In the article, “Hummingbird Citizen Science” by Rima Givot, Kari O’Connell, Adam S. Hadley, and Matthew H. Betts, the main topic of discussion was hummingbirds and their declining habitats. Hummingbirds play a critical role in pollination and help maintain genetic diversity by traveling farther than any of the other pollinators. Hummingbirds also spread pollen between distinct plant populations and can pollinate in almost any conditions where as other pollinators remain inactive during this time. Within the article, the authors discuss a “citizen science hummingbird project” lead by Oregon State University and how it engages citizens to collect, organize, and analyze scientific data. The citizen project took off and students have begun to …show more content…
help with the research. This study has helped students in four major ways: to learn about the importance of pollinators for food and ecosystem sustainability, to learn about the decline of pollinators in their local area of Oregon, to study the pollination methods of hummingbirds and to monitor their habitats, and finally to learn the value of citizen science when it comes to collecting data and understanding hummingbird populations. To begin, the first way that this study has helped students is it has helped the students to learn about the importance of pollinators for food and ecosystem sustainability.
Before beginning the actual experimentation and observation of the hummingbirds, teachers taught their students about the hummingbirds and explained the reasoning behind this Citizen Science Hummingbird Project. As stated before, hummingbirds are great pollinators due to the fact that these birds have long bills that match the shape of most flowers and can also travel farther than their relative insect pollinators. The students learn the general biology behind these pollinators and prepare by reading articles, writing reflections and summaries, holding small group and in class discussions, engaging in lab and field activities, giving presentations, reviewing worksheets, and viewing documentaries. Preparing the students like such gives them a greater understanding of the fact that hummingbirds play vital roles in pollination, the genetic variation that hummingbirds have provided, and the biodiversity of …show more content…
hummingbirds. The next thing that the citizen project teaches the students is how rapidly the pollinators are declining in Oregon and the potential continuation of this decrease. Devastatingly, hummingbird populations are declining due to the fact that their habitats are being destroyed and fragmented. This usually tends to happen when their habitat is converted to things such as construction projects, agricultural crops, or forests where pesticides are used and in turn eliminate their food supply. The goal of the Oregon State University Citizens Science Hummingbird Project or OSUCP is to better understand the hummingbird population and observe their decline in the state of Oregon. So far, students have observed that there has been almost a three percent decline in the hummingbird population over the last thirty years. After learning all of the precursor information that the students need, the next thing that the student learn is the methods used to study the hummingbirds and how to monitor the habitats.
The participating students have to set up feeders in their school yards so the students can monitor when the hummingbirds come and feed, then the students take home study information and protocols and monitor the nectar consumption rates. They also observe how many times the hummingbirds visit the feeder as well as making observations about the habitat near and around the feeder. Students make sure to record their data so it can be returned to Oregon State University. The students also analyze the data once it is collected and write conclusions and provide feedback to the other classmates. The students are also assessed on their understanding of these methods that are used in the experimentation and observation process. These data sets are then sent to the Betts Landscape Ecology Lab at OSU to be analyzed by
researchers. Finally, the students learned the value of citizen science in collecting data to better understand hummingbird populations in and around their local area. The students learned how to connect with their natural environment while simultaneously contributing data to a larger study in an effort to help reach a conclusion. Within the article, the authors state that the effects of the citizen science project were shown in a letter from a student’s mother stating that her son was, “making observations in nature that he had not before”. All in all this citizen project has helped to enhance the students’ understanding of natural science as well as their connection with the environment.
Students will engage in a discussion of honeybees and they will share with the classroom what they know about bees and their unique qualities. During this activity students will engage in a KWL chart to collect ideas and think about what they would further like to know.
In Song of the Hummingbird by Gracie Limon, It’s clear by chapter three that Father Benito and Hummingbird are starting to reach an impasse. He could no longer hold his tongue “This woman who had a way of prying out thoughts and feeling of which he was not aware”. With her story of transgression, incest and murder her sin was to be forgiven in eyes of the lord, but she wanted Father Benito words. His thoughts conflicted, so he was surprised that the words he spoke were forgiveness. At this point, Hummingbird feels ready to start the next level of her story. I liked in the dialog that it express every insecurity Father Benito went through when saying he forgives her. To me, he seems that he can no longer stand to hear more like he wants to sing
The Song of the Hummingbird, written by Graciela Limon, is a novel telling the story of Huitzitzilin an Aztec survivor whose kingdom fell to ruin by her nation's blind reliance on God. The book features Huitzitzilin as the narrator of the story and Father Benito as a naive journalist of sorts. As the story begins, Father Benito meets Huitzitzilin while he’s taking confessions in the church. Through this transaction; Benito is told by the head of the church to take note of the history Huitzitzilin has to tell, while absolving her of her sins. As Benito begins to hear her story, his irritation and discomfort with hearing it becomes clear. He fidgets, buries his head in his hands, and at times even threatens to leave. The reasons for this comes from what Benito knows from history books and the teaching of his faith, Huitzitzilin begins to pick up on things as she tells her story. She uses this to mess with him at times and to distance him from the mindset that he’s just a tool for his god’s word. When the story draws to a conclusion, Benito sees Huitzitzilin story for what it is, he and his people are no different than hers, yet they treated them as savages.
