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Ecology Unit Final Project

In this project, you will use ideas and modeling skills that you’ve learned through your exploration of Tucker Prairie to make sense of the likely impacts of climate change on an organism from another part of the world. Select an organism that is being affected by (or likely will be affected by) climate change. We recommend that you select one of the nine organisms featured below. For each organism listed below, we provide several websites that you may use for your research. You may look for information from other sources; make sure you keep track of where you find your information and the quality and credibility of your sources.

1. Monarch Butterfly

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/index.shtml

http://monarchwatch.org/biology/index.htm

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/index.html

http://www3.cec.org/islandora/en/item/2350-north-american-monarch-conservation-plan-en.pdf

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/monarch-butterfly/

http://monarchlab.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly

 

2. Mountain Pine Beetle & Pine trees

http://www.climate.org/topics/ecosystems/beetle-battle.html

http://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/mtn_pine_beetle_background.htm

http://www.fs.fed.us/rmrs/docs/bark-beetle/faq.pdf

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/docs/v-g/dpp-mpb/sec2/dpp-mpb2c.aspx

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/docs/v-g/dpp-mpb/sec2.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_pine_beetle

 

3. Blue Crabs

http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/fish-facts/blue-crab

https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/documents/Callinectes_sapidus.pdf

http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1651/09-3241.1

http://www.vims.edu/research/topics/blue_crabs/index.php

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/blue_crab

http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/callin_sapidu.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callinectes_sapidus

 

4. Burrowing Owl

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Burrowing_Owl/lifehistory/ac

http://people.oregonstate.edu/~rosenbed/articles/Brochure.pdf

http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/wildlife/animal-assessmnts.Par.52462.File.dat/WesternBurrowingOwl.pdf

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/programs/legacy/pdfs/assessments/BurrowingOwl11202013.pdf

http://climate.audubon.org/birds/burowl/burrowing-owl

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2014%20SotB_FINAL_low-res.pdf

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2010/pdf_files/State%20of%20the%20Birds_FINAL.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_owl

 

5. Greater Sage Grouse

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Sage-Grouse/lifehistory

http://www.fws.gov/greatersagegrouse/

https://www.audubon.org/conservation/issues/greater-sage-grouse

http://climate.audubon.org/birds/saggro/greater-sage-grouse

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2014%20SotB_FINAL_low-res.pdf

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2010/pdf_files/State%20of%20the%20Birds_FINAL.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_sage-grouse

 

6. Wheat Stripe Rust (A fungal disease that affects plants)

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=9918

https://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/wheat-stripe-rust08.pdf

https://www.sciencenews.org/sites/default/files/13081

http://www.k-state.edu/pdecology/GarrettNita2009.pdf (The most relevant parts of this article can be found on pp.425-429 pp. 434-435.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_yellow_rust

 

7. Harp Seal

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/harpseal.htm

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/harp-seal/

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41671/0

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-life-harder-baby-harp-seals/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp_seal

 

8. Loggerhead Sea Turtle

http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/loggerhead-sea-turtle.htm

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/loggerhead.htm

http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=climate_change

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140317-turtles-green-turtles-scattered-islands-europa-mayotte-glorieuses-longlining-bycatch-world/

http://seaturtlestatus.org/sites/swot/files/report/033111_SWOT6_p12-13_Climate%20Change.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loggerhead_sea_turtle

 

9. Coral Reef Impacts

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34473371

https://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/marine/marine_our_work/gmpp_coral_reefs/

http://www.defenders.org/coral-reef/basic-facts

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidification%3F

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_reef

 

10. MU professor, Dr. Candice Galen’s Bumblebee research

Source Document: 

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6255/1541.full

 

Summary Versions:

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/44110/title/Bumblebee-Tongues-Growing-Shorter/

http://biology.missouri.edu/news/two-alpine-bumblebees-lick-climate-change-by-evolving-shorter-tongues/

http://www.nature.com/news/bee-tongues-tell-a-tale-of-climate-change-1.18430

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150925093233.htm

http://www.babwnews.com/2015/09/how-bees-are-saving-themselves-from-climate-change/

http://conservationmagazine.org/2015/09/climate-change-is-shortening-bumblebee-tongues/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee

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