BIOL340: Ecology Lab Manual Bookdown
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- Course Information
- Biology Field Safety Regulations
- Introduction: From Observation to Experimentation
- Data Organization in Spreadsheets
- Introduction to Scientific Thinking and Statistics in Ecology
- Introduction to Statistics
- Describing Central Tendancy and Variation
- Explaining Variation: Measuring association with the Coefficient of Determination
- Explaining Variation by Association: Regression
- Explaining Variation: Identifying random and nonrandom variation with probabilities
- Explaining Variation: Associating differences with group membership
- Activity
- Introduction to Scientific Programming
- Assign and Recall an Object
- Calculate the Mean, SD, and Variance
- Import Data
- Calculate Summary Statistics on the Data
- Subset and Recalculate Summary Statistics
- Save Script
- Sampling Populations
- Life Tables and Population Demographics
- Logistic Population Growth
- Community Ecology: Diversity
- Ant Spatial Distributions
- Population Growth
- Competition and Allometry
- Turtle Ecology
- Population Spatial Variation
- Forest Stand Dynamics
- Phenology
- Lab 2: Population Setup and Statistics
- Migration
- Population Growth
- Cemetery Demographics and Life Tables0
- Lab 3: Introduction of Scientific Writing
- Course Information
BIOL340: Ecology Lab Manual
Daniel J. Hocking
2018-02-14
2
Contents
Course Information 7
LearningOutcomes............................................. 7
Grades: ................................................... 7
ExpectationofStudentWork ....................................... 8
GeneralLaboratoryInformation ..................................... 8
CourseTopicsandSchedule........................................ 9
Importantdatesandinformation ..................................... 9
Attendance ................................................. 10
ClassPolicies ................................................ 10
Condentiality and Mandatory Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
AcademicHonesty ............................................. 11
PersonswithDisabilities.......................................... 11
1 Biology Field Safety Regulations 13
BasicSafetyRules ............................................. 13
Students’ Responsibility Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2 Introduction: From Observation to Experimentation 17
2.1 ActiveGroupObservation...................................... 17
2.2 Hypotheses .............................................. 17
2.3 Observations ............................................. 17
2.4 Observation: Starting the Process of Ecological Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.5 Homework............................................... 19
3 Data Organization in Spreadsheets 21
3.1 ProblemswithSpreadsheets..................................... 22
3.2 Activity ................................................ 23
4 Introduction to Scientic Thinking and Statistics in Ecology 25
4.1 IntroductiontoStatistics ...................................... 25
4.2 Describing Central Tendancy and Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.3 Explaining Variation: Measuring association with the Coecient of Determination . . . . . . 28
4.4 Explaining Variation by Association: Regression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.5 Explaining Variation: Identifying random and nonrandom variation with probabilities . . . . 31
4.6 Explaining Variation: Associating dierences with group membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.7 Activity ................................................ 33
4.8 Introduction to Scientic Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.9 AssignandRecallanObject..................................... 35
4.10 Calculate the Mean, SD, and Variance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.11ImportData ............................................. 36
4.12 Calculate Summary Statistics on the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.13 Subset and Recalculate Summary Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3
4CONTENTS
4.14SaveScript .............................................. 37
5 Sampling Populations 39
5.1 Introduction.............................................. 39
5.2 SamplingSchemes .......................................... 39
5.3 SequentialSampling ......................................... 41
5.4 TheEectsofDistributions..................................... 42
5.5 Mark Recapture (Capture Recapture) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6 Life Tables and Population Demographics 45
6.1 Objectives............................................... 45
6.2 Introduction.............................................. 45
6.3 Materials ............................................... 45
6.4 Methods................................................ 45
7 Logistic Population Growth 53
7.1 Labactivities ............................................. 53
7.2 Objectives............................................... 53
7.3 Introduction.............................................. 53
7.4 Materials ............................................... 55
7.5 Methods................................................ 56
7.6 Questions ............................................... 56
8 Community Ecology: Diversity 59
8.1 Labactivities ............................................. 59
8.2 Objectives............................................... 59
8.3 Introduction.............................................. 59
8.4 FieldMethods ............................................ 62
8.5 QuestionsForHomework ...................................... 63
9 Ant Spatial Distributions 65
9.1 Materials ............................................... 65
9.2 LabActivities............................................. 65
9.3 Review................................................. 65
9.4 Homework............................................... 66
10 Population Growth 67
10.1Introduction.............................................. 67
10.2Objectives............................................... 70
10.3Materials ............................................... 70
10.4InitialSet-Up............................................. 70