Thomas, Pat. "Give Bees a Chance." Ecologist (London, England) Vol. 37, No. 5. June 2007: 30-35. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
Think for a moment of a world without bees; a world without our buzzing friend. They might look like they barely do much to help our ecosystem. However, bees are a vital part of our agriculture and this makes it vital that we keep them around. The bee population decline in recent years is troubling for both us and our little friends. As their friends, we must do all we can in order to ensure their survival which in turn will ensure our own.
8. Taylor, Dan. 1998. Audubon Society Inspired to Action by Bird Die -offs . 17 Jan. 1998 . E-mail . Available bkus@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
Initially, I didn’t care much about bees until after I received this assignment. Although I may be allergic to bees, they do help my everyday life. I don’t want food prices to go up because we can’t save some bees. We spend trillions on protection, when we have no war. How about take a few million to save the bees, and possibly save man.
Much of the misunderstandings are in part by imperfect information which is currently resulting in even further destruction of pollinator populations. Supply is shrinking while demand increases as the need for food increases across the globe. These inefficiencies are creating a stressful environment for various agencies starting at the farmer level, agency level, and ultimately on the consumer level.
Tamm S., Gass C. L. (1986) Energy intake rates and nectar concentration preferences by hummingbirds. Oecologia 70: 20–23.
Think about the hummingbirds, also known as Flying Jewels. The book “Joyas Voladoras”, by Brian Doyle, talks about hummingbirds, Blue whale's, heart chambers and emotions, that relate back to us. The author says that hummingbirds are beautiful and fragile, while Blue whales are the biggest animales. The author also says that some creatures have 1, 2, 3, 4, or even elivane chambered hearts, but Unicellular bacteria have no hearts. In the last paragraph he talks about emotions and are hearts. The author has a message that he is trying to give through his essay. The message is that we look at the small things in life, but we have less knowledge about the big ones.
Pollinators are very important to the environment because many plant species rely on reproduction to be carried out by pollination1. Bees are dependent on plants for pollen and nectar and in return, are the most common pollinator of plant species and around 90 percent of plants require pollination by an animal7. Bees are used in farming, both for pollinating crops and for producing honey, and the estimated value of bees to the United Kingdom is £400 million per year9. Plants are the primary producers in many food webs and, as so many are dependent on pollination in order to reproduce, a decline in pollinators would have a detrimental effect on whole ecosystems. Therefore, the declining numbers of pollinators, particularly bees, are a cause of concern because of the environmental knock-on effects.
Hummingbirds are promiscuous animals, and families generally consist of a single mother and two baby chicks. It all starts during mating season, when a male tries to attract a female. He may hover in front of her showing off his gorgeous wings, tail, beak and plumage. If she isn?t interested she just flies away. If he wins her affection, they will sleep together one night. In the morning they?ll fly away in separate directions and probably never meet again.
Growing up as a kid the sight of a bee flying around was often terrifying, despite this there’s a complex story unfolding behind the scenes as they travel the world in countless numbers, gently landing from flower to flower. The rusty-patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, plays a pivotal role within ecosystems, with responsibilities such as collecting nectar and pollen and helping the foods that are largely consumed today, flourish in abundance. Recently, the rusty-patched bumblebee was put on the endangered species list provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). The inclusion of the bumble bee on the endangered list was enough to put many advocates in a full-blown conservation frenzy. However, without fully understanding the benefits
Quinn, M., & Klym, M. (2009). An Introduction to Butterfly Watching. Austin, Texas: Texas State Publications Clearinghouse.
A recent survey has revealed that only a small percentage of the population of the world understands the process of Pollination or the diversity of beneficial animals involved in the process. For most humans, the world pollen means allergies and bees mean STING. Well for their knowledge, every one out of the three bites you eat, you should be thankful to the very pests you shoo away or kill-the bee, the bat, insects and animals otherwise known as pollinators.