This activity is an interpretation of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) data set collected from a 19th century slave cemetery in North Carolina.

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This blog post, written by Joel Cryer of Bottle Biology, provides instructions to construct an inexpensive, self-watering planter that can be used to grow Wisconsin Fast Plants. The blog covers the materials and tools needed, as well as step-by-step instructions to create a universal reservoir bottle growing system. Also included are a variety of diagrams and images to help guide the construction process. Additional resources about growing Fast Plants, and Bottle Biology, are available to view separately.

Student analysis of the last 1000 years of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia zone (informally "dead" zone) by using relative abundance of low-oxygen tolerant benthic foraminifera. In this example of environmental micropaleontology, students evaluate whether the "dead" zone has existed in its current form for many centuries or has become more intense in the time of increased anthropogenic input of organics (i.e., fertilizer).

Geography 430 is an active, creative learning community focused around understanding the changing relationships between people and their environments, the causes and consequences of environmental degradation, strategies for building a more sustainable world, and the methods and approaches that scholars have used to understand human-environment interactions. The primary course objectives are to help geographers, earth scientists, and other professionals to deepen their appreciation for the complexity of human-environment systems and to develop skills that allow them to interpret, analyze, and communicate effectively regarding human-environment interactions in their lives as students, professionals, and citizens.

Most science teachers recognize, and there is abundant research suggesting the aversion students have to math and the barriers it creates to their success in science majors. In order to support student success and overcome these barriers, instructors have developed many methods to buttress quantitative topics and build student skills. One way to improve students' quantitative skills is to establish a systematic approach to math problems to lessen their fear and resistance. George Polya (1962) published a method for solving physics problems. We have used his approach and modified it into a straightforward in-class activity.Guided story problems in a lecture or large-group format can be a powerful tool to improve students' quantitative skills and allow instructors to give immediate feedback and follow-up reinforcement of student learning.

Focusing primarily on the period since 1500, explores the influence of climate, topography, plants, animals, and microorganisms on human history and the reciprocal influence of people on the environment. Topics include the European encounter with the Americas, the impact of modern technology, and the historical roots of the current environmental crisis.

Focusing primarily on the period since 1500, explores the influence of climate, topography, plants, animals, and microorganisms on human history and the reciprocal influence of people on the environment. Topics include the European encounter with the Americas, the impact of modern technology, and the historical roots of the current environmental crisis.

The educational material consists of an introduction to the pesticide problematic together with five themes that illustrate different aspects of the problematic. Below you find video-clips from Bolivia that visualizes and concretizes the theme described in the fact sheet (downloadable PDF), including study questions that encourage the students to reflect upon the theme presented in the educative videos as well as in the fact sheet. Furthermore each fact sheet contains a reference list1 and grey boxes in the text with suggestions for further reading on the themes. 

Students are confronted with a variety of bivalves and questions about the meaning of shell form for each. Some specimens will be accompanied by pictures providing background material. This is an interactive exercise, with the instructor providing assistance with hints and helpful questions. Answers are provided on the powerpoint slides. Instructors will have somewhat different specimens than are employed here and may not be able to duplicate all parts of the exercise.

At the start of the activity, the instructor will explain that studies of functional morphology, leading to reconstruction of life habits, is essential to paleoecological research and to interpretation of the biological significance of evolutionary trends. An example of each is to be provided.

Students will explain the logic by which, with or without the aid of the instructor, they have arrived at their conclusions, .

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This exercise provides a standardized format that can be used to describe the life mode and its characteristics for most any organism or group of organisms. This format is used (reinforced) in many other exercises as the context for comparing and contrasting clades within and among systematic groups. The classification also provides a context for discussing patterns and trends in evolution and ecology.

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Interactive map tool to assess how rising stream temperatures could affect native fish of the Northwest. Lesson concepts include the relationship between water temperatures, dissolved oxygen levels in streams, and the impacts of changing temperatures on native fish. Focused skills include use of an interactive map to assess how stream temperatures are expected to change and the impacts on native fish.

Open courseware for Macroevolution, focusing on research methods and software packages, such as R.