10.5Assignment .............................................. 71
11 Competition and Allometry 73
11.1Labactivities ............................................. 73
11.2Objectives............................................... 73
11.3Introduction.............................................. 73
11.4Hypotheses .............................................. 74
11.5Materials ............................................... 74
11.6PlantingMethods........................................... 75
11.7MeasurementMethods........................................ 75
11.8AnalysisMethods........................................... 75
11.9ResultsandDiscussion........................................ 76
11.10LiteratureCited ........................................... 76
11.11Homework–LabReport....................................... 77
CONTENTS 5
11.12Grading key to the lab report on competition and mass-density scaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
12 Turtle Ecology 79
12.1Objectives............................................... 79
12.2Labactivities ............................................. 79
12.3 Mark Recapture (Capture Recapture) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
12.4QuestionsforLabAssignment.................................... 80
13 Population Spatial Variation 81
13.1Labactivities ............................................. 81
13.2Objectives............................................... 81
13.3Introduction.............................................. 81
13.4Hypotheses .............................................. 81
13.5Materials ............................................... 81
13.6Methods................................................ 81
13.7LiteratureCited ........................................... 82
13.8Homework–LabReport....................................... 82
14 Forest Stand Dynamics 83
14.1Labactivities ............................................. 83
14.2Objectives............................................... 83
14.3Introduction.............................................. 83
14.4Materials ............................................... 84
14.5Methods................................................ 84
14.6LiteratureCited ........................................... 85
14.7Homework–LabReport....................................... 85
15 Phenology 87
15.1Activity ................................................ 87
16 Lab 2: Population Setup and Statistics 89
16.1 Population Density Dependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
16.2 Review of Introductory Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
16.3 Introduction to Scientic Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
16.4BasicStatisticswithR........................................ 89
17 Migration 91
17.1Labactivities ............................................. 91
17.2Objectives............................................... 92
17.3Introduction.............................................. 92
17.4Hypotheses .............................................. 92
17.5Materials ............................................... 92
17.6PlantingMethods........................................... 92
17.7MeasurementMethods........................................ 92
17.8AnalysisMethods........................................... 92
17.9ResultsandDiscussion........................................ 92
17.10LiteratureCited ........................................... 92
17.11Homework–LabReport....................................... 92
18 Population Growth 93
18.1InitialSet-Up............................................. 93
18.2Assignment .............................................. 95
19 Cemetery Demographics and Life Tables0 97
19.1SynopsisofToday’sLab........................................ 97
6CONTENTS
19.2Introduction.............................................. 97
19.3Methods................................................ 98
19.4GeneralInstructions ......................................... 99
19.5DataAnalysis............................................. 99
20 Lab 3: Introduction of Scientic Writing 103
Course Information 105
LearningOutcomes.............................................105
Grades: ...................................................105
ExpectationofStudentWork .......................................106
GeneralLaboratoryInformation .....................................107
CourseTopicsandSchedule........................................107
Importantdatesandinformation ..................................... 108
Attendance .................................................108
ClassPolicies ................................................108
Condentiality and Mandatory Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
AcademicHonesty .............................................109
PersonswithDisabilities.......................................... 109
Course Information
Instructor
Dr. Daniel Hocking, Compton 309, djhocking@frostburg.edu, 301-687-4343
Meeting Times and Locations
Lecture: Tuesday/Thursday 8:00-8:50 am; Compton 327
Laboratory:
• Section 1: Tuesday 2:00-5:50 pm; Compton 321
• Section 2: Wednesday 8:00-11:50 am; Compton 321
Oce Hours: Compton 309; Monday 10:00-11:00 am, Tuesday & Thursday 9:00-10:30 am, Wednesday
3:00-4:00 pm, or by appointment
Description
Environmental relationships of plants and animals. Field laboratory experience. Measuring environmental
variables in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Two hrs. lecture, one 4-hr. lab. Every semester.
Prerequisites
BIOL 150, 160 or 161; CHEM 202 (or CHEM 201 and permission of the instructor); MATH 109/209.
Learning Outcomes
The primary objective of the lab section is to provide you with experience collecting real, relevant ecological
data. Specically you will:
1. become familiar with ecological data collection for various taxa and in a variety of ecosystems.
2. be able to analyze data and interpret results.
3. practice and improve writtn and oral communication skills.
Grades:
7
8CONTENTS
Task Pct Grade
Lecture Exams 45% A >= 90%
Homework, quizzes, & In-class work 10% B = 80 – 89%
Final Exam, comprehensive 20% C = 70 – 79%
Lab Reports 25% D = 60 – 69%
F < 60%
Total points, percentages, and assignments may change to accommodate teaching and learning parameters.
