Ecology Lab Proposal<\/p>\n
04\/12\/2022<\/p>\n
Animal studied: Sparrow<\/p>\n
The two variables you intend to use, and the two states of both.<\/p>\n
Variable 1 (state 1A, state 1B) Handling Time\/Ease of Access (sunflower seed in shell vs sunflower seed without shell)<\/p>\n
Variable 2 (state 2A, state 2B) Location of food (Food in open area vs in a secluded area)<\/p>\n
Major topic that the variables are related to (one or two words. Big topics like caloric efficiency, nutrient efficiency, handling time\/ accessibility, anti-predator behavior): Handling time, encounter probability, search time, anti-predator behavior<\/p>\n
Short Species Summary or Information (about 5-10 sentences) related to relevant facts about your species. i.e. when do they forage the most? If a food choice related experiment, what do they usually forage on? If anti-predator behavior, what kind of predators are present in this urban environment? What local species might compete for your proposed food? House sparrows typically feed in the morning. According to Dotson (2019), sparrows consume a wide variety of nuts and seeds, including sunflower seeds that we will be using for our tests. Corn, oats, wheat, and other grains, as well as weed seeds and sunflower seeds, can attract them. They have a lifespan of about three years in the wild. Sparrows are part of the Old World family Passeridae from the order Passeriformes according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Gray squirrels and red squirrels may raid house sparrow\u2019s nests. House sparrow eggs may be eaten by crows and jays. Domestic cats are the biggest predator of house sparrows. House sparrows are aggressive and will kill other birds when competing for nesting sites.They are adaptable to new surroundings and have a high rate of reproduction. House sparrows can be found in grassy areas with scattered trees or bushes in urban, cultivated, or agricultural environments. <\/p>\n
Dotson, J. D. 2019. What will sparrows eat? https:\/\/sciencing.com\/sparrows-eat-8485706.html<\/p>\n
Sparrow. (n.d.). . Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, inc. https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/animal\/sparrow <\/p>\n
Use the info above for your proposed Alternative and Null Hypotheses<\/p>\n
Null for Location: There will be no statistical difference from altering the location of the food \/ substrate (5ft vs 10 ft) on the GUD values for sparrows, except that which is accounted for by chance.<\/p>\n
Alternative for Location: There will be a statistical difference from altering the location of the food \/ substrate (5ft vs 10 ft) on the GUD values for sparrows. <\/p>\n
Null for Handling Time: There is no statistical difference in the GUD of the food that is easier to handle (unshelled) and eat vs the food that takes longer (shelled) to handle and eat, except that which is accounted for by chance.<\/p>\n
Alternative for Handling Time: There will be a statistical difference in the GUD of the food that is easier to handle and eat (ex: sunflower seed with no shell) vs the food that takes longer to handle and eat (ex: sunflower seed with shell), except that which is accounted for by chance.<\/p>\n
Which ones for each do you expect to be the case? <\/p>\n
We expect that the closer locations (5 ft) will have a lower GUD since it’s closer to the safety of their shelter so it\u2019d be easier to avoid predators, thus the alternative hypothesis would be exhibited. Food location is an issue of search time, which is directly related to GUD. We believe that altering the location of the food to be further away (10 ft) will make sparrows give up on the plate faster since it is in unfamiliar territory. The closer plate (5 ft) will present a more familiar location so they\u2019d be more likely to stay a bit longer to feed and not give up on the plate as quickly. In the situation with shelled seeds vs unshelled seeds, in regards to the handling time and GUD, we believe the alternative will also be exhibited in that the GUD value is directly related to handling time. We believe that altering handling of the food by removing the shells will make the sparrows stay longer in the plate with unshelled seeds since it\u2019ll be easier to handle and they\u2019ll be able to fill their stomachs with more nutritious inner seeds vs with the nutritious seed and not-as-nutritious shell. The shelled seeds will have longer handling time and thus the sparrows will give it up faster.<\/p>\n
Methods<\/p>\n
What kind of food? Sunflower Seeds shelled and unshelled <\/p>\n
How much food per tray? Each tray will be loaded with 2 grams of food.<\/p>\n
