Enhancing Statistical Skills in Ecology: Quantifying Bird Feeding Behaviors

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2013, Volume 34

Kiersten Newtoff & Christine Small

Abstract

Success in graduate, medical or other post-undergraduate endeavors in the sciences requires foundations in research and experimental design. However, only recently have undergraduate biology curricula begun to stress quantitative skills needed for higher education and careers. Through a National Science Foundation grant, Radford University's Biology Department is working to enhance quantitative skills and integrate statistics into introductory courses to help students more effectively apply research skills to biological problems. This semester, we modified a traditional ecology lab to emphasize scientific inquiry, experimental design, and hypothesis testing. Students first were introduced to regional bird diversity using museum specimens and field observations. From this, they generated hypotheses about feeding behaviors and seed preferences related to beak size and shape. In following labs, students collected over 7,000 feeding observations on bird seed selection (millet, thistle, sunflower, suet) and feeding location (feeder, ground) at campus bird feeders. Using this extensive data set, student groups selected two species for in-depth investigation by developing research questions, collecting natural history information, and conducting statistical analyses to compare feeding behaviors. This multi-week project not only emphasized use of statistics in exploring and evaluating trends in a biological system, but urged students to explain conclusions in biological context. The experimental design and data gathered may also be reexamined in advanced biology or biological statistics courses, helping to emphasize the importance of quantitative skills in modern biology.

Keywords:  ornithology

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2012)