Grades are still based on percentage of total points. Grades from individual assignments will be posted on
blackboard; however, the grade calculated by blackboard could be incorrect because of dier-
ences in weighting of assignments. It is your responsibility to calculate your current grade based on the
grading scheme described above.
Extra Credit
Extra credit may total up to 10% on your lowest exam grade (except the nal).
• Species of the week (1 pt per approved submission - see below)
• Diving vans for eld trips (1 pt for training/registration + 1 pt per trip driving)
Species of the Week
Over the course of the semester (no more than one submision per week), each student may upload to
blackboard a description of the ecology and life history of a species observed in the wild. This can be any
wild plant or animal but must be positively identied to species (non-native species and planted trees count
but not planted owers). The description and location of the sighting should be included. No animals should
be disturbed or handled for this assignment. Additional instructions on uploading will be provided in lab.
Once a species has been reported, another member of class may not receive credit for it. The description of
the ecology and life history must be a minimum of 1 page, single-spaced with 12 pt font and 1 inch margins.
Students will receive 1 pt for each approved submission up to a total maximum of 10.
Expectation of Student Work
Student work is dened as assignments, homework, and other academic activities to be completed outside
of instructional time, including reading, studying, writing, research etc. Students should expect to spend a
minimum of two hours per week completing this work for each credit hour enrolled (thus 6 hours of work
outside of class for a 3-credit course), although the time spent outside of class may increase based on the
topic and level of the course.
Late Policy: Assignments turned in after the due date will lose 10% per day for a maximum of 3 days, after
which they will not be accepted and will receive a zero. Assignments turned in at any point after the time
due (even 1 minute late) will lose a minimum of 10%. This excludes quizzes, in-class assignments, in-lab
activities, exams, and presentations, which can not be turned in late or made up without prior arrangement
with the instructor for extremely extenuating circumstances.
General Laboratory Information
Labs are an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with ecological techniques and gain a greater appreci-
ation of the scientic process. Lab assignments will help guide you through the development of ecological
CONTENTS 9
questions, formation of hypotheses, and design of ecological studies. Studies will be conducted in the eld or
via computer simulation. Students will learn and be expected to use appropriate statistical techniques along
with data visualizations (e.g. gures/plots/graphs) to summarize the data and test the hypotheses. Some
labs will require full reports (intro, methods, results, dicussion, literature cited) but most will just require
answering a series of questions to help guide inference and understanding of the results.
Please note that many of our labs will be conducted at local eld sites. These labs will be
conducted outside so you are expected to use common sense in deciding what to wear and
what to bring. You will get dirty and you will get wet during these labs. Be prepared to
spend 4 hours in areas without restrooms, if you have questions about outdoor restroom etiquette please
consult leave-no-trace (lnt) principles: http://www.lnt.org/training/educationaltraining.php, http://lnt.org/
training/OnlineCourse/ or ask the instructor if you have specic questions. You must notify the instructor
during the rst week of class if you are allergic to bees or have never been stung by a bee. Refer to the safety
1 section for additional information.
Course Topics and Schedule
The laboratory schedule is exible based on previous lab timing and weather. We will often go out in the
eld during inclement weather as long as it does not result in undue risk of injury. Thus, come to all labs
prepared to go out in the eld and get wet and dirty. More about the lab schedule will be provided during
your lab section. Below is a tentative laboratory schedule.
+——+———————————–+———————-+ | Week | Activity | Assignment Due | +:=====+:==================================+:=====================+
| 1 | No Lab | | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 2 | Set up population and com-
petition | | | | experiments | | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 3 | Questions,
Hypotheses | | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 4 | Sampling | Qs & Hypotheses
from | | | | 3 scientic papers | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 5 | Excel,
graphics, and statistics | Sampling lab | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 6 |
Cemetery demographics | Excel & Stats | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 7
| Food Webs | Cemetery lab | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 8 | SPRING
BREAK - no classes | | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 9 | Ant distribu-
tions | | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 10 | Forest stand dynamics | Forest
stand reading | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 11 | No Lab - Count Beetles
| Forest lab | +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 12 | Sampling invertebrates |
| +——+———————————–+———————-+ | 13 | Invertebrate diversity; Radishes | |
+——+———————————–+———————-+ | 14 | Turtle Mark-Recapture | Diversity lab |
+——+———————————–+———————-+ | 15 | Beetle populations | Raddish comp lab |
+——+———————————–+———————-+
Important dates and information
• February 2: Last day to add/drop courses
• February 16: Last day to le pass/fail option
• April 6: last day to withdraw with a “W”
• May 15: Last day of classes
•Friday May 18: Final Exam, 2:30 - 5:00 pm, Compton 327
• Email and Blackboard: access to your email and Blackboard is required for this class. Check your
email daily.
