During the fall of 2020 and, following a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in New York City and State, we were forced to conduct the Ecology lab course online. However, in order to expose the students to some ecological concepts through hands-on activities, we required them to participate independently in a lab in which they got to choose a local park/habitat to study. Students chose a variety of parks that were planted with native species such as the High Line in New York City and the Brooklyn Bridge Park, a botanical garden on Long Island, and wild chaparral by a student who remained in California and participated in the course remotely.? Activities included taking pictures of and identifying plants using iNaturalist and PictureThis, researching whether the plants were native or invasive, learning about the range of the plants and any medicinal uses, determining rates of soil settling in a cup or jar (and thus learning more about porosity and permeability of soils), measuring seed dispersal, setting up a Winogradskey column, and calculating a species diversity index. Students revisited the park over the semester and noted any changes in vegetation. They then compiled their data into tables and charts and presented their findings in both the form of a lab report and a poster that they presented to the class online over Zoom.
Keywords: ecology, urban ecology, park study, ecosystem study
University of Victoria (2022)
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