Think like a biologist

Handout to the Lincoln Zoo School group that visited Audubon Spring Creek Prairie on Wednesday, April 17, 2014:

Think like a biologist:

(1) In what ways are organisms different in spite of their similarities?

(2) In what ways are organisms similar in spite of their differences?

(3) How do individuals within a species vary?

(4) What evidence is there that individual differences are due to development?

(5) What evidence is there that individual differences are due to environmental influences?

(6) Upon what basis do I make a decision about relatedness?

(7) If I were to choose a single species to study for the rest of my life, what species would it be and why would I choose it?

(8) What features of an organism function to promote geographic distribution?

(9) What features of an organism can be interpreted as evolutionary adaptations?

(10) Do the reproductive structures of an organism function to prevent interbreeding between species?

(11) Do particular species tend to occur together and if so, what environmental factors seem to be working to promote that association?

(12) Do particular species seem to influence the distribution or occurrence of other species, and if so, what features of the first species seem to be responsible for the influence?

(13) How do I best describe the structure of a community (and what does “structure” mean in this case)?

(14) What is the best way to teach others about this particular group of species and the places they live?

(15) If I decided to write a children’s book about this environment, how would I do it and what pictures would I include?