10 CONTENTS
Attendance
If you miss class, you miss whatever quizzes, exams, or activities that were administered and you will receive a
zero. Attendance is critical to success. Makeup exams are extremely rare, and will likely be a dierent format
from the original exam. However, you will be allowed to make up missed exams if you have a documented,
excused absence. Additionally, if the absence was planned, you must notify me before the absence.
Attendance is required for all laboratory sessions. You will receive a zero for any work associated with that
lab. Additionally, any assignments due in lab that day will be late. If you show up late to lab and miss the
van, it will be considered an absence. The van will not wait for anyone. For indoor labs, arriving more than
15 minutes late will count as an absence, but you will be able to participate for half credit in any activities
associated with the lab.
Documented excused absences are generally limited to the following examples: university sanctioned events
(eld trips, or events where the student is an athlete/performer), funerals (requires an obituary or other proof),
or illness/medical emergencies (requires a doctor’s note or other proof). For all of these, documentation must
be provided. If a student is participating in extracurricular activities or has an excused absence, I must be
notied within one week to arrange makeup assignments.
If you have an unexcused absence, you do not need to contact me. Common examples of unexcused absences
are “family emergencies”, “car trouble”, and “my ride is leaving early this week.” While you may deem these
as legitimate excuses, accepting them as excusable absences and allowing students to make up work will only
encourage widespread abuse. Makeups of any kind are not allowed for unexcused absences.
Class Policies
There will be no cell phones on the desk or in lab. There will be no use of laptops unless prior consent
is obtained for special circumstances. You may not eat food or use tobacco products including electronic
cigarettes in class or labs. Disruptive behavior (using phones, talking, etc.): I will kick you out if I think
you are being disruptive.
“The University will not tolerate disorderly or disruptive conduct which substantially threatens, harms, or
interferes with university personnel or orderly university processes and functions. A faculty member may
require a student to leave the classroom when his/her behavior disrupts the learning environment of the class.
A student found responsible for disruptive behavior in the classroom may be administratively withdrawn
from the course.”
Beacon Early Warning System: all students should have a network of people who will support them in
their educational journey. For that reason, the University uses a system known as Beacon, whereby your
instructors and coaches, if applicable, can post notices about your academic behavior. For instance, if you
are absent repeatedly from a class or are not completing assignments, your instructor may post a notice on
Beacon. That information may be shared with your other instructors and/or your athletic coach. I will be
monitoring notices posted on Beacon so that you and I may address any issues before they become obstacles
to your academic success.
Condentiality and Mandatory Reporting
Frostburg State University and its faculty are committed to maintaining a safe learning environment and
supporting survivors of violence. To meet this commitment and comply with federal and state law, FSU re-
quires all faculty and sta (other than the condential employees in CAPS and Brady Health) to report any
instances of gender-based harassment, sexual misconduct, relationship violence, or stalking against students.
This means if you share your or another FSU student’s experience with gender-based harassment, sexual mis-
conduct, relationship violence, or, stalking, I have a duty to report the information to the University’s Title
CONTENTS 11
IX Coordinator. The only exception to my reporting obligation is when such incidents are communicated
during class discussion, as part of an assignment for a class, or as part of a University-approved research
project.
Faculty and sta are also obligated to report allegations of child abuse and neglect to University Police and
to Child Protective Services. This obligation extends to disclosures of past abuse even if the victim is now an
adult and the abuser is deceased. My duty to report suspected child abuse and neglect extends to disclosures
that are made as part of classroom discussions and in writing assignments.
If you or someone you know has experienced an incident of harassment or violence, please go to www.
frostburg.edu/titleix to nd information on reporting options and the resources and services available for
support.
Academic Honesty
Denition of Academic Dishonesty from your student handbook: “Academic dishonesty is dened to include
any form of cheating and/or plagiarism. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, such acts as stealing or
altering testing instruments; falsifying the identity of persons for any academic purpose; oering, giving
or receiving unauthorized assistance on an examination, quiz or other written or oral material in a course;
or falsifying information on any type of academic record. Plagiarism is the presentation of written or oral
material in a manner which conceals the true source of documentary material; or the presentation of materials
which uses hypotheses, conclusions, evidence, data or the like, in a way that the student appears to have done
work which he/she did not, in fact, do. In cases involving academic dishonesty, a failing grade or a grade
of zero (0) for either an assignment and/or a course may be administered. Students who are expelled or
suspended for reasons of academic dishonesty are not admissible to other institutions within the University
System of Maryland. Suspension or expulsion for academic dishonesty is noted on a student’s academic
transcript.”
