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

1. 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
2. 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)
3. 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.
4. Present the work as an oral or written report at the end of the day