Possible Individual Research Project Subjects

Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates Program

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1.Leaf litter bag diversity and its correlates with arthropod diversity

·Use litter bags filled with leaves from different numbers of species of trees

·Leave out for a few weeks, harvest, sort and identify the arthropods to morphospecies

2.Litter diversity (arthropod or plants) in urban versus rural forests

·Compare comparable forests in different settings and estimate the effect of urban isolation and habitat fragmentation on species diversity

·Strictly correlative study

3.Roads and diversity (arthropods or annual plants)

·Effects of edge habitats, disturbance intensity (e.g., road size), and frequency of disturbances on diversity

4.Disturbance – fire, grazing, forest clearing – and diversity

·Compare sites of comparable age, some of which were clear cut or grazed or burned, while others were undisturbed.

·Look at recovery speed, using biotic diversity (annual or small perennial plants or animals)

5.Introduced species and biodiversity

·Look at diversity in sites where introduced species is or is not present, make conclusions about effect of this introduced species on local species richness, abundance and presence of naturally-occurring endemic species.

·Contrasts in abiotic factors and diversity

·Look plant and/or animal species diversity in adjacent areas with strong contrasts in soil, moisture availability, light, or other abiotic factor.How does diversity at the margins of contrasting areas (ecotones) compare to the core of these areas?

6.Hemlocks and Adelgids (BRF)

·More fully explore one of the field studies described in Module 14 -

ÞEffects of adelgid infestation on community diversity of organisms living on or under hemlock trees that are either heavily infested or not at all infested

ÞShort-term efficacy of one of the adelgid control methods in the BRF

ÞLook for correlation between branch yellowing and adelgid infestation to determine whether the damage is actually due to adelgid action

ÞRegional determinants of adelgid infestation, primarily using data that is available on the web but also checking it with first-hand field data that they collect --- there are many websites with a great deal of data about the infestations and control efforts at many areas around the eastern US, particularly in CT, NJ, and WV

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1.Ant rescue choice and worker investment

·Worker ants should choose to focus on those colony members in whom they have invested most heavily, the later stage larvae

·Could also test for this across many species

2.Same as #1 here, but look at the effect of repeated perturbations of the ant nest on the speed with which they rescue their offspring

·Repeatedly disturbed colonies (like those in the middle of hiking paths) may gradually show a decline in interest in moving the colony brood and eventually flee

3.Beneficial effects of herbivory on individual plant regrowth rates

·This was done in the lab during the last semester, and interesting results came out of it

·It would be interesting to replicate it in different field conditions

4.Food abundance and territorial behavior and aggression

·This was done in the lab during the last semester, and interesting results came out of it

·It would be interesting to replicate it in the field, possibly looking at sessile animal species like competition between conspecific ant colonies

5.Habitat utilization

·How do animal species (as a community or individually) utilize habitat offered by a cactus species (Bio2) or any other discrete plant type (tree, swamp, etc.)?

6.Determine the probable distribution of several tree species before European colonization or before American Indian colonization of North America

·There may be historical maps describing the distribution of several tree species that could be used as checks of this work

7.Impacts of global climate change on natural ecosystems and human-managed systems (e.g., agriculture)

·Need to have a local component and to talks about the impact of these changes on the agriculture of the Eastern Deciduous Forests, possibly focusing on the timber industry

·There are a number of sites with relevant information located on the CIESIN thematic guides pages (http://www.ciesin.org/TG/AG/AG-home.html)

8.Why do cat-tails get shorter at the edges of the patch?Edge effects (wind, temp, parasites, etc.)?

·There is no need to be taller for seed dispersal, nutrient facilitation of cattails at the interior of the patch.So why do they do so?

OTHER PROJECTS – CLIMATE CHANGE, ABIOTIC PROCESSES, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, ETC. … 

 

There is no limit to what you can choose. It only has to be practical and realistic, given our time and our resources. The instructors and TAs will help you to refine, focus, and improve your ideas. Also be certain to check out the Lectures section of the www.see-u.org website. Stored there are some of the PowerPoint files that students last year wrote as their final reports for their individual projects.