The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to practice science writing about an ecological topic of your choosing. You will consult the literature, formulate an opinion, and synthesize your research in a 3-4-page, thesis-driven essay.
Directions: Choose from one of the following topics and write a 3-4-page,driven paper addressing all portions of the prompt. You may use direct quotations as you see fit; however excessive use of direct quotations or any use of block quotations will result in major point deductions.
Prompts:
1. Decide on an endangered plant or animal in Nevada. Write about its current habitat. What could make it go extinct? What could potentially save it? Use at least 3 scientific articles as support.
2. Write a critical review or response to an ecological scientific article, making sure to both summarize and evaluate the article. Use at least 3 other scientific articles in building your response.
3. Develop an ecological hypothesis that interests you. Design an experiment that tests your hypothesis in the form of a research proposal. Be sure to include all the sections found in research articles. In lieu of the Results + Discussion sections, comment on what you may expect to find, and current and past experiments
in the field that have informed your experiment. Use at least 3 scientific articles to provide background,inform your proposed methods, and speculate on a potential outcome
4. Select a mutualism. Summarize 3 scientific articles supporting or refuting the hypothesis that the fitness of both partners is increased.
5. Choose an invasive aquatic species. Summarize 3 scientific articles demonstrating a recent negative (or positive) effect on native species, and in your opinion, the best management solution (and why).
6. In class we discussed how the taxonomic hierarchy (domains, kingdoms, phyla… species) can be viewed as a human abstraction. Select one of these groupings and present an argument for or against the use of this hierarchy in science and for citizens, citing at least 3 sources from the peer reviewed literature.
7. Describe the effects of invasion and succession and how they affect disturbed desert communities. Use 3 scientific articles to support your claims.
8. Consider how humans have either positively or negatively impacted communities (e.g. species dispersal, fire regimes, etc.). Choose one ecological example and use 3 scientific articles to describe the impact.
