Resurrection Fern after 24 hours

Resurrection Fern after two hours

Resurrection Fern

Yesterday morning we poured a little tap water into a Petri dish containing a dormant resurrection fern, Polypodium polypodioides. We rehydrated the fern at 8:00 am on Wednesday, 26 August. These native ferns can remain dehydrated but alive for up to 50 years! After a good rain they will be green and lush in about 48 hours.

Bat Measurement Spreadsheet

Bat Identifications

Congratulations students! We have completed our bat species identifications. We seem to have (2) Big Brown Bats, Eptesicus fuscus and (1) Red Bat, Lasiurus borealis. Both species are within the family Vespertilionidae commonly found in our region. The bats will now be permanently maintained in our natural history collection for study by future classes.

The emphases in this exercise were on observation, measurement, and classification. We used measuring instruments including metric rulers and calipers. We used hand lenses, binocular dissecting microscopes, and digital cameras to collect our observations. Measurements were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and averaged across classes.

Scientific Method Review

All science students/grades will continue our review of the scientific method this week. Each student should study the PowerPoint entitled “How science works” that resides on our wiki space (http://zoowiki.wikispaces.com/ ). Students have probably seen this material at least once before at their lower grade levels.

The classroom exercise today will concentrate on skills required to apply the scientific method (observe, measure, and classify). We are classifying three bat specimens (order Chiroptera) that were collected in and around our school over the summer and preserved for study. Students will use the dichotomous key from Clair, et al. 1989 to identify our bats.

Natural History Notes: There are more than 850 species of bats worldwide. Oklahoma has 19 bat species representing two taxonomic families. This material corresponds to Oklahoma’s Science Process and Inquiry standards 1.1-3 and 2.1-2.

Reference:

Caire, W., J.D. Tyler, B.P. Glass, and M.A. Mares. 1989. Mammals of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma, Norman. 567p.

Zooblog Etiquette Guidelines

Now that class enrollment has stabilized and we are returning to a routine, I wanted to post some basic guidelines for students using Zooblog.

1. Blogs are a platform designed to conduct on-line discussions concerning a specific topic(s); don’t stray from the central theme.

2. You are writing for a “global audience”. What you post is viewable by the public at large. When you post e-mails, blog comments, tweets, etc., these records come to reside permanently in cyberspace. Be courteous and respectful no matter what. Remember, many employers today conduct Internet searches on potential employees before hiring them. Your reputation and integrity is at stake here and what is done cannot be undone. Once you press the send/enter button, you cannot take it back.

3. Avoid plagiarism as you would in any form of media. It is not OK to copy and paste or use other people’s work without permission. If you refer to another author’s work, you should cite the reference. This applies to text/narrative, pictures, videos, and music.

4. It is OK to express your opinion, but you should try to be constructive and tactful. Again, remember that your reputation and the reputations of others are at stake here. If you offer a rebuttal try to make sure it is thoughtfully constructed and on topic. Avoid derogatory remarks and foul language.

5. Avoid SPAM. Do not unnecessarily advertise yourself or another website on someone else’s blog. If you want to post a link, you should contact the host 1st.

6. Stay current. If you are going to participate in a blog, try to keep up with the discussion and contribute. If you are managing a blog, give your readers something to look forward to. Reply to comments.

Bird's Nest Fungi

Here are some tiny fungi in our garden planter. These are called birds nest fungus because spores in the cup look like eggs in a nest. They wait there until a rain drop hits and propels them far from the cup. (photo by Joan Reynolds)

Birds in Northwest Arkansas

I want to introduce you to a new book a friend and colleague of mine recently published.

Joeseph C. Neal (BA History 1968, MS Zoology 1992) is a native of western Arkansas who has made his home in Fayetteville since coming to the University of Arkansas in 1964. He worked as a freelance journalist (The Grapevine) before joining with Dr. Douglas A. James to coauthor Arkansas Birds (University of Arkansas Press 1986). Subsequently, he wrote the academic portion of the History of Washington County Arkansas (Shiloh Museum 1989). Upon finishing his MS he joined the USDA Forest Service as a wildlife biologist on the Ouachita National Forest. His work there included a focus on recovery for Red-cockaded woodperchers (picoides borealis). Joe retired from the Forest Service in 2008. He is presently a visiting scholar in the UA-Fayetteville Department of Biological Sciences (joeneal@uark.edu). He serves as curator of bird records for Arkansas Audubon Society and as a field trip leader for the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society.

1st Day Back at School

Welcome back students and staff!

(left) Allan Johnson, Guest Presenter at this year's Wynona School District staff training.

Master Teacher Conference-FYI

In 2008 there were 114 participants in the northeast Master Teacher Conference.  There were 35 presentations, and 9 master teachers.   This conference is at Grove.

Those of you who are not involved in education, I promise to take you on some interesting field trips when I get out of here.

PASS Standards for Science

This afternoon's session was more thought provoking.  The science teachers had a chance to comment on the standards and make suggestions.  There were about 12-15 of us representing elementary, middle, and high schools from around the state.  The general consensus was that we should leave the PASS objectives alone.  There were suggestions that we need to have standards for "human health" and technology.

Master Teacher Conference

This week I am at the Master Teacher Conference hosted by Oklahoma State Department of Education.  Today the topics are: PASS (Priority Academic Student Skills), Bloom's Taxonomy, and curriculum mapping.

European Starlings

European Starlings were introduced into New York city's Central Park in 1890 by Eugene Schieffelin, a pharmacist who wanted to introduce all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Now starlings are a pest from coast to coast. More than 4,500 exotic species now occur in North America; doing perhaps billions of dollars of damage to native wildlife, timber, crops, and property. This is not to mention the ecological damage that science cannot undo. An excellent book that chronicles the natural history of exotic species in America is:

Todd, Kim. 2001. Tinkering with Eden: a natural history of exotics in America. WW Norton. 302 p.