ScLi14- Interpret graphs, charts and statistics in results of research studies The following figure is from the study Sediment associated with algal turfs inhibits the settlement of two endangered coral species  coauthored by Dr. Alain Duran (professor in our bio department) The objective of the study was to determine if algal turfs or a mix of algal turfs and their sediments affected the presence of juvenile corals and settlement of new corals of two important coral species in South Florida     Which of the following statements are true?

ScLi6- Identify research questions/gaps addressed by research papers   A hypothetical study on autism is stating that: Despite extensive research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the early developmental markers that can predict the onset of autism. While behavioral symptoms of autism typically become apparent by the age of three, the subtle early indicators during infancy and their biological underpinnings are not well understood. Identifying these early markers is crucial for timely diagnosis and intervention, which can significantly improve outcomes for children with autism. Current studies have focused largely on observable behaviors in later stages, leaving a gap in the early detection and understanding of the neurobiological changes that precede these behaviors. Which would be the most likely research question addressed in this study?

ScLi-1. Identify peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed literature Classify the following excerpts of articles about the Everglades as either peer-reviewed or non-peer reviewed   Article 1:   Article 2 Article 3   Article 4 

ScLi-7 Identify hypotheses and objectives in scientific papers The following is a hypothetical study in STEM education. Current research in STEM education is focusing on strategies to improve student engagement and learning outcomes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. While traditional teaching methods have relied heavily on lectures and standardized testing, recent studies highlight the effectiveness of active learning, project-based learning, and the integration of technology in the classroom. However, there remains a significant gap in understanding how these innovative teaching methods impact different student demographics, including underrepresented minorities and women in STEM fields. Furthermore, the long-term effects of these educational strategies on students’ career choices and success in STEM careers are not well understood. Addressing these gaps is crucial for developing more inclusive and effective STEM education practices. What is the most likely hypothesis of the study? [1] What is the most likely objective of the study? [2]

ScLi-8 Identify the structure of paragraphs in introductions of research papers The following is a [1] “A growing body of literature shows that research papers are a valuable and useful tool for science education and that primary literature can be used to teach the nature and practices of science” To create a simple paragraph we would need [2] One statement that would belong with the statement above in a paragraph would be [3] (Modified from McCartney, M., Childers, C., Baiduc, R.R. and Barnicle, K., 2018. Annotated primary literature: A professional development opportunity in science communication for graduate students and postdocs. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 19(1), pp.19-1.)        

ScLi-3 Perform a successful literature search A lab-mate has given you the following 5 papers for you to decide which to present to your research mentor. Your mentor has asked you both to bring two papers with information about mosquito borne diseases in the Everglades.  Here are titles and excerpts of each paper. Choose the ones you should bring: Article 1 Emergence potential of mosquito-borne arboviruses from the Florida Everglades “In this study, we obtained baseline data on the distribution and abundance of both mosquitos and arboviruses occurring in the southern Everglades region during the summer months of 2013, when water levels were high, and in 2014, when water levels were low. ”   Article 2 Mosquito-borne diseases “Despite centuries of control efforts, mosquito-borne diseases are flourishing worldwide. With a disproportionate effect on children and adolescents, these conditions are responsible for substantial global morbidity and mortality. Malaria kills more than 1 million children annually, chiefly in sub-Saharan Africa. Dengue virus has expanded its range over the past several decades, following its principal vector, Aedes aegypti, back into regions from which it was eliminated in the mid-20th century and causing widespread epidemics of hemorrhagic fever.”   Article 3 The effect of global change on Mosquito-borne disease “Here, we show, through a review of contemporary modelling studies, that no consensus on how future changes in climatic conditions will impact mosquito-borne diseases exists, possibly due to interacting effects of other global change processes, which are often excluded from analyses. We conclude that research should not focus solely on the role of climate change but instead consider growing evidence for additional factors that modulate disease risk.” Article 4 Seasonal Dynamics of Mosquito-Borne Viruses in the Southwestern Florida Everglades, 2016, 2017 “Mosquitoes were collected for 12 consecutive months beginning June 2016, from 11 locations in the Florida Everglades […] Seven species of virus were identified from 110 isolations. […] Everglades, West Nile, Tensaw, and Mahogany Hammock viruses were most frequently isolated. […] Viruses were isolated from mangrove, cypress swamp, hardwood hammock, and sawgrass habitats.”   Article 5 Mammal decline, linked to invasive Burmese python, shifts host use of vector mosquito towards reservoir host of a zoonotic disease “We used historic and current data to investigate potential impacts of these community effects on contact between the reservoir hosts (certain rodents) and vectors of Everglades virus, a zoonotic mosquito-borne pathogen that circulates in southern Florida. The percentage of blood meals taken from the primary reservoir host, the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord, increased dramatically (422.2%) from 1979 (14.7%) to 2016 (76.8%), while blood meals from deer, raccoons and opossums decreased by 98.2%, reflecting precipitous declines in relative abundance of these larger mammals”

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

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.)