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BCOR12 Insect Diversity Laboratory

Insect Diversity Laboratory Post lab. Exploring Biology 1

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47 views3 pages

BCOR12 Insect Diversity Laboratory

Insect Diversity Laboratory Post lab. Exploring Biology 1

Uploaded by

kylefsk
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BCOR12 Insect Diversity Laboratory

Week 11 Post-lab Data Analysis Assignment (5 pts)


Due on Blackboard before lab time Week of Apr. 17-21

In lab this week, you were introduced to the skills and tools required to conduct biodiversity surveying in
the field, where both the number of species and the nature of their interactions are much larger and
more complex than one would encounter in laboratory experiments. But of course, our goal is to
understand the processes occurring in nature, so it is critical to think through how best to sort out all
that complexity using field experimentation. The actual data collection for the experiment we are
addressing this week took over two years to complete and involved a small army of UVM undergraduate
students working alongside graduate student Nabil Nasseri to key every one of the nearly 10,000 insect
specimens out to genus (even more refined than the classification to order that we did in lab) and
classify them into functional groups. The provided dataset (excel file posted on Bb) shows the
abundance data Nabil and his research assistants collected on the AHM (Ant Homopteran Mutualism):
the ants and the Vanduzea treehopper, and other insects in the community, categorized by feeding
type. In this assignment, we will review your hypotheses for how ants might indirectly affect mesquite
tree productivity, and then use the data to test them and answer our question.

For Questions 2, 3, and 4, create graphs in Excel and copy and paste into this word document

1. Think about the impact each of these feeding types (pollinators, predators, parasitoids, chewing
and sucking herbivores) would have on the tree. Do you think it would help or hurt the tree if ants
chased away each of these types of insects? Why? (0.5 pt)

It depends which types of insects the ants chase away. Pollinators help the tree reproduce but are not essential for survival
of the tree. Some insects hurt the tree like chewing and sucking herbivores so it would help the tree to get rid of these
types of insects. Parasitoids also hurt the tree so getting rid of them would also benefit the tree. Some insects are also
beneficial for the survival of a tree so when ants get rid of the predators of these insects it can also help the tree.

2. Using the data, were his efforts to remove the ants successful? Make a bar graph in Excel that
shows the effect of the removal on ant abundance and explain the results verbally (a couple of
sentences). Graph the mean of the ants found on control trees vs. the mean of ants found on
treatment trees, with standard deviation error bars for each group, and don’t forget your axes
labels. (1.5 pt)

The efforts to remove ants were successful. Upon examination of the average number of ants
present on the control tree there are 22.347 while on the treatment tree there is an average of
3.289.
Ant Abundance
Average Number of Ants Per Tree 25

20

15

10

0
Control Treatment
Tree Type

3. Are ants actually important for treehoppers? Although the experimental treatment only directly
affects ants, by altering their abundances, we can also test whether treehoppers are dependent on
having the ants. Graph the relationship between ant and the Vanduzea treehopper abundances
across all the trees (control and treatment) using a scatterplot. Your graph should include a best-fit
line, linear equation, and R2 fit value. (Refer back to Manual for graphing details). What do the data
indicate? Describe the results verbally in addition to presenting the graph. (1 pt)

When ants were removed from the tree a dramatic decrease in treehoppers can be seen. When ants are
present there is a distinct increase in treehoppers which highlights that treehopper abundance is
dependent on ant abundance.

Insects Per Tree


100
90
80
70
60
50
Ants

40 f(x) = 0.725816459830177 x − 0.111724363161336


30 R² = 0.431913271756243
20
10
0
0 f(x) = − 0.0603038385712629
10 20 x +300.976110402412153
40 50 60 70
R² = 0.0241215354285054
Treehoppers

Control Linear (Control) Treatment


Linear (Treatment) Linear (Treatment)
4. Is there any evidence that ants affect other insects in ways that could indirectly benefit the tree?
Present one or more scatterplots showing the relationship between ant abundance and that of
other insect types (use all trees in data set) that you hypothesized could be important for tree
fitness in Q1 above. Your graph should include a best-fit line, linear equation, and R 2 fit value.
Again, describe verbally what the results show. (1 pt)

The scatterplot between ants and chewing herbivores shows a negative correlation between the
presence of ants on trees that herbivores are on. When more ants are present, there are typically less
herbivores present and vice versa. This means that a higher presence of ants can benefit a tree.

Insects Per Tree


70
60
50
40
Ants

30
20 f(x) = − 0.663516177664385 x + 26.2044532065406
R² =f(x) = − 0.233552416721097 x + 20.871562704115
0.034079084809347
10 R² = 0.139501861654911
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Chewing Herbivores

Control Linear (Control)


Treatment Linear (Treatment)

5. Based on your results, what can you conclude about the importance of ants in this community? (1
pt)

Based on my results I can conclude that ants are integral to the ecosystem. When ants were removed
some insects benefited and others did not. Most insects benefit from ants being present but chewing
herbivores did not which can benefit a tree.

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