Any violation of academic honesty will result in a zero for that graded work, and a repeat
violation will result in failure of the course. Cheating will be reported and further disciplinary
action may be pursued by the University Judicial Board This includes plagiarism. I will check long
answers, essays, and lab reports with plagiarism-checking software. When in doubt, just cite the source.
There’s nothing wrong with building on somone else’s ideas, in fact it’s the way progress in made in science.
Just give that person credit.
Persons with Disabilities
Frostburg State University is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for students with
documented disabilities. Students who require disability serves or reasonable accommodations must identify
themselves as having a disability and provide current diagnostic documentation to Disability Support Services.
All information is condential. Please call 4483 or visit 150 Pullen Hall for more information.
12 CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Biology Field Safety Regulations
Basic Safety Rules
General Field Safety
1. Safety is paramount. A student who willfully endangers the safety and welfare of him/herself or another
will be required to leave the eld and return home at the student’s own expense.
2. Footwear: Closed-toe shoes and boots with a good sole are essential in avoiding accidents and falls. Be
prepared to walk o of trails and encounter slippery conditions. Watch before you step.
3. Clothing: Students are required to be prepared for outside conditions, including raingear, warm coats
and clothing, hats, and gloves.
4. Additional equipment: Insect repellant and hand sanitizer are benecial additions to any eld bag.
5. Field participants will take part in activities of the eld trip group or one of the eld trip subgroups
at all times. You are not allowed to leave the group at any point.
6. Fieldtrip leaders will make the nal decision on whether any proposed activity is appropriate or not,
and participants will abide by that decision.
7. When students return from a eldtrip, each person will be responsible for helping to clean the equipment
and return it to its proper spot in the storeroom.
8. All accidents must be reported to the instructor or supervisor.
Field Hazards
1. Bees and other stinging creatures may be encountered during eld experiences. If you are allergic to
bees, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor of the course during the rst week of the course.
If you have never been stung by a bee before, you must also notify the instructor of the course during
the rst week of the course. If you require the use of an epi-pen you must bring your own prescription
pen and self-administer the medicine in case of a bee sting.
2. Poisonous plants: eastern poison ivy and poison sumac are both native and naturally occurring in the
area and may cause adverse reactions. Please be aware that you may encounter poisonous plants.
3. Do not consume any part of any plant or fungi material during laboratory activities. Doing so, even
if you are aware of the species, is not safe.
4. Animals: venomous snakes and other hazardous animals are present in the eld. Please be aware of
your surroundings, stay together as a group, and do not handle animals of any kind.
13
14 CHAPTER 1. BIOLOGY FIELD SAFETY REGULATIONS
Alcohol and Drugs
1. All eldtrips and eld labs are tobacco-free, no dipping, chewing or smoking in vans or in the eld.
2. All eldtrips and eld labs are “dry” and drug-free. This means that students who go on eldtrips
agree not to consume alcoholic beverages of any kind or to use illegal substances for the duration of
the eldtrip, including during the evenings. A student or students violating this rule will be required
to leave the eld trip and return home at the student’s own expense.
3. Drinks containing any percentage of alcohol are considered alcoholic beverages.
Vehicle Use
1. All students who operate vans for eldtrip activities must be recognized by the college as qualied
drivers. Qualication to operate vans for college-sanctioned events does not, however, give any individ-
ual the right to drive a van. The eld trip leader will use his/her discretion in deciding which qualied
students will drive the vans.
2. The eld trip leader will hold all van keys during o hours, and students will not normally be permitted
to drive the vans if not accompanied by the eld trip leader.
3. When more than 1 van is used on a eldtrip vans are required to stay together while traveling to and
from destinations.
4. Students will not be permitted to sleep in the vans during the night, nor will students be allowed to
prepare food or eat meals in the vans.
In Case of Illness or Health Emergency
1. If a student is injured, becomes ill, faints or has a seizure, carefully move them to the ground or keep
them on the ground until emergency help arrives. The instructor must stay with the student while
someone else calls 911 and Campus Police (301-687-4222) for emergency assistance or gets help to do
so from a faculty member, lab manager or administrative assistant.
2. Keep the student prone and calm until help arrives. Do not give them anything to eat or drink.
3. Do not administer rst aid unless trained to do so or get the help of someone who is trained in First Aid.
4. Report the incident to the Chair of the Department and complete an incident report.
15
Students’ Responsibility Statement
I, the undersigned, have received a copy of the Field Safety Procedures. These safety procedures were
explained to my satisfaction. I have been notied by the instructor on proper eld attire and the hazards
of eld exercises I agree to follow these eld safety regulations as require by this course. I understand that
failure to follow these regulations can result in my dismissal from the eld and will have a negative impact
on my grade for this course.
