SEE-U 2000: Black Rock Forest - Module 7:Exercise 7

General Methadology for Instructors and TAs
## Exercise 7: Predation Pressure and Avian Behavioral Ecology Module 7: Consumers: Herbivory, Predation, and Parasitism Printer format Instructor gives the biological background during lecture on behavioral ecology. Lay the groundwork for the exercise quickly — talk about some central tenets of behavioral ecology. Quick introduction to the basic biology of the species being studied Birds of the eastern deciduous forest likely to visit the feeders: chickadees, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, goldfinches Independent and Dependent variables in the experiment: distance from cover and various behaviors Students will break into several groups, with each group working on different behaviors (e.g. feeding rate, vigilance, time at feeder, group size, etc) Possible field methodology Feeders set up the week (or more) before by TAs. Food maintained at feeders/ Three to five feeders should be set up at varying distances from the forest edge. Teams of students will observe various behaviors of visiting birds for a period of 1-3 hrs. Return to computer lab, analyze relationship of various behaviors to predation pressure. Present the work as an oral or written report at the end of the day