Why Are Reports of Ant Pollination Rare?: A Field and Lab Exercise Using the Scientific Method
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- Author:
- Mary Blaine Prince, Mary Puterbaugh
- Subject:
- Science and Technology
- Institution Name:
- University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
- Collection:
- Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE)
- Grade Level:
- Post-secondary
- Abstract:
This exercise uses ants (considered by some to be the "scoundrels in the pollination drama!") to test questions about the morphological and behavioral features that permit insects to be good pollinators. Students are presented with the fact that ants are abundant insects, but fewer than 20 plant species worldwide have been documented as ant-pollinated. Students generate specific hypotheses for the rarity of ant pollination, and design experiments to test their hypotheses. This exercise has both a field and indoor component so that it can be successful even if it is raining, and ants are inactive outdoors.
- Course Type:
- Learning Module
- Languages:
- English
- Material Type:
- Activities and Labs, Lesson Plans
- Media Format:
- Downloadable docs
- Conditions of Use:
-
Custom Permissions
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Use solely at one's own institution with no intent for profit is excluded from the preceding copyright restriction, unless otherwise noted on the copyright notice of the individual chapter in this volume. Proper credit to this publication must be included in your laboratory outline for each use; a sample citation is given [on the copyright page of each volume]. Upon obtaining permission or with the "sole use at one's own institution" exclusion, ABLE strongly encourages individuals to use the exercises in this proceedings volume in their teaching program.
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