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Terrestrial isopods are arthropods. Although we call them "pillbugs" and "sowbugs," they are actually crustaceans that occur in moist, dark areas, such as: forest floors, leaf and grass piles, and under dead logs where they eat detritus.
Some good citations:
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Investigating the scientific literature on your topic is an important step of the scientific method; it connects your question to existing theory and research. Some of this was done for you so you could begin with your experiment last week. We need more research before we can proceed, and this will also give you a good start on your poster.
Scientific articles are often not free to the public, so large institutions, like universities, pay fees for access. If you are not on a campus computer, you will need to sign into the library using your WKU account to access some articles: Just click HERE, and search "Google Scholar" [see example]. If you are unsure if your article is actually peer-reviewed:
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Link to article.
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It's just a theory? Biological theories underpin all the concepts and principles explored in both lecture and lab. Testing a single hypothesis, even with repetition, cannot lead to a theory; it can, however, add to theoretical development.
Ask a question
Questions can arise from observations in the field, in the lab, from the scientific literature (e.g., scientific posters, presentations or papers), or from pre-existing data. In this class, sometimes your question will be provided to you and other times you will get to decide what questions you want to investigate. Conduct background research
This is a literature review process, in which researchers dig deep into what is already known about their topic of choice and what questions still remain. Often, the literature review helps to refine questions and direct hypothesis formation. Background research will be provided to you in our first few labs, but you will also do some research on your own in later lab activities. Construct a hypothesis
A quality hypothesis must be testable, objectively measurable, specific, and falsifiable. It must include a prediction and potential mechanism(s) based in the literature or from previous work. You will do this often in BIOL 123. Test with an experiment
There are various approaches to research design, based on your research question. These range from purely descriptive to experimental designs, which involve manipulation of a variable or variables. Regardless of the method selected, the design should have clearly identified variables by type, and should be both valid and reliable. You will have varying levels of input on the experiments we conduct in lab. Analyze the data & draw conclusions
The methods used for analysis are largely based on the research design. In the biological sciences, analysis almost always involves the use of statistical tests and graphical representations of data. We will use several different types of statistics throughout this course. Communicate your results
This last step is essential. For our understanding of the natural world to grow, new research must be shared so others can draw on what is known to expand our understanding. Results can be communicated through technical reports, presentations at conferences, scientific posters, and manuscripts which appear in scientific journals. You will create many of these products throughout BIOL 123 |
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Simpson's Diversity Index formula, where n = number of individuals of each species
N = total number of individuals of all species
SDI Calculator
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Both these communities have the same abundance (16 trees). They both have the same richness (4 types of trees = 4 species). But they have different evenness. Community 1 has an "even distribution" of species (all four are in the same amount), whereas community 2 is dominated by one species. Click to enlarge.
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Quiz Link. Use this link to practice microscope part ID. The scope used is monocular and ours will be binocular, but the rest of the parts will be the same.
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