Dr. Green has allowed students to use one blank piece of paper on this exam to work out Punnett squares. I have shown my single BLANK piece of scrap paper to the camera before starting my exam. I have shown both sides of that piece of paper to the camera before starting my exam.

ScLi15- Determine whether results of a research study answer the research question The Biodiversity-stability hypothesis suggests that more plant species in an area can enhance the stability and resilience of ecological communities (groups of other species), resulting in diverse communities being better able to withstand disturbances or environmental fluctuations. A study wanted to determine if the hypothesis applied to grassland areas. They manipulated  the plant richness (number of plant species) by adding or removing plant species. Which statements best conclude the response of the community to these changes? 

ScLi11- Identify predictions of research papers A study wants to test the following hypothesis: Precipitation patterns affect the flowering timing of plants. Researchers will test this hypothesis by performing field experiments setting up controlled plots of mango trees with varying levels of water availability to simulate different precipitation patterns. They will monitor these plots over one year and will monitor daily the appearance of flowering buds.  provide direct observations of changes in flowering times. Which of the following would be appropriate predictions?

LO10 Identify the research question and objective of studies in relation to an ecological principle Here is a paragraph of a study that looked at reproductive behavior of blue-footed boobies “According to life history theory, trade-offs between growth, somatic maintenance and reproduction will occur throughout an individual’s life, affecting its fitness. Longitudinal studies of diverse taxa have shown that reproductive success, physiological function and survival tend to vary across the lifespan in a distinctive inverted-U pattern. This suggests that fitness components first increase with age and experience, then decline progressively with senescence (old age). In addition, long-lived species are expected to maximise lifetime fitness by strategically adjusting their reproductive effort and related behaviours across their lifetime. However, there is division of opinion over whether members of long-lived species maximise lifetime fitness by increasing or reducing reproductive effort toward the end of the lifespan. (…) We investigated possible change across the lifespan in parental behaviour (by measuring nest defense across the life span of individuals). ” What is the most likely research question addressed by this study?  

ScLi6- Identify research questions/gaps addressed by research papers   A hypothetical study on autism is stating that: Despite extensive research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the early developmental markers that can predict the onset of autism. While behavioral symptoms of autism typically become apparent by the age of three, the subtle early indicators during infancy and their biological underpinnings are not well understood. Identifying these early markers is crucial for timely diagnosis and intervention, which can significantly improve outcomes for children with autism. Current studies have focused largely on observable behaviors in later stages, leaving a gap in the early detection and understanding of the neurobiological changes that precede these behaviors. Which would be the most likely research question addressed in this study?

ScLi-1. Identify peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed literature Classify the following excerpts of articles about the Everglades as either peer-reviewed or non-peer reviewed   Article 1:   Article 2 Article 3   Article 4 

ScLi14- Interpret graphs, charts and statistics in results of research studies The following figure is from the study Sediment associated with algal turfs inhibits the settlement of two endangered coral species  coauthored by Dr. Alain Duran (professor in our bio department) The objective of the study was to determine if algal turfs or a mix of algal turfs and their sediments affected the presence of juvenile corals and settlement of new corals of two important coral species in South Florida     Which of the following statements are true?

ScLi13- Identify elements in results that provide information on how study variables behaved The following excerpt belongs to the study Anthropogenic Marsh Impoundments Alter Collective Tendency in Schooling Fish coauthored by Dr. Kevin Boswell  (professor in our bio department). “The objective of this study was to determine whether the collective tendency of schooling fish is modulated by anthropogenically introduced habitat complexity, prior to and in response to predator attack. To achieve this objective, we compared collective state of fish schools before and during predator attack, between an open salt marsh canal and a Water Control Structure (man-made). In those environments, we observed schools of free-ranging juvenile gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) The collective behavioural state of each fish school was quantified using six behavioural parameters : school area, group speed, angular velocity, orientational alignment (polarization), coherence of rotation (rotational order) (Attanasi et al. 2014), and correlation strength (degree of influence on neighbours) (Cavagna et al. 2008; Handegard et al. 2012). we predict that fish schools in the vicinity of a WCS will adjust their schooling tendencies and form less aligned shoals, exhibiting increases in area and decreases in polarization compared to the natural marsh environment.  ” Which of the following statements in the results section address the predictions mentioned above?  

ScLi-3 Perform a successful literature search A lab-mate has given you the following 5 papers for you to decide which to present to your research mentor. Your mentor has asked you both to bring two papers with information about mosquito borne diseases in the Everglades.  Here are titles and excerpts of each paper. Choose the ones you should bring: Article 1 Emergence potential of mosquito-borne arboviruses from the Florida Everglades “In this study, we obtained baseline data on the distribution and abundance of both mosquitos and arboviruses occurring in the southern Everglades region during the summer months of 2013, when water levels were high, and in 2014, when water levels were low. ”   Article 2 Mosquito-borne diseases “Despite centuries of control efforts, mosquito-borne diseases are flourishing worldwide. With a disproportionate effect on children and adolescents, these conditions are responsible for substantial global morbidity and mortality. Malaria kills more than 1 million children annually, chiefly in sub-Saharan Africa. Dengue virus has expanded its range over the past several decades, following its principal vector, Aedes aegypti, back into regions from which it was eliminated in the mid-20th century and causing widespread epidemics of hemorrhagic fever.”   Article 3 The effect of global change on Mosquito-borne disease “Here, we show, through a review of contemporary modelling studies, that no consensus on how future changes in climatic conditions will impact mosquito-borne diseases exists, possibly due to interacting effects of other global change processes, which are often excluded from analyses. We conclude that research should not focus solely on the role of climate change but instead consider growing evidence for additional factors that modulate disease risk.” Article 4 Seasonal Dynamics of Mosquito-Borne Viruses in the Southwestern Florida Everglades, 2016, 2017 “Mosquitoes were collected for 12 consecutive months beginning June 2016, from 11 locations in the Florida Everglades  Seven species of virus were identified from 110 isolations. Everglades, West Nile, Tensaw, and Mahogany Hammock viruses were most frequently isolated.  Viruses were isolated from mangrove, cypress swamp, hardwood hammock, and sawgrass habitats.”   Article 5 Mammal decline, linked to invasive Burmese python, shifts host use of vector mosquito towards reservoir host of a zoonotic disease “We used historic and current data to investigate potential impacts of these community effects on contact between the reservoir hosts (certain rodents) and vectors of Everglades virus, a zoonotic mosquito-borne pathogen that circulates in southern Florida. The percentage of blood meals taken from the primary reservoir host, the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord, increased dramatically (422.2%) from 1979 (14.7%) to 2016 (76.8%), while blood meals from deer, raccoons and opossums decreased by 98.2%, reflecting precipitous declines in relative abundance of these larger mammals”

ScLi-8 Identify the structure of paragraphs in introductions of research papers The following is a “A growing body of literature shows that research papers are a valuable and useful tool for science education and that primary literature can be used to teach the nature and practices of science” To create a simple paragraph we would need One statement that would belong with the statement above in a paragraph would be (Modified from McCartney, M., Childers, C., Baiduc, R.R. and Barnicle, K., 2018. Annotated primary literature: A professional development opportunity in science communication for graduate students and postdocs. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 19(1), pp.19-1.)