How much sand per tray? Each tray will be filled with 1 liter of sand.<\/p>\n
Seeds will be placed 2g along with 1 L sand into four trays. Two trays will be unshelled and two will be shelled sunflower seeds. Trays will be placed and possibly taped down on opposite sides of a selected tree in the area around the Plant Research Laboratory with similar vegetation distribution on both sides during the midday. This is to control for many trees on a single side making many more sparrows artificially favoring shelled vs unshelled. It is also set out for 24 hours starting during midday to hopefully control for time factors vs night. One side will have two trays of shelled sunflower seeds at 5ft and 10ft respectively. The other side will have two trays of unshelled sunflower seeds at 5ft and 10ft respectively. This is to test for the distance and handling time effects on GUD. The trays will be left out for about 24 hours before being carried back, sifted with a sieve and the remaining food weighed and refilled again for the next day. This overall process will be repeated over three consecutive days, with the food before and after being weighed each time. Any potential rainfall will require the sand to be dried before proceeding, so as to not present any extraneous variables. Further data analysis will then be carried out.<\/p>\n
Briefly describe (1-2 sentences) data analysis: Two-way ANOVA: <\/p>\n
We will use the two-way ANOVA to determine how the two independent variables, handling time and location of food, affected the dependent variable, the GUD.<\/p>\n
Map (mark tray locations) the map will be showing the location of the tray or the sampling site. If necessary, the sampling site can be relocated a few yards upstream or downstream to make it more accessible.<\/p>\n
The location will be at the left-side of this Google map of the Plant Research Laboratory close to S Halsted Street by the trees.<\/p>\n
Mock-up Data Sheet <\/p>\n
Shelled-Close:<\/p>\n
Date<\/p>\n
Shelled\/ Unshelled <\/p>\n
Close\/ Far<\/p>\n
Time trays are put out <\/p>\n
Time trays are collected (hrs)<\/p>\n
Initial food weight (g)<\/p>\n
Final food weight (g) <\/p>\n
04\/12\/2022<\/p>\n
Shelled<\/p>\n
Close (5ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/13\/2022<\/p>\n
Shelled<\/p>\n
Close (5ft) <\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/14\/2022<\/p>\n
Shelled<\/p>\n
Close (5ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
1.46 g<\/p>\n
Shelled-Far:<\/p>\n
Date<\/p>\n
Shelled\/ Unshelled <\/p>\n
Close\/ Far<\/p>\n
Time trays are put out<\/p>\n
Time trays are collected (hrs)<\/p>\n
Initial food weight (g)<\/p>\n
Final food weight (g) <\/p>\n
04\/12\/2022<\/p>\n
Shelled <\/p>\n
Far (10ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/13\/2022<\/p>\n
Shelled<\/p>\n
Far (10ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/13\/2022<\/p>\n
Shelled<\/p>\n
Far (10ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
1.54 g<\/p>\n
Unshelled-Close:<\/p>\n
Date<\/p>\n
Shelled\/ Unshelled <\/p>\n
Close\/ Far<\/p>\n
Time trays are put out<\/p>\n
Time trays are collected (hrs)<\/p>\n
Initial food weight (g)<\/p>\n
Final food weight (g) <\/p>\n
04\/12\/2022<\/p>\n
Unshelled<\/p>\n
Close (5ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/13\/2022<\/p>\n
Unshelled<\/p>\n
Close (5ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/14\/2022<\/p>\n
Unshelled <\/p>\n
Close (5ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
1.83<\/p>\n
Unshelled-Far:<\/p>\n
Date<\/p>\n
Shelled\/ Unshelled <\/p>\n
Close\/ Far<\/p>\n
Time trays are put out<\/p>\n
Time trays are collected (hrs)<\/p>\n
Initial food weight (g)<\/p>\n
Final food weight (g) <\/p>\n
04\/12\/2022<\/p>\n
Unshelled<\/p>\n
Far (10ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/13\/2022<\/p>\n
Unshelled<\/p>\n
Far (10ft)<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
4:00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
04\/14\/2022<\/p>\n
Unshelled<\/p>\n
Fr (10ft)<\/p>\n
4:00pm<\/p>\n
4: 00 pm<\/p>\n
2.00 g<\/p>\n
1.89 g<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ecology Lab Proposal 04\/12\/2022 Animal studied: Sparrow The two variables you intend to use, and the two states of both. Variable 1 (state 1A, state 1B) Handling Time\/Ease of Access (sunflower seed in shell vs sunflower seed without shell) Variable 2 (state 2A, state 2B) Location of food (Food in open area vs in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-96700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-paper-writing","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96700\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}