Signature __________________________________
Print Name ________________________________
Date ______________________________________
Course and Section _______________________________
Safety Instructor _______________________________
In case of an accident, name, address and telephone numbers of who should be notied. (Optional)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
16 CHAPTER 1. BIOLOGY FIELD SAFETY REGULATIONS
Chapter 2
Introduction: From Observation to
Experimentation
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought. - Arthur
Schopenhauer
An important part of any science, and ecology in particular, is the creative process of turning observations
into hypotheses.
2.1 Active Group Observation
If weather is acceptable, go outside and make observations as a group and discuss the process of turning
these into ecological questions and testable hypotheses. If poor weather conditions, use photographs to
demonstrate observations and the process.
2.2 Hypotheses
Discuss strong vs weak hypotheses with examples.
2.3 Observations
Walk then sit quietly for 10-15 minutes. Write down ecological observations. If the weather isn’t suitable,
have students think about patterns of species abundances or distributions they’ve previously noticed and
develop questions from those.
Share some observations.
Turn at least 1 observation into a (strong) hypothesis.
17
18 CHAPTER 2. INTRODUCTION: FROM OBSERVATION TO EXPERIMENTATION
2.4 Observation: Starting the Process of Ecological Study
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2.4.1 Hypothesis
Hypothesis 1.
Null:
2.5. HOMEWORK 19
Alternative:
Hypothesis 2.
Null:
Alternative:
Hypothesis 3.
Null:
Alternative:
2.4.2 Research Design
2.5 Homework
Read three scientic papers from the journal Ecology and write down the questions/objectives and hypotheses
tested in each paper. Include citations for the papers in the format used in the journal Ecology. This will
be due in class next week and should be typed and printed out. Regardless of “printer issues” it will be
considered late if not submitted at the start of class.
20 CHAPTER 2. INTRODUCTION: FROM OBSERVATION TO EXPERIMENTATION
Chapter 3
Data Organization in Spreadsheets
Christie Bahlai and Tracy Teal (eds): “Data Carpentry: Data Organization in Spreadsheets Ecology lesson.”
Version 2017.04.0, April 2017, http://www.datacarpentry.org/spreadsheet-ecology-lesson/
Authors:Christie Bahlai,Aleksandra Pawlik
Good data organization is the foundation of your research project. Most researchers have data or do data
entry in spreadsheets. Spreadsheet programs are very useful graphical interfaces for designing data tables
and handling very basic data quality control functions.
3.0.1 Spreadsheet outline
In this lesson, we’re going to talk about:
• Good data entry practices - formatting data tables in spreadsheets
• How to avoid common formatting mistakes
• Dates as data - beware!
• Basic quality control and data manipulation in spreadsheets
• Exporting data from spreadsheets
Overall good data practices
Spreadsheets are good for data entry. Therefore we have a lot of data in spreadsheets. Much of your time
as a researcher will be spent in this ‘data wrangling’ stage. It’s not the most fun, but it’s necessary. We’ll
teach you how to think about data organization and some practices for more eective data wrangling.
3.0.2 What this lesson will not teach you
• How to do statistics in a spreadsheet
• How to do plotting in a spreadsheet
• How to write code in spreadsheet programs
If you’re looking to do this, a good reference is Head First Excel, published by O’Reilly
3.0.3 Why aren’t we teaching data analysis in spreadsheets
• Data analysis in spreadsheets usually requires a lot of manual work. If you want to change a parameter
or run an analysis with a new dataset, you usually have to redo everything by hand. (We do know
that you can create macros, but see the next point.)
21
22 CHAPTER 3. DATA ORGANIZATION IN SPREADSHEETS
• It is also dicult to track or reproduce statistical or plotting analyses done in spreadsheet programs
when you want to go back to your work or someone asks for details of your analysis.
3.0.4 Spreadsheet programs
Many spreadsheet programs are available. Since most participants utilize Excel as their primary spreadsheet
program, this lesson will make use of Excel examples.
A free spreadsheet program that can also be used is LibreOce
Commands may dier a bit between programs, but the general idea is the same. Spreadsheets encompass a
lot of the things we need to be able to do as researchers. We can use them for:
• Data entry
• Organizing data
• Subsetting and sorting data
• Statistics
• Plotting
We do a lot of dierent operations in spreadsheets. What kind of operations do you do in spreadsheets?
Which ones do you think spreadsheets are good for?
3.1 Problems with Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are good for data entry, but in reality we tend to use spreadsheet programs for much more
than data entry. We use them to create data tables for publications, to generate summary statistics, and
make gures.
