Consequences of Habitat Fragmentation as a Model for Inquiry-Based Learning

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Reports of the Office of Technology Assessment and conferences sponsored by organizations as diverse as Sigma Xi, AAAS, and the American Medical Association have shown repeatedly that undergraduate, liberal arts institutions that link hands-on research experiences to quality teaching(i.e., small student-faculty ratios such as Willamette University's 12.8:1 ratio) are particularly successful in encouraging undergraduates to pursue graduate and professional careers in the sciences. Presently our program is attracting an increasing number of students interested in conservation biology topics even among non-science majors. With a new complex now in place, we propose to expand an existing inquiry-oriented approach by asking students to pose questions that address both the genetic and ecological consequences of habitat fragmentation. New microscopes equipped with video-imaging systems and micromanipulators will allow creative exploration of movement & function as well as form. New computers equipped with sufficient memory to analyze images of organisms & DNA bands will be shared among student teams as they try to 1) classify plant & animal biodiversity as scientists do; 2) examine its connection to habitat reduction using statistical and conservation-related software; and 3) review and communicate their results in peer and mentor-based groups. State-of-the art molecular tools will guide comparative study of the genetic diversity of population relics of rare and common organisms, and will expand the basis for posing solutions to historical and contemporary anthropogenic problems. A unique feature is that collaboration is possible via pairing majors and non-majors courses. Also, future scientists will be able to better articulate the results of the experiments they initiate, to perceive differences in ecological and evolutionary scales, and apply their understanding to real-world situations. The wedding of molecular tools with ecological and systematic studies is essential if students are to be successful in a world where environments and interpretations of them are rapidly changing.