Course description
Evolutionary thinking provides the underpinnings of modern biology. In recent decades, the field of macroevolution (evolution above the species level) has matured into a rich discipline with a well-developed mathematical theory for testing hypotheses of species diversification, for understanding trait evolution, and evaluating patterns of covariation across the tree of life. This course will provide a synthetic view of biology and how life on earth has changed over time.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will:
Understand patterns of diversity in the fossil record, and changes in that diversity over time
Understand macroevolutionary patterns and processes, and the difference between gradualism, stasis, and punctuated equilibrium
Become familiar with ‘tree thinking’, and understand the principles of using a phylogenetic perspective to address evolutionary questions in biology
Gain experience in applying cutting-edge phylogenetic methods for testing hypotheses in macroevolution

This books is a general introduction to Marine Ecology, accompanying a lecture and excursion. It targets students without prior knowledge of the subject. The content is taken largely from Wikipedia, but curated and augmented by the authors.

By measuring the spacing of fossil footprints it is possible to estimate the speed of the trackmaker, but only after making several assumptions based on footprint size and the behavior of a wide range of living animals. A widely applied method for estimating speed from trackways was developed through the research of R. McNeill Alexander, an expert in biomechanics. This lab is a group exercise designed to lead students step-by-step through the methods and principles involved in estimating speed of movement from trackway data using Alexander's method. First students test the method on humans to see how accurate it is, and then they apply it to measurements taken from a variety of dinosaur trackways. This activity involves having students collect speed and footprint data on subjects while they are running and walking. The footprint data are analyzed and the speed estimates are compared to the actual measured speeds. Students then collect trackway measurements from published illustrations of dinosaur trackways to estimate dinosaur speeds. Students calculate the percent error for their experimental estimates and use this to interpret the results obtained from dinosaur trackways. Spreadsheets may be used to record and carry out the calculations in the analysis. Students are asked to discuss the significance of their results to ongoing debates over the physical capabilities of dinosaurs.

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List of countries with their annual methane emissions. The data are from 2005. The data are given in total annual emissions, thus must be compared with economic activity, geographic and most importantly, population data to be relevant.

This activity encompasses two lab exercises. In the first lab exercise students examine various different types of microfossils (conodonts, foraminifera and radiolaria) under the microscope and try to make paleobiological inferences about them based on their morphological characteristics. Students also pick different conodont elements and different foraminiferal species from sediment samples. Two foraminiferal specimens are selected for scanning electron microscopy. I mount the specimens to a stub for the students. Then in the next lab period students are given a guided tour of the SEM lab and work with the technician to operate the SEM and take photographs of their specimens. They then use the photographs in conjunction with the Treastise of Invertebrate Paleontology to make a generic identification of their specimens.

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This course covers all aspects of molecular biosignatures, such as their pathways of lipid biosynthesis, the distribution patterns of lipid biosynthetic pathways with regard to phylogeny and physiology, isotopic contents, occurrence in modern organisms and environments, diagenetic pathways, analytical techniques and the occurrence of molecular fossils through the geological record. Students analyze in depth the recent literature on chemical fossils. Lectures provide background on the subject matter. Basic knowledge of organic chemistry required. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

This online textbook chapter will provide students with an understanding of the mourning behaviors in animals. It explores the different definitions used to compile the data today and provides examples across a variety of species including non-human primates, crows, elephants, dolphins, and whales. Multiple studies are cited which aim to collect first hand observational data as well as data analyzation from a variety of perspectives around the globe.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Recognized by the distinctive white ring around its eyes, the Adélie penguin is only one of two species of penguin whose only home is Antarctica. While Adélie numbers have been observed to decline in some regions amid a changing climate, the truth is surprisingly little is known about the penguins’ actual distribution along Antarctica’s coastline. A 2015 land-and-air survey explored previously unreported colonies of Adélie here, in a cluster of ice-choked islands called the Danger Islands. The discovery could mark an important technological turning point in species tracking that would have clear implications for preserving biodiversity. Researchers conducted their survey from aboard a research vessel and on the grounds of several of the Danger Islands—only one of which had ever been inspected for Adélie penguins. They counted nests [manually], [from panoramic photos], and [from imagery captured by drones]. In all, the team tallied 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins in the Danger Islands..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.