Stoichiometry of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum: a long-term ecological field-based curriculum for biology undergraduates

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Biological Sciences (61). Within the discipline of ecology, the study of populations, communities, and ecosystems presents unique difficulties for biology instructors seeking to provide undergraduates with independent or collaborative research opportunities. Investigations in these areas typically require long-term or large field studies and training in multiple disciplines. This project is enriching the ecology curriculum at a small private college by establishing a long-term field study in ecological stoichiometry in which undergraduates can engage in authentic research at all levels of instruction, from freshman to senior year. The field study is being implemented across a three-course ecology curriculum that includes an introductory team-taught survey course, an intermediate level ecology course, and an advanced independent research seminar. Students investigate the balance of multiple chemical elements and their influence on distribution and productivity of plant populations, community structure, and ecosystem functions and services. Teachers and students work side-by-side as co-researchers, investigating open-ended questions. By characterizing species-specific elemental composition and elemental movement in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, students are contributing novel and detailed data, enabling improvements in the quantification of carbon and nutrient budgets. The project is establishing a framework for integrating biogeochemical research into undergraduate courses and undergraduate research projects in ecology. Student learning is focusing on application of the scientific method through collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of publishable data using state-of-the-art techniques and equipment typically limited to research universities. Students are presenting their findings at intra-college symposia and regional and national meetings. Course materials and data developed in this project are being disseminated through scientific and education meetings, journals, and NSF-sponsored dissemination projects such us Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology (TIEE) and Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST III). Assessment includes examining the impact of the project on student retention in the science disciplines, particularly underrepresented students.