Based on your obtained P-value, state whether your data support your null or alternate hypothesis. If you do find a statistical difference between the two groups, examine the means of each group to determine which group had larger or smaller values.

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Lab 5- Two Sample Tests in Ecology

Based on the Lab instructions (file: Ecology Lab 5 Instructions) and the data obtained in previous labs (file: Ecology=Lab.5 Data) please complete the following :

1. Determine and justify if paired or independent data

First, you must determine whether your data are paired or independent. This will determine which tests are appropriate for your data. Describe your data and provide a justification for why your data are paired or independent.

2. Null and alternative hypotheses

State both your null and alternate hypotheses. Your alternate statistical hypothesis should be related to the hypothesis derived from your research question.

3. Test for normality

This will help you determine whether you need a parametric or non-parametric test. We can determine whether data are normally distributed in Excel by visually examining a frequency distribution of the data. For instructions, see Hand-out 5.1: “Testing for normality in Excel”

4. Choose and justify statistical test

State whether you will use a paired or independent t-test, a Mann-Whitney U test, or a Wilcoxon signed rank test, and why.

5. Perform statistical test

Using hand-outs 5.2 – 5.5, perform your statistical test in Excel Present your data separated into two columns for the two groups being compared. Provide us with your P-value from the Excel analysis, and the level of significance used.

6. Interpret results

Based on your obtained P-value, state whether your data support your null or alternate hypothesis. If you do find a statistical difference between the two groups, examine the means of each group to determine which group had larger or smaller values.

Be so kind to upload the Excel table and the graphs too. Thank you very much

Perform the calculations and report the information requested in paragraphs with boxes. Find two species that yielded very different results in seine vs. eletrofishing samples. Use what you know about the gear we used and the biology of those species to explain why we caught such different numbers with one gear vs. another.

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Seine vs. eletrofishing

For turn-in:

  • Perform the calculations and report the information requested in paragraphs with boxes (🡪). Answer the questions 1- 4, above, as well as the summary questions below.
  • (5) Find two species that yielded very different results in seine vs. eletrofishing samples (eg, many in seine but not electrofish, or vice versa). Use what you know about the gear we used and the biology of those species to explain why we caught such different numbers with one gear vs. another.

 

(6) Given all the information we have, how many __Central Stonerollers__ do you think were present in the site? (Upper for Tues, Lower for Thurs) Which estimation method (census, batch mark-recapture, depletion) seems most reliable to you for that species, and why? What factors (gear, assumptions, species biology) do you think affected the reliability of our estimates? Assume that our data are “real”, and differences between estimates don’t come from mistakes on our part.

 

How do Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements apply to these practices? What impact do these reimbursement systems have on a hospital’s budget?

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Financial and economic decisions hospitals face

This week’s discussion focuses on the financial and economic decisions hospitals face in our current healthcare system. For your initial post, explain how cost-shifting impacts the flow of hospital monies.

Describe “cream skimming” and determine if it is an ethical business practice, particularly in healthcare economics.

How do Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements apply to these practices?

What impact do these reimbursement systems have on a hospital’s budget?

 

 

 

Which organism is more closely related to the fungus? What trait (from the tree) do all of these animals have in common? Is the banana more closely related to a lemon or to an onion?

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Mission 1—TRAINING TREES.  Contains three sub-sections.

 Red, Green, and Gecko: Make a phylogeny of the gecko, palm tree, and fungus.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Which organism is more closely related to the fungus?
  3. Plant
  4. Animal

Familiar Faces:  Make a phylogeny of the kingsnake, stick insect, goldfish, and dog.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. What trait (from the tree) do all of these animals have in common?
  3. They’re all amniotes
  4. They all have backbones
  5. They all have bilateral symmetry

Tree of Life: Vegetarian Edition: Make a phylogeny of the banana, lemon, seaweed, radish, and onion.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Is the banana more closely related to a lemon or to an onion?
  3. Lemon
  4. Onion

Mission 2—Fossils Rocking the Earth.  Three sub-sections.

 Eating Dinosaurs for Dinner

Make a phylogeny of the Archaeopteryx, Albertosaurus, ostrich, T. Rex, and chicken.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Do birds have anything in common with dinosaurs?
  3. Absolutely
  4. No way

 

  1. What trait do all five of these animals share?
  2. Shafted feathers
  3. Wishbone
  4. 2-fingered hand

One Small Step: Make a phylogeny of Acanthostega, Eusthenopteron, Tulerpeton, and Tiktaalik.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. According to the tree you just built, what is the first trait that helped aquatic species evolve into creatures that lived on land?
  3. Eyes located on top of the head
  4. Strong arm-like bones
  5. Webbed digits

 

 

Origin of Whales: Make a phylogeny of the hippo, killer whale, blue whale, Ambulocetus, Dorudon, and Pakicetus.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Which of the following species does not have tail flukes?
  3. Blue whale
  4. Pakicetus
  5. Dorudon
  6. Killer whales

Mission 3—DNA Spells Evolution.  Three sub-sections.

