ScLi12- Identify the elements in the methods that allow researchers answer their research question A real study aimed to test whether resource density affects home range size of  Blanford’s fox, Vulpes cana. Researchers predicted that home ranges would be larger for groups that lived in areas with fragmented patches of high quality resources, compared with groups that lived in areas with a continuous patch of high quality resources.  Researchers performed the study in Israel at two different sites. Foxes were captured using box traps and then radio tagged, sexed and measured. Researchers followed each fox’s daily activity to determine their home range. They also determined the type of habitat in their home range by using aerial photography.    Which of the following statements are correct?

ScLi-7 Identify hypotheses and objectives in scientific papers The following is a hypothetical study in corals The resilience of corals to temperature changes is a critical area of research, especially in the context of global climate change and increasing ocean temperatures. While some studies have identified certain coral species that appear to be more resilient to thermal stress, the underlying mechanisms that confer this resilience are not well understood. Key gaps in knowledge include the genetic and physiological traits that enable some corals to survive and recover from bleaching events, as well as the potential role of symbiotic relationships with algae. Addressing these gaps is essential for developing conservation strategies that can help protect and restore coral reefs in the face of ongoing environmental changes. What is the most likely hypothesis of the study? [1] What is the most likely objective of the study? [2]

ScLi-2 Identify research and review articles What kind of article is this? Click here to open link (access by selecting FIU as the institution and log in with your FIU credentials) Click here to download PDF

ScLi11- Identify predictions of research papers A study wants to test the following hypothesis: Habitat restoration positively impacts the population density of endangered bird species. Researchers will restore half of the plots in an altered grassland. They will compare restored plots against unrestored plots. They will measure bird density before restoration and one year after restoration.

ScLi6- Identify research questions/gaps addressed by research papers The following paragraph represents a hypothetical study in dogs. “In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding the various personality traits exhibited by dogs and how these traits influence their behavior and interactions with humans. However, despite numerous studies, there is still a significant gap in knowledge regarding the genetic basis of these personality traits and how they may differ across breeds. While some research has suggested that certain breeds are predisposed to specific personality characteristics, the underlying genetic factors remain largely unexplored. This gap in knowledge hinders our ability to fully comprehend the behavioral diversity among dog breeds and the potential for selective breeding to enhance desirable traits.” Based on the gap described in the case study paragraph, which of the following research questions would the paper most likely address?    

ScLi4- Acknowledge the importance of Scientific communication A friend found this multivitamins site, claiming amazing effects for your health.   Tally multivitamins As a scientist, what can you tell them?

ScLi-8 Identify the structure of paragraphs in introductions of research papers The following statement is a [1] “Amphibians have been hit particularly hard by emerging infectious disease in the last century.” A simple paragraph containing this statement would need [2] A statement that would be appropriate to include in this paragraph would be [3] (modified from Byrne, A. Q., Vredenburg, V. T., Martel, A. N., Pasmans, F., Bell, R. C., Blackburn, D. C., … & Rosenblum, E. B. (2019). Cryptic diversity of a widespread global pathogen reveals expanded threats to amphibian conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(41), 20382-20387.)

ScLi16- Identify the purpose of discussions in scientific articles The following excerpt belongs to the study Anthropogenic Marsh Impoundments Alter Collective Tendency in Schooling Fish coauthored by Dr. Kevin Boswell  (professor in our bio department). The objective of the study was to determine if schooling behavior of fish was affected by the introduction of human modifications to their habitats. Researchers compared fish school behavior before and during predator attacks in undisturbed marsh environments and environments with  Water Control Structure (man-made).  The following is a part of a paragraph of their discussion: “In contrast with previous studies, which demonstrated that habitats with a structural boundary elicited tighter schooling with an increase in both rotational order and polarization (Rodriguez-Pinto et al. 2020), the decrease in the two schooling metrics at the WCS found in our study suggests that other factors modulated by the anthropogenic structure in addition to structural complexity are driving collective tendencies. A potential factor that may explain this is if the WCS environment, acting as an ecological hotspot, causes an increase in predation risk due to a greater abundance of predators. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability for fish schools to adjust schooling tendency relative to the perceived risk level (termed the “risk sensitive hypothesis”) (Rieucau et al. 2014), as well as showing that high-predation habitats influence social dynamics in fish schools (Ioannou et al. 2017). Therefore, the changes in behavioural schooling state observed at the WCS may be a result of a combination between habitat complexity, predation risk, and other environmental factors. Further studies on the combinations of environmental factors affected by anthropogenic structures and their impacts on collective behaviour are a novel area for future research.” Which of the following are functions of discussions that are NOT being addressed in the paragraph?

ScLi13- Identify elements in results that provide information on how study variables behaved The following is an excerpt of the study Herbivore effects increase with latitude across the extent of a foundational seagrass, whose first author is Dr. Justin Campbell (a professor in our bio department). “In this Article, we used a network of 650 experimental plots distributed across 13 seagrass meadows in the western North Atlantic to explore the effects of increased herbivory on a marine ecosystem under the emerging threat of tropicalization. We were particularly interested in high-latitude turtlegrass meadows at the northern edge of this species’ range, and our approach was a comparative analysis of herbivore effects (and the drivers of its variation) across tropical–subtropical waters. We specifically asked (1) What are the effects of increased herbivory on the health and ecological functioning of turtlegrass across its geographic extent? (2) Are these effects more prominent at the higher latitudes near northern range boundaries? […] To answer these questions, we conducted a synchronous, year-long manipulative field experiment at turtlegrass sites distributed from Panama (9° N) to Bermuda (32° N) (Fig. 1a). At each site, we factorially manipulated grazing intensity and nutrient availability. Grazing was manipulated using two techniques (1) the exclusion of large natural grazers (turtles and large herbivorous fishes) using mesh caging and (2) the simulation of increased grazing by clipping the leaf canopy to varying degrees, severe grazing (full-clip) and moderate grazing (half -clip) (Fig. 1 and Extended Data Fig. 1). Nutrient availability was manipulated by fertilizer amendments. ”   Which of the following statements in the results address question 1 or 2?

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