Generating tables for publications in a spreadsheet is not optimal - often, when formatting a data table for
publication, we’re reporting key summary statistics in a way that is not really meant to be read as data,
and often involves special formatting (merging cells, creating borders, making it pretty). We advise you to
do this sort of operation within your document editing software.
The latter two applications, generating statistics and gures, should be used with caution: because of the
graphical, drag and drop nature of spreadsheet programs, it can be very dicult, if not impossible, to
replicate your steps (much less retrace anyone else’s), particularly if your stats or gures require you to do
more complex calculations. Furthermore, in doing calculations in a spreadsheet, it’s easy to accidentally
apply a slightly dierent formula to multiple adjacent cells. When using a command-line based statistics
program like R or SAS, it’s practically impossible to apply a calculation to one observation in your dataset
but not another unless you’re doing it on purpose.
3.1.1 Using Spreadsheets for Data Entry and Cleaning
However, there are circumstances where you might want to use a spreadsheet program to produce “quick and
dirty” calculations or gures, and some of these features can be used in data cleaning, prior to importation
into a statistical analysis program. We will show you how to use some features of spreadsheet programs to
check your data quality along the way and produce preliminary summary statistics.
In this lesson, we will assume that you are most likely using Excel as your primary spreadsheet program -
there are others (gnumeric, Calc from OpenOce), and their functionality is similar, but Excel seems to be
the program most used by biologists and ecologists.
In this lesson we’re going to talk about:
1. Formatting data tables in spreadsheets
3.2. ACTIVITY 23
2. Formatting problems
3. Dates as data
4. Quality control
5. Exporting data
3.2 Activity
Go through the lessons on the Data Carpentry Spreadsheet website: http://www.datacarpentry.org/
spreadsheet-ecology-lesson/ and reorganize the test data they provide. I will come around and answer
questions and then we will regroup to discuss the challenges, issues, and best practices when organizing
data in spreadsheets.
24 CHAPTER 3. DATA ORGANIZATION IN SPREADSHEETS
Chapter 4
Introduction to Scientic Thinking
and Statistics in Ecology
Adapted from:
Taylor, J. 2008. Appendix A: A Primary of Biometry. Ecology Laboratory Manual. University of New
Hampshire.
4.1 Introduction to Statistics
To do science is to describe and explain nature through observation. In ecology, most of these observations
are quantitative. They are either measurements (e.g. temperature, pH, mass) or counts (e.g. number of
individuals in a population). Unfortunately, quantitative phenomena are highly variable, as two observations
are rarely identical. We even use “variable” as a synonym for the ecological attirbutes we measure. Therefore,
in order to describe nature, we must nd ways to describe and expalin the variation we observe. Similarly,
we only sample nature so we need to use statistics to test hypotheses if we want our inferences to be relevant
to populations rather than just to the specic samples we took.
4.2 Describing Central Tendancy and Variation
The rst step in describing observations or samples is to summarize them by reducing many individual
observations to one or two statistics that describe the original observations without listing all of them. The
simplest descriptive statistics is the mean (sometimes call the average). The mean is dened as
¯
X=ΣXi
n
where ΣXiis the sum of all observations and nis the total number of observations.
The mean can reduce many observations into a single number for descriptive or comparative purposes.
However, the mean does not describe the amount of variation among observations. It is possible for two
dierent groups of observations to have the same mean, but dierent amounts of variation. Consider Figure
4.1, which shows two normal curves with the same mean(5), but with dierent variances.
Note that in the sample with less variation (the taller, narrower one), most of the observationsare close to
the mean, while in the sample with more variation, there are more observations at greater distances from the
mean. This provideds a clue about ways to measure variation: Find a statistics that summarized distances
25
26 CHAPTER 4. INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC THINKING AND STATISTICS IN ECOLOGY
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
048
Abundance of organism
Frequency (proportion of samples)
dist
sd1
sd2
Normal Distribution
Figure 4.1: Two curves with equal means (5), but unequal variances. The higher, narrower curve has a
variance of 1, while the broader, atter curve has a variance of 2
4.2. DESCRIBING CENTRAL TENDANCY AND VARIATION 27
from the mean to all the observations. Distance from the mean is simply xi−¯
X, where xirepresents any
one observation and barX represents the mean of all the observations. Distance from the mean tells us how
deviant a single observation is. To summarize all thedistances into an estimate of variability, we calculate
the variance, which is the average squared distance from the mean. To calculate variance, subtract the
mean from each observation:
xi−¯
X
Square each deviation (This removes negative distances):
(xi−¯
X)2
Sum the squared deviations:
(xi−¯
X)2
Find the average of the squared deviations. When taking an average we typically divide by n, the number of
observations. In this case, however, we calculate the average by dividing by n−1instead of n. This corrects
for a bias caused by sampling only a few of all possible observations. If we observed all members, then it is
apprpriate to divide by n.
