ScLi10- Identify study variables in research articles A study tested if acorn ants that are raised in different temperatures are more tolerant to extreme heat or cold. Here is an excerpt of the methods: “After collection from the field, ant colonies were allowed to acclimate to laboratory conditions (~25 °C, an intermediate temperature between our two temperature treatments) for approximately 24 h prior to being randomly assigned to one of two temperature treatments (Percival growth chambers, 36-VL). We used a simple diurnal fluctuation in temperature for both our warm and cool rearing treatments. The warm treatment cycled between 25 (night) and 30 (day) °C; the cool treatment cycled between 20 (night) and 25 (day) °C. These temperature treatments represent a non-stressful range for this species (Diamond et al., 2013), and correspond with typical warm-day conditions in urban and rural habitats, respectively, in our study area; none of these temperature treatments lie outside the range of temperatures experienced by acorn ants at our study sites (Fig. 1). […] Photoperiod in each treatment was 14:10 L:D. Colonies were maintained in the temperature treatments for an average of 65.48 days (± 1SD 8.11). […] We used a dynamic temperature ramping protocol to assess the critical thermal maximum and minimum (CTmax and CTmin), each defined as the loss of muscular coordination, which yields an ecologically relevant tolerance limit (Lutterschmidt & Hutchison, 1997).  ” (modified from Harris, B. A., Stevens, D. R., & Mathis, K. A. (2024). The effect of urbanization and temperature on thermal tolerance, foraging performance, and competition in cavity‐dwelling ants. Ecology and Evolution, 14(2), e10923.) Match the following variables with the type of variable they are:

ScLi9- Identify type of research in research articles The following is an excerpt of the study The Diversity of Sulfide Oxidation and Sulfate Reduction Genes Expressed by the Bacterial Communities of the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela performed by Dr. Maria Jose Rodriguez Mora, professor in our bio department.  “The Cariaco Basin, off the coast of Venezuela, is the largest truly marine permanently anoxic basin in the world. […] […]a localized sulfur cycle has been postulated for the redoxcline/anoxic zones of the Cariaco Basin […]: a portion of the carbon fixed by chemoautotrophic microorganisms could be oxidized by sulfate-reducing microorganisms […] The dissimilatory sulfite reductase, encoded by the dsrAB genes [13], is ubiquitous to all known sulfate-reducing prokaryotes. […] The diversity of either sqr or dsrA has not yet been studied in the Cariaco Basin. […] Therefore, in order to build a cloning library for both DNA and mRNA of the sqr and dsrAB genes, a novel sampling devise “Deep-SID” was used and, as a result, the diversity and expression of the two sulfur metabolism genes in the Cariaco Basin redox transition zone were ascertained. […] Bacterioplankton samples were collected during the Car153 cruise on January 13th 2009 at station A (10.30°N, 64.40°W), […] situated in the eastern sub-basin, with a depth of 1400 m. […] The dsrA gene from sulfate-reducing microorganisms was amplified using primers designed to target conserved regions of the gene, based on multiple alignments of cultured and environmental SRB sequences retrieved from GenBank. dsrA1FM […] To perform phylogenetic analyses of the cloned genes, alignments were built that included sequences of respective genes from several representatives of known cultured bacteria as well as sequences from the closest cultured and non-cultured relatives identified by BLASTn. […] What type of study is this?

ScLi-8 Identify the structure of paragraphs in introductions of research papers The following statements are [1] A study reported that changing to workshop (or studio) models of instruction, which emphasize collaborative group work in class, cut failure rates by 40–60% in introductory physics across a range of institutions. Researchers found that the use of peer instruction with clickers reduced the drop rate in introductory physics at a community college and at a research university by factors of two to three. A study which implemented reading quizzes, in-class active-learning activities and weekly practice exams, showed that the failure rates in an introductory biology course for majors, was lower compared with low-structure course designs that are based on lecturing and a few high-risk assessments.  To produce a simple paragraph we would need [2] The following would be an adequate statement to be included in the paragraph [3] (modified from Eddy, S.L. and Hogan, K.A., 2014. Getting under the hood: How and for whom does increasing course structure work?. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 13(3), pp.453-468. and Freeman, S., Haak, D. and Wenderoth, M.P., 2011. Increased course structure improves performance in introductory biology. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 10(2), pp.175-186.)    

ScLi9- Identify type of research in research articles The following are excerpts of the study The application of amplicon length heterogeneity PCR (LH-PCR) for monitoring the dynamics of soil microbial communities associated with cadaver decomposition coauthored by Dr. De Etta Mills (professor in our bio department) “The use of microbial community variations of underlying grave soils has not been thoroughly studied for the determination of time and placement of a body […] The objective of this study was to determine changes in eubacterial metagenomic composition of the soil on which bodies had been placed with respect to ‘pristine’ soils using a fast and reliable molecular method commonly used in the ecological field and applying it to potentially identify burial sites. […] Soils were collected within the Anthropology Research Facility, the outdoor laboratory of the Forensic Anthropology Center of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Because of the very limited number of ‘new’ cadavers available for study, nine sites were sampled and soil was collected in triplicate from underneath the bodies at a maximumdepth of 2.5 cm at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks postplacement. The donated/available cadavers used were placed on the soil between late April and early November of 2007. In addition, four control site soil samples (non grave sites) were collected during May and November of 2007 and February of 2008. The control sites were located at each of four cardinal points within the same enclosed wooded area. (to determine the bacterial community at each site) Two of the nine hypervariable domains of the 16SrRNA genes were amplified using universal eubacterial primers.  The non-overlapping domains assayed were chosen based on the results from a previous study (Moreno et al., 2006) that indicated these two domains in combination provided discrete information that could discriminate between soil microbial communities.” What type of study is this?

ScLi12- Identify the elements in the methods that allow researchers answer their research question A hypothetical study aimed to investigate the factors that affect white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) abundance in the Northwest US will assess population size in  5 semi-urban environments. Researchers will measure- vegetation density, plant species diversity, age structure of individuals, and presence of predators. They will use capture-recapture methods to estimate population size. They will sex, age and measure all individuals captured. They will divide each area by 10-m-10m transects and sample all plant species found in 30 transects selected randomly.   Which of the following statements are correct?

ScLi16- Identify the purpose of discussions in scientific articles 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). The study addressed the effect of increased consumption of sea grasses by herbivorous fish on seagrass health at different latitudes. Researchers addressed their objective by simulating herbivory by cutting the grass in different amounts.  This is part of a paragraph in their discussion: “Our network also reveals that low-latitude meadows are generally more resilient to simulated grazing (mostly severe overgrazing) and that this differential response is driven by increased insolation which promotes plant carbohydrate storage (Fig. 4 and Supplementary Table 9). Thus, across low latitudes, many meadows can utilize ample reserves to replace leaf biomass and consequently display minor shifts in leaf productivity in response to grazing.” Which of the following are functions of discussions that are NOT being addressed in the paragraph?

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.