Frog Legs and Fish Eggs: Make a phylogeny of the coelacanth, frog, and cichlid.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:

The DNA sequence of the West Indian Ocean coelacanth is closest to which species?

  1. Western clawed frog
  2. Midas cichlid

 

One fish, two fish, red fish, lungfish: Make a phylogeny of the lungfish, cichlid, coelacanth, great white shark, and frog.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. In 2013, scientists found that coelacanths are not the closest relatives of four-footed amphibians and other animals. Which species is?
  3. Midas cichlid
  4. South American lungfish
  5. Western clawed frog
  6. Great white shark

 

 Where the tiny wild things are: Make a phylogeny of the six microbes.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. You build this tree using only DNA information. Why was examining DNA better than considering physical traits?
  3. Physical traits in single-celled organisms are hard to examine.
  4. Organisms that behave differently can be genetically similar.
  5. Certain traits evolve multiple times in multiple species, and DNA helps us track those changes.
  6. All of the above

 

 MISSION 4—Biogeography: Where life lives.  Three sub-sections.

 Saving Hawaiian Treasures: Make a phylogeny of the Hawaiian birds.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Look at the way honeycreepers evolved. If a new species of honeycreeper were discovered, and it had a short, straight beak, which bird in this puzzle would likely be its closest living relative?
  3. Kaua’i ‘amakihi
  4. I’iwi
  5. ‘Akiapola’au
  6. Po’ouli

 

Cone Rangers: Make a phylogeny of the seven plant species.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Thanks to DNA testing, scientists have discovered that a tree in South America is genetically similar to one in Australia. What is one possible evolutionary inference they could make from this discovery?
  3. It’s a coincidence
  4. Both species share an ancestor that lived when the world had supercontinents.
  5. The trees are adapted to seawater and floated between continents.
  6. No inferences can be made.

 

Kangaroos, gliders, and snakes, oh my!  Make a phylogeny of the seven animals.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Despite living oceans apart, the North American kangaroo rat and the Australian hopping mouse look similar. Both are nocturnal and burrow underground.  What can you infer?
  3. Their similarity is a coincidence.
  4. They’re similar because they lived near each other on Pangea and separated when the continent split.
  5. They have similar traits because they both live in deserts where burrowing and nocturnal behavior are beneficial.

 

  1. Unrelated organisms that live far apart but evolve similar traits—what do we call this process?
  2. Natural selection
  3. Monophyly
  4. Convergent evolution
  5. Homology

 

Mission 5—TREE OF LIFE AND DEATH.  Three sub-sections.

Hosting Blood Flukes for Dinner: Make a phylogeny of the five blood flukes.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. If blood flukes were to exhibit strict cophyly over millions of years, you would predict that blood flukes would:
  3. Evolve in a way that’s completely different from their current host.
  4. Evolve in a manner that parallels the evolution of their host.
  5. Spread to a species that’s not closely related.

 

 

Fatal Fangs: Make a phylogeny of the six snakes.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Which snake is most closely related to the unknown snake?
  3. Black whip snake
  4. Fierce snake
  5. King brown snake
  6. Tiger snake
  7. Taipan snake

 

  1. Which anti-venom will save Tyler?
  2. Antivenom A
  3. Antivenom B
  4. Antivenom C
  5. Antivenom D

Dawn of a Modern Pandemic: Make a phylogeny of the seven virus strains.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Which ape virus is most closely related to the HIV virus that has killed about 39 million people due to AIDS?
  3. Chimp SIV-EK505
  4. Chimp SIV-MB897
  5. Chimp SIV-TAN1
  6. Gorilla SIV

 Mission 6–YOU EVOLVED, TOO.  Three sub-sections.

 Planet of the Apes: Make a phylogeny of the great apes.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Based on this tree, who is your closest living relative?
  3. Chimpanzee
  4. Gorilla
  5. Orangutan

 

  1. Which great ape is most distantly related to humans?
  2. Chimpanzee
  3. Gorilla
  4. Orangutan

Back to skull: Make a phylogeny of the human ancestors.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. Which of the following can be inferred from the tree?
  3. The closest living relative of sapiens is H. erectus.
  4. erectus is more closely related to H. neanderthalensis than to H. sapiens.
  5. afarensis is more closely related to living chimps than to living humans.
  6. Larger brains are a trait that separate the genus Homo from their closest relatives.

 

Inside out of Africa: Use the fossil and DNA evidence to make a phylogeny of the archaic humans.

