Pollination Ecology - 2 Page Write Up + Excel

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For this assignment, you will be analyzing a set of data provided to you, and entering and analyzing your own collected data. A total of 10 points is allocated for this assignment, divided among the following tasks.Please provide answers to the questions below in a word document, or fill in the spreadsheet as instructed. Keep in mind that the page limit is there to force you to write succinctly. This is an ecology class and scientific writing style should be clear and direct. (See style guide on course website.)

1. Penstemon data (3 pts):Fill in all the yellow highlighted cells of the Penstemon shade and sun patch sheets, and the example scanned data sheet (so three sheets in total) gathered by two previous TAs in the course over a longer, six hour period. In your word document, summarize the data in a paragraph, emphasizing what you feel are the important conclusions, and the contrasts in the two Penstemonsamples. Take no more than ½ page for this.

2. (3 pts) Fill in your own collected data from your comparison for a species on either scan or focal sample blank sheets. Organize the tables so that your comparison (e.g., patches of either dense or sparse flower density, or whatever comparison you chose) is clearly labeled. Fill in the summary insect species rates and plant visitation rates tables as you did for the Penstemon data in #1, above.

3. Methods (2 pts): Use about ¾ of a page to describe your field site, the species of plants and insects in your study, and your methods of study. Within this page address questions such as: How did your methods compare to the standard methods outlined in the protocol? Why did your methods make sense for your field study site and conditions? What problems with your methods do you think led to possible biases or could be improved?

4. Discussion (2 pts): Use the final ¾ of a page to address these items

a. Comment on the fit between your predicted pollination syndrome for your flower species and your results. Remember that effective of pollination is what drives evolution of the syndrome, and not visitation per se.

b. Use your data to examine the hypothesis that patch size or flower density affects foraging behavior of any of your insect species.

c. Use your data and observations to compare the insect species in terms of the effectiveness of their pollination within the arena you observed. (Recall that effective outcrossing requires visiting different plants of the same species in succession, rather than flowers within the same plant.)

d. Critique your field study methods-- what questions remain unanswered? Do the results allow you to make strong conclusions? Why or why not? What might you have done differently to enhance your data set and draw stronger conclusions?

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Explanation & Answer

yes I will, thank you
Attached.

Running Head: POLLINATION

1

Pollination
Institution Affiliation
Date:

POLLINATION

2

The study is mainly based on the rate at which the pollinator is effectively helping the
pollination. The bees and the flies are mainly responsible for every kind of pollination and
therefore there is the basis of the study. The species are followed according to the plant they are
mores obsessed too. The duration of pollination is identified correctly and set a specific time
interval. The various individuals involved in the study have their time set right from 0:00 hours
to 4:46 hours. The observation is supposed to give an inference on pollination and the averages
required in order to conclude that certain species are more competent and useful in pollination
than the other. Additionally, the observation revolves around penstemon shade patch as
compared to the penstemon sun patch with each of them recording specific kind of information
as per the kind of species, the time or duration of stay on a specific flower. At the end of the
observation, the inferences concerning each of the species are recorded and the data given so as
to make the final conclusion.
In the study, the observation method of study is the most appropriate. Observing and
recording the kind of the pollinator involved in the process together with getting the time data
concerning the time of stay on a certain plan. The open field of the site both shaded and with the
sun are also observed differently so as to make the inferences on the potential differences and the
way to make inferences on different areas of study.
Normally, taking raw data from the field is the most appropriate way in this kind of
study. The study cannot be successful through other methods such as interviewing the locals or
even getting the data from other researchers. Getting the primary data, in this case, is important
in making the final inferences concerning the study. Observation is also simple given no much
cost is incurred and the data collected is original. It is easy to measure as the time durations and
the kinds of species are observed freely. However, the personal opinion on the pollinators and

POLLINATION
the kind of plants they pollinate. More so, it would be wrong to perceive that the method is
without biases. The perspective of an observer and the way he concludes in a certain way is
limited to how they observe different insects. It is also hard to mark when it one insect or many
of them that are visiting certain plants at a specific time. Again a single bee or any other insect
might just visit the same tree severally but the record will read that there were a number of
pollinators which landed on that particular tree. This might, in the end, lead to biases. In using
observation method, it is clear that such biases and errors might accompany the final results.
Looking at the final observation recorded, the average time used is 900 seconds.
However according to the study, several of the pollinators have visited the different species of
plants that require being pollinated. However, one cannot infer that the trees or the flowers have
been pollinated given that it is not clear whether the insect might be carrying the specific
pollination grains from a similar plant. A visit might end up not being successful given that it is
possible that the pollination grains might not be carried by a specific insect. However, a
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Anonymous
Just what I needed…Fantastic!

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