In this activity, students work with a dataset to investigate energy balance in animals that have different feeding behaviors (diurnal/nocturnal) and diets (e.g., carnivore/detritivore).

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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In this laboratory exercise, students examine hypotheses about the interactions between goldenrod plants and the gall-forming insects that feed on them. Students collect and analyze data to determine 1) whether certain traits make the plants more susceptible to attack by the insects and 2) how plant reproduction is affected by the insects' feeding. Students are introduced to several competing...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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In this activity, students conduct an experiment to test a hypothesis about how freshwater snails detect and avoid fish predators using chemical cues and habitat complexity. Students generate a hypothesis, run the experiment, collect data, analyze data, and interpret their results. Instructions are also provided for further thought and discussion on the implications of the students' findings and...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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In this activity, learn about predator-prey interactions by pretending to be generalist insect predators foraging for three prey species (candy). Three feeding adaptations are used (mandibles, raptorial forelegs, and unmodified legs). Students conduct several simulations, each of which lasts about a minute. After each simulation, prey reproduce and predator numbers are adjusted to reflect...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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In this TIEE experiment, students will explore functional and taxonomic diversity in a stream ecosystem, learn about food web relationships, and learn about the ways in which abiotic and biotic factors determine what organisms are present in a community. Students will make and install artificial leaf packs in a stream, wait for the leaf packs to be colonized by stream organisms, measure...

Publisher: EcoEd Digital Library

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