A bird

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A birds eye view Flamingos and the Scientific
Method
Marita Davison Ph.D Student Cornell University
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2001
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
History Curriculum Development
Field collections Cloud Forest
2002
2000
Environmental Science Ecology, Conservation,
Sociology, Economics, Anthropology
1996
Past
Present
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I am...
Ornithologist
Limnologist
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A few definitions...
ECOLOGY oikos house (i.e. the planet, our
home) logos study or knowledge The study of
the relationship between living organisms their
environment
ORNITHOLOGY ornithos bird The study of birds
LIMNOLOGY limne lake The study of lakes,
ponds, other standing waters
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And a few more...
Community a group of interacting organisms
living in the same place
How does predator abundance affect the number of
species?
How does nutrient availability affect primary
production?
Ecosystem a community of organisms and their
physical environment interacting as an ecological
unit
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The Scientific Method
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1. Observations

• Flamingos are the most conspicuous organisms in
  Altiplano salt lakes
• Flamingos spend most of their time eating by
  grazing algae that has settled on the lake
  sediment surface
• Flamingos are the most abundant grazers in
  Altiplano salt lakes

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2. Questions
What effect do flamingos have on Altiplano salt
lakes?
Sub-questions 1. Do flamingos influence
community structure? 2. Do flamingos influence
ecosystem processes?
What would happen (ecologically) if flamingos
disappear?
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3. Background research
A. Library search ecological journals, books,
popular articles
B. Internet search active researchers,
photographs, videos, maps
C. Make contacts experts in the field, potential
collaborators
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3. Background research
Algae gt2x more abundant when flamingos absent
Protozoa gt6x more abundant when flamingos absent
From Hurlbert Chang 1983
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4. Constructing a hypothesis
Hypothesis a working explanation of observed
facts that leads to testable predictions
Hypotheses must address your question of
interest, they are NOT questions themselves!
Prediction a specific forecast of the expected
outcome in the situation described in your
hypothesis
Predictions must be measurable, and should result
in either (1) acceptance or (2) rejection of
the hypothesis
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Hypotheses vs Predictions
Find the hypothesis!
Question 1 Do flamingos influence community
structure?
Biodiversity will be higher when flamingos are
present and lower when flamingos are
absent Flamingos impact biodiversity of their
lake habitats
Flamingos affect the growth of algae in Altiplano
salt lakes Growth of algae will be higher when
flamingos are absent and lower when flamingos are
present
Question 2 Do flamingos influence ecosystem
processes?
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How to test a hypothesis
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5. Hypothesis testing
Experimental design Simulate extinction of
flamingos by excluding them from certain areas in
the lake
2 types of experimental plots Exclosure plots
flamingos excluded Control plots flamingos
present
Each plot 4x4 meters, 5 of each type placed at 2
locations in the lake
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5 pairs of plots (exclosure control)
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Sampling
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Samples obtained from each plot (E C)
Ecosystem processes Biomass of algae (chlorophyll
a) Biomass of of invertebrates
Community structure Algae for identification Inver
tebrates for identification