(xi−¯
X)2
n−1
The average of all the squared deviations is also known as the variance, and it is traditionally reresented by
σ2. The variance is a very important descriptor of ecological variation: The greater the variation among the
observations, the greater the variance. Knowing the amount of variation in ecological attributes can tell us
much about ecological patterns and processes.
Another descriptor of variation is the standard deviation, abbreviated as σor SD, which is the positive
square-root of the variance:
σ=√σ2
The standard deviation may be thought of as the average absolute deviation from the mean. It has the same
units as the original observations. If our data are normally distributed, such as in Figure 4.1, then about
68% of the observations will fall within 1 standard deviation on either side of the mean (Figure 4.2), and
about 95% of the observations will fall within 2 standard deviations of the mean (Figure 4.2).
28 CHAPTER 4. INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC THINKING AND STATISTICS IN ECOLOGY
\begin{gure}
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Abundance of organism
Frequency (proportion of samples)
Normal Distribution
\caption{Normal curve
with colored area indicating occurance of +/-1 standard deviation. Approximately 68% of all observations
fall in this area.} \end{gure}
\begin{gure}
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0
Abundance of organism
Frequency (proportion of samples)
Normal Distribution
\caption{Normal curve
with colored area indicating occurance of +/-2 standard deviation. Approximately 95% of all observations
fall in this area.} \end{gure}
4.3 Explaining Variation: Measuring association with the Coe-
cient of Determination
To explain things, we try to nd other things that are associated with them that change as they change
and remain constant when they stay constant. The search for pattern in nature is thus often a search for
associations. Although cause and eect can rarely be inferred from such associations, the do have predictive
use. If you variables are associated with each other, then knowledge of one tells us something about the
other.
A good descriptor of the association between two variables is the Coecient of Determination,R2. It is
the ratio of the variance shared with another variable to the total variance in the two variables.
R2=V ariance in Common
T otal V ariance
4.4. EXPLAINING VARIATION BY ASSOCIATION: REGRESSION 29
Thus, R2is the proportion of the variance in one variable explained by, or associated with, another variable.
As a proportion, it is a unitless number ranging from 0 to 1. High values, those approaching 1, indicate very
close association, because one variable explains a large proprotion of the variance in another variable. Low
values, those approaching 0, indicate little or no association. The equation for calculating the Coecient of
Determination is
R2=(xi−¯
X)(yi−¯
Y)
n−12
σ2
xσ2
y
where X and Y are the data for the two variables and σ2
xand σ2
yare the variances of the two variables. The
part within the parentheses is the covariance.
R2can also be used to determine which of several hyptheses best explains an association. The hypothesis
that generates the largest R2between two variables is the best explanation of their association. There are
other, better methods ecologists generally use for model comparison, but they are much more complicated
and R2will be useful for our purposes.
The Correlation Coecient,r, is another measure of association. It varies from 1 (perfect association
where the two variables increase or decrease together), to 0 (no association), to -1 (perfect inverse association,
where one variable increasesas the other decreases). It is caluclated as the square root of the Coecient of
Determination:
r=√R2
Computers easily calculate rand R2.
4.4 Explaining Variation by Association: Regression
R2gives us a measure of the relationship between two variables, tellingus how much variation in one variable
is explained by another variable. Sometimes, however, we would like to visualize the relationship. One way
to do this is to t a trend line that shows the change in one variable with change in another. The simplest
trend line is a straight line drawn through the data, such that it minimizes the distance from each observation
to the line. This is called linear regression.
Figure 4.2 shows a linear (straight-line) regression tted to measurements on some iris owers. It illustrates
the trend of increasing ower petal length with increasing petal with. The equation for a straight line is
Y=mX +b
and is often written as Y=b+mX since the order of addition doesn’t matter and brepresents the intercept
or overall mean before accounting for the eect of the the independent variable X. In this case, mis the
slope of the line (change in Yfor one unit change in X), which represents the eect of Xon the dependent
or response variable Y. The distance between each observed point and the best tted line are referred to as
the residuals and in a linear regression it must be assumed that they are normally distributed with a mean
of zero (equal amount over and under the line).
It is also possible to t other lines to data or manipulate equations so they t the linear regression equation.
Figure 4.3 shows the same data with a log-log linear regression.
This assumes an equation following
Y=bXm
30 CHAPTER 4. INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC THINKING AND STATISTICS IN ECOLOGY
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