  1. Paste a screen shot of your tree here:
  2. With which archaic human species did some of the ancestors of modern Europeans interbreed during the past 100,000 years?
  3. Australopithecus afarensis
  4. Denisovan
  5. Homo erectus
  6. Neanderthal
  7. Homo habilis

 

 

 

Pick an ecological crisis anywhere in the world that has attracted significant attention. Explain the history of the event including how the situation reached a crisis point.

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Using wetlands as wastelands – Ecological issue

Write an essay using the guidelines below. You will need to find at least three (3) outside sources for this essay, but you may need more to demonstrate a thorough examination of the topic.

Pick an ecological crisis anywhere in the world that has attracted significant attention. Explain the history of the event including how the situation reached a crisis point.

Document as many sides of the situation as possible and include the resolution, if any was reached, of the crisis. If there was no resolution, speculate on how the crisis may be resolved in the future.

 

Use this form as a guide for completing your Article Report. Write in complete sentences, and compose responses that clearly address each item. Address all the items listed on this form. 

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ENVR 1401 ARTICLE REPORT FORM

Name:

Directions:  Use this form as a guide for completing your Article Report.  You do need to write in complete sentences, and you should compose responses that clearly address each item.  You may choose to use this form or to write it up as an essay.  Your report must address all the items listed on this form.  There are up to an additional 5 points available that I will award based upon the overall quality of your report.  Remember that this is the equivalent of a lab exam grade.

Note that any article you choose for your report must be published within the past 12 months.

 

Title (5 pts):

Author (5 pts):      Date Published (5 pts):

Link to article (5 pts):

Environmental Problem(s) addressed that is related to course textbook:  10 pts

 

Source of problem(s):  15pts

 

Effects of problem(s):  15pts

 

Solution to problem(s):  15pts

 

Do you agree with the author?:  Yes/No 5 pts

 

Why/why not? :  15pts

Do a little research into the basic biology, natural history, chronology of introduction, and impacts of one invasive species, with the goal of understanding the traits that allowed for a species to become a successful invader, and how such species influence native communities after they invade.

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Directions for the paper:

Invasive-species:
The objective of this option is to do some exploration of a single invasive species. You  will do a little research into the basic biology, natural history, chronology of introduction,  and impacts of one invasive species, with the goal of understanding the traits that  allowed for a species to become a successful invader, and how such species influence  native communities after they invade.

A minimum of five references from the peer-reviewed, primary, scientific literature should be cited in the body of your report; you are welcome to cite additional references from edited sources such as review articles, book chapters, news reports, etc., and, these should be almost entirely scholarly in origin. At the top of the first page include your name, date and a title.  Following these identifying elements provide a short ‘Abstract’ which should be a one-paragraph  summary of the entire report; identify the abstract by placing, ‘Abstract –‘ as the start of  the first sentence of the abstract paragraph.  After the abstract then present the body of  your report (structure dependent on which of the topic options you selected); references  should be listed in a ‘Literature Cited’ section at the end of the report and expressed in  APA format (see below), APA formatting also applies to the in-text citations.  Unless  compelling circumstances arise, use third person and avoid direct quotes.  Electronic  copies of the various iterations of your report should be submitted as MS Word  documents through Blackboard by the assigned times and due dates.

 

Write a one paragraph essay about changes in biodiversity in some area of the world either as a result of climate change or other human impacts. Specify if the biodiversity changes are at the species, genetic or ecosystem level. Images and maps are encouraged.

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Climate Change: Biodiversity and Species Range Shifts

Impacts of climate change are many and far-reaching. In this discussion board we will explore climate change as a driver of species range shifts and biodiversity. You will post a minimum of two paragraphs:

– One paragraph about a plant or animal species (not polar bear!) who’s habitat range is shifting due to climate change. Be sure to include why the species habitat range is shifting… and to where its shifting. Images and maps are encouraged.

– One paragraph about changes in biodiversity in some area of the world either as a result of climate change or other human impacts. Be sure to specify if the biodiversity changes are at the species, genetic or ecosystem level. Images and maps are encouraged.

Identify an incidence of land conversion near where you live, your home town, your favorite vacation spot – anywhere.

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Land Conversion Impacts

Identify an incidence of land conversion near where you live, your home town, your favorite vacation spot – anywhere. Write a 2-3 page paper that includes:

-Describing the land conversion,
-Outlines the ecological impacts of the land conversion
-References/cites the reading materials in this module as well as any you find on your own.

Investigate natural causes of climate change and complete activities A and B in the material attached. Use the USGS volcano website to help you graph your volcanos. What did you learn about volcanic eruptions and climate?

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Natural Causes of Climate Change

Investigate natural causes of climate change and complete activities A and B in the material attached. Use the USGS volcano website to help you graph your volcanos. What did you learn about volcanic eruptions and climate?

http://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/module-4/causes-2.php
https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP