Integrating Research & Education in Paleontology & Marine Ecology:An Inquiry-based Grade 6-8 Curriculum that Investigates Spatial & Temporal Patterns in Naticid Gastrop

整合研究

• 批准号: 0085439
• 负责人: Thor Hansen
• 金额: $ 10.82万
• 依托单位: Western Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-09-01 至 2003-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0085439&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Integrating; Research; & Education; Paleontology

This award was made via the Awards to Facilitate Geoscience Education (AFGE) program to Drs. Thor Hansen, Western Washington University and Patricia Kelley, UNC Wilmington. The award provides funds to organize grade 6-8 students from schools around the coastal U.S. to learn about ecology and paleoecology of marine ecosystems and gain an understanding of the workings of science by participating in an authentic scientific investigation. The students will help the PI's collect data on the modern predation habits of the moon snail, a carnivorous gastropod. Moon snails leave a diagnostic trace of their feeding by drilling distinctive beveled holes in the shells of their prey. The students will collect shells with drill holes in them to help the scientists identify the characteristics of the preferred victims, such as size, morphology and age. Drillholes also provide information on; 1) identity and size of the predator (based on the size of the hole that is drilled); 2) the efficiency of the predator (by analyzing the siting of the borehole on the prey's shell); and 3) the success of the attack (based on whether the hole completely penetrates the victim's shell).Fossil records left by the moon snails and their prey create an excellent system for testing hypotheses concerning the evolution of predator-prey relationships. Current work by Kelley and Hansen on the naticid system tests the hypothesis of escalation using a database of 146,000 mollusc samples collected from Gulf and Atlantic coastal plain sediments. In order to complete the study of fossil records, the PI's need data from modern samples. They propose to work with students from across the U.S. to collect this data. The PI's have recruited teachers to work with them. They will train the teachers in a two-week workshop and will develop a curriculum based on the collection of shells. Data from each class will be posted on a common web site. The students will be an integral part of a real scientific investigation. The PI's will work with a variety of schools, including many schools with substantial Native American populations (see letters of support).

该奖项是通过促进地球科学教育(AFGE)计划颁发给西华盛顿大学的托尔·汉森博士和北卡罗来纳大学威尔明顿分校的帕特里夏·凯利博士。该奖项提供资金，组织美国沿海地区学校的6-8年级学生通过参与真正的科学调查，学习海洋生态系统的生态学和古生态学，并了解科学的工作原理。这些学生将帮助PI收集关于月形蜗牛现代捕食习性的数据，月亮蜗牛是一种肉食性腹足类动物。月亮蜗牛通过在猎物的贝壳上钻出独特的斜孔，留下了它们觅食的诊断痕迹。学生们将收集带有钻孔的贝壳，以帮助科学家识别首选受害者的特征，如大小、形态和年龄。钻孔还提供了以下信息：1)捕食者的身份和大小(基于所钻的洞的大小)；2)捕食者的效率(通过分析猎物壳上钻孔的位置)；以及3)攻击的成功(基于洞是否完全穿透了受害者的壳)。月亮蜗牛和它们的猎物留下的传说记录为检验关于捕食者-猎物关系进化的假说创造了一个极好的系统。Kelley和Hansen目前关于原生生物系统的工作使用了一个从墨西哥湾和大西洋沿岸平原沉积物中收集的146,000个软体动物样本的数据库来测试升级假说。为了完成化石记录的研究，PI需要从现代样品中获得数据。他们建议与来自美国各地的学生合作收集这些数据。少年派已经聘请了老师与他们一起工作。他们将对教师进行为期两周的培训，并将根据收集的贝壳制定课程。每个班级的数据将发布在一个共同的网站上。学生们将成为真正的科学调查不可或缺的一部分。PI将与各种学校合作，包括许多拥有大量美洲原住民人口的学校(见支持信)。