Updated 23 Aug 1997
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Hi ! I am still Beth Gienger (bethg@ neahkahniehs. neahkahnie. k12. or. us). I teach biology and marine biology at Neah-Kah-Nie High School. Several of my students have been light trapping insects here on the Oregon Coast and we participated in the Big Bend Virtual Bug Trip . My class will be participating once again in Dr. Garono's 'virtual field trip' with the Ohio Caddisfly Safari Crew. Ralph and I are developing activities for students to do in conjunction with the field crew. We are planning on another "virtual field trip" to Ohio in 1998. NKN is a small high school (< 250 students) on the Oregon coast located across US Hwy. 101 from the Pacific Ocean.
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Students: Choose 2 questions below and design a study to answer each question. Your study should include the question you wish to answer, a statement of a hypothesis that includes this question, a list of materials needed, a full set of procedures to complete the study and data tables to show how you plan to keep track of quantitative and qualitative data. How would you answer these questions ?!
| How does the composition and/or structure of wetland plant communities change along an elevational gradient at Big Bend ?
How does the ecological importance of members of the order Diptera change by wetland type ? How does wetland vegetation change as a function of water source ? How well represented are the wholly aquatic orders in light trap collections? How does the occurrence of organic debris in wetlands vary by elevation ? How well do the light traps sample adult insect communities ? |
Which insects are the strongest fliers ?
At what time does most flight activity occur during the night? How is wetland size related to the number and types of insects captured ? How is the degree of isolation related to the number and types of insects captured ? Where do adult insects go during the day ? How well represented are each of the trophic groups in each wetland type? How well do light trap collections represent the insects that are in the wetlands? What is the relationship between temperature and insect flight behavior? |
Study 2:
Overview. Students will compare insect collection data at a wetland and upland site in Texas with a wetland and upland site in their own geographical area. Students will gain knowledge about insect orders, light trapping, site selection and variables within an environmental study.
Resources. Insect identification books, Garono's Field Method Manual, Internet.
Materials.
Time Required.
Day 1 -- Introduction to Insects, Wetlands
Day 2 -- Choose sites, how to setup light traps
Day 3 -- Set traps
Day 4 -- 5 Retrieve traps and sort insects to order, Sort insects & enter data into database (Repeat X 3 trapping events)
Day 6 -- 7 Compare & discuss Oregon and Texas results
Day 8 --11 Report write up
Day 12- Present findings to class
Objective. To compare insect collections at 4 sites (upland and wetland in Texas and Oregon).
Problem Description. A group of professional scientists have been studying insects of aquatic ecosystems by light trapping at Big Bend National Park (Big Bend, TX) since 1994. Insect assemblages from both upland and wetland sites are compared within this area.
Students are to choose a similar set of sites (upland and wetland) near their school and set up parallel trapping events to those done in Texas. Students will be able to compare data from both Oregon and Texas through an internet homepage and telephone interviews with the scientists. Students will need to determine if the trends in the number and types of insects collected in Texas wetlands are similar to those collected in Oregon. Students will be required to hypothesize beforehand and then draw conclusions based on the data collected. Students will be introduced to many aspects of a scientific investigation.