Kids
Do Ecology is a program
that helps introduce young
students to ecology using
in-class experimentation and
observations. Scientists
working with the National Center
for Ecological Analysis and
Synthesis (NCEAS)
go to elementary school
classrooms and work with
teachers to develop programs
designed to get kids
excited about the scientific
process. Dr
Jennifer
Williams (an NCEAS
postdoctoral associate who
examines the interaction between
population dynamics and
evolution) and I were paired
with Mrs Galbraith and her 5th
grade class at Monroe Elementary
School. We designed a project
that examined the how the shape
of a bird's beak might influence
its ability to eat different
types of food. Students used a
number of differently shaped
tools to pick up a variety of
types of food items. Through
this experiment, it became clear
that some beaks (tools) were
good at picking up only one type
of food item (specialists),
while other beaks were good at
picking up a variety of food
items (generalists).
Additionally, we had a chance to
walk down to Arroyo Burro beach
to observe a variety of
different beak types, from
specialists, like Anna's
hummingbird, to generalists like
the American Crow.
