Biology

From the beginning of the school year, to last week (November 3^rd) , we were writing management plans for Durango Nature Studies (DNS) amphibian populations. Our class of Animas High sophomores conducted water quality testing on the Durango Nature Studies property in the Florida River and DNS Pond, to determine if Rana pipiens has an appropriate habitat, and assess water quality. Tests conducted also included a wildlife encounter survey, visual encounter survey and a mark recapture study. We analyzed data collected through macro-invertebrate data, Shannon-Weiner and sorted our data into charts, to determine a conclusion on Rana pipiens (Leopard Frog) habitat. My partner for this project, Jessie Dvirnak, and I, then wrote a species management and monitoring plan based on the data we collected and the research we did.

In the article: “Time to Stop Worrying about Invasive Species?” Karen Hopkin investigates recent opinions on whether invasive species are really a bad thing. She says, that while some species may not be native, this doesn’t mean they are negatively impacting the ecosystem. An example she gives is “the insect currently thought to kill more trees than any other in America is the native mountain pine beetle.” She, and others think that the impact a species has on an environment is more important than if it is native or not. They suggest that this is how we determine management needs.

I think that bullfrogs are of concern in Colorado. I say this, because as stated in the article “Time to Stop Worrying about Invasive Species?” we should not judge an invasive specimen based on if it is native or non-native, but how it impacts the environment around it. The bullfrogs are directly predating, out-competing and threatening native species: Rana pipiens. This is an issue, because not only are 1 in 3 amphibians in danger of extinction, but this possible decrease in biodiversity bullfrogs are posing, is also posing a decrease in stability, because biodiversity equals stability. Invasive species are an issue globally, because they, also, are posing this threat of biodiversity and stability decrease. While our plan will most likely not be put into action, I feel like our work over the past eight weeks has been beneficial, not to just me, but to raise awareness about invasive species and the concern that they pose. Through writing management plans, we have developed our own plan, based on extensive research, gained a real world application, and worked on presentation skills.

Coming out of this project, I have learned a lot, from analyzing scientific data to creating charts and graphs in excel. Two of the most important things I have learned during this unit, are having a greater awareness of the issues surrounding invasive species, and about technical writing. During this project, my eyes have been opened to how big of a deal, (and controversy) invasive species are. From the huge threat they pose to biodiversity, to ways to manage them, I have come out of this unit with an awareness about invasive species, and many aspects of that. Another thing that I have learned from this unit is about writing technically, and also reading technical writing. Contrary to what we learn in Humanities, technical writing is based on fact, research, and conclusions. It is not about descriptive words, emotional appeal, or opinions, which can also make it hard to read, as it can be hard to relate or visualize. The most important part to writing technically is getting right to the point and letting the information do the talking. The most important part to reading technical writing is picking out key information, and analyzing its meaning. 

link to my final paper