Biology 112 First Weekly Assignment
Due Friday, August 5, at the beginning of class. NO EXTENSIONS

One can argue that the proper subject of study for this class should be nature, not books. (But please don't return your text, yet.) This assignment is to encourage you to become familiar with the concepts of biodiversity and ecological interactions. You should experience enough of nature that some of the more abstract topics from lectures will be meaningful. If you have questions, you may e-mail or call me (see the course syllabus for contact information).

Step 1: Walk (or bicycle, skate, or drive) to the Brown Family Environmental Center at Kenyon College (see the BFEC website). It is just a ten-minute walk from central Gambier. Please be very careful along roads, especially State Rt. 229!

Step 2: Find one flowering plant species that you can observe. Good places to do this are the Butterfly Garden (adjacent to the Visitor Center), or along the trail at the northeast edge of the prairie project field. If you are ambitious, you may want to climb to the grassland on the hill. Avoid poison ivy.

Step 3: For at least thirty minutes, closely observe your "focal species." Include observations of all parts of plants (flowers, leaves, stems). DO NOT DAMAGE THEM. Record the date & weather conditions, the times you start and end observing, and estimate how many individuals of the chosen species of plant were observed. Take notes or sketch what you see, but do not count writing as observation time. Think about the following questions. a) What are this plant's major characteristics? b) What other species of organisms come into contact with the focal plant? (Consider general "types"if you don't know species names.) What other species might be influencing it indirectly (e.g. by interacting with a third species that directly influences your plant)? c) Is there evidence of previous contact with other organisms? d) What sort of interaction likely occurred with that contact? What evidence do you see to support your interpretation?

Step 4: Soon after returning to your room, use your field notes to develop responses to points in "step 3." If you can determine the name of the focal organism, be sure to give it. Many plants are identified in the garden, and butterflies may be identified by visiting the BFEC web site (http://bfec.kenyon.edu/welcomeset1.htm, navigate to "The Center" and then "Flora and Fauna"). Submit these "in writing" (typed text, do not hand-write this) in no more than one page of text. Diagrams can be drawn by hand. You will be evaluated on the basis of the quality and thoroughness of your observations and your care in writing or diagraming. Be concise and precise; text in excess of one page will not be evaluated - the diagram can be additional.

Turn in your field notes and the summary (staple or clip them together and be sure your name is on both).