barrier) and the plasmodial slime mold, Physarum polycephalum (the organism). During guided inquiry, students construct mazes using Lego brand building blocks and the slime mold is allowed to 'navigate' through the maze and 'respond' to the barrier. Students then generate and test hypotheses about the movement of the slime mold in response to different barriers in the open-inquiry phase of the investigation. Key Words: Microbe; ecology; atmosphere; barrier; maze; pathogen; transport., Organisms move from one place to another through land, water, and air. Understanding the ways in which organisms utilize land, water, and air to move from place to place is [...]

Urban students often have limited access to field sites for ecological studies. Ubiquitous ants and their mounds can be used to study and test ecology-based questions. We describe how soil collected from ant mounds can be used to investigate how biotic factors (ants) can affect abiotic factors in the soil that can, in turn, influence plant growth. Key Words: Ecology; ant mounds; macronutrients; micronutrients; plant growth; Brassica rapa., Students in urban schools often have limited access to field sites for ecological studies, but there are numerous ant species that thrive in disturbed habitats and are easy to obtain [...]

During laboratory sessions devoted to ecology, 182 preservice K-8 teachers participated in a Project Wildlife in Learning Design (WILD) workshop. Participants rated the workshop highly, indicated they would use more inquiry-based activities, and were more interested in teaching ecology following the workshop. Post-test scores indicated an increased content knowledge of ecology. Key Words: Project WILD; environmental education; preservice K-8 teachers; ecology., In the United States, environmental education (EE) in preservice teacher-education programs has not been institutionalized and is often driven by one person who teaches a specialty course in the topic [...]

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01325.x Byline: MATTHEW J. MUIR (*), MARK W. SCHWARTZ ([dagger][double dagger]) Keywords: conservation education; graduate training; university programs; workplace skills Abstract: Abstract: Graduate education in conservation biology has been assailed as ineffective and inadequate to train the professionals needed to solve conservation problems. To identify how graduate education might better fit the needs of the conservation workplace, we surveyed practitioners and academics about the importance of particular skills on the job and the perceived importance of teaching those same skills in graduate school. All survey participants (n = 189) were alumni from the University of California Davis Graduate Group in Ecology and received thesis-based degrees from 1973 to 2008. Academic and practitioner respondents clearly differed in workplace skills, although there was considerably more agreement in training recommendations. On the basis of participant responses, skill sets particularly at risk of underemphasis in graduate programs are decision making and implementation of policy, whereas research skills may be overemphasized. Practitioners in different job positions, however, require a variety of skill sets, and we suggest that ever-increasing calls to broaden training to fit this multitude of jobs will lead to a trade-off in the teaching of other skills. Some skills, such as program management, may be best developed in on-the-job training or collaborative projects. We argue that the problem of graduate education in conservation will not be solved by restructuring academia alone. Conservation employers need to communicate their specific needs to educators, universities need to be more flexible with their opportunities, and students need to be better consumers of the skills offered by universities and other institutions. Abstract (Spanish): Formacion en Investigacion Academica para un Lugar de Trabajo No Academico: un Estudio de Caso Graduados que Trabajan en Conservacion Resumen: La educacion en biologia de la conservacion a nivel licenciatura ha sido calificada como ineficaz e inadecuada para formar a los profesionales que se requieren para resolver problemas de conservacion. Para identificar como la educacion a nivel licenciatura puede satisfacer las necesidades del ambito laboral en conservacion, sondeamos a profesionales y academicos sobre la importancia de habilidades particulares del trabajo y la percepcion de la importancia de esas mismas habilidades en la universidad. Todos los participantes en el sondeo (n = 189) fueron alumnos del Grupo de Graduados en Ecologia de la Universidad de California en Davis y obtuvieron el grado basado en tesis entre 1973 y 2008. Los academicos y profesionales encuestados difirieron claramente en sus habilidades, aunque hubo considerablemente mayor acuerdo en las recomendaciones de capacitacion. Con base en las respuestas de los participantes, los conjuntos de habilidades en riesgo de no ser consideradas en los programas educativos son la toma de decisiones y la implementacion de politicas, mientras que las habilidades de investigacion tienden a ser sobre enfatizadas. Sin embargo, los profesionales en diferentes puestos de trabajo requieren una variedad de conjuntos de habilidades, y sugerimos que los constantes llamados a ampliar la capacitacion para responder a esta multitud de labores conduciran a un desbalance en la ensenanza de otras habilidades. Algunas habilidades, como el manejo de programas, pueden desarrollarse en proyectos colaborativos o de capacitacion en el trabajo. Argumentamos que el problema de la educacion en biologia de la conservacion a nivel licenciatura no se resolvera solo con la reestructuracion de la academia. Los empleadores deben comunicar sus requerimientos especificos a los educadores, las universidades deben ser mas flexibles con sus oportunidades y los estudiantes necesitan ser mejores consumidores de las habilidades ofrecidas por las universidades y otras instituciones. Author Affiliation: (*)Graduate Group in Ecology, 1 Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A. ([dagger])Department of Environmental Science & Policy, 1 Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A., emailmwschwartz@ucdavis.edu Article History: Paper submitted December 18, 2008; revised manuscript accepted May 19, 2009. Article note: ([double dagger]) Address correspondence to Mark W. Schwartz

In the biology community there has been a call for integrating lessons on population growth rate and the human population crisis into biology classrooms (Meffe, 1994; Dunning, 1997). Ecologists fear [...]

Adolescents often pursue learning opportunities both in and outside school once they become interested in a topic. In this paper, a learning ecology framework and an associated empirical research agenda are described. This framework highlights the need to better understand how learning outside school relates to learning within schools or other formal organizations, and how learning in school can lead to learning activities outside school. Three portraits of adolescent learners are shared to illustrate different pathways to interest development. Five types of self-initiated learning processes are identified across these case portraits. These include the seeking out of text-based informational sources, the creation of new interactive activity contexts such as projects, the pursuit of structured learning opportunities such as courses, the exploration of media, and the development of mentoring or knowledge-sharing relationships. Implications for theories of human development and ideas for research are discussed. Key Words Ecological perspectives * Learning * Life history * Parenting * Technology

Two experiments investigate the role of similarity and causal-ecological knowledge in expert and novice categorization and reasoning. In Experiment 1, university undergraduates and commercial fishermen sorted marine creatures into groups; although there was substantial agreement, novices sorted largely on the basis of appearance, whereas experts often cited commercial, ecological, or behavioral factors, and systematically subdivided fish on the basis of ecological niche. In Experiment 2, experts and novices were asked to generalize a blank property or novel disease from a pair of marine creatures. Novices relied on similarity to guide generalizations. Experts used similarity to reason about blank properties but ecological relations to reason about diseases. Expertise appears to involve knowledge of multiple relations among entities and context-sensitive application of those relations.

Near-infrared spectroscopy for analysis of live fish has been used in the teaching of quantitative analysis in a successful one-semester sophomore course. Traditional and real-world cooperative learning techniques have been studied for use in learning in quantitative analysis chemistry courses. Often students graduate, enter the work force, and lack the technical skills needed for their jobs. New approaches are needed. Critical thinking, budget proposal preparation training, multivariate calibration and prediction, and group problem-solving are important in preparation for industry, according to local industry feedback and publications on industry trends. A cold-water trout ecosystem study was effective in Idaho where trout are native are a valuable resource, given aquaculture and sport fishing. Course assessment results are discussed.

Effective natural resource management necessitates competent and accessible education of the people, in this case the Native Americans themselves, who are most interested in the conservation of these endangered resources. There is ample demand for natural resource workers in California and nationwide. However, the number of people who are actually qualified to engage in natural resource stewardship is limited. Colleges and universities should therefore expand their environmental sciences curricula.

This article outlines an exercise that assesses student knowledge of food-web and energy-flow concepts. Students work in teams and use manipulatives to build food-web models based on criteria assigned by the instructor. The models are then peer reviewed according to guidelines supplied by the instructor. Key Words: Ecology; food webs; energy flow; trophic levels; manipulatives; assessment., The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) include the concept that 'Energy flows through ecosystems in one direction, from photosynthetic organisms to herbivores to carnivores